The third release by Kim Simmonds and company, but the first to feature the most memorable lineup of the group: Simmonds, "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, Tony "Tone" Stevens, Roger Earl, and charismatic singer Chris Youlden. This one serves up a nice mixture of blues covers and originals, with the first side devoted to studio cuts and the second a live club date recording. Certainly the standout track, indeed a signature song by the band, is the tour de force "Train to Nowhere," with its patient, insistent buildup and pounding train-whistle climax. Additionally, David Anstey's detailed, imaginative sleeve art further boosts this a notch above most other British blues efforts.

Three CD set. NOW Music is proud to present 58 more essential singles from the incredible year in Pop that was 1990, 'NOW - Yearbook Extra 1990'. Opening with a defining anthem 'Freedom! '90' from George Michael, Disc One features a blend of Pop gems and soulful ballads. Includes tracks by The B-52's, Duran Duran, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Child, Deacon Blue, Tears For Fears, Robert Palmer feat. UB40, Roxette, Eurythmics, Oleta Adams, Tina Turner, Gloria Estefan, Paul Young, Elton John, David A. Stewart and Candy Dulfer, Aztec Camera, The Cure, The Farm, The Soup Dragons, The Beloved, Primal Scream, Soul II Soul, Snap!, LL Cool J, MC Hammer, Poison, Billy Idol, Cher, the Pretenders, Jason Donovan, Craig McLachlan, Bros, New Kids On The Block, Paula Abdul, Technotronic, Big Fun, and many others.

NOW Music is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – and the second to celebrate the ‘90s, NOW – Yearbook 1990; 79 tracks from a fantastic year in Pop!

Sting has shared the Desert Rose Reimagined EP, featuring three brand new remixes and extended mixes of his crossover single Desert Rose. The singer-songwriter crafted the 2000 track alongside Algerian songwriter Cheb Raba – a.k.a. Rabah Zarradine – and it notably revolves around an iconic and instantly recognisable vocal from Algerian Raï artist Cheb Mami. The original Desert Rose appeared on Sting’s Brand New Day and united Arabic, Algerian folk, and Western vibes, gaining traction internationally. It reached the Top 50 of the Billboard Hot 100 and claimed spots in the Top 10 of charts worldwide. Among the Desert Rose Reimagined EP highlights is a newly reimagined version by Middle Eastern-American duo Bedouin – Tamer Malki and Rami Abousabe. Channeling the cinematic spirit of the original, they seamlessly stretch the song’s soundscape with deep house rhythms, down-tempo grooves, and international appeal. The pair accent the track’s instantly recognisable North African stylings with Middle Eastern flair, bringing fresh fire to it.

Laserlight's 2001 release With the Yardbirds & Jimmy Page, is another reissue that pairs early live Yardbirds recordings with the 1965 jam session credited to the Immediate All Stars (featuring Clapton, Jimmy Page, Bill Wyman, Ian Stuart, and Mick Jagger).

Every man's death diminishes us all, but the death of a man so close to completing his greatest achievement and the summation of his life's work diminishes us all greatly – very, very greatly. When Emil Gilels died in 1985, he had completed recordings of most but not all of Beethoven's piano sonatas, released here in a nine-disc set. What's here is unimaginably good: superlative recordings of 27 of the 32 canonical sonatas, including the "Pathétique," "Moonlight," "Waldstein," "Appassionata," "Les Adieux," and the majestic "Hammerklavier," plus the two early "Electoral" Sonatas and the mighty Eroica Variations. What's missing is unimaginably priceless: five of the canonical sonatas, including the first and – horror vacui – the last. But still, for what there is, we must be grateful. Beyond all argument one of the great pianists of the twentieth century, Gilels the Soviet super virtuoso had slowly mellowed and ripened over his long career, and when he began recording the sonatas in 1972, his interpretations had matured and deepened while his superlative technique remained gloriously intact straight through to the last recordings of his final year.

Cesária Évora was a Cape Verdean popular singer. Nicknamed the "Barefoot Diva" for performing without shoes, she was also known as the "Queen of Morna". A native of the island nation of Cape Verde, Cesária Évora was known as the country's foremost practitioner of the morna, which is strongly associated with the islands and combines West African percussion with Portuguese fados, Brazilian modhinas, and British sea shanties. Évora began singing morna at age 16 after meeting an attractive young guitarist. Her talent soon had her performing all over the islands, and in the late '60s two of her radio tapes were released as albums in the Netherlands and Portugal, respectively.

The contents of the EMI box are too numerous to list but all the sonatas, variations, and most short pieces are here: absent is the London Sketchbook, which is trite juvenalia.

This two-disc, 32-track compilation brings together highlights from Mayall's output for ABC Records in the 1970s, pulling from the albums New Year, New Band, New Company; Notice to Appear; Lots of People; A Banquet of Blues; A Hard Core Package; and Last of the British Blues. These cherry-picked tracks do a nice job of highlighting Mayall's estimable writing skills as well. Highlights include "Seven Days Too Long," "Old Time Blues," "You Can't Put Me Down," "Sitting on the Outside," "My Train Time," and the title track. As a special bonus, there's the second-disc inclusion of four live tracks from a 1982 Bluesbreaker reunion gig, featuring John McVie back at his original post on bass and Mick Taylor on lead guitar providing the fireworks.

George Harrison's (The Beatles) albums for Dark Horse drifted out of print in the late '90s as his contract with Warner Brothers expired. Over the half-decade, they fetched high prices on the collector's market, as any relatively rare Beatles-related item does, and the demand for these records - along with the Traveling Wilburys albums, which were part of Harrison's Dark Horse/Warner contract - never diminished. At the time of his death in November 2001, the albums were being prepared for reissue, but his passing delayed them for a few more years, and it wasn't until February 2004 that the albums - Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976), George Harrison (1979), Somewhere In England (1981), Gone Troppo (1982), Cloud Nine (1987), and Live in Japan (1992) - were reissued, both individually and as part of the lavish box set Dark Horse Years 1976-1992. All five of the studio albums have been remastered and are graced with a bonus track or two.

Cheap Trick may no longer be playing the stadiums that the group's monumental talent surely warrants, but they do have one of the most loyal cult followings in all rock & roll. Thus, when Epic Records decided to release a four-disc box set celebrating the quartet's 20th anniversary with the label, someone there was smart enough to let the band put together a collection for the collectors. Which means 32 of the 64 tracks here are previously unreleased, including many live cover tunes (Beatles, Velvet Underground), demo takes, and a few things only a fan would want. Some hits are here (including "Surrender"), but, as a good example, there's no "He's a Whore," which Cheap Trick probably figured their fans should already own.

Portraits is a three-disc, 61-track box set covering Emmylou Harris' entire career for Reprise and Warner Records, which spans from 1974 to 1992. Not only does the box select highlights from classic albums like Luxury Liner, Roses in the Snow, and Blue Kentucky Girl, but it also features her early duets with Gram Parsons and selections from the Trio album she recorded with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt. Portraits doesn't dwell too long on unreleased material – there are only five unearthed tracks on the entire set – preferring to sketch out a full overview of her career. While there might be a few favorite tracks missing, the box nevertheless fulfills its goals quite nicely – anyone looking for a comprehensive compilation of Emmylou's career will not be disappointed.

Vanilla Fudge took a more basic stance with Rock 'n' Roll, bringing in Aerosmith's first and the Velvet Underground's last producer, Adrian Barber, to replace Shadow Morton. Guitarist Vinnie Martell sings lead on "Need Love," and it is a quagmire of rock sounds, offset by Mark Stein's "Lord in the Country." The band then goes after a good but non-hit Carole King/Gerry Goffin number, "I Can't Make It Alone." It has that vibe that made "Take Me for a Little While" so important and so timeless, but there's just something missing. This is Vanilla Fudge's trademark sound looking for a new personality.