Raging Slab's first major-label album is pretty interesting in retrospect, in that it's both of its time and very clearly a harbinger of the future – which of course is all the more bemusing in that the band was so clearly inspired by the past more than anything else. The quintet's obsession with '70s rock trudge and stomp – perfectly evident with song titles like "Shiny Mama," "Get off My Jollies," and "San Loco" – pretty soon would get full validation in the grunge explosion and even the nü-metal fallout later.

Perhaps the first example of "dragon rock" – a style perfected by bands like Iron Maiden and Dio in the early to mid-'80s – was Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, a rather pretentious 1975 collection from the guitarist's first post-Deep Purple project. Fittingly enough, a young Ronnie James Dio provides the goblin-like frontman presence required by the increasingly Baroque Blackmore. The young Dio is at his best when he fully gives in to his own and Blackmore's medieval fantasy leanings, in hard-rocking tracks like "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" and "Man on the Silver Mountain." The dark, trudging doom rock of "Self Portrait" most clearly showcases what they were capable of.

Diana Krall is an attractive lady with a good voice who plays decent piano, but this somewhat ridiculously packaged Verve CD seems like an obvious attempt to turn her into a pop icon and sex symbol to boot. The bland arrangements by Claus Ogerman (who conducts the London Symphony Orchestra on each track) border on easy listening, while Krall and her various supporting musicians – including John Pisano, Russell Malone, Christian McBride, and Peter Erskine (among others) – clearly seem stifled by their respective roles.

A rare solo performance by one of jazz’s great originals, Canadian pianist Paul Bley, recorded live at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2008 by Jan Erik Kongshaug and Manfred Eicher. There is nothing else quite like a Paul Bley concert. As the New York Times noted, “Mr. Bley long ago found a way to express his long, elegant, voluminous thoughts in a manner that implies complete autonomy from its given setting but isn’t quite free jazz. The music runs on a mixture of deep historical knowledge and its own inviolable principles." Here Bley, encouraged by an attentive and enthusiastic Norwegian audience shapes music in the moment, plays his own compositions, and brings the music to a fine conclusion in a performance of Sonny Rollins’s “Pent-Up House”.

A new classic of contemporary Japanese spiritual/modal jazz is born. Here unfolds a stunning soundscape painted with overflowing emotion and a quiet, powerful inner energy.

Moving On is Oleta Adams' most straightforward and mainstream release to date. Considering that she is working with Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey's producers (Rich & Friedman and Vassal Benford, respectively), the shift in sound shouldn't come as much of a surprise. What is a surprise is how well Adams' subtle voice works in this setting, adding extra textures to the subdued arrangements. Unfortunately, that can't compensate for inconsistent material, but Moving On remains a fine contemporary soul record.

The third-and-final album from the Baker Gurvitz Army doesn't quite live up to the high standards reached on the outfit's previous efforts, but it's still an enjoyable work. Formed after the two, London-born Gurvitz brothers Adrian(guitar) and Paul(bass) absorbed ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker and the curiously-named singer Mr Snips into what was essentially a new formation of their own Three Man Army outfit, the Baker Gurvitz Army produced slick, dynamic and technically-assured rock music tinged with a hint of prog colour. They were always much more classic rock than prog-rock, though sadly they failed to find true commercial success during their brief career. They did, however, enjoy a loyal live following and plenty of positive critical support, especially for their excellent second album 'Elysian Encounter', yet by the time 'Hearts Of Fire' had been issued in 1976 the writing was on the wall…

This is Claude Debussy’s pianistic masterpiece. Gathered into two books — the first composed very quickly during the winter of 1909–1910, the second over the course of two additional years — the 24 Préludes belong to a tradition that includes Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin. Yet for Debussy, the aim was not to present the 24 major and minor keys. Indeed, he had already moved beyond such concerns, with his symmetrical scales and pseudo-ancient modes that dissolve tonal foundations. The culmination of the creative path begun with Estampes and continued with Images, these Préludes are less depictions of landscapes than evocations of atmospheres.

Iron Maiden limited edition collection releases come out in Europe in 1995. All stickers have the same identifier: MAIDCAT10, containing 2 CDs: album and bonus disc with b-side tracks from the singles of that album.
Known for such powerful hits as "Two Minutes to Midnight" and "The Trooper," Iron Maiden are one of heavy metal's most influential bands. They're also one of metal's most enduring and distinctive acts, thanks to their melodic guitars, ambitious songwriting, powerhouse vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and iconic mascot Eddie. One of the first groups to be classified as "British metal," Iron Maiden helped set the rock scene for the '80s and inspired generations of subsequent bands, including Metallica, Dream Theater, Slipknot, In Flames, and Avenged Sevenfold. Despite a lack of radio airplay or mainstream media support, early allegations of Satanism, and a revolving lineup, they have remained consistently popular throughout their career.

Although in 1957 some listeners considered swing and cool jazz to be at the extreme poles of the jazz world, this LP, recorded at that year's Newport Jazz Festival, shows just how similar the two idioms were. The Teddy Wilson Trio (with bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Specs Powell) plays lightly swinging versions of four swing era standards and welcomes baritonist Gerry Mulligan to sit in on a spirited rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown," and then Jeru's quartet (with trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, bassist Joe Benjamin, and drummer Dave Bailey) plays cooly exciting versions of "My Funny Valentine" and "Utter Chaos"; one could easily imagine Wilson helping out on those two songs. Strangely enough, this LP reissue of the original set also contains three standards by the Don Elliott Quartet with pianist Bill Evans, but never lists the full personnel (mellophonist Elliott, bassist Ernie Furtado, and drummer Al Beldini)…

Signify was the first Porcupine Tree album recorded as a full band unit, rather than primarily by frontman Steven Wilson with occasional assistance from other musicians, primarily the ones who would become full-time band members as of this album; Richard Barbieri, Colin Edwin, and Chris Maitland.
Signify marked a change in musical direction for Porcupine Tree. Instead of long ambient and psychedelic musical adventures, the band streamlined their sound into shorter, more digestible bites. Yes, the psychedelic feel is still there and the Floydian vibe is still present (though much weaker). It's just that now Porcupine Tree has been molded into a more palatable listening experience for the radio. A nicely done, excellent work with elements of psychedelic and ambient rock.

It wasn't surprising that the Buggles' second release, Adventures in Modern Recording, didn't meet the expectations that 1980's internationally successful The Age of Plastic set. Both Horn and Downes had been working on several outside projects, including Yes' 1980 release Drama, which severely limited their time, and for the most part, Adventures was a Trevor Horn solo project; Geoff Downes only appears on three tracks. However, many of the criticisms leveled against this outing were unfounded and there is still much to like; several songs, such as the infectious title track, equal The Age of Plastic. Both "Adventures in Modern Recording" and "Inner City," with its lush arrangement and engrossing melody, show off Horn's remarkable production savvy…

Originally released in 1973 on Encounter Records, Profile's Sands of Time was produced by Bernard Purdie (a living, walking definition of soul-jazz drumming), and the album bears his signature sound. With Don Sands on organ, Dave Barron on guitar, Seldon Powell on tenor sax, Garnett Brown on trombone, Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Paul Martinez on bass, and Purdie and Butchman Bateman sharing the drum kit, with help from percussionist Norman Pride, the album catches an easy, gently funky shuffle tone from the opening track, Barron's "99 Baseball," and then never lets go. Instrumental versions of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," Isaac Hayes' "Shaft," and Jimmy Webb's (via Isaac Hayes) "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" all fall into a delightful rainy-day groove, making Sands of Time somewhat of a lost classic.

John Pizzarelli takes his nifty little act over to the folks at Telarc, and in fact, little has changed at all; if anything, the act has gotten better. The good news is that Pizzarelli shows continued improvement as a vocalist; the nasal, callow, youthful sound slowly gives way to a less naive, more rhythmically hip style in the manner of early Nat Cole. Pizzarelli was a fine, versatile guitarist from the start, and he continues to astonish at lightning tempos here. His airtight longtime trio (brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass, Ray Kennedy on piano) keeps right up, switching tempos on a dime.

Never as hip as other Fillmore-era bands, The Beach Boys were undeniably among the most innovative groups of the 1960s, thanks to Brian Wilson's production and arrangement skills, and the group s near-perfect vocal harmonies. They created some of the most compelling recordings of that decade which remain as potent today as they ever were. This set, recorded live on the closing night of New York s Fillmore East in 1971, captures the group at a time when their performance abilities were at a peak and just as they were finishing up the recording of one of their finest late-era studio albums, Surf's Up. Although Brian was no longer performing with the band, and Dennis Wilson (due to a hand injury) had been replaced on drums by Mike Kowalski, the core group of Carl Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine was still intact - and more than capable of delivering a great show.