Instrumental Works collects ten of The Alan Parsons Project's best musical pieces and acts as a wonderful journey through some of this group's most innovative material. Although famous for his concepts, Alan Parsons is equally renowned for his illustrious mood-invoking instrumentals that helped create atmosphere on all of his albums. These movements can easily be taken away from their master albums without losing their grandeur and charm, unlike his vocal works that act as pieces in a thematic puzzle and are better left within their conceptual domain.

Eve is the fourth studio album by progressive rock band The Alan Parsons Project. It was released in 1979. Eve's focus is on the strengths and characteristics of women, and the problems they face in the world of men. The album had originally been intended to focus on "great women in history", but evolved into a wider concept. Eve is The Alan Parsons Project's first album with singer Chris Rainbow. The album's opening instrumental "Lucifer" was a major hit in Europe, and "Damned If I Do" reached the US Top 30. "Lucifer" also is used as title track for the German political TV show Monitor.

Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad is the first live album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released on 12 October 1989 through Polydor Records. The album reached #31 on the Swedish albums chart and #128 on the Billboard 200. A VHS video of the concert was released on July 1, 1991 through PolyGram Video; a DVD edition was reissued on December 12, 2006 through Universal Music.

Jerusalem Slim released an album titled Jerusalem Slim but broke up in 1992, due to Monroe and Stevens' musical disagreements. When Michael Monroe began working on the follow-up to his Not Fakin’ It solo album, songwriting work with ex-Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens metamorphosed into a full band with the recruitment of drummer Greg Ellis and Monroe’s former Hanoi Rocks colleague, bass player Sam Yaffa. However, the guitarist’s bombastic style never really gelled with Monroe’s more straightforward rock ‘n’ roll approach, and the band dissolved when Stevens joined ex-Mötley Crüe vocalist Vince Neil’s band.

Empire is an obscure early '90's progressive rock band from Italy, that featured the duo formation Syndone (drummer Sburlati and keyboard player Rogani) and female singer Rosanna De Luca. They release so far a single album in 1994 at Vinyl Magic named Back to Knowledge. They taken their influences from legendary ELP, the keyboards are sometimes one at one with the british, but always keeping the sound modern, that save them from bing a total clone band. Most of the nine compositions sound fluen and modern with varied keyboards that contain obvious hints from Eddie Jobson and Keith Emerson. If you like bands ELP, Monolith, Cairo, and those who are more in driven keyboards arrangements this is a good listen.

Marc Bolan welcomed the advent of punk rock with the biggest smile he'd worn in years. The hippest young gunslingers could go on all night about the influence of the Velvet Underground, the Stooges, and the Ramones, but Bolan knew – and subsequent developments proved – that every single one of them had been nurtured in his arms, growing up with the ineffable stream of brilliant singles he slammed out between 1970-1972, and rehearsing their own stardom to the soundtrack he supplied. With tennis racquet guitars and hairbrushes for mikes, they stood before the mirror and practiced the Bolan Boogie. Of course, most punks only knew three chords.

Gillan's live performances (Tokyo, London [3 performances], Aachen [Germany], Glasgow) from 1978 to 1982 are summarized on 6 CDs box set. You can also enjoy the competition of successive guitarists such as Bernie Torme who joins Ozzy Osbourne and Janick Gers who will join Iron Maiden later. 2020 24-bit remaster. DSD mastering.

Recorded live at The Town & Country Club, London, UK on November 10th, 1992.

Japanese edition of 2000 solo release for the former U.K. and Asia vocalist. Additional artists include Robert Fripp and Ian McDonald (King Crimson), Steve Hackett (Genesis), John Young (Asia/Qango), Martin Orford (IQ/Jadis) and John Mitchell (Arena). Tracks include, 'Heart of Darkness', 'No Ordinary Miracle' and 'Second Best'. Japanese edition includes two bonus tracks, 'Love Is' and 'Space And Time'. It was re-released in 2001 under the title Sinister without the bonus tracks but with a different cover.

One of the most interesting aspects about the Alan Parsons Project is the band's ability to forge a main theme with each of its songs, while at the same time sounding extremely sharp and polished. Much of this formula is used in Ammonia Avenue, only this time the songs rise above Parsons' overall message due to the sheer beauty of the lyrics partnered with the luster of the instruments. The album touches upon how the lines of communication between people are diminishing, and how we as a society grow more spiritually isolated and antisocial. But aside from the philosophical concepts prevalent in the lyrics, it is the music on this album that comes to the forefront.

The most blatantly, and brilliantly, portentous of Marc Bolan's albums since the transitional blurring of boundaries that was Beard of Stars, almost seven years prior, Futuristic Dragon opens on a wave of unrelenting feedback, guitars and bombast, setting an apocalyptic mood for the record which persists long after that brief (two minutes) overture is over. Indeed, even the quintessential bop of the succeeding "Jupiter Liar" is irrevocably flavored by what came before, dirty guitars churning beneath a classic Bolan melody, and the lyrics a spiteful masterpiece. While the oddly Barry White-influenced "Ride My Wheels" continues flirting with the neo-funk basics of 1975's Bolan's Zip Gun, the widescreen sonic majesty of Futuristic Dragon was, if anything, even more gratuitously ambitious than its predecessor.

John Paul Jones stayed quiet for years after the disbandment of Led Zeppelin, performing the occasional arranging, soundtrack, or production gig, or collaborating with such avant garde musicians as Diamanda Galas. Throughout it all, he never released a full-fledged solo album – until the fall of 1999, when he unleashed Zooma. Anyone that was following who Jones worked with in the '90s – including Galas, the Butthole Surfers, and R.E.M. – shouldn't be entirely surprised by the depth, range, and gleeful strangeness on Zooma, but those expecting something like Led Zeppelin IV will be disappointed.