A brief, 12-track trip through the Orb's singles archive, U.F. Off includes mixes of just about every single from "A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain" through "Toxygene" (though not in strictly chronological order). Singles compilations for electronic artists hardly ever fit the bill for longtime listeners or neophytes, yet this one is put together well and remains a solid addition to any collection. The double-disc version includes additional remixes plus a few unreleased tracks ("Mickey Mars," "Pi").

It's a little surprising that a cult band like Kaleidoscope would get honored with an all-out three-CD set, considering the limited market. But here it is, and it certainly leaves no stone unturned, including the entire recorded output of the band while they were on Epic. That essentially covers the entire period of interest to most fans, spanning the band's formation to their breakup in the early '70s (though they subsequently reunited for some albums that aren't represented here). In addition to everything from their albums Side Trips, A Beacon from Mars, Incredible, and Bernice, it has quite a few tracks that only showed up on non-LP singles or as outtakes on posthumous compilations. And some of those extras aren't even easily found on Kaleidoscope compilations, namely the old-timey psychedelia of the early B-side "Little Orphan Nannie" and the less impressive, heavily bluesy 1968 B-side "Just a Taste"…

While Herreweghe’s choir employs women for the treble parts, the ensemble is so expertly trained that their sound comes very close to the characteristic English choir of men and boys. Only a small number of instruments and voices is used, and this, in conjunction with a sensitive approach to style, produces performances of superior beauty and taste. Extensive care has been lavished on both clarity and precision of English diction, and outstanding choral intonation makes the clash of Purcell’s cross-relations and his dissonant chromaticism singularly effective. The singing by the soloists is consistently beautiful.

Mit seinen Vier und zwanzig theils ernsthaften, theils scherzenden Oden reagierte Telemann 1741 auf die ein Jahr zuvor erschienene Sammlung des Bach-Schülers Lorenz Christoph Mizler, die einige Satzfehler aufwiesen und auch sonst nicht alle Kriterien, an denen man Odenvertonungen messen sollte, erfüllen konnten. Wie schwierig es ist, einfach, aber gehaltvoll zu komponieren, musste allerdings auch Telemann erfahren, der in seiner Vorrede bekennt, dass er die Arbeit nur „mit sehr viel Schweisse“ zuwege gebracht habe. Erhöht wurde die Schwierigkeit durch die Aufgabe, daß die Melodie zu allen Strophen passen soll.

Si hablamos de Domenico Scarlatti lo primero que nos viene a la cabeza son sus más de quinientas sonatas para clave, plenas de virtuosismo, hondura y elegancia, que siempre han tentado a los clavecinistas más osados. Sin embargo, en la producción de Scarlatti hay otras composiciones igualmente interesantes y exquisitas, y buena muestra de ellas nos ofrece el joven al tiempo que brillante conjunto asturiano Forma Antiqva en su último disco –Sopra Scarlatti– que es una maravilla del principio al fin… y la prueba fehaciente de que los músicos españoles tienen mucho y bueno que decir.

An AOR band from Finland, Brother Firetribe was founded in 2002. Influenced by the glory days of such stadium rock giants as Journey and Van Halen coupled with the glam of such acts as Skid Row, Brother Firetribe has been both critically and commercially successful in Finland. With their fourth album ‘Sunbound’, Brother Firetribe offer something that harks back to the golden days but also shows that there is plenty of life left in the genre.

Sabbrabells were counted, alongside heavy metal stalwarts Anthem (Jpn) and Reaction (Jpn) as being among the most important bands in the Kanto (East Japan, Tokyo-Yokohama area) metal movement, which was seen to be a rival movement to the Kansai (West Japan, Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe area) metal movement.

Tom Waits grew steadily less prolific after redefining himself as a junkyard noise poet with Swordfishtrombones, but the five-year wait between The Black Rider and 1999's Mule Variations was the longest yet. Given the fact that Waits decided to abandon major labels for the California indie Epitaph, Mule Variations would seem like a golden opportunity to redefine himself and begin a new phase of his career. However, it plays like a revue of highlights from every album he's made since Swordfishtrombones. Of course, that's hardly a criticism; the album uses the ragged cacophony of Bone Machine as a starting point, and proceeds to bring in the songwriterly aspects of Rain Dogs, along with its affection for backstreet and backwoods blues, plus a hint of the beatnik qualities of Swordfish. So Mule Variations delivers what fans want, in terms of both songs and sonics…

Two classic easy-listening albums by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, originally released in 1968 on the Philips label, together on one CD and remastered from the original analogue stereo tapes for Vocalion's trademark crystal-clear sound. French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit "Chariot." In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed "I Will Follow Him," and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash "Love Is Blue."

Along with Gene Ammons and Stanley Turrentine, Dexter Gordon was one of the top ballad players of the '60s. Having already made his name in the bebop era and as an expatriate in Europe, Gordon returned to the States to record a series of fine Blue Note discs during the first half of the decade. This edition of the label's Ballads series features Gordon at his peak and in the company of some of hard bop's best players. Whether melding nicely with trumpeter Donald Byrd from a Paris date in 1964 ("Darn That Dream") or locking in with the stellar rhythm section of Sonny Clark, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins ("Don't Explain"), Gordon delivers his almost sleepy and smoke-filled solos with regal grace. The same can also be said of the rest of this incredible program, including a latter-day live cut from 1978.

One of England's prime jazz-rock - or, more accurately, rock-jazz - outfits, most of the members of Colosseum had apprenticed in blues bands, and it shows very strongly on some of the material here. Both "The Kettle" and "Butty's Blues" are essentially tarted-up 12-bar blues, although they work well in a grander context; in the latter case much grander, as a brass ensemble enters for the last part, drowning out everything but the guitar, an indication that this recording is in dire need of remastering. "Elegy" is a fast-paced, minor-key blues that stretches guitarist James Litherland's vocal abilities. Things do get far more interesting with "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice," which offers solo opportunities to organist Dave Greenslade and sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith before re-emerging in what can only be called a proto-industrial style, all heavily treated clattering percussion…

This seminal new age pianist has sold zillions of recordings with songs that reflect the quieter moments of the human spirit. It's clear from his phenomenal tribute to Vince Guaraldi and this irresistible tribute to the Doors that it takes the music of others to truly tap into a deeper place that gives variety, spunk, and magical energy to his playing. What makes this project so intense is the variety of moods he creates – the imaginative way he modulates from dark and haunting, lower-register chord poundings and upper-register whimsy. The most dramatic example of this contrast comes in the first few minutes of "Riders on the Storm," which begins building with ominous horror movie-type tones, then adds a swirling wind of high-toned harmony on top of the dark melody…