ALAS was one of the most exquisite progressive bands in Argentina. The effective way in which they infused airs of Creole Argentinean folklore into their main prog sound - influenced by the massive energy of ELP (30 %) and the exuberant magic of WEATHER REPORT and RETURN TO FOREVER (70 %) - made ALAS a world of their own. Keyboardist/wind player/vocalist/main writer Gustavo Moretto had been a prominent figure in his country's musical scene. With the idea of forging a new musical direction leaning towards art-rock, he founded the band in 1975 in allegiance with bassist Alex Zucker and drummer/percussionist Carlos Riganti.

One of the relatively few New York psychedelic groups to achieve national recognition, Autosalvage's day in the limelight was fairly dim and brief. The band included bassist Skip Boone, the brother of Lovin' Spoonful bassist Steve Boone, and Rick Turner, who contributed guitar to most of the tracks on Ian & Sylvia's 1966 album Play One More. Autosalvage's self-titled 1968 album revealed a fairly large palette, with touches of folk, blues, and strings. The group's cheerful harmonies owed a bit to the Lovin' Spoonful, and Frank Zappa (perhaps impressed by their sometimes-disjointed and improvisational material) was a fan, but their material was not strong enough to forge a distinctive identity. Boone and drummer Darius Davenport also appear on the obscure 1968 album by Bear, but otherwise Autosalvage's debut was also their curtain call.

Joe Simon is one of the premiere R&B voices of all time. Over a career spanning five decades, "The Mouth of the South" has racked up 35 Billboard pop hits and 50 R&B hits, exploring an encyclopedia of R&B genres ranging from gospel to doo wop, countrysoul, the '70s sound of Philadelphia, Blaxploitation, disco, and a subsequent return to Simon's spiritual side. But, because his hits were evenly split between two different labels, there has never been a definitive compilation…until now. Step by Step—The Complete Pop Hits presents all 35 of Simon's pop smashes, including his maiden chart success, "My Adorable One," released by Vee Jay in 1964, then his 18 hits for the Sound Stage 7 and 16 hits for the Spring labels. Among the tracks are such gems as Simon's Grammy winning version of "The Chokin' Kind," the Gamble & Huff-produced "Drowning in The Sea of Love" and "The Power of Love," "Theme from Cleopatra Jones," the title song that he wrote and produced for the Warner Brothers smash 1973 film, fan favorites "Misty Blue," "Your Time to Cry," and the title track, and his Top Ten smash "Get Down, Get Down (on the Floor)."

Benefit was the album on which the Jethro Tull sound solidified around folk music, abandoning blues entirely. Beginning with the opening number, "With You There to Help Me," Anderson adopts his now-familiar, slightly mournful folksinger/sage persona, with a rather sardonic outlook on life and the world; his acoustic guitar carries the melody, joined by Martin Barre's electric instrument for the crescendos. This would be the model for much of the material on Aqualung and especially Thick as a Brick, although the acoustic/electric pairing would be executed more effectively on those albums.

Those who liked the moodier, more atmospheric material on the last Mark Lanegan Band offering, 2004's Bubblegum, will find much to enjoy on Blues Funeral – an album that has little to do with blues as a musical form. Lanegan has been a busy man since Bubblegum. In the nearly eight ensuing years, he's issued three records with Isobel Campbell, joined Greg Dulli in the Gutter Twins, guested on albums by the Twilight Singers and UNKLE, and was the lead vocalist on most of the last two Soulsavers offerings. Produced by Eleven guitarist Alain Johannes (who also fulfills that role here as well as playing bass, keyboards, and percussion), Blues Funeral finds Lanegan in a musically ambitious place.

Pentangle were always great at creating musical fusions, and on this album, they once again came through. The opening song, "Wedding Dress," is a fabulous meeting of Celtic, country, and, believe it or not, funk. It's one of the few songs of theirs that actually rocks. The rest of the record is classic Pentangle, with Bert Jansch's and John Renbourn's acoustic guitars intermingling so well that it would make even Neil Young and Stephen Stills a little envious. Jacqui McShee, as usual, has some exquisite vocal moments, namely the previously mentioned "Wedding Dress" and an excellent reading of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." This track shows how the group was further exploring new musical ground, this time with traditional American folk/gospel. The group's rhythm section of Danny Thompson (upright bass/cello) and Terry Cox (percussion) – easily one of the most inventive on the planet – shines on every cut, creating solid ground for Renbourn, McShee, and Jansch to do their high-wire act on vocals and guitar. One of their finest all-around albums.

Wild Women Dont Have the Blues, the debut album from Nancy Harrow, is a hidden gem. A vocalist celebrated for her genuine jazz artistry, Harrow shines on this outing. Here, without mimicry or pretense, the artist delivers performances that swing effortlessly. Produced by the legendary Nat Hentoff, this 1960 recording assembles an extraordinary band led by Buck Clayton, with arrangements designed to highlight Harrow's bold and natural style. Among the stellar lineup, NEA Jazz Master and guitar icon Kenny Burrell stands out with his lyrical, soulful playing, weaving beautifully into the albums rich musical tapestry. Burrells contributions, alongside the likes of Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone), Dickie Wells (trombone), and Milt Hinton (bass), bring a depth and warmth that elevates every track.

The Very Best of Supertramp 2 is a best of album by the English rock band Supertramp originally released by A&M Records in November 1992. This compilation features 13 tracks from their five "prime" albums Crime of the Century, Crisis? What Crisis?, Even in the Quietest Moments…, Breakfast in America and …Famous Last Words… as well as the title track from their 1987 album Free as a Bird. The cover depicts the starry backdrop and grate from the cover of Crime of the Century, the hand carrying the glass from the cover of Breakfast in America, and the orange umbrella from Crisis? What Crisis?

Alice Coltrane's 1968 solo debut on Impulse still stands tall in the artist's excellent discography. Coltrane had already gained a considerable education playing in the band of her late husband John during one of his boldest and most exploratory periods. The searching quality underpinning the saxophonist's last albums is also present on A Monastic Trio, as are the Eastern modalities and the balance between density and expansiveness often associated with Trane.
But to consider Coltrane's debut a mere offshoot of her late husband's inventions is to do her a great disservice. Coltrane distinguishes herself as a composer (all the tunes on the album are hers), and as an instrumentalist (her harp playing, in particular, is noteworthy). A Monastic Trio also benefits from a superb personnel list, including Rashied Ali on drums, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and the irrepressible Pharoah Sanders on saxophone, flute, and bass clarinet…

POOH LE CANZONI DELLA NOSTRA STORIA IL PROGETTO DISCOGRAFICO CHE CELEBRA 50 ANNI DI CARRIERA DI UNA DELLE BAND ITALIANE PIÙ AMATE Un cofanetto con 72 successi e materiale mai pubblicato Tra le chicche, l’inedito “Meno male”, provino originale e con un testo totalmente diverso di “Tanta voglia di lei”, il brano con cui iniziava la vera storia del gruppo. “Le canzoni della nostra storia” (Tamata/Sony Music) èil progetto discografico celebrativo dell’incredibile percorso artistico dei Pooh.Il cofanetto saràdisponibile in due versioni, 4 CD e 3 LP, in tutti i negozi e piattaforme digitali dal 20 novembre. “Le canzoni della nostra storia” vuole essere un momento di riconoscimento dell’enorme successo di un gruppo tra i più importanti e amati nella storia della musica italiana, ripercorrendo, attraverso 72 grandi hit ed alcune imperdibili chicche, i cinque decenni di attività della band.

The Essential Michael Jackson is a greatest hits compilation album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on July 19, 2005, by Sony Music's catalog division Legacy Recordings as part of The Essential series. The two-disc compilation features thirty-eight hit songs by Michael Jackson, from his days at Motown Records with The Jackson 5 in the late 1960s to his 2001 hit "You Rock My World". As of 2013, the album was certified 3× platinum in the US.

The song that went around the world has, like its story, long ago become a legend, and several times the subject of film plots. A cloth from which dreams are cut: One was named Betty, was called Lili and worked in a vegetable cellar. The other was a nurse and was named Marleen. The young soldier, who had to stand watch at the army base, loved them both. So much, that he immortalized them in a poem, in which both girls into merged one figure: Lili Marleen. A quarter century later the song became a hit that was sent nightly into the ether from a German soldiers’ radio station in Belgrade, overnight beginning its triumphant advance around the world.

In August 1994, MCA Records released Jimi Hendrix: Woodstock, a single-disc collection of highlights from Hendrix's legendary closing set at Woodstock. Less than a year later, Al Hendrix won the rights to his son's recordings, and his company, Experience Hendrix, began reissuing definitive masters of Jimi's catalog. In the summer of 1999, Experience Hendrix rolled out Live at Woodstock, which features the entire set over the course of two discs. Hearing Hendrix's complete concert isn't as revelatory as you'd think, since it just emphasizes that he overcompensated for his under-rehearsed band by jamming. And does he ever jam - almost everything clocks in at over five minutes, with a couple weighing in at over ten minutes. Naturally, this will hardly be seen as a detriment by legions of Hendrix fans, and that's who this set is for…

Producer and ACT label boss Siggi Loch turns 75 on August 6th this year and to celebrate his birthday ACT are releasing a collection of music that Siggi had the pleasure of producing over the last 50-plus years, his own personal Best of… . 'Life in the Spirit of Jazz - Siggi Loch 75' represents a fascinating cross-section from the glittering career and from the passionate life of a man who has achieved legendary status in music. Right at the start of his career, he had the dream of running his own jazz label, and he has now fulfilled that dream. ACT has been voted label of the year four times in a row at the German ECHO awards, and in 2015 alone, its artists and releases garnered eight ECHOs: the label has achieved international renown.

Sly Stewart is one of pop and rock's great enigmas. A charismatic performer, full of a boundless, good energy, a wonderful songwriter and, at least when he was in his prime, a man with a sure vision, Sly still somehow managed to throw it all away by the mid-'70s. The classic work he did with Sly & the Family Stone, though, is worth its weight in gold. This 20-track set has all the essential hits, including "Stand," "Everyday People," "Everybody Is a Star," "Family Affair," "Dance to the Music," and "I Want to Take You Higher," among others, and for most casual listeners, it has everything they'll really need.