Although he is universally considered among the most important figures in rock & roll, Eric Clapton has not had consistent success in translating his stature into record sales, partially because he is, in essence, a great blues guitarist rather than a great pop/rock singer/songwriter…

Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band which recorded and performed from 1968 to 1972. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bassist Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs. Their musical style encompassed roots rock, swamp rock, and blues rock. Creedence Clearwater Revival's music is still a staple of U.S. classic rock radio airplay. Twenty-eight million CCR records have been sold in the United States alone. Rolling Stone ranked them 82nd on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

After recording one of their darkest albums, 1984's The Top, the Cure regrouped and shuffled their lineup, which changed their musical direction rather radically. While the band always had a pop element in their sound and even recorded one of the lightest songs of the '80s, "The Lovecats," The Head on the Door is where they become a hitmaking machine. The shiny, sleek production and laser-sharp melodies of "Inbetween Days" and "Close to Me" helped them become modern rock radio staples and the inspired videos had them in heavy rotation on MTV. The rest of the record didn't suffer for hooks and inventive arrangements either, making even the gloomiest songs like "Screw" and "Kyoto Song" sound radio-ready, and the inventive arrangements…

For a recording fervently hyped as a special occasion – B.B. King's 50th album and all that – this one is surprisingly patchy in concept and erratic in execution…

Trilogy is the third studio album by the English progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer, released in July 1972 on Island Records. Trilogy increased ELP's worldwide popularity, and included "Hoedown", an arrangement of the Aaron Copland composition, which was one of their most popular songs when performing live. Lake had said this was his favourite ELP record.

The mid-'80s proved to be a prolific and exploratory time for the producer/performer team of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who this time out take guitarist Michael Brook under their ambient wing to create an album of considerable beauty and restraint. Taking a "less is more" approach to the project, Brook adapts quite easily as a group member in co-creating these organic pieces (although composer credits go to him alone), and within a few minutes one forgets that he is a guitar player. Hybrid is not an especially dynamic or exciting album, but its depth is nonetheless rewarding. There is substance within the shadows, and the musicians take the necessary time to properly explore them…

"Moments in Love" is the third single by Art of Noise. Although the original 10-minute version appeared on both the Into Battle with the Art of Noise release in 1983 and the Who's Afraid of the Art of Noise? album in 1984, "Moments In Love" wasn't released globally as a commercial single until 1985, when the song was featured on the "Pumping Iron II: The Women" soundtrack. The version that was used on this soundtrack was "Moments in Love (Beaten)". Reissues followed in 1986 and 1987, in some markets. Copyright dates indicate the edits & remixes were prepared in 1984.
Singles generally featured shortened edits of the album version…

Cray found himself in some pretty intimidating company for this Grammy-winning blues guitar summit meeting, but he wasn't deterred, holding his own alongside his idol Albert Collins and Texas great Johnny Copeland. Cray's delivery of Muddy Waters' rhumba-rocking "She's into Something" was one of the set's many highlights.

Since the Scorpions' career was at its peak, World Wide Live could not have been recorded at a better time. This 19-track album contains all of their early-'80s hits, and while they aren't as energetic on-stage as they are in the studio, the band still perform with a great amount of flamboyance…

The last of Slim's great band-backed albums, cut with yeoman help from his longtime combo (guitarist Steve Freund and drummer Robert Covington share the vocals). At the heart of the matter are Slim's rolling 88s and still-commanding vocals, invested with experience beyond all comprehension.