Ian Dury, like Ray Davies and Paul Weller was a very English talent. The colorful, metropolis-inhabiting characters like Billericay Dickie or Plaistow Patricia he sung about, and the ever so cockney music hall accent he chose to sing in, were a big part of that. But mostly, it was the detailed, poetic way he cataloged English life and the melting pot of musical styles he used to do so, from punk and funk to jazz and rock'n'roll, which left no doubt that Dury's work could only come from one place: The very heart of England. So few were surprised when after his death Sir Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, Madness and more all lined up to pay their respects with cover versions of some of his best loved songs. You'll find plenty of them here, in their original versions, culled from his entire career from the mid-'70s with pub rockers Kilburn & the High Roads through the golden years with the majestic Blockheads right up to the last studio recordings at the start of the '90s. 2 CD set is comprised of 34 tracks. Music Club. 2005.

Music for Alfonso the Wise by redoubtable English period instrument ensemble the Dufay Collective is not a collection of usual suspect Cantigas de Santa Maria, but attempts to re-create the lost heritage of the secular music that surrounded Alfonso X's court during his reign. Utilizing instruments reconstructed from miniatures, paintings, and other iconography dating from Alfonso's time, the Dufay Collective relies on music found within the Cantigas, manuscript sources outside it, remaining old musical practices still held over in "world music," and its own inventiveness to create an album that nonetheless smacks of authenticity.

Epic/Legacy's 2005 release All Over the World: The Very Best of Electric Light Orchestra is the latest installment in the seemingly endless series of ELO comps. Since it follows 2003's handy single-disc The Essential Electric Light Orchestra by merely two years, it's easy to wonder what distinguishes this from the other ELO collections on the market, and whether it was necessary to release another single-disc set so quickly after the last. The biggest differences between All Over the World and Essential is that the 2005 release has some very nice but altogether too brief liner notes from Jeff Lynne along with five more tracks than the 15-track 2003 release.

Rhino is pleased to present the first-ever boxed set to celebrate the girl groups of the 1960s. From soul and garage to Brill Building pop and countrypolitan, every possible girl group style is represented on these four discs, which gather 120 remastered tracks from 107 artists including The Supremes, The Ronettes, Dusty Springfield, Carole King, Petula Clark, plus a slew of artists less known but every bit as vital. Landmark packaging replicates a mod-style hat box and includes a diary-style booklet with essays, rare photos, track notes, and artist quotes. 2005.

Ein Garant für spannende Aufnahmen mit hohem Authentizitätsfaktor sind Anima Eterna und Jos van Immerseel. Fern von effekthascherischen Äußerlichkeiten präsentiert Immerseel ein durchweg erfrischendes Hörerlebnis, dem man sich gerne hingibt.

Includes the original versions remastered, all the collectible 7”s, and several unreleased tunes! This is the only complete album of recordings from one of the funkiest bands of all time. This 9-member group from Detroit, is widely considered one of the funkiest bands of all time. This album compiles their highly collectible Detroit gritty funk and also unreleased versions of their known and unreleased tunes, including warm-up sessions and alternate takes found in the band leaders basement. To say these young musicians were proficient beyond their years would be an understatement. At the time this album was recorded, the oldest member was 17 year-old bandleader Clarence Bennett; guitarist Mark Justice was just 15. Nonetheless, their talent and musical maturity earned them the praise and respect of more widely recognized artists and groups (including the Temptations, O'Jays, Chi-Lites, and Stevie Wonder). The Propositions were influenced by many bands from the early 1970's, including Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sly Stone and local predecessors the Fabulous Counts. However, they were determined to create their own unique style. They achieved this by taking a dedicated instrumental direction and abandoning the vocalization that was present on their first two singles. Their final result, a tasty combination of funky drums, wah-wah guitar, and a full horn section, was certainly worth the effort. Now for the first time we can all enjoy the entire collection of the Propositions! (The "Africana" single version is found on the Luv n' Haight compilation Deja Vu).

Collector's Choice Sweetwater is the only Sweetwater album to feature Nanci Nevins on vocals throughout, and it's hard to get a grip on. Sometimes it's attractive Californian folk-pop-psych not too far removed from the Mamas & the Papas, as on "Through an Old Storybook"; sometimes it's trying for a rock-Baroque-classical-jazz fusion, although the material doesn't match the ambitions of the arrangements. Whether intentionally or otherwise, Nevins' vocals often recall those of Grace Slick, though she isn't as good. On "My Crystal Spider," they seem to be going for a far-out psychedelic sound; the ascending and descending bit of harsh electronics in the middle sounds uncomfortably close to effects employed, earlier and to more effective use, by the United States of America on "Hard Coming Love."

The Mamas & the Papas Gold is a two-disc, 32-track set that does an admirable job of mixing the major hits with well chosen album tracks. Unlike MCA's 1991 similar package Creeque Alley, solo tracks are ignored with the focus being only on the five studio albums recorded as a group: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, The Mamas & the Papas, Deliver, The Papas & the Mamas and (thankfully) only one track from the contractual obligation swan song People Like Us. The remastered tracks bring out both the intricate harmonies and colorful musical arrangements of group mastermind John Phillips. Billy Altman's liner notes and several rare photos also add to the overall quality of the package.

Due to his insatiable interest in traditional world music and his urge to innovate, the African-American singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal has placed the blues genre in a wider musical context for years. After experimental musical encounters of the blues with music from India, Hawaii and Mali, with the album Mkutano he turns his gaze to Zanzibar, an island on the coast of East Africa. The economically very poor country has a rich musical tradition as the cradle of taarab music: a melting pot of Arab, African, European and Asian music styles. The main taarab orchestra is the Culture Musical Club. Taj Mahal (vocals, guitar, banjo), Bill Rich (electric bass) and Kester Smith (drums) traveled to Zanzibar for a musical encounter with the Culture Musical Club (instruments: zither, lute, flute, violins, accordion, double bass and percussion)…

Arild Andersen's Electra was composed for the Spring Theater in Athens for their production. These "18 Scenes," as they are subtitled, represent various cues and serial music for the production of Sophocles' deeply moving classic. Andersen collaborates with both European and Greek musicians here, among them the great vocalist Savina Yannatou, guitarist Eivind Aarset, drummer Patrice Héral, and trumpeter Arve Henriksen. The music is heavily arranged, taut, and spacious. Everything is understated yet utterly dramatic. Voices, drum programs - courtesy of Andersen and Nils Petter Molvær - brass, electric guitars, chorus, and solo voices are given direction by Andersen's bass and conducting, allowing a sort of musical story to emerge that not only informs but works independently of the dramatic work they accompany…

Although it shook the band's fan base to its core, the acrimonious departure of vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover served to rejuvenate Deep Purple in time for 1973's aptly named Burn album, which unquestionably showed huge improvement over their lackluster previous effort, Who Do We Think We Are. And in an interesting twist rarely attempted before or since, new recruits David Coverdale (vocals) and Glenn Hughes (bass and vocals, ex-Trapeze) traded lead singing duties on virtually every one of its songs – an enviable tag team, as both possessed exceptional pipes.

Formula 3 (also spelled as Formula Tre) is an Italian prog-rock band, mainly successful in the early seventies. The group formed in 1969; produced by Lucio Battisti, they were the group that accompanied Battisti in his rare live concerts, and was originally made ​​up of Alberto Radius (guitars and vocals), Tony Cicco (drums and vocals) and Gabriele Lorenzi (keyboards). Their first hit was the song "Questo folle sentimento", which ranked fifth at the Italian hit parade in 1970, and which was followed by a series of top 20 hits, notably "Io ritorno solo" (third at the Italian hit parade) and "Eppur mi son scordato di te" (second at the Italian hit parade), all composed by the same Battisti.

The German composer Draeseke wrote four symphonies. All of them are now to be heard spread across three CPO discs played in a uniform edition by the NDR Radiophilharmonie conducted by Jörg-Peter Weigle. You can also hear a Wuppertal-based reading of the First Symphony coupled with the Draeseke Piano Concerto on MDG 335 1041.

Considering their career spanned close to 30 years, it's amazing how condensed most people's vision of Supertramp has become.

This is a most encouraging issue. In the wake of BIS’s continuing series of Mozart Camargo Guarnieri’s symphonies, Naxos – knowing a good thing when they hear it – have collected his three piano concertos onto a single disc, the First being a premiere recording with neither of the others otherwise available. Indeed, there is little enough of Guarnieri’s bright and attractive music in the catalogue at all. Recording the appealing First Concerto highlighted some major textual issues with the score, as James Melo succinctly summarizes in the booklet.