Music has been present in Hugh Laurie’s career in some form or another since the days of Fry & Laurie, even working its way into House, the American television series that turned him into an international star in the 2000s. Without House, Laurie would never have been granted the opportunity to record an album like 2011’s Let Them Talk, a full-blooded immersion into American blues via New Orleans, shepherded by acclaimed roots producer Joe Henry and featuring such Big Easy heavy-hitters as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Irma Thomas. To his enormous credit, Laurie never sounds like a dilettante among this group; he holds his own, working his way into the marrow of the songs, playing credible piano throughout the record.

Thick as a Brick is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released in 1972. The album is notable for only including one song, which spans the entire album. Thick as a Brick was deliberately crafted in the style of a concept album, as well as a "bombastic" and "over the top" parody of the then-prevalent vogue for concept albums. The original packaging, designed like a newspaper, claims the album to be a musical adaptation of an epic poem by the fictional 8-year-old genius Gerald Bostock, though the lyrics were actually written by the band's frontman, Ian Anderson. Thick as a Brick is considered by critics the first release by Jethro Tull entirely consisting of progressive rock music and received mixed reviews upon its release. Nonetheless, it was a commercial success and topped various charts in 1972. Today it is regarded as a classic of progressive rock and has received several accolades.

«My musical tastes are a little unusual» The DVD contents performances of works by Steve Reich with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (conductor: Kristjan Järvi), and Ensemble Modern / Synergy Vocals (conductor: Franck Ollu). And in addition an exclusive interview with Steve Reich on Mai 8, 2009 by Peider A. Defilla, and interviews with the performers by Peider A. Defilla and Max Nyffeler. «My musical tastes are a little unusual. I like 1750 Bach and before, and Debussy after, and in the middle, l don't listen. Except for a little Beethoven. That's it. I never listened to Romantic music ever, not even a minute, lt is no part of my life, If all of it stopped tomorrow morning, I would not know!» (Steve Reich).

In the summer of 1956, the famed Harlem congressman Adam Clayton Powell arranged for Dizzy Gillespie to embark on a worldwide goodwill-ambassador tour sponsored by the State Department. Gillespie and an all-star big band featuring trumpeter Quincy Jones, the late trombonist Melba Liston, alto saxophonist Phil Woods, and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson performed in Ecuador, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil to frenzied, beret-wearing fans. Recordings were made but they weren't commercially available and were played only for a select group of musicians before Gillespie's death in 1993. Now the sides have been released, showcasing Dizzy at his bebopping best.

This goes beyond the usual "deluxe edition." You get the Femme's 1983 debut LP ( Blister in the Sun; Kiss Off; Please Do Not Go; Add It Up , etc.) plus demos of all of the above and more. That's disc one; disc two has unissued live recordings of Gone Daddy Gone; Promise; Country Death Song; To the Kill; Never Tell , and more by Milwaukee's indie-rock heroes!
Emerging, literally, from the streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where they gained notoriety through busking, this strange trio led by guitarist-vocalist Gordon Gano became a cult favorite with their self-titled debut album in 1983. Influenced greatly by Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers, the Femmes' minimalist sound pitted Gano's low-volume electric guitar against Brian Ritchie's acoustic bass guitar and Victor De Lorenzo's ashcanlike homemade drum kit–all of which only served to make Gano's angst-ridden adolescent tirades more arresting. Highlights here are the rockabillyish "Gone Daddy Gone," the snotty "Kiss Off," and the emblematically nervous "Blister in the Sun." All in all, a fond reminder of the innocent days of alt-rock. Note: this deluxe, 20th anniversary version of the album includes an additional 26 demos and live tunes, 22 of them never before released.–Billy Altman

This extensive collection gathers together four volumes of demos, live performances, interviews, and other ephemeral material from the earliest phases of Detroit shock-glam legends Alice Cooper, and even traces their roots before the band as most know it came to be. The collection begins with the stompy garage psych number "No Price Tag" from Vincent Furnier's pre-AC 1966 band Spiders. Early demos from 1969's Pretties for You album follow, as do radio spots and raw live recordings from the earliest eras of the band, including an 11-minute organ-drone version of "I'm Eighteen," introduced as "a brand-new song" and sounding more like some bastardized take on the Doors than the three-minute confused coming-of-age rocker that wound up on 1971's Love It to Death album.

Originally released in 1994, the 1 disc compilation covered part of Moore's career during the years 1982-1994. Ballads and Blues reached #33 in the UK Album chart in 1994. This set now includes the accompanying VHS collection of promos and clips, available on DVD for the first time. Also included is the previously unreleased 20 minute interview with Gary Moore. Sleeve notes written by Classic Rock journalist - Geoff Barton. Geoff has written a personal tribute to Gary Moore. Includes tracks; Parisienne Walkways, which charted UK #8 and Empty Rooms which charted UK #23.

After participating in five classic studio albums (three with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow and two with Black Sabbath) in the late '70s and early '80s, it seemed that singer Ronnie James Dio could do no wrong. And with the release of his self-monikered band's debut album, Holy Diver, in 1983, Dio struck gold once again by injecting catchy melodies into the classic metal riffery of his previous groups. Besides Dio's inspired songwriting, the album's consistency owes a lot to his carefully chosen bandmates, including veteran bassist Jimmy Bain and drummer Vinny Appice, and a phenomenal find in young guitarist Vivian Campbell, whose creativity and technique are quite astounding.

Radio 1 Anti-Nazi Mix/Interview is a 2CD album by British electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers. The first disc consists of what they called an "Anti-Nazi Mix" made for BBC Radio 1 while the second disc consists of an interview they did with British rock critic Peter Paphides. This was put out on their own Freestyle Dust label via Virgin Records.

Disney's 1997 and 2006 reissues of the Mary Poppins soundtrack augmented the classic original release with a handful of demos and interviews, which is enough bonus material to attract collectors, but not enough to overshadow the wonderful qualities of the music. Mary Poppins contained some of the best-known (and best-loved) songs from any Disney film, including "Chim-Chimeree," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "A Spoonful of Sugar," and "Let's Go Fly a Kite." The music has lost none of its charm over the years, and it stands as some of the finest music from a movie musical in the last half of the 20th century.

Exclusive 2005 interview the main man behind the Kinks, Ray Davies. Topics include Ray’s song writing process, hearing the Beatles for the first time, Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders and lots more.

It's wonderful to finally have an official release of the late Judee Sill's recordings done for the BBC during 1972 and 1973. They have been bootlegged for years, passed from person to person among the – then few – faithful on ragged umpteenth-generation cassettes…

Documentary covering "every ground-breaking step in the 20-year career of the Pet Shop Boys…" Features appearances Robbie Williams, Trevor Horn, Jake Shears, Frances Barber, Tony Wadsworth, David Walliams, Matt Lucas and more. Bonus material: recent promo videos and live television performances…

The double-disc The Ultimate Collected Words rounds up about 100 minutes of interviews from the late '60s, including the previously released Stoned But Articulate. That record is the highlight of the set, since Morrison is at his most articulate and thoughtful…