VOLUME TWO: 5CD set. Collects his five "Gold Records" compilation albums, in card LP replica sleeves! Features Elvis' Golden Records - Volume One (1958); Volume Two (1959); Volume Three (1963); Volume Four (1968) and Volume Five (1984).

Billy Joel's four-disc The Complete Hits Collection 1973-1997: Limited Edition reissues his three Greatest Hits collections and adds a live rarities collection previously released in a limited-edition Australian box set to commemorate the River of Dreams tour. The songs on Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 have been restored to their album length and have been subjected to fine 20-bit remastering, and there is a 44-page booklet with handwritten lyrics, an essay, and previously unseen photographs.

Three CDs, plus a fourth stuffed with rarities, sum up a career that both deserves far greater critical acclaim than it has ever been granted, and which has gone out of its way to discourage that from ever happening. An admittedly well-loved cult throughout his first decade of recording, Chris De Burgh exploded worldwide following the success of "The Lady in Red" and that, unfortunately, remains most peoples' sole perception of him; "unfortunately" because, at his best (which is more often than not), De Burgh both writes and performs with an extraordinary passion, and a musical ambition that travels way beyond that one song's parameters.

Randy Newman was the nephew of film composers Alfred, Emil, and Lionel Newman, which would suggest at least some familiarity with the field, even though he had only scored one minor movie (Cold Turkey). And in his songs, heard on his series of solo albums, he displayed far more knowledge of popular music styles of the early 20th century than any of his singer/songwriter peers. Listening to his records, you could always tell that he knew his way around Scott Joplin's rags. Who better, therefore, than Newman to make his debut as a big-budget film composer by scoring an adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime? So must movie producer Dino DeLaurentiis have reasoned in giving Newman the assignment. And the result worked out quite well. Newman naturally re-created much of the cakewalking Tin Pan Alley style of the turn-of-the-century era depicted in the film, but he actually had a more challenging assignment than might have appeared, since the story moves from one social stratum to another and ranges in tone from the comic to the melodramatic to the tragic.

Experience the powerful and emotive sounds of Mahler's Symphony No. 5, performed by the renowned Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of maestro Hartmut Haenchen. This captivating CD features a selection of tracks that showcase the orchestra's exceptional musicianship and Haenchen's masterful interpretation of Mahler's iconic work. From the hauntingly beautiful Adagietto to the triumphant finale, this album is a must-have for classical music enthusiasts seeking a truly exceptional listening experience.

Georg Schumann, no relation of Robert Schumann, was throughout his lifetime a composer, pianist and director of the Berlin Sing-Akademie. On this recording the Münchner Klaviertrio perform Schumann’s first two Piano Trios.

…Jan Panenka makes an honest reading of Schumann Op conferring it of serene poise and distinguished phrasing. Ancerl underlines magnificently the orchestral details to make at least a listenable version. But the jewel of the crown was the radiant and original reading of this battlehorse piece so many listened. Gilels' approach is very attractive, progressively he gets to imbue us around this Russian taste implicit in Tchaikovsky's first Symphony better known as "Winter dreams" . The Second Movement (in the 5:23) Ancerl makes a memorable rubato that really engaged me. Additionally, Gilels with his notable trills, provides the dreamlike atmosphere so typical from Tchaikovsky's ballets. The Final movement is lively and remarkably exciting.

This Time Life Singers & Songwriters collection highlights several classic singles released between 1974 and 1975. Among the 24 tracks are the original versions of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John, "Miracles" by Jefferson Starship, and "Sunshine on My Shoulders" by John Denver, in addition to strong tracks by Carly Simon, Harry Chapin, James Taylor, and Jim Croce. This enjoyable sampler will please any die-hard soft rock fan.