A minor but talented Philadelphia female soul quartet, Honey & the Bees made some relatively little-known records for the Arctic and Josie labels in the late '60s and early '70s with the aid of musicians that played on classic 1970s Gamble-Huff productions. These included Leon Huff himself on piano, and Ron Baker, Earl Young, Bobby Eli, and Norman Harris in the rhythm section; Harris and Thom Bell were among those who contributed to the songwriting. Honey & the Bees spent years on the club circuit, opening for bigger soul acts in Philadelphia and throughout the East Coast before disbanding in 1973. Group member Gwen Oliver married Fred Wesley of the JB's, whom she met when Honey & the Bees opened for James Brown in 1971.

DYNAMIC 1995 BROADCAST FROM R.E.M. s MONSTER TOUR R.E.M.'s 1994 album, Monster, was, as the band declared at the time, "a 'rock' record, with the rock in quotation marks." In contrast to the sound of its two predecessors - 1991 s Out Of Time and 92 s Automatic For The People - the music of Monster consisted of distorted guitar tones, minimal overdubs, and touches of 1970s glam rock. The album topped the charts in both the US and the UK. In January 1995, R.E.M. set out on its first tour in six years. The tour was a huge commercial success, although health issues plagued the group - on March 1st, Bill Berry collapsed on stage during a performance in Lausanne, Switzerland, having suffered a brain aneurysm. Michael Stipe required emergency surgery for a hernia and Mike Mills needed abdominal surgery mid-tour. Despite the above, the band generally performed superbly, with one of the stand-out shows taking place at The Milton Keynes Bowl in the UK, on July 30th, which was broadcast live nationally on UK FM Radio, and synched too, back home in the U.S. Previously unreleased this exceptional performance is now available for the first time on this double CD set.

The chamber orchestra Cappella Istropolitana was founded in 1983, taking its name from the Roman Istropolis, the city on the Danube that is the modern Bratislava, a name that had been perpetuated in the renowned Renaissance Universitas Istropolitana. The orchestra has appeared throughout the world and has won distinction in the recording, broadcasting and television studios, working often under distinguished conductors in a comprehensive repertoire; it has more than ninety CDs to its credit. In 1991 the City Council appointed the orchestra Chamber Orchestra of the City of Bratislava.

Hyperion’s Record of the Month sees the long overdue return to the studio of The King’s Consort, under the baton of the group’s newly appointed Artistic Director Matthew Halls. Here the ensemble presents the premiere recording of Handel’s Parnasso in Festa: a unique example in Handel’s enormous creative career of a fully-fledged celebratory serenata (or Festa teatrale). This form was rare in England but had developed in parallel with opera in Italy, where it was popular for commemorating special occasions of international significance. Parnasso in Festa was written for Princess Anne’s marriage to Prince William of Orange.

The complete recordings of Igor Stravinsky by conductor Riccardo Chailly, presented together for the first time to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the composer's death. This 11 CD box set includes 30 works in total, arranged chronologically by date of composition, presented in a handsome capbox. The artwork features a portrait by artist Steph Fonteyn, who was commissioned by Stravinsky's granddaughter, Marie, on behalf of the Stravinsky Foundation, on the centenary of the ballet, Petrushka.

César Guerra-Peixe was one of the most versatile Brazilian musicians of the 20th century, gaining a particular mastery of orchestration and creating his own inimitable sound through extensive work in radio, television and cinema. The toe-tapping dance rhythms and lyrical expressiveness in his two Symphonic Suites were inspired by research into Brazilian folk traditions, further enhanced by a broad range of vibrantly eloquent global influences. The lighthearted Roda de Amigos mischievously caricatures Guerra-Peixe’s musical circle of friends and their various woodwind instruments.

Basically this is a collection of some sessions Jimmy Page did in the 1960's. Contains performances with Jimmy Page by: Eric Clapton, Brian Auger, Sonny Boy Williamson, The Authentics and others.
Unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history is Jimmy Page. Just about every rock guitarist from the late '60s/early '70s to the present day has been influenced by Page's work with Led Zeppelin - his monolithic riffs served as a blueprint for what would eventually become heavy metal, yet he refused to be pigeonholed to any single musical style (touching upon folk, country, funk, blues, and other genres). Page also lent a hand in writing (or co-writing) Zeppelin's vast array of classic songs and produced all their albums.

Throughout the distinct phases of their recording career, from straight rhythmic gospel to Civil Rights protest anthems, to what might be called soul folk to the funky grit of their Stax years, the Staple Singers always delivered songs that said something, and even when the grooves of songs like 1971's "Respect Yourself" or 1972's reggae-tinged "I'll Take You There" were sending people to the dancefloors, the lyrics were hopeful, message-driven missives of support for a better self, a better community, and a better world. Stax Profiles is a fine anthology which collects tracks recorded between 1968 and 1975 during the Staple Singers productive stay at Stax Records, and includes both "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There," as well as the powerful "City in the Sky," "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend," "Are You Sure," with its brilliantly staggered vocals, and the Steve Cropper produced "Long Walk to D.C." There isn't a single lame track here, and while there are lengthier collections of the Staple Singers' Stax years on the market, this one has a wonderful flow.

With Youthanasia, Dave Mustaine began moving Megadeth away from its thrash roots, incorporating synthesizers into their sound and writing subtle, textured songs. Cryptic Writings continues this evolution, which unfortunately reads better than it plays. Megadeth doesn't quite have the skill or imagination to craft such ambitious material; they sound better playing thrash, which they only occasionally do on Cryptic Writings. Essentially, the band sounds tired and listless instead of reflective, especially since the production is so slick. It's admirable that the group is attempting to move forward, but the music simply doesn't resonate.

Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (1936) enjoyed right from the beginning a roaring success, being praised by critics as a masterpiece. It was also the composer's last work published by Universal-Edition in Vienna. A fierce opponent of National-Socialism, he stopped co-operating with his main publisher soon after. The Divertimento (1939), though definitely not a "lightweight", does hardly give any indication of the political circumstances and events at the time it was created. The piano works on the present recording, arranged for percussion ensemble, are in their original form miniatures whose strong rhythms almost predestinate them for percussion arrangements (Bartok himself experimented extensively with percussion instruments and was familiar with them).

Formed by Tokyo acid jazz maven Gonzalez Suzuki, Soul Bossa Trio recorded several albums of refreshing, exploratory jazz with a debt to fusion and Brazilian jazz but a sparkling sense of interplay often lacking in their club-centered contemporaries. Suzuki was originally a member of Tokyo Panorama Mambo Boys, Japanese jazz-pop favorites during the '80s.

The name of this German band is derived from the USA native Indian word for 'winter. Waniyetula is rooted in 1969 but it lasted until 1982 to release an album under their own name entitled A Dream Within A Dream. This album sounds varied and pleasant featuring some wonderful pure symphonic prog moments with hints from the Classic Seventies Prog like Yes and Genesis but not derivative, Waniyetula was a group that hosted creative composers. The atmosphere in the 7 songs alternates from dreamy and moving to up- tempo and bombastic with some beautiful soli on guitar and keyboards.

"If you find me interesting/you won't be disappointed…" So sings Holly Cole on the title track of her seventh album, "Romantically Helpless," and truer words were never spoken. Since her first release in 1990 Holly's acclaimed career has been one of relentless reinvention, giving followers a chance to witness her as torch singer, trippy jazz cat, and progressive pop diva.

This 1997 concert marked the first time that vocalist Sheila Jordan and bassist Cameron Brown had performed live as a duo. Nerves aside, they had their Belgian audience captivated from the opening of the set. Jordan improvises much like a horn with her interesting choices of notes as she sings the lyrics to standards like "The Very Thought of You," while Brown is also a superb musician, comping perfectly for her and launching on inventive solo flights of his own.

Michala Petri is one of few recorder players in the world to manage making a highly successful career as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber player. She often appears in concert with her husband, Lars Hannibal, a guitarist and lutenist. Petri's repertory is extensive, especially in the Baroque realm with works by J.S. Bach, Telemann, Vivaldi, Handel, Corelli, Sammartini, and many others.