To any rock music fan of the last 50 years, Steve Howe needs no introduction. Best known as the guitarist for progressive rock band Yes, he has enjoyed a prolific recording and performing career spanning five decades. In addition to his solo work, Steve has released more than 50 albums with bands such as Yes and Asia and guest appeared with the likes of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lou Reed and Queen. Love Is is Howe’s 17th solo record, comprising ten songs: five with current Yes singer, Jon Davison, singing harmonies and playing bass guitar and five instrumental tracks rotating through the running order.

Off the Rak: The Singles 1975-1979 collects all of the singles released by the British glitter/glam rock outfit for Private Stock and RCA Records after their split from Rak. Fans looking for early classics like "Tiger Feet," "Cat Crept In," "Dyna-Mite," and "Rocket" may be disappointed (2005's Rak anthology A's B's & Rarities would complement this set nicely), but the late-'70s were kind to Mud, producing enough quality material like "Show Me You're a Woman," "Shake It Down," "L'L'Lucy," and "Lean on Me" to warrant such a thorough overview. Despite coming off as a single-disc version of 2004's two-disc Time and Again: The Private Stock Collection, Off the Rak dutifully serves up the goods, trimming much of the fat from previous explorations.

Stomu Yamashta is a Japanese percussionist, keyboardist and composer. He is best known for pioneering and popularising the world music genre after blending traditional music with popular music in the 1960s and 1970s. Originally released in 1974, One By One was the soundtrack to the racing movie, One By One, directed by Claude du Boc and released in 1975. This Esoteric Recordings reissue marks the album's debut on CD and has been remastered from the original master tapes.

GRAND, hailing from Sweden, carries on the tradition of exceptional AOR bands. Their debut self-titled album, released in the fall of 2022, made an explosive entrance into the genre's fan base. Comprising three talented members, GRAND boasts the exceptional vocal prowess of Mattias Olofsson, whose high-pitched vocals align perfectly with the genre's requirements. The trio also includes guitarist Jakob Svensson, formerly of Wigelius, who also handles bass and keyboards, and the versatile Anton Martinez Matz, who takes on both drums and bass duties. Their latest album, "Second To None," picks up where the debut left off, enriching their sound with added substance, sophistication, and intriguing elements. Notable highlights include the duet between Olofsson and Nina Söderquist on "Kryptonite" and the enchanting saxophone interludes by special guest Kristian Brink. In addition, GRAND is gearing up for their live debut, set to take place at the Malmo Festival in July 2024.

Antoine Reicha, born Antonín Rejcha in Prague, moved in adolescence with his family to Bonn, playing violin and flute under the direction of his uncle in the court orchestra in which Beethoven also served. In 1794 he moved to Hamburg, where he took up teaching and composition instead of performance. In 1799 he tried for operatic success in Paris, but when this failed he moved to Vienna, renewing acquaintance with Beethoven and Haydn. Here he won considerable success, returning to Paris once more in 1808 where he enjoyed esteem as a composer and, above all, as a teacher at the Conservatoire. His pupils included Berlioz, Liszt and, for a short time, César Franck. He was the author of a number of important theoretical treatises.

= 1 is the twenty-third studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 19 July 2024 by earMUSIC/Edel AG. It is their first album with guitarist Simon McBride, who replaced Steve Morse in 2022. It is also the band's fifth collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin, who has produced every Deep Purple album since 2013's Now What?!. The album has been described as having a loose concept around "(symbolising) the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one". Music writer John Aizlewood described singer Ian Gillan's voice as "richer than it’s sounded in years".

Wetz is master of his idiom. The work shows a good understanding of musical context. The style is very subtlety varied. This is a requiem that succeeds musically. Because the composer is master of the musical language he uses he is able to engage with what the text of the Requiem Mass is about. It is the traditional version in use at the time.

When the Rock Of Norway staff was doing research info for the recently released CD compilation ‘Rock Of Norway Presents Melodic Hard Rock and AOR, Volume 2 – rare singles’, they stumbled upon a full page article from the paper published in 1993. Former members of the bands Frenzy, Seventh Seal and Eternity had formed a new group called FREAKSHOW, and the band’s sound was ‘melodic heavy rock similar to that of the band Europe’, journalist Hege Baukstø reckoned. With his curiosity tickled and a sudden Freakshow-sized hole in the Rock Of Norway extensive music collection, they set out to find out the professionally recorded 9-song demo FREAKSHOW released on cassette, which was available for purchase in their city Kristiansand local record stores. Now these recordings are being released “A Reason Worth Dying For – The 1993 Demo Session“, restored / remastered with a very good sound quality.