There are no less than 20 CD compilations on the market with the words "Jazz Divas" in the title, and another eight that use the phrase "Divas of Jazz." Those two nouns, so carelessly bandied about, describe improvising female vocalists whose works are an extension of a tradition established by Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Ethel Waters, Mildred Bailey, Ivie Anderson, Valaida Snow, Una Mae Carlisle, and Lee Wiley, none of whom appear on Verve's 2007 double-disc anthology titled Jazz Divas: Gold. Although a collection this diverse is vulnerable to criticism, particularly in regards to the song choices that were made, the temporal range – May 1938 through June 1997 – allows for a healthy overview of stylistic evolution. Thirty singers are represented here, with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Nina Simone checking in twice (each of the five has her own volume in Verve's Gold series). This is a mainstream selection; while the omission of Ada Moore, Jeanne Lee, and June Tyson is therefore not surprising, the absence of Pearl Bailey, Betty Roché, and Etta Jones is most unfortunate. On the positive side, it's an entertaining survey of mostly great recordings made over a span of six decades by a variegated assortment of female jazz vocalists.

In October 1967, Cliff Richard and the Norrie Paramor Orchestra embarked upon a fabulously successful Japanese tour, climaxing with a solidly sold-out appearance at the Shibuya Public Hall in Tokyo, recorded for both domestic and international release the following year. It's a magnificent performance, spinning through highlights of Richard's entire career, all the way back to "Move It" and "Dynamite," but eschewing the easy route of simply piling hits upon hits, by concentrating as much on rocking covers as on the expected hits – "What'd I Say," "Shout," and "Twist and Shout" make it onto the album; left on the cutting room floor are equally powerful takes on "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Dizzy Miss Lizzy."

2007 two CD set from the small man with the big, booming voice! Cast your mind back to the pop music of 1987 and chances are you'll think of Rick Astley wearing that suit and doing that dance on Top of the Pops, and you'll find yourself humming 'Never Gonna Give You Up', a burst of danceable White Soul so infectious, so melodically irresistible and rhythmically appealing that it found itself lodged at the top of the charts for weeks. It was the first of many hits, all of which are included here together with much more. 36 tracks including 'It Would Take a Strong Strong Man', 'Together Forever', 'Cry for Help', 'Whenever You Need Somebody', 'Never Gonna Give You Up' and more. Music Club. 2007.

For the band’s 30th anniversary, Motörhead returned to the hallowed stage of Hammersmith Apollo where they recorded the legendary ‘No Sleep ‘Till Hammersmith’. Recorded on 16th June 2005 and released on 16th July 2007 it features a number of older songs that hadn’t been played in many years and is a huge celebration of the bands live achievement throughout their illustrious career.

This collection spans their entire career, from their '69 debut Chicago TRANSIT AUTHORITY to 2006's Chicago XXX. Includes hits from the band's entire career, inclduing "25 or 6 to 4", "Saturday in the Park," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?," and many more!

Incredibly rare funk singles by the likes of the San Francisco TKOs, Windjammers, Love Experience and Mel Davis will no doubt catch the eye of the hard-core collector, but this highly listenable compilation can also boast that over half it's contents are unreleased, with some red-hot sounds from the likes of 87th Off Broadway, '60s soul thrush Ramona King, future Janis Joplin sideman Snooky Flowers and the inimitable Wally Cox. Master tape sound, in-depth liner notes and some eye-popping pictures complete the package. Regionally-focused funk comps have become an increasingly popular showcase for the obscure delights beloved of the aficionados, and "We've Gotta Groove: Golden State Funk" is one of the strongest to have come down the pike.

Shostakovich started writing string quartets when he was already a mature composer. Of his 15 quartets, all but the first and last were premiered by the Beethoven Quartet. Originally founded in 1923 under the name ''The Moscow Conservatory Quartet'', they changed its name in 1931 to “The Beethoven Quartet”, shortly before they were named ''Merited Ensemble of the USSR.'' The original members were Dimitry Tsyganov (1903-1992), Vassily Shirinsky (1901-1965) - violins. Vadim Borisovsky (1900-1972) - viola and Sergei Shirinsky (1905-1974) - cello. They have been together as a quartet for 42 years (!) Shostakovich held the group in the highest esteem, declaring, ''it has played a most significant role in the flourishing of our chamber music.

"Into the night" is the final part of a trilogy by Poland's own Satellite, the previous parts being "A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset" (2003, the band's first album) and "Evening Games" (2005). Originally intended as a solo project by Collage's Wojtek Szadkowski, the band have rapidly evolved into one of the finest protagonists of neo-prog currently recording. Jarek Michalski takes over on bass, but the line up is otherwise unchanged. Jarek's bass playing is notable throughout the album, adding an underlying depth to the sound. The music here will appeal not just to those who enjoy the melodic power of bands such as Arena and Porcupine Tree, but also to those who favour the classic prog bands such as Yes and Pink Floyd.

Motörhead's overwhelmingly loud and fast style of heavy metal was one of the most groundbreaking sounds the genre had to offer in the late '70s. Though the group's leader, Lemmy Kilmister, had his roots in the hard-rocking space rock band Hawkwind, Motörhead didn't bother with his old group's progressive tendencies, choosing to amplify the heavy biker-rock elements of Hawkwind with the speed of punk rock.

An Opera for Four Fusion Works is a unique project by Vidna Obmana and Hypnos - a four-CD album, released one CD at a time. In each of the four chapters or "Acts," Belgian ambient/experimental artist Vidna Obmana (Dirk Serries) will rework or "recycle" the sound sources of a different musician or group. The four acts will be linked in a thematic sense, but will use completely different and distinct sound sources as raw material for Vidna Obmana's manipulation. Act I used guitar pieces from Dreams in Exile, Act II used Bill Fox's saxophone recordings, Act III worked from the foundation of Kenneth Kirschner's piano works, and this last installment utilizes the voice of Steven Wilson (No-Man, Porcupine Tree, and the artist behind Bass Communion).

Giovanni Paisiello was one of the most admired composers of opera in the second half of the 18th century. His reputation was mainly based on his comic operas which he composed while working in Naples. Although not born in Naples, he considered himself a Neapolitan, having studied at the Conservatorio di S Onofri. Paisiello's career can be divided into three stages. In the first he concentrated on composing comic operas, mainly for Naples.

If you're a big fan of early 80's punk/hardcore then this book/cd compilation is definitely for you. It explores the underground music that sprang up, then festered, in Victoria in those days. The booklet is full of old flyers and pictures and manages to shed some light on all the bands featured on the 2 cd set. The 79 tracks on here range from a few poppy New Wave bands to crude English-style punk to low-fi jambox recordings of adolescent hardcore bands like The Beaten Retards, Jerk Ward, and The Commodes. You can find some great early stuff by the Dayglo Abortions on here too. Some of the best tracks, if only for the title are: Millions of Dead BMXers, Fuckin' Jerk, Whiter Than Hitler, My Son is a Kuwahara, Too Much Drugs, etc… I love this stuff! If you're into the obscure stuff like I am…you can't go wrong with this! –Diehard Skatezine #6

Taxi shows a mature Bryan Ferry, suave and controlled, very much in line with his general career from 1979 on. The choice of songs to cover doesn't make for any surprises – the same selections of classic rock, pop, and soul numbers dominate, with an interesting ringer here and there like "Amazing Grace." As with his other recent solo records, a cast of thousands supports him, ranging from the Grid's Richard Norris on synth programming to Brit guitar legends Robin Trower and Michael Brook, plus vocalist Carleen Anderson.

"Make The Most Of Your Time On Earth: A Rough Guide to the World" is a compilation album released in 2007 by the Rough Guides series, known for its diverse and eclectic collection of world music. This album is a part of the Rough Guide's effort to bring together sounds from different cultures and regions around the globe, offering listeners a musical journey across continents.

The April 26, 1784 Paris Opera premiere of this work was still noted under the name of the composer actually commissioned to compose it, Ch.W. Gluck, but it soon came out that in reality, the 33-year-old assistant to Gluck (who had suffered a stroke), Antonio Salieri, had written the work “in tutto”. The sensation was perfect, and due to Salieri’s success, French opera underwent a significant development. For beginning with Gluck’s operatic style, Salieri managed with “Danaïdes” to make the transition from number opera to the dramatically more consequent through-composed scenic opera. The Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele production, recorded here under studio conditions, follows historical performance practice and presents the opera in nearly uncut form.