One of the most distinctive instrumental groups of the '50s and '60s, Johnny & the Hurricanes produced the Top Ten hit "Red River Rock" and scored several other instrumental hits that mixed rock & roll with traditional melodies. Originally known as the Orbits, the group formed in Toledo, OH, in 1958 and was led by saxophonist Johnny Paris; other members included organist Paul Tesluk, guitarist Dave Yorko, bassist Lionel "Butch" Mattice, and drummer Tony Kaye. After a stint recording with rockabilly singer Mack Vickery, the group traveled to Detroit, hoping to become a backing band for up-and-coming singers. However, a pair of music promoters, Harry Balk and Irving Michanik, signed them as a group on their own, and they recorded their first single, "Crossfire," for the Twirl label in 1959…

The album "Grateful Dead - Onondaga War Memorial, Syracuse, Oct '71" features a live recording of the Grateful Dead's concert at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse, New York, in October 1971. This release captures the band's performance during a pivotal period in their history, showcasing a mix of psychedelic rock, blues, and folk influences.

Over the past decade, Steven Wilson's (Porcupine Tree) relationship with prog rock has grown increasingly intimate. He previewed a killer new band on the live album Get All You Deserve - woodwind/multi-instrumentalist Theo Travis, keyboardist Adam Holzman, session bass and stick player Nick Beggs, drummer Marco Minnemann, and guitarist Guthrie Govan - put a diverse, sophisticated face on Wilson's 21st century brand of the genre. The Raven That Refused to Sing and Other Stories is their first studio outing. Wilson was also able to coax Alan Parsons out of semi-retirement to co-produce and engineer the effort, and he fully committed: the album's crystalline, detailed sound and spacious ambience reflect some of his best work behind the boards…

First edition of a two-part set: a comprehensive compilation of South London art-rockers Art Brut, spanning their early discography, demo takes, alternative mixes and live recordings between 2003 – 2008. Features the debut album Bang Bang Rock and Roll, their second studio album It’s A Bit Complicated. Also includes unreleased live material Art Brut – Live in Paris 2006 and Art Brut Live Form ULU with Horns

In the late 1960s, when acid rock reigned and the British Invasion was still raging, Carlos Santana and his band introduced a Latin-based rock sound featuring an Afro-Cuban beat. Carlos Santana was a fourth-generation musician and the son of a violinist who played mariachi music. His father tried for many years to teach him violin, but at age eight, Santana discovered the guitar and started listening to the electric blues of B.B. King and John Lee Hooker and that was the end of it. During his long-lasting career, Carlos Santana’s name has become synonymous with some of the most important genres of music today - jazz, Latin, salsa, blues and rock.

Eurythmics were one of the most successful duos to emerge in the early '80s. Where most of their British synth pop contemporaries disappeared from the charts as soon as new wave faded away in 1984, Eurythmics continued to have hits until the end of the decade, making vocalist Annie Lennox a star in her own right, as well as establishing instrumentalist Dave Stewart as a successful, savvy producer and songwriter. Originally, the duo channelled the eerily detached sound of electronic synthesizer music into pop songs driven by robotic beats. By the mid-'80s, singles like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again" had made the group into international stars, and the group had begun to experiment with their sound, delving into soul and R&B. Collection includes: Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (1983); Touch (1983); 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother) (1984); Be Yourself Tonight (1985); Revenge (1986); Savage (1987); We Too Are One (1989).

Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn and music journalist Paul Morley. The group had international Top 20 hits with "Kiss" and the instrumental "Peter Gunn", which won a 1986 Grammy Award. The group's mostly instrumental compositions were novel melodic sound collages based on digital sampler technology, which was new at the time. Inspired by turn-of-the-20th-century revolutions in music, the Art of Noise were initially packaged as a faceless anti- or non-group, blurring the distinction between the art and its creators. Collection includes: (Who's Afraid Of?) The Art Of Noise! (1984); In Visible Silence (1986); In No Sense? Nonsense! (1987); Below The Waste (1989); The Ambient Collection (1990); The FON Mixes (1991); The Seduction Of Claude Debussy (1999).

Nelson was a child prodigy, born into a showbiz family, his father Ozzie was a bandleader and his mother Harriet was the singer. They had their own radio show & subsequent TV show, The Adventures Of Ozzie & Harriet, in which Nelson featured with his brother David. Nelson appeared in his first film aged 7.A 'Teenage Idol' of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Nelson gained 9 gold records by the age of 21 in 1961. His single, 'Travelin' Man', was a huge #1 hit that year, selling over 2 million copies. The flip-side 'Hello, Mary Lou' went on to be his biggest hit ever, reaching #1 in 32 countries.

Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985), known professionally as Ricky Nelson until his 21st birthday when he officially dropped the "y" and simply became Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter. His discography comprises 24 original studio albums, one original live album, various compilation and archival projects, and 94 singles.
Rick Nelson was one of the very biggest of the 1950s teen idols, so it took awhile for him to attain the same level of critical respectability as other early rock greats. Yet now the consensus is that he made some of the finest pop/rock recordings of his era. Elvis, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, and others may have rocked harder, but Nelson was extraordinarily consistent during the first five years of his recording career, crafting pleasant pop-rockabilly hybrids with ace session players and projecting an archetype of the sensitive, reticent young adult with his accomplished vocals. He also played a somewhat underestimated role in rock & roll's absorption into mainstream America — how bad could rock be if it was featured on one of America's favorite family situation comedies on a weekly basis?

Unhappy with the slicker approach of Setting Sons, the Jam got back to basics, using the direct, economic playing of All Mod Cons and "Going Underground," the simply brilliant single which preceded Sound Affects by a few months. Thematically, though, Paul Weller explored a more indirect path, leaving behind (for the most part) the story-song narratives in favor of more abstract dealings in spirituality and perception - the approach stemming from his recent readings of Blake and Shelley (who was quoted on the sleeve), but more specifically Geoffrey Ash, whose Camelot and the Vision of Albion made a strong impression. Musically, Weller drew upon Revolver-era Beatles as a primary source (the bassline on "Start," which comes directly from "Taxman," being the most obvious occurrence), incorporating the occasional odd sound and echoed vocal, which implied psychedelia without succumbing to its excesses…

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a 4 CD clamshell boxed set that gathers together all the recordings made for the classic “Potatoland” album by Spirit. The album was born in 1973 following the release of guitarist Randy California’s “Kaptain Kopter and the Fabulous Twirlybirds” album (made shortly after his departure from Spirit). To promote his solo album California assembled a band to tour featuring original Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy and bass guitarist Larry “Fuzzy” Knight. Initially playing concerts in the Los Angeles area, the trio recorded two live performances at the studios of KPFK-FM in September 1972. Soon after the trio reverted to the name Spirit to undertake live work in Europe. Following these concerts Randy California and Ed Cassidy began work on the album “The Adventures of Kapt. Kopter and Commander Cody in Potatoland”…

Alive on Arrival is an album full of earnest tunes about loneliness, self-worth, aspirations, and disappointments. Forbert’s wispy, innocent sounding voice floats gently (and cuts roughly) over his acoustic guitar to homespun ditties with a down-to-earth feel. This album represents Forbert’s music perfectly, and even though his latter albums sound less subtle, it is Alive on Arrival that so aptly personifies him. “Going Down to Laurel” has his voice aching about the dirtiness of the city and the beauty of his true love, and “Steve Forbert’s Midsummer Night’s Toast” is an interesting musical jaunt through the bittersweet world of growing up. Forbert really comes to life on “What Kinda Guy?,” humorously explaining what a simplified, easygoing chap he is. The kick-back aura of Alive on Arrival puts the emphasis on the down and out Forbert while feelings of sentiment and adolescence slowly emerge with each passing song.

They made one of the rarest albums of the psychedelic era (a copy recently sold on eBay for just under £4,000), while their two singles included one of the genre’s most enduring surrender-to-the-void creations in the much-compiled ‘The Otherside’. Nevertheless, so little information has ever surfaced about Apple that UK underground rock guide book Galactic Ramble described them as “probably the only legendary UK psych band still shrouded in mystery”. Finally, however, we have some kind of closure with this first-ever band-approved reissue of “An Apple A Day”, which also includes mono mixes of their aforementioned brace of single releases. ..

Charisma were a band from the Hartford, Connecticut area, and were very typical of the confused American year of 1970. It basically means that bands were throwing any and everything against the wall hoping it would stick - or in practical terms - obtaining radio airplay. And Charisma falls in line with their mix of blues, hard rock, progressive, psych, and old fashioned rock and roll. It's a mess basically. But some of these albums had gems in the midst of the ordinary, and that's where we come in. Charisma has a strong Hammond organ and overall keyboard presence, and there are a couple of tracks that display this in an instrumental progressive rock format ('Street Theatre', 'Ritual Dance of the Reptiles'). There are other very good proto-prog/bluesy numbers in 'Leopold's Ghost' and 'The Age of Reptiles'. The rest is take it or leave it…

The typical DMB concert during the Summer of 2014 was a little experimental. The band played two sets, the first featuring a cast of rotating acoustic performances of songs both old and new. The second set was a full fledged electric rock show. This set from the band’s stop in Tampa features unique versions of favorites from Snow Outside to I’ll Back You Up. We also get to hear some bowed bass in #27 and great percussion from Carter in the song Sweet. The second set features all bangers with the soaring vocals of So Right and the jazz explorations of Seek Up among the highlights. The evening ends with a great version of Good Good Time followed by You and Me.