2025

John Wetton had one of the most varied careers in progressive rock. He played in the majority of the big names in prog, in many cases in their classic lineups. His first major band experience came when he joined Family in 1971. He was featured on two of their albums: 1971's Fearless and Bandstand (released the following year). He performed various functions in the group, but his primary role was as bassist. Previous to this group he had recorded with Edwards Hand and Mogul Thrash. He left Family to join Robert Fripp and company in King Crimson, taking a place that had been previously filled by Greg Lake. This would not be the last time the two of them would replace one another. His tenure with that group was not exceptionally long, however, as Fripp disbanded Crimson in 1975.

When Natalie Cole released 1989's Good to Be Back, the follow-up to 1987's Everlasting, her fans had become accustomed to her year-long recording gaps for six years, going back to 1983's I'm Ready. So it's not as if her absence was that much of a surprise, but given the ups and downs of her personal life, the album's title could be alluding to something entirely different. (1989 was the year she married drummer, producer and Rufus founder Andre Fischer). At any rate, Good to Be Back continued her popularity in the mainstream and on the adult contemporary chart. The success of four singles – "As a Matter of Fact," and especially the ballads "Miss You Like Crazy," "Starting Over Again," and "I Do" (a duet with Freddie Jackson) – belied the album's inability to crack the Top 50 of the album chart. The ballads were (and have continued to be) staples on adult contemporary stations. On the other hand, the disposability of "Safe" and "Somebody's Rocking My Dreamboat" made it all the more evident that Cole was outgrowing the lighter and more upbeat material. A deep album cut, "The Rest of the Night" (co-written by Glen Ballard) is a major reason to not settle for an anthology.

John Wetton had one of the most varied careers in progressive rock. He played in the majority of the big names in prog, in many cases in their classic lineups. His first major band experience came when he joined Family in 1971. He was featured on two of their albums: 1971's Fearless and Bandstand (released the following year). He performed various functions in the group, but his primary role was as bassist. Previous to this group he had recorded with Edwards Hand and Mogul Thrash. He left Family to join Robert Fripp and company in King Crimson, taking a place that had been previously filled by Greg Lake. This would not be the last time the two of them would replace one another. His tenure with that group was not exceptionally long, however, as Fripp disbanded Crimson in 1975.

The continuing collaboration of SOMM Recordings and Lani Spahr has produced another exciting release of long forgotten and neglected recordings, which highlight Sir Adrian Boult’s life-long championing of the music of Edward Elgar. The label remains grateful, as ever, to Spahr for resurrecting these lost treasures and for his sterling work on sound restoration.
On 17 February, 1918, in wartime London, a twenty-eight year old Adrian Boult visited the home of Sir Edward Elgar to discuss details for a performance of In the South that Boult was to conduct for the first time at Queen’s Hall the following evening. In 1944, in the midst of another war, Boult would again conduct the concert overture in a broadcast performance with the BBC Orchestra. SOMM Recordings is proud to include this performance on its release, Boult’s Elgar — The Forgotten Recordings.

Fragile Records in association with Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new 4-disc clamshell box set An Evening of Yes Music Plus, the classic live recording by Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe. At the close of the 1980s, fans of Progressive rock were delighted and surprised to learn that former members of Yes, namely Jon Anderson, Bill Bruford, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe were reuniting to record a studio album and to tour the World. The resulting self-titled studio album was originally issued on Arista Records in 1989 and was a global hit. This release was followed by hugely successful world tour. A concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California was captured both on video and in sound resulting in both a double CD and a long form video in 1993. The set features classic Yes material alongside live renditions of material from the ABWH self-titled album. This new remastered edition features the entire concert on two CDs, and also includes the full concert video on a region free DVD. Also included is an additional region free DVD, ‘In the Big Dream’, featuring promotional videos and interviews.

Ingrid Haebler (20 June 1929[1]– 14 May 2023) was an Austrian classical pianist.

OFT MACHINE 'FLOATING WORLD LIVE' notes by Sid Smith An indispensable record of a band at the top of their game…
The arrival of guitarist Alan Holdsworth into the ranks of Soft Machine in December 1973 marked a significant change in tone and style for the venerable jazz-rock institution. Having started out as an experimental pop group in the mid-1960s, Soft Machine had undergone several changes not only in its personnel but in its music. By the early 1970s albums such as Third, Fourth, boasting long-form compositions in complex and adventurous arrangements, secured their reputation as the UK’s leading jazz-rock performers.

2025 is a year of highest importance for the Norwegian/Irish duo Secret Garden as it marks the 30th anniversary of their debut single, debut album and winning Eurovision in 1995. The launch of the global campaign for their newly remastered debut album, Songs From A Secret Garden, on the 30th birthday of the Eurovision-winning track, "Nocturne," marks the start of the catalog campaign for this huge album and legendary artists. With a big global audience, this will be a year the band reaches even bigger achievements than ever before!

Featuring “Happy Music,” and “Rock Creek Park,” described by AllMusic as “one of the pinnacles of ‘70s jazz-funk” and sampled by the likes of De La Soul and Nas, the Billboard Jazz Chart-topping City Life finds The Blackbyrds at the height of their hitmaking powers.

For Earth Below, the third studio album by British guitar legend Robin Trower was released in 1975 and is considered one of his most prominent works from his time as a solo artist after leaving Procol Harum. For Earth Below continued to build on the success of his previous album Bridge of Sighs, solidifying him as an arena touring artist in the States,reaching number 5 on the Billboard chart.