Applemagazine From 3 June 2016

Limited four CD box featuring the British band's three classic albums recorded for Island Records in 1977 and 1978 plus a bonus disc featuring 18 non-album singles, remixes and two previously unreleased BBC recordings. Includes 20-Page booklet featuring a brand new essay by respected writer and music journalist David Buckley (David Bowie / Kraftwerk / Mojo). Disc One features a newly remastered version of the band s debut album, Ultravox! From 1977 which was produced by Brian Eno and Steve Lillywhite. Disc Two features a newly remastered version of the band s second album, Ha! Ha! Ha!

Back in 1975, prog-rock virtuoso Rick Wakeman, at the time also an ‘on-off’ keyboardist with the group Yes, released the third of his solo albums. Like the previous two albums (The Six Wives of King Henry VIII (1973) and Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974)) it was not short of ambition, planning to tell, in musical form and mood, the story of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table…

Mendelssohn - The 5 Symphonies & The 13 String Symphonies - Kurt Masur & Concerto Koln (2016) {6CD Set Warner Classics}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.80 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 908 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 100 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2016 Parlophone / Warner Classics | 0190295974909
Classical / Romantic / Symphony

In 1835 Felix Mendelssohn became music director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in his native city of Leipzig. 135 years later, Kurt Masur became the orchestra’s Kapellmeister, remaining in the post for 26 years, so there is an indisputable seal of authenticity on these interpretations of the complete Mendelssohn Symphonies. Joining them in this collection, and making it unparalleled in its scope, are the complete early String Symphonies; they are performed on period instruments – and without a conductor – by Concerto Koln.

Once you’ve heard Pat Metheny you will always recognise him, no matter what company he’s in or what instrument he’s playing, be it a simple acoustic guitar or some unlikely invention of his own. Beneath it all there’s a frank, open-hearted tunefulness that keeps the music airborne. This double album, recorded at the end of a year-long tour by his Unity Band, is as polished and sophisticated as any, but moments such as the opening melody of This Belongs to You or the gradual unfolding of Born are just plain elegant. There’s a similar quality about saxophonist Chris Potter’s playing, and all four are so relaxed in each other’s company that everything flows beautifully.

On their 2016 full-length, The Digging Remedy, Plaid claim to have revisited their Detroit techno roots. While this might cause longtime fans to expect something similar to the duo's pre-Warp recordings, particularly the solo tracks recorded under pseudonyms including Atypic and Balil, the album isn't quite as danceable as the work they produced during the early '90s. In some ways, it's slightly darker and less playful than many Plaid albums, continuing with the cinematic flair of their previous decade's output. (The duo recorded a few soundtracks during that time, most of which were only available in Japan or digitally.) Opening track "Do Matter" trickles in with John Carpenter-esque synth melodies and creeping, suspenseful rhythms that skip a beat rather than sticking to a 4/4 pattern…

Gilbert O'Sullivan is without doubt one of the UK's most successful singer songwriters. He became a worldwide superstar in the 70's topping the UK and US single charts. Today he continues to be regarded as one of the world s finest songwriters with his songs being covered by major artists including Michael Bublé, Neil Diamond and Nina Simone, with notable admirers including Paul Weller and Mick Hucknall. Gilbert has had 14 top 40 singles including 3 number 1 singles Clair , Get Down and Alone Again (Naturally) in the US. This new 2CD ultimate collection features all of his classic hits but also comes right up to date with his latest single No Way (which has been a massive hit at Radio 2) and the brand new single which is a remixed version of I Guess I ll Always Love You (to be released in June).The tracklisting has been hand-picked by Gilbert and includes a number of his personal and live favourites making this the definitive collection. The new album features 23 tracks not on the 2012 album.

In the year in which Toquinho celebrates his 70th birthday and 40 years of career, marked by his first solo LP, Discobertas brings together the solo albums that the guitarist, singer and composer released in his first 10 years of solo work. In parallel with the rich discography as a duo with Vinicius de Moraes, at that time Toquinho began a solid solo career - to which we think it is fair to add the rare special project 'Botequim', a unique partnership with Gianfrancesco Guarnieri and featuring the singer Marlene.

On the evening of August 31st, 2013, a large crowd gathered at Parque Pies Descalzos in Medellín, Colombia. When Alan Parsons appeared on stage, along with the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra and his band the audience went wild. This is an audio visual document of that incredible evening. The Alan Parsons Symphonic Project "Live in Colombia" is was released on May 27th, 2016 on earMUSIC as a DVD, Blu-ray, 2-CD digipak, 3 x Vinyl, and download. Alan Parsons was 19 years old when he landed a job at the world famous Abbey Road Studios, an important first step on his journey to becoming a world class engineer, producer and artist. Following his beginnings with George Martin and The Beatles, his contribution to Pink Floyd's classic 'The Dark Side Of The Moon' earned him worldwide attention.

Masabumi Kikuchi - Black Orpheus (2016) {ECM-Universal Music Japan UCCE-1160}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 236 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 164 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 453 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2016 ECM Records / Universal Music Japan | UCCE-1160
Jazz / Modern Creative / Modern Jazz / Piano

A document of a 2012 Japanese solo recital – not only the last in his homeland but the last anywhere – by idiosyncratic improviser Masabumi Kikuchi (1939-2015). One of the uncategorisable greats, Kikuchi occupied his own musical universe and in his final years was quietly and systematically severing his ties to jazz, drifting instead towards what he called ‘floating sound and harmonies’, introspective and poetic improvisations. Song forms still sometimes materialized. Kikuchi revisits “Little Abi”, a ballad for his daughter, which the pianist once recorded with Elvin Jones. And there is a surprising and very touching version of the wistfully yearning theme from the 1959 Brazilian film Black Orpheus.