Comandante, Hugo Chávez's Venezuela Rory Carroll

Remixed and expanded (with two additional tracks recorded but chopped off the vinyl version) for its debut on CD in 1999, this is a sturdy, workmanlike Rory Gallagher release. Reverting back to a trio, Gallagher toughens up his sound and blazes through some robust blues rockers like "Last of the Independents," "Shadow Play," and "Brute Force & Ignorance" (one of his best hard rock riffs) with nervy energy. Gallagher's swampy side emerges on "Cloak & Dagger," another song that explores his fascination with B-movie gumshoes, a common theme for the Irish blues-rocker. His guitar work is typically excellent throughout, especially on "Overnight Bag," as he overdubs himself on acoustic.

Rory Gallagher's most successful albums are his live ones. He was an artist that came alive when onstage and this album covers a previously undocumented live period. This barnstorming 20-song, previously unreleased set is culled from four shows (London, Brighton, Sheffield and Newcastle) which were part of a 1977 tour across the UK in support of Rory’s then latest album 'Calling Card'. Featuring fantastic live versions of tracks from that album as well as from 1975’s 'Against The Grain' and other live favourites, has been mixed from the original multitrack tapes from the official Rory Gallagher archive and mastered for this release at Abbey Road Studios. Cover art by Irish graffiti artist Vincent Zara.

After releasing two albums in 1973 and a live, contract-fulfilling disc in 1974, Gallagher returned rested and recharged in 1975 with a new record label, Chrysalis, and a band with almost three years of hard touring under their belts. With its attention to detai, Against the Grain sounds more practiced and intricate than most of Gallagher's previous studio discs, but still includes some of his most powerful rockers. The supercharged "Souped-Up Ford," where Rory howls and wails, with his voice and smoking slide, and "All Around Man," an urgent blues rocker that begins with Gallagher screaming and crying together with just his electric guitar until the band kicks in with a stop-start blues rhythm, are two of the definitive moments. "Bought and Sold" adds congas to the mix to bring a more rootsy and even jazzy feel to Rory's table. But it's on the acoustic tracks where the guitarist and his band really lay into the groove.

he enduring friendship between Rory and the good people of WDR's Rockpalast is finally all contained in one box. the Rockpalast stages (be they indoor or outdoor) always provided a great platform for Rory and his band to perform on, always delivering the goods. The ambience backstage at Rockpalast nights also brought out the camaraderie in the musicians appearing on the shows. This would inevitably lead to a unique 'jam session' and thankfully some of these have been captured for posterity.

Carroll Thompson is a British lovers rock singer, best known as the “Queen of Lovers Rock”.

Hopelessly in Love is the debut album by English lovers rock singer Carroll Thompson, released in early 1981 by Carib Gems Records. The album followed, and includes, her two Leonard Chin-produced singles "I'm So Sorry" and "Simply in Love", which topped the British reggae charts. Thompson co-created C & B Productions, a first for a female reggae singer in Britain, and under this credit wrote and produced the album, working additionally with producer Anthony Richards. Backed by Thompson's C & B band, the album exemplifies the soul-infused mellow reggae style typical to lovers rock and Thompson's sweetly voice, with her songs discussing themes of romance and love.

Gallagher's second album for Chrysalis – and last with his longstanding trio of Lou Martin (keyboards), Rod De'Ath (drums) and Gerry McAvoy (bass) – was a milestone in his career. Although Calling Card was produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover and not surprisingly contained some of his most powerfully driving rockers, tracks like the acoustic "Barley & Grape Rag" and the jazzy, soulful, finger snapping title cut – a perennial concert favorite – found the Irish rocker not only exploring other musical paths, but also caught him on one of his most consistent songwriting streaks ever. Even "Do You Read Me," the muscular opening track, is a remarkably stripped-down affair that adds subtle synths to the rugged blues rock that was Gallagher's claim to fame.