efore her well-known collaborations with Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman, Welsh-born singer Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins) performed off and on in her homeland with the R&B band Mumbles; nodules on her vocal cords prevented her from singing full-time until 1976, when she underwent an operation to have them removed. The surgery left her with a raspy, husky voice that proved an effective instrument and drew notice from writer/producers Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe, who became her managers…
British rock/pop group, formed in Liverpool, England during the late 1950s. Signed to recording contract with EMI in 1962. The lineup (1962-70) comprised John Lennon (vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards), Paul McCartney (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards, percussion), George Harrison (guitar, vocals, sitar), and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals, percussion). During 1961, Stu Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums) were also members…
Pink Floyd were an English rock band formed in London in 1965. They achieved international acclaim with their progressive and psychedelic music. Distinguished by their use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, extended compositions, and elaborate live shows, they are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history…
Turkish pianist-composer Fazil Say set the bar high for himself by aiming to deliver one of the greatest interpretations of Beethoven with this collection. It’s a bold target given the competition, but one thing you can be sure of with him is a big personality and great individuality. He is best in the more classical sonatas; in a work that fizzes with passion, like the “Waldstein”, his character chimes well with Beethoven’s message. Some of his tempi are extreme—his “Moonlight” opening movement is very slow, while the finale is full of dramatic twists and turns—but there’s no denying the force of personality behind his playing. There are many rewards along the way.
This set includes two of the rarest and hardest to find of all recordings: the 1958-59 version of the Bach Cello Suites by Janos Starker – the one everyone says his later recordings cannot match – and the extremely beautiful performance of Bach's unaccompanied violin sonatas and partitas – the one that Japanese collectors pay 3-digit dollar prices for – in outstanding EMI Digital Re-Masterings.
Pal Waaktaar and Magne Furuholmen, formerly of Bridges, formed a-ha in the early '80s. Morten Harket joined the duo, and they left for the now "legendary London flat" (so called because of its state of disrepair) to make it. By late 1983 they had achieved part of that goal by signing to WEA. "Take on Me" took three times to become a hit in the U.K., eventually hitting number two in November 1985…
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the new wave scene in the late 1970s. The band originated in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1976, with singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter Ric Ocasek; singer, songwriter and bassist Benjamin Orr; lead guitarist Elliot Easton; keyboardist Greg Hawkes; and drummer David Robinson…
Following the success of the first Robinsongs Zapp reissue of their first three albums, we now bring you albums four and five “The New Zapp IV U” and “Vibe” on a 2CD set.
During the mid-'70s, Germany's Kraftwerk established the sonic blueprint followed by an extraordinary number of artists in the decades to come. From the British new romantic movement to hip-hop to techno, the group's self-described "robot pop" – hypnotically minimal, obliquely rhythmic music performed solely via electronic means – resonates in virtually every new development to impact the contemporary pop scene of the late- 20th century, and as pioneers of the electronic music form, their enduring influence cannot be overstated…