Heat UK 30 May 2020

By May 1964, when The Sound of the R & B Hits compilation came out in the UK on Stateside, Motown had yet to have a hit or even a record issued on its own label, later to be Tamla-Motown. This LP was the first of many UK anthologies of recordings from the Detroit-based group of labels. At this stage, Motown was an underground affair, known only to aficionados of rhythm and blues music. Among those were members of groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Georgie Fame & the Blue Flames and super-fan Dusty Springfield. This was not music that was played on the radio, so it was through UK cover versions that many young people were directed to the Motown sound. Ace director Roger Armstrong bought The Sound of the R & B Hits at the time and always heard it is as a companion piece to With The Beatles from the previous year. They both contained the Barrett Strong song Money.

Love & Money is Katie Melua’s 9th studio album; a stunning and personal 10 track snapshot of Katie as both an artist and human. Producer Leo Abrahams assembled an exceptional group of musicians with an astounding track record to complete the sound of the record. The album was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s iconic Real World Studios, before Katie and Abrahams took the tracks back to his own studio in Leyton, built over a WW2 bomb shelter. The album sees Katie reflecting on her place in the world; the bonuses and challenges of being a woman in the music industry and the delicate balance of career and family life, all brought to life in a lush moment of personal acceptance and catharsis. Katie will be facing some of these challenges on her UK & EU tour this April through May, which she is set to complete as a new mother following the birth of her first child. She plays 15 dates across the EU and 14 dates across the UK, including a landmark show at The Royal Albert Hall, London on 16th May. Originally from Tbilisi, Georgia, Katie Melua has travelled far in every sense.

Asia, featuring members of Yes, ELP and King Crimson, was the first "supergroup" of the eighties. Their eponymous debut album, released in 1982, was a huge success racking up global sales in excess of 15 million copies. In 2006 the original four members reunited for the first time in over 20 years for a series of concerts in the US and the UK. The success of this tour led to a full-blown world tour running throughout 2007 in celebration of their 25th anniversary. This CD was recorded in Tokyo in March 2007 on the Japanese leg of the tour.

Filmed over a year, this series captures Wales's varied wildlife and stunning landscapes, from the rugged mountains of the north to the seabird colonies off the west coast.