History of Rock From June 2016

This powerful four disc anthology is the very best of Guns N Roses broadcasting live on air. In the face of the overwhelming dominance of dance music they helped revive the mainstream appeal of rock music and, in the process, they created some of the most potent live broadcasts in the history of rock music. Featured here are the complete versions of three legendary broadcasts between 1989 and 1991 including all the hits from the first three albums which helped propel the band to superstardom. This digitally remastered anthology forms the ultimate collection of live versions of the hits performed from 1989 to 1991 and is essential listening for every Guns N Roses fan.

"Little Girl" is a rock & roll classic. With its sneering vocals, vague threats, crude chords and rhythms, it's a menacing, swagger masterpiece of garage rock. It's also the only good thing the Syndicate of Sound ever recorded. Little Girl – The History of the Syndicate of Sound compiles nearly everything the group recorded, yet none of it comes close to matching the power of their hit single; it's a mess of weak originals and limp covers. The patience of even the most dedicated garage rock fan will be tested by the disc.

Don Airey's discography is definitely one of the most impressive for any British musician. It is hard to find a name between all those that in the last 30 years have left a mark in the history of rock that has not worked with him at some point. To name the most obvious of Don Airey s associations: Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Gary Moore, Brian May, Uriah Heep, Black Sabbath and, obviously, Deep Purple, the band Don Airey has been a full time member of for over ten years. Don Airey has never been a session player. Bands and artists have worked with him for his unique musical vision, for the twist he could give to songs.

The true power of music is impossible to define and yet we can all feel it when the sonic planets align. The magical impact of the finest rock'n'roll - that hazy but overwhelming blend of inspiration and perspiration - sustains us through dark times and fills our hearts with joy and strength. Music unites us, nourishes us and provides us with an emotional clarity that the rest of our turbulent lives singularly fails to offer. For those reasons and many more, we must proudly acknowledge and salute the true architects of the musical world that we call home. Above all else, Ritchie Blackmore is one of rock's greatest architects; a six-string seer that laid robust foundations upon which four decades of thunderous, perpetual evolution have taken place.

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…

This six disc anthology features the very best of The Beatles in the studio, on the road and on the airwaves from 1962-'66. It is the perfect illustration of how The Beatles evolved as writers and performers and created a musical phenomenon which has never been equalled.