Kantsubaki Midwinter Camellia (1992)

This recording of Handel's Acis and Galatea (or Acis und Galatea) features the German translation and arrangement completed by Mozart in Vienna circa 1788, per the instructions of the Baron Gottfried von Swieten to "modernize" Handel's pieces - including Alexander's Feast, Messiah, Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, and Acis and Galatea. Mozart kept much of Handel's original string arrangements, but proceeded to layer harmonies with a degree of sophistication that Handel could only have dreamed of.

German synthpop outfit And One formed in Berlin in 1989. DJs/producers Steve Naghavi and Chris Ruiz first met the previous year in a local dance club, bonding over their mutual affection for early ebm acts like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb and borrowing their subsequent dual synthesizer and beatbox aesthetic from Depeche Mode. Upon signing to the fledgling Machinery label, And One issued their 1990 debut single, "Metal Hammer," a significant club hit that set the stage for their first full-length effort, Anguish, completed with contributions from newly added third member Alex Two.

Dirt is Alice in Chains' major artistic statement and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece. It's a primal, sickening howl from the depths of Layne Staley's heroin addiction, and one of the most harrowing concept albums ever recorded. Not every song on Dirt is explicitly about heroin, but Jerry Cantrell's solo-written contributions (nearly half the album) effectively maintain the thematic coherence - nearly every song is imbued with the morbidity, self-disgust, and/or resignation of a self-aware yet powerless addict. Cantrell's technically limited but inventive guitar work is by turns explosive, textured, and queasily disorienting, keeping the listener off balance with atonal riffs and off-kilter time signatures. Staley's stark confessional lyrics are similarly effective, and consistently miserable…

Greatest Hits: 1965–1992 is the first European compilation album by American singer-actress Cher, released on November 9, 1992 by Geffen Records. The album reached the top 10 in several European countries and topped the UK album charts for 7 non-consecutive weeks where it became the best-selling album by a female artist of 1992. Notable hit songs included in this album are "The Shoop Shoop Song" which charted at number 1 in more than 10 countries worldwide, "If I Could Turn Back Time" which was her biggest hit at the time and "I Got You Babe". Three new songs were also recorded for this album "Oh No Not My Baby" (originally sung by Maxine Brown), "Whenever You're Near", and a live recording of "Many Rivers to Cross" (originally sung by Jimmy Cliff).

Recorded at a low ebb in Nelson's career, the tracks here were never intended for solo release; instead, they were demos for a projected band called Perfect Serpents – a sort of Be Bop Deluxe Mark II. That project never managed to get off the ground, and Nelson issued this set, a rough snapshot of what might have been. Like most demos, it's rough; the drum machines used sound raw, and often too far in front, and the mixes aren't perfect (it's a shame, really, that he didn't go back and remix the tracks to do them more justice before releasing them). However, the Nelson guitar magic is there in abundance, multi-layered and glorious. His singing still remains a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, but those already converted will love it. As for the music, it's far more energetic and focused around songs than Nelson had been for a while.