Match’s

Legendary Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore (b. April 14, 1945, Weston-super-Mare, England) shifted his musical focus away from hard rock in the late '90s and started concentrating on his love of Renaissance-era music. He formed Blackmore's Night with his fiancée, vocalist/lyricist Candice Night (b. May 8, 1971, Hauppauge, Long Island, New York), and recruited other musicians from around the world to combine elements of world music, Renaissance, new age, folk, and rock & roll…

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Creature Music has compiled this stunning box set comprising 21 CDs, a 36-page booklet of the band's history with extensive notes for each album, a 32-page book of Manfred's own memories and anecdotes and a poster of the current band. The catalogue CDs have been remastered and repackaged in LP-style sleeves. The albums have the original UK running order and refreshed sleeves. Live In Ersingen is a brand-new live recording from 22 July this year, featuring the band's latest vocalist, Robert Hart. Leftovers is a compilation of the hit singles and rare or previously unavailable recordings.

Five centuries, seven languages, and six singers with 35 years of remarkable experience inform this rare collection of choral music. In the world-renowned King's Singers resplendent voices, ancient and modern choral music comes to life with all the blazing immediacy and timeliness of the gospel of the nativity. With 25 pieces of music–ranging from familiar works such as "Coventry Carol" to the obscure Tchaikovsky piece "The Crown of Roses"–the King's Singers move through this hallowed and festive set with the vocal mastery that only three-and-a-half decades of accomplished work together is capable of creating. A number of contemporary carols written in the last century by composers such as John McCabe, Philip Lawson, John Rutter, and others are balanced by pieces by Bach and a host of traditional works. Lawson's "You Are the New Day," performed with a string quartet, stands out as one of the more notable performances. Like most of their music throughout Christmas, it reminds listeners that the art of music often interprets divine aspects gladly realized here on Earth.

This CD is a total revelation. Some of the songs are arranged so brilliantly that they actually surpass the original version. "Help!" for example and "A Hard Day's Night", which becomes a groovy jazz number. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" sounds like a medieval singing while "Can't Buy me Love" is a fully-fledged madrigal. The singing is absolutely blindingly brilliant. This album is never less than good and a good two-thirds of it is excellent or totally revelatory.
Comprising an ever-changing cast of six members - two countertenors, a tenor, a bass, and two baritones - The King's Singers are a long-running British vocal ensemble that tours the world singing a variety of repertory. Since their inception in the '60s and into the new millennium, the group has continued to perform, frequently to sold-out audiences.

Herman's Hermits four UK albums for EMI's Columbia label, dating between 1965 and 1968. All albums were produced by Mickie Most and feature UK and US hits such as 'I'm Henry The Eighth I Am', Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter', 'Listen People', 'No Milk Today', 'There's A Kind Of Hush', 'Dandy' and 'You Won't Be Leaving' Digitally remastered and slipcased. New notes.
Herman's Hermits were one of those odd 1960s groups who accumulated millions of fans, but precious little respect. Indeed, their status is remarkably similar to that of the Monkees, and it's not a coincidence that both groups' music was intended to appeal to younger teenagers. The difference is that as early as 1976, the Monkees began to be considered cool by people who really knew music…

Chicken Shack were, like Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, Climax Blues Band and others, one of the early British blues bands. Formed in 1965, they had a long residency at Hamburg's famed Star Club. The original members included guitarist/vocalist Stan "The Man" Webb, and vocalist Christine Perfect The band's debut album, ''Forty Blue Fingers", also available on Talking Elephant, was releasedl in 1968, and for the next couple of years, they were, together with Fleetwood Mac, at the forefront of the British blues boom. They released a further three albums, ''O.K.Ken", ''100 Ton Chicken" and ''Accept" for Blue Horizon before moving over to Deram in 1972. Stan (The Man) Webb went on to release s "That's The Way We Are", during the late seventies under the heading of Stan Webb's Chicken Shack. This is the first time on CD for this album and has been a rarity for some time. Stan "The Man" Webb remains one of the UK's best and respected, but sadly underrated, guitarists.

When Bill Wyman left the Rolling Stones, he didn't leave music at all. Instead, he went back to the songs he loved growing up, whether it was rock & roll or big band or folk/skiffle. Now, those tracks make up the majority of songs performed during Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings Live, taped during a Berlin concert in June 2005. Supported by a talented cast of musicians including guitarist Albert Lee, Wyman and company are introduced one by one, with each then joining in for a fun and lively boogie version of "I Got a Woman." Each member of the band takes their turn on lead vocals, with Albert Lee taking charge during the swinging, big band bop of "Jump, Jive and Wail," while "Baby Workout" has the soulful pipes of Beverley Skeete.

German pop group Fool's Garden formed in 1991, comprising singer Peter Freudenthaler, guitarist Volker Hinkel, bassist Thomas Mangold, keyboardist Roland Röhl and drummer Ralf Wochele. Debuting in 1993 with the album Once in a Blue Moon, two years later Fool's Garden issued their sophomore effort Dish of the Day, scoring an Asian chart hit with "Lemon Tree."

Although they would develop a more prog-influenced style, this debut album finds Lucifer's Friend living up to their sinister name by performing heavy, keyboard-textured rock in the vein of Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. It gets off to a thunderous start with "Ride the Sky," a punchy rocker built on a rumbling, guitar-fuelled melody reminiscent of "The Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin. From there, the band works its way through a series of songs that combine heavy guitar riffs with often-complex arrangements that border on prog rock: "Keep Goin'" builds from organ-led verses into a guitar-dense jam driven home by John Lawton's wailing vocals, and the title track effectively contrasts heavy guitar-laden verses with an eerie chorus full odd keyboard and vocal effects to create its spooky atmosphere…