Michael Nitti The Trophy Effect

29-track, 2-CD remastered career spanning set from MICHAEL MONROE. Icon, song-writer and one of rock's most celebrated front-men since 1979 when he played a central role in Hanoi Rocks - legendary Finnish glam-punk heroes. Previously unreleased songs include It's A Lie', with Stiv Bators (Dead Boys) `Fist Fulla Dynamite', `Simpletown', the new single `One Foot Outta The Grave' & a never-before-released 2nd version of the Steppenwolf cover 'Magic Carpet Ride' feat. Slash.

There are several Michael Jackson greatest-hits compilations out there, each one its own take on what should be the definitive portrait of the gloved one's career. The Ultimate Collection, The Essential Collection (different from the one here), and Number Ones have all surfaced in 2003 and 2004, and HIStory a few years prior. Each one of these collections, while commendable in its attempt to thoroughly document Jackson's accomplishments, has fallen woefully short in one aspect or another. This has finally been rectified with this installment of Sony's outstanding Essential collection.

Michael Head, former frontman of the Pale Fountains and current co-leader along with his brother John – who is also a Strand – of Brit pop outfit Shack, turns in a stellar chamber pop performance with Magical World of the Strands. Head, who is no stranger to either classy, baroque pop or neo-psychedelia, has composed an album of gorgeously illustrated songs that are lushly orchestrated by a standard rock quartet augmented by a flutist (Leslie Roberts) and a string quartet. The result is an album that, while little known, is a classic, a masterpiece of modern chamber pop.

"The Bad Mixes" was a limited release CD given out to promote Monster-Cable (hardware cabling that had been used extensively in the making of the "Bad" album to provide crystal-clear studio recordings). The album was never available for sale publicly. Two versions of the album were created - a 9-track version, and a numbered 13-track version (rarer).

The Storm is an excursion into deep, often un rooted ambience. Stearns can completely transform a space with his swirling layers of sounds. Environments cascade atop each other as the Balinese "Ketjak" chante merges from a white noise of rain and barber-pole glissando, but he also leavens The Storm with welcome respites of minimally drawn melody. The Last Feeling is a techno-tribal trance work of plaintive flute melody and hypnotic hand percussion, while The Light in the Trees illustrates the deep melancholy Stearns can evoke with just a few well-placed chords.

The 54-minute concept album "The Lost World" is a gem of cinematic ambient music which sees accomplished ambient sound painter Michael Stearns deliver another stunning piece of sonic art. Inspired by a trip into The Lost World of Venezuela, this highly textural work is acts as a time capsule, being able to paint a vibrant picture of grand natural surroundings with the many sounds collected during the journey and assorted electronic sounds. The outcome is an impeccable sounding, vast and overall rich sonic tapestry interweaving complex synthesizer layers, assorted percussion, flute, voice and diverse natural soundscapes, in which the Mighty Serge is also clearly present. The expert merging of acoustic and electronic sources into impressive ominous and highly cinematic atmospheres of grand design is fascinating and at times breath taking…

Classic Michael Jackson is a compilation album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released as part of the The Universal Masters Collection's series. It features Jackson's early solo recordings from 1971 until 1975, including the hit records "Got to Be There", "Ben", and "Rockin' Robin".

The Best of Michael Franks: A Backward Glance is a good 15-track collection that is equally divided between soft rock like "Popsicle Toes" and smooth jazz. Any curious listener looking for a one-stop introduction to Franks would be well served with this collection. Among the highlights are "The Lady Wants to Know," "Antonio's Song," "When the Cookie Jar Is Empty," "Tiger in the Rain," "Baseball," "Your Secret's Safe with Me," "When I Give My Love to You," "The Art of Love," "Soul Mate," and "Hourglass".