Pete Townsend

Pete Townshend was the guitarist and primary songwriter for the Who from 1964 to 1982, also participating in the group's occasional reunions after its formal breakup. Best-known for his conceptual works, he wrote Tommy and Quadrophenia for the band, as well as the bulk of its other material.
Pete Townshend was heading toward collapse as the '70s turned into the '80s. He had battled a number of personal demons throughout the '70s, but he started spiraling downward after Keith Moon's death, questioning more than ever why he did what he did (and this is a songwriter who always asked questions). Signs of that crept out on Face Dances, but he saved a full-blown exploration of his psyche for Empty Glass, his first solo album since Who Came First, a vanity project released to little notice around Who's Next..

Billie Holiday is predominant among jazz singers. Frank Sinatra said of her, "She was and remains my biggest influence." Sinatra points to the way Holiday could make a song her own. Her dusky, smoky voice conveys more about love and heartache in one syllable than most other singers in any genre will convey in a lifetime. This album is a collection of recordings from the '50s for the Verve and Clef labels. It's a late-night dream for the nights you can't sleep, thinkin' about the love that got away. Holiday is accompanied by some of the music's best players: Ben Webster (king of the big, breathy tenor sax tone), Benny Carter (alto sax), and Jimmy Rowles (one of the most graceful pianists ever). Her take on "Body and Soul" could melt the hardest heart, and imagine yourself at the end of your figurative rope with "Ill Wind"…

Gef Lucena writes of this new release featuring a compilation of Irish and British dance music curated from previous Saydisc albums and the catalog of Peter Kennedy: “It will probably be a brave or dedicated listener who plays all of these tracks at one sitting. However, drawing on our extensive archives of this genre we have arranged the dances with the greatest variety of instrumentation, provenance and periods of history. Many of the tracks are from Peter Kennedy’s renowned mono recordings from the 1950s and 60s with the remainder from Saydisc’s own stereo and digital recordings over the decades. Dip into this exhilarating selection or go for the long haul, but, however you listen, we hope that you enjoy the rich heritage of sound from the British and Irish traditions.”