Preisner's Music (best Of)

Hard as it is to believe but there has not been a proper Ringo Starr hits collection since the first, 1975's Blast from Your Past – that's not counting 1989's Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2, which was designed as a companion to that earlier set – until 2007's Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr…

Nick Cave is a singular figure in contemporary rock music; he first emerged as punk rock was making its presence known in Australia, but though he's never surrendered his status as a provocateur and a musical outlaw, he quickly abandoned the simplicity of punk for something grander and more literate, though no less punishing in its outlook…

Nigerian vocalist Sade Adu has carved out a cosmpolitan niche for herself over the past decade, gathering together elements of cool jazz, samba, reggae, funk and pop all under the pastoral umbrella of her suede-and-velvet voice. A pop stylist with a musical universe all her own, Sade has endured and matured over the past decade, seemingly unaffected by changes in taste and fashion–a movement unto herself…

Without a doubt, Airto put a new face on Brazilian music in the wake of the bossa nova movement, bringing back the frantic complexity of the samba translated into his own frenzied yet controlled electronic/multi-percussion idiom. Here we truly have some of the best of his early work in the U.S. as a leader for the CTI label, where Airto proves that he couldn't be suppressed even by the guiding hand of Creed Taylor. The set kicks off with a pair of great, sizzling tracks from the Free album, with Airto feverishly driving bands manned by Chick Corea on electric piano, Keith Jarrett on acoustic piano, and other American all-stars. From there, we move to the Fingers album, which features Airto's own band yet maintains virtually the same level of excitement with a deeper Brazilian streak.

The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop/rock band of the '70s with a strong following among teenage girls. The origins of the group go back to the formation of the duo the Longmuir Brothers in the late '60s, consisting of drummer Derek Longmuir (b. March 19, 1952, Edinburgh, Scotland) and his bass-playing brother Alan (b. June 20, 1953, Edinburgh; d. July 2, 2018, Larbert, Scotland).

There is no rock star greater than Mick Jagger. There are plenty other as great, but nobody eclipses Mick in terms of art and influence, as he virtually created the modern-day rock & roll rebel. Given that, why is it that almost nobody takes his solo recordings seriously? Even his longtime partner Keith Richards is quoted on record calling Jagger's 2001 album Goddess in the Doorway "Dogsh*t in the doorway," a tacit signal that all the dismissive reviews of Jagger's solo stuff were not only justified, but appropriate – a judgment that may be a bit extreme, but in a way it's understandable, because Jagger's solo recordings showcased his least lovable aspects, particularly his relentless social climbing and obsession with style…