Recueil Des Coursvolume 170 (1981 I)

Though probably nobody fully appreciated it at the time - perhaps least of all the band! - Depeche Mode's debut is at once both a conservative, functional pop record and a groundbreaking release. While various synth pioneers had come before - Gary Numan, early Human League, late-'70s Euro-disco, and above all Kraftwerk all had clear influence on Speak & Spell - Depeche became the undisputed founder of straight-up synth pop with the album's 11 songs, light, hooky, and danceable numbers about love, life, and clubs. For all the claims about "dated" '80s sounds from rock purists, it should be noted that the basic guitar/bass/drums lineup of rock is almost 25 years older than the catchy keyboard lines and electronic drums making the music here…

Grover Washington blows over some great arrangements from William Eaton - full, but lean too - and with the same sort of slinky groove that always worked best for Grover back at Kudu Records. The sound is tight, but never too slick - that magically soulful approach that always made Grover a real standout from his contemporaries - one of the few cats who could smooth out jazz without ever losing its soul - thanks to lots of well-crafted lead lines on soprano sax!

On this fairly typical trio set, guitarist Barney Kessel is joined by bassist Bob Maize and drummer Jimmie Smith. "Stella by Starlight," "St. Thomas" and "Shiny Stockings" generate some heat; there are three Kessel originals and also two veteran ballads. The music swings without giving listeners any real surprises, but Kessel's fans can consider this one of his best Concord recordings.

Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973). This is the solo debut of Uriah Heep's resident keyboardist and top songwriter, but it isn't the heavy metal epic one might expect. In fact, Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf uses electric guitar sparingly and instead goes for a moody soundscape built on acoustic guitar and piano. Songs like "Black Hearted Lady" and "The Last Time" even evoke a bit of a country and western feel, thanks to their use of mellow-sounding slide guitar. This subtle sonic style puts Hensley's songwriting in the spotlight and that is a good thing because each of the songs is well-crafted and tuneful: a subtle combination of acoustic guitar and synthesizer brings out the haunting, delicately crafted melody of "From Time To Time" and "Black Hearted Lady" effectively evokes its mood of heartbreak with a descending acoustic guitar riff…

Double Trouble is the fifth album by the British rock band Gillan, released in 1981. It was released as a double album, the first disc containing studio material, and the second containing live recordings. It reached No. 12 in the UK charts. In 1989, Virgin re-released the album, with the same track listing, in CD format. It is the first album to feature Janick Gers, since Bernie Tormé left the group during the tour of Germany in 1981. In fact Tormé was fired because he did not want to participate in the playback TV performance of "No Laughing in Heaven" at "Top of the Pops" on 24 June 1981. Janick Gers came in for the rest of the tour on 25 June 1981.