Ring Of Darkness 1979

Led by Christopher Hogwood, the Academy of Ancient Music has made many renowned recordings of Handel's music-particularly the oratorios. The beloved Messiah heads up this 8-CD set, followed by Esther; La Resurezzione , and, making its return to the international catalog after an absence of several years, the 1985 recording of Athalia -with none other than Joan Sutherland in the title role! Recorded in London, 1979-85.

Picking our list of the Top 100 '70s Rock Albums was no easy task, if only because that period boasted such sheer diversity. The decade saw rock branch into a series of intriguing new subgenres, beginning, at the dawn of the '70s, with heavy metal. Singer-songwriters came into their own; country-rock flourished. The era ended with the revitalizing energy of punk and New Wave. No list would be complete without climbing onto every one of those limbs. Here are the Top 100 '70s Rock Albums, presented chronologically from the start of the decade.

Picking our list of the Top 100 '70s Rock Albums was no easy task, if only because that period boasted such sheer diversity. The decade saw rock branch into a series of intriguing new subgenres, beginning, at the dawn of the '70s, with heavy metal. Singer-songwriters came into their own; country-rock flourished. The era ended with the revitalizing energy of punk and New Wave. No list would be complete without climbing onto every one of those limbs. Here are the Top 100 '70s Rock Albums, presented chronologically from the start of the decade.

Zëss had long been plagued by its incompleteness and its recording was deferred for years. Four decades after its first draft, the work has finally been recorded in an orchestral version that gives it both its true dreamlike dimension and its transcending power. For Zëss is above all the visionary reflection of an immemorial dream haunting the most obscure part of our souls. Zëss treads a line between a vital overflowing and the edges of the unlivable. It is an incandescent and heady oratorio where consciousness questions its other side in a measureless journey. Zëss indicates the ultimate reversal out of which bursts a beyond of music that only music can reach. Magma’s whole story condensed…

Dutch rock band the Cats were popular during the late '60s and early '70s, releasing a bunch of English-language hits and full-length albums during this peak period. Founded in the mid-'60s in Volendam, the Netherlands, the band was comprised of Cees Veerman (vocals, guitar; born October 6, 1943), Piet Veerman (vocals, guitar; born March 1, 1943), Jaap Schilder (guitar, piano; born January 9, 1943), Arnold Muhren (bass; born January 28, 1944), and Theo Klouwer (drums; born June 30, 1947). the Cats made their album debut in 1967 with Cats as Cats Can, and at least one new album followed each year until the swan song release The End of the Show (1980). Some of the band's most popular hits include "Times Were When" (1968), "Lea" (1968), "Why" (1969), "Scarlet Ribbons" (1969), "Marian" (1969), "Magical Mystery Morning" (1970), "Where Have I Been Wrong?" (1970), "One Way Wind" (1971), "Let's Dance" (1972), "There Has Been a Time" (1972), "Let's Go Together" (1973), "Maribaja" (1973), "Rock 'n' Roll" (1973), "Be My Day" (1974), and "Come Sunday" (1974).

A 50-CD set of legendary recordings celebrating the world-renowned Decca Sound. Classic-status pioneering stereo recordings from the past 60 years and starring a galaxy of internationally-acclaimed artistic talent.