The Lady 20 February 2015

Billie Holiday - Lady In Satin: The Centennial Edition (1958) {3CD Set Columbia 888750828224 rel 2015}
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© 1958, 2015 Columbia / Legacy / Sony Music | 888750828224
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Blues

"Lady in Satin", Billie Holiday's penultimate studio album, is both revered and reviled by her fans. Recorded in February 1958, a mere 17 months before her death at the age of 44, it was said to be her personal favorite. These historical recordings show that her voice was ravaged by hard times, alcohol and drugs. Yet, heartache always informed her art, and she delivers here with unequated poignancy twelve songs that she'd never recorded before. We celebrate Billie's Holiday 100th birthday with this new and ultimate edition of "Lady In Satin", In addition to all of the original album tracks, all newly remixed and mastered in 24-Bit, the first CD is enhanced by the presence of three bonus tracks, including for the very first time a true stereophonic version of "The End Of A Love Affair"

Acclaimed London jazz vocalist and West End actress Claudia Morris has been thrilling audiences around the UK with her inimitable style showcasing a range of genres. Claudia trained both as a classical actress at Webber Douglas Academy and as a singer with voice coach Ian Adams. Claudia has recently signed to Right Recordings and is delighted to announce the release of her album ‘Secret Love’ in February, including some of Doris Day’s favourite songs with some outstanding new arrangements.

Merle Haggard - Hag: The Studio Recordings 1969 - 1976 (2007) {6CD Bear Family Records BCD 16749}
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© 2007 Bear Family Records | BCD 16749
Country / Bakersfield Sound / Honky Tonk / Folk Rock / Progressive Country / Traditional Country / Western Swing Revival

Merle Haggard, RIP. In Memoriam. Merle Haggard, an icon of American music, died at his home in California on Wednesday, April 6, 2016. It was the singer, songwriter, and musician’s 79th birthday. In 2008 he battled lung cancer, and was hospitalized in December 2015 with double pneumonia. Haggard returned to the stage soon after, but was sidelined again in February due to continuing health concerns. “A week ago Dad told us he was gonna pass on his birthday,” Merle’s son and lead guitarist, Ben, revealed the day his father died, “and he wasn’t wrong.”

Deluxe box set containing 21 CDs, four Blu-rays and two DVDs - all audio. Three CDs feature Steven Wilson and Robert Fripp stereo mixes of In The Wake Of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970) & Islands (1971) + additional tracks. Six CDs feature the Islands line-ups early concerts from Germany (new to CD) and the UK (1971). Nine CDs feature live recordings (several new to CD and/or previously unreleased in any format) from the 1972 US tour, including a new stereo mix of Summit Studios and an expanded Earthbound…

David Bowie - Five Years 1969-1973 (2015) {12CDs Box Set Parlophone}
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© 2015 Parlophone Records / Warner Music | DBX 1
Rock / Art Rock / Experimental Rock / Glam Rock / Proto-Punk

R.I.P. David Bowie, music’s greatest innovator has died at age of 69.
The first in a series of career-spanning comprehensive box sets, Five Years 1969-1973 chronicles the beginning of David Bowie's legend by boxing all of his officially released music during those early years. This amounts to six studio albums – 1969's David Bowie (aka Space Oddity); 1970's The Man Who Sold the World; 1971's Hunky Dory; 1972's The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars; Aladdin Sane, and Pin Ups (both from 1973); a pair of live albums (Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack and Live in Santa Monica '72, both released long after these five years) and a two-CD collection of non-LP tracks called Re:Call, plus Ken Scott's 2003 mix of Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust. That list suggests how "officially released" is a guideline that's easily bent.