The Sect La Setta (1991) [re Up]

The beauty of Roxette is that the duo of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson can do practically anything in terms of Top 40 music. From the quiet desperation of "Spending My Time" to the chanting carnival of "Joyride" to the folky "Church of Your Heart," they bring a worldliness to their lyrics and melodies that most pop A-listers don't even have the imagination to dream of. This, the follow-up to their breakthrough disc, Look Sharp!, sees through on what that collection hinted at, meaning most of the songs sound like they were designed to be hit singles, not just filler between two or three good cuts.

Auberge is the eleventh studio album by Chris Rea, released in 1991. Auberge was a #1 album in the UK in 1991. The title track also gave Rea one of his biggest chart hits, reaching #16 in the UK charts. Other songs released as singles were "Heaven", "Looking For The Summer" and "Winter Song". Another song, "And You My Love", although not released as a single, has become a firm favourite among his fans and is regularly performed at live concerts.

Classics' chronological reissue of Bechet's recordings (at least the regular takes) continues with a pair of songs made with blues singer Josh White, eight very enjoyable performances cut with a quartet consisting of cornetist Muggsy Spanier, guitarist Carmen Mastren and bassist Wellman Braud, and a pair of Bechet's Victor sessions. This is one of the strongest entries in this valuable series.

This volume of the Classics Chronological series places Billie Holiday's music in historical context to an unusual degree, as her recordings for the Columbia and Commodore labels have until now been reissued separately because of copyright and catalog ownership. The songs parceled together here were recorded at a crossroads in Holiday's career. The setting for the first - in what would constitute great changes in her life and music - was Barney Josephson's Café Society Downtown. Located at 2 Sheridan Square, this was Manhattan's first fully integrated nightclub. Its clientele included a number of politically progressive intellectuals and social activists. When she first appeared at the club on December 30, 1938, Billie Holiday was known as a spunky vocalist who presented lively renditions of pop and jazz standards in what was considered an unusual yet accessible style…

Meant to Be features guitarist John Scofield's 1990 pianoless quartet on 11 of his compositions. During the best selections (such as "Big Fan" and "Mr. Coleman to You") one can hear the influence of not just the original Ornette Coleman Quartet but the Keith Jarrett/Dewey Redman Quintet. Joe Lovano's increasingly original tenor sound (mixing together John Coltrane, Dewey Redman, and even Eddie Harris on this set) works well with Scofield and the tight but loose rhythm section (bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Bill Stewart). "Eisenhower" (a slightly tongue-in-cheek, boppish romp) and "Some Nerve" (which uses New Orleans parade rhythms) are also memorable performances. The colorful and enjoyable set is modern mainstream music of the 1990s, stretching ahead while holding on to the roots of hard bop, funk, and fusion.

Beyond Recall is the twenty-third album by Klaus Schulze. He sticks to a tried-and-true formula and incorporates sequences, samples, atmospheres, riffs, and melodies into his sound design. And there is no theme that is particular to this CD. There are five pieces, and each piece has its own thematic integrity. This is the second of seven early-1990s Klaus Schulze albums not to be reissued by Revisited Records.

This is the Paris Theater concert from 1973 near the end of the bands existence. They are having a very good time in front of a very appreciative audience with Chappo snarling and howling, grunting bass, slicing guitar, wailing organ/synth and rocking drums. The sound - even though mono - is really solid and soundboard clear. It's a wall of sound type mix but everything is quite clear within it. It beats some of the live bonus cuts on some of the individual album releases by miles! If you have all three of the BBC series already - you will find this a very enjoyable and glad addition as the arrangements and sheer drive are unique among the other BBC series. It is a massive rockin testament to the band.