The Square 2008

Two wonderful groups, great music, fusion from Japan. 2 bass players, 2 drummers, 2 guitarists, 2 keyboardists, and a sax player.

Some Peter Green fans might be put off by this 64-song/four-CD collection, owing to the fact that they are likely to already own a significant chunk of what's here (especially the Fleetwood Mac material). (And in fairness, there apparently isn't a lot of – or any – unreleased material to draw on from Green's classic period with the band). But this reviewer had to spring for this four-and-a-half hour showcase of his work, and for one major reason – vitality. Green's virtuosity is a given, and his taste and his insights into blues and what can be done with it – while still leaving it as blues – are well known to anyone who's heard his work.

Despite the bald-faced references to bootlegs in the title, this is a totally legit four-CD box set release of live 1967-1970 Doors from numerous shows, all of it previously unissued…

A fusion instrumental band from Japan, they greeted the world with their proud debut in 1976. In 1978, their debut album "Lucky Summer Lady" was released. They have released more than 30 original albums to date. They exude energy abroad; after their initial performance in 1994, they carried out four more performances all around Asia, particularly in Korea. Yet other than an album release in the United States and the lah Eve tour, their popularity has never stretched worldwide. In 1989 due to activity in the U.S.A, they changed their band name to "T-Square". In 2003, they celebrated their 25th anniversary and formed "The Square" once again. A large group of musicians, they invited Keizo Kawano and a new drummer Bando Satoshi; at the young age of 22, he contributed to card-carrier as a support keyboard player. In April of 2005, the album "Passion Flower" was released, breathing new life into "T-Square".

The Twelfth Symphony forms an exception in Allan Pettersson’s output. When he agreed to compose a work for the 500th anniversary of Uppsala University, it was one of the few commissions that he ever accepted. Having written purely orchestral scores for the past 30 years, he decided to incorporate a choir and a text. Pablo Neruda had received the Nobel Prize in 1971, and acknowledging the poet’s ‘deeply felt compassion for the outcasts of society’, Pettersson selected nine poems from the huge collection Canto general for his new work.