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The Ramones may or may not have invented punk rock, but they were inarguably the most important band in punk history, creating the stylistic prototype that would be followed by countless bands who emerged in their wake. They were informed by the thunder and flash of the Who and the MC5, the speed and primitivism of Iggy and the Stooges, and the alternately sullen and goofy musings of '60s garage rock, but the Ramones synthesized their influences into something raw and revolutionary, a fury of pounding rhythms and downstroked guitars married to rudimentary melodies and comically absurd lyrics that both mocked and celebrated popular culture and teenage life. The Ramones were tuneful, aggressive, and challenging in their embrace of minimalist fury, and while bands from the Clash and the Sex Pistols to Rancid and Green Day would build on their formula, it's essentially impossible to imagine any of those bands, or punk as we know it, without the Ramones' guiding example.

TRIPLE-DISC SET OF LIVE PERFORMANCES BY RY COODER FROM ACROSS HIS CAREER Featuring 3 superb live recordings by Ry Cooder, all from the peak of the great man s career, this triple disc set will prove a delight for fans of the master musician the world over. Kicking off on disc one with Ry s full show, broadcast live on 12th November 1972 from The Radio Ranch in Cleveland, Ohio, which finds Cooder in sublime form playing an acoustic, country blues set, with special emphasis on his blues hero of the day, Sleepy John Estes. Disc Two contains his gig from a couple of years later, recorded at the Record Plant in Sausalito, California on 7th July 1974, which features a fine selection of cuts from Cooder s early 1970s Reprise albums, records which still sound as fresh today as they ever did; as indeed does this performance. Concluding this boxed set is a recording made at the Montreux jazz festival in 1990 by Ry with long-time collaborator David Lindley, when the pair storm through a fabulous set featuring long-time Cooder classics and a great selection of numbers from his extensive film soundtrack catalogue With all recordings in near perfect quality and fully remastered, this collection is destines to become a must-have addition for every decent Ry Cooder collection in existence.

Nirvana Voorafgaand aan Nirvana was alternatieve muziek meestal in een aparte afdeling van de muziekwinkels te vinden. Na het tweede album van de band in 1991, Nevermind, veranderde alles, zowel ten goede als ten kwade. Nirvana populariseerde punk, post-punk en indie rock, dit onbewust in de Amerikaanse mainstream brengend zoals dat tot nut toe nog door geen enkele andere band gedaan was. Aangezien Nirvana geworteld was in de indie ethiek maar van popmuziek hield, vechten zij het sterrendom aan terwijl zij het tevens uitlokten, en werden zij enkele van de meest beruchte anti-rocksterren in de geschiedenis. Het resultaat was een bewuste poging om hun publiek kwijt te raken met het bikkelharde In Utero, waarbij het doel van de band slechts gedeeltelijk verwezenlijkt werd.

LEGENDARY RECORDINGS FROM FLEETWOOD MAC S EARLIEST DAYS Formed in London in 1967 by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, with bassist John McVie completing the line-up for their self-titled debut album, Fleetwood Mac began as a very different beast to the one they would become by the mid-1970s. Danny Kirwan joined as third guitarist in 1968 and keyboardist Christine Perfect, who contributed as a session musician from the second album, married John McVie and joined in 1970. Primarily a British blues band initially, they scored a UK number one with Albatross , and had lesser hits with the singles Oh Well and Black Magic Woman , the latter successfully covered by Santana. All three guitarists left in succession during the early 1970s, changing the sound of the group quite dramatically. This triple disc set celebrates the early days of Fleetwood Mac, focussing as it does on the group s live recordings and radio sessions. Featuring, on disc one, their superb San Francisco gig at the Carousel Ballroom in 1968 in its entirety (previously only released in part), disc two contains Fleetwood Mac s complete BBC Radio Sessions from 1968 recorded for shows such as Top Gear and Saturday Club. The set is completed on disc there with their legendary concert performed in New Orleans at The Warehouse venue, in January 1970.

THREE DISCS OF LEGENDARY EARLY NINETIES PEARL JAM PERFORMANCES Pearl Jam entered Seattle's London Bridge Studios in March 1991 to record their debut album, Ten. Drummer Dave Krusen left the band in May 1991 after checking himself into rehabilitation and was replaced by Matt Chamberlain, but after just a handful of gigs Chamberlain left too and was superseded by Dave Abbruzzese, who played the rest of Pearl Jam's live shows supporting Ten. Released on August 27, 1991, Ten contained eleven tracks dealing with dark subjects like depression, suicide, loneliness, and murder.

More than 30 years into a quite staggering music career, Bon Jovi remain one of the most popular, successful and downright entertaining rock groups in history. And with an army of fans who would all but die for their heroes, this extraordinary act don t look to be cashing-in anytime soon. This superb set captures Jovi in concert and in interview and features across its 3 discs, one CD featuring a full live FM Broadcast from 1984, one CD featuring a mixed bag of live TV appearances from across the group s career, and one CD featuring broadcast interviews with Jon and the lads again recorded at different junctures during their long and ongoing time in the business.

His first album hit the streets in 1976 and initially its arrival caused few heads to turn. Music fans were confused; were these a bunch of punks or 1960s revivalists with a liking for Gene Clark era Byrds? Fortunately, as is so often the case, the UK seemed to 'get it' pretty soon after the record s release there and it reached #24 on the British chart. News traveled West, and a full year after the home turf release Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers entered the Billboard chart. Shortly thereafter second album You're Gonna Get It! was released, and became a hit right away. The rest, as they say, is history.

The most successful female music performer of the 1970s and early 1980s, Linda Ronstadt - despite having given up touring and recording due to poor health - remains among the most respected and acclaimed interpreters of song to have made a name in the rock age. And what singles Linda out from numerous others who came before, during or after, was the lady s near perfect choice of material.