Va No. 1

Christmas has provided a rich seam of subject matter for songwriters to mine over the years, building on a significant repertoire of carols and other religious songs in the traditional arena, and an ever-growing catalogue of secular songs for people to enjoy during a season when music has always been an essential element of the festivities. In the era of the commercial record sales charts, the competition for that elusive Christmas No. 1 hit has often been intense, and some notable seasonal hits have been major sellers over the years.

"Music is shaped by the time and place its created And in the 80s, changes in politics, technology, art and culture came together to produce an explosion of new sounds that have come to define a generation. Ministry of Sound are proud to present Electronic 80s - The Collection. The definitive 4CD 80 track collection that charts the birth of the electronica sound that has shaped the sound of modern day dance. The importance and continued popularity of the 80s cant be underestimated, from the pioneering producers of synthesised music like New Order, Eurythmics, Ultravox, The Human League, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Soft Cell, Visage, Gary Numan and Simple Minds. These bands & artists perfectly summarise the mood of 80s Britain during an era that changed the sound of the world. This CD/ Digital collection is also accompanied by a double LP vinyl collection, available from 24th November. Electronic 80s - The Collection - The sound that shaped the world. "

2013 three CD set, a 40 year salute to the pioneers of 20th-Century Experimental and Electronic music. Highlights the work of key European and US-based composers and the integration of electronic experimentation into soundtracks and mainstream pop. Featured composers, producers and performers include Olivier Messiaen, Edgard Varèse, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis, Louis & Bebe Barron, Miklós Rózsa, Sun Ra, Les Baxter and Joe Meek.

Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, Francisco Repilado (Compay Segundo), Ibrahin Ferrer y Rubén González, all legendary figures of the Cuban music scene, shine in the recording world for their invaluable contribution to the success reached by Buenavista Social Club. This collection offers us five compilations on 5 CD’s, each dedicated to these five legends. They include selected themes of anthologies previously published from these great artists. It also includes a booklet with wide comments of noted musicologists deepening the history of each one of these figures and their significance in the Cuban musical context.

The latest instalment of Grapefruit’s popular year-by-year overview of the British rock/pop scenes of the 70s. Featuring big hits, intriguing misses and key album tracks from 1974 as well as a clutch of alternative versions and unissued-at-the-time gems. Although 1974 was dominated by the country’s crippling economic woes, the British rock and pop scene continued to flourish. The more creative element of the glam rock spectrum inspired a host of new bands, with Cockney Rebel, Be-Bop Deluxe and Sparks coming through to establish themselves alongside genre heavyweights Roxy Music, T. Rex and Slade. London’s pub rock circuit saw stalwarts Brinsley Schwarz joined by early Ian Dury outfit Kilburn & The High Roads, Ace (who scored a hit single with the timeless ‘How Long’) and Dr. Feelgood, whose aggressive attitude and slashing, guitar-based brand of tough R&B influenced a whole new generation of musicians.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of “Revolution – Underground Sounds of 1968”, a 3CD clamshell boxed set celebrating the so-called “underground” rock music 1968, a year that saw huge changes, both musical and social.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of “Revolution – Underground Sounds of 1968”, a 3CD clamshell boxed set celebrating the so-called “underground” rock music 1968, a year that saw huge changes, both musical and social.

Romantic Classics is a 2CD collection of some of the most romantic classical pieces ever. This was released in 2003 by Madacy.

Amazon Review by David Sheridan
Lots of good new wave era chestnuts on this compilation. I wonder where perhaps Talking Heads, Echo & the Bunnymen or Graham Parker are, why no Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds/Rockpile, why no "Girl of My Dreams" by Bram Tchaikovsky, and they definitely seemed to put this together having drawn a somewhat arbitrary line in the sand somewhere between punk and new wave (no Pistols, no Clash, but the Ramones and Sham 69 are here). And then we get the Tubes (almost more musical theatre than new wave) and Hazel O'Connor (wtf?). And they also include whatever a Jilted John is. There's more than a little overlap with some other compilations and box sets out there (although I still know of no proper full sized new wave box set, Rhino, where are you?), but this will send those of us of a certain age nostalgically back to the days of Jimmy Carter in the White House, lining up for 79 cent gallons of gas and skinny ties with the knot a few inches below your collar…remember the first time you heard My Sharona? Maybe in your Ford Maverick while sitting in one of those gas lines…

This double disc compilation album presents the best of English folk, where artists such as Eliza Carthy, The Demon Barbers, Bellowhead and Kate Rusby amongst others have revived traditional English folklore penned over a century ago, bringing it back to the forefront of the folk scene. The fourth in the series of ARC Musics exclusive Ultimate Guide albums, this is an exciting and superb collection of 35 songs that steeps the listener in history from all corners of England. There cannot be many examples in history of an obsolete art form reaching the verge of extinction only to rise phoenix-like from the ashes and come to dominate popular culture, yet such is the story of English folk (Jon Boden)