Vanir Særimners Kød (2011)

It has the same name as the Crüe’s 1998 compilation, along with 13 of the same tracks, but the 2009 Greatest Hits is a different beast than its predecessor, weighing in at 19 tracks instead of 17 and sequenced chronologically instead of the year-skipping hodgepodge of 1998. These are all improvements, as are the swapping of a 1997 version of “Shout at the Devil” for the original and the addition of the 1983 song “Too Young to Fall in Love,” all helping to make this edition of the Crüe’s much-recycled Greatest Hits their best comp yet.

It has the same name as the Crüe’s 1998 compilation, along with 13 of the same tracks, but the 2009 Greatest Hits is a different beast than its predecessor, weighing in at 19 tracks instead of 17 and sequenced chronologically instead of the year-skipping hodgepodge of 1998. These are all improvements, as are the swapping of a 1997 version of “Shout at the Devil” for the original and the addition of the 1983 song “Too Young to Fall in Love,” all helping to make this edition of the Crüe’s much-recycled Greatest Hits their best comp yet.

Stradella’s music is of the highest quality, and as such receives more and more attention nowadays. Superb performances on period instruments by Harmonices Mundi/Claudio Astronio and the great Swedish soprano Susanne Rydén.

According to pianist Rolf Løvland, Irish-Norwegian neo-classical duo Secret Garden's seventh studio album, Winter Poem, was inspired by the "darkness that surrounds the Scandinavian winter." While there's a genuine sense of melancholy laced throughout its largely instrumental 11 tracks, fans of their luscious new age sound needn't fear a new gothic reinvention, as there's very little here likely to find its way onto a horror movie soundtrack. Indeed, the stately piano chords and sweeping string arrangements (courtesy of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra) of opener "Make a Wish" feel more suited to a Downton Abbey-esque costume drama, while elsewhere the lilting "Anticipation" recalls the emotive ivory-tinkling of Ludovico Einaudi's understated scores, the more uptempo "Fionnuala's Cookie Jar" is a highly percussive Irish jig packed with Celtic fiddles and tin whistles…

The son of Bad Company is what this debut by the band Sharks resembles, lead vocalist Snips sounding like he gargled with Kim Carnes and Paul Rodgers' mouthwash, that gravel voice Rod Stewart made the most of accompanied here by guitar great Chris Spedding, drummer Marty Simon, and bassist Andy Fraser from the group Free. This self-titled debut doesn't have the groove of their 1974 release, Jab It in Yore Eye, despite four of the nine songs written by Fraser (replaced by Busta Cherry Jones on the follow-up), including "Doctor Love," a song Leslie West covered for his The Great Fatsby album, generating some early validation for this work.

2011 two CD release, a collection of tracks taken from the BBC owned Lizzy recordings that still exist in the archive and charts the inexorable rise of the band: From the first steps as a three piece on the Decca label, to the glory days as one of the greatest live acts of all time. This collection brings together sessions and live recordings from throughout the band's career including the last concert with Phil Lynott from the Reading festival in 1983.