Very Useful Magazine Smartphone & Pocket PC 2006 No.06 Dec/jan Buyer's Guide 2007

The cleverly deceptive genius Patrick Adams was born March 17, 1950 in New York City. Some people are just destined for greatness and Adams was one of those. He wrote his first song at 12, recorded his first record at 16 and produced his first track at 17. It would take several more years for the world to realize his genius. In 1966 Patrick joined a neighborhood group and they immediately auditioned for a role in “Up The Down Staircase”. The boys won the part of the high school dance band and are featured in a segment of the Warner Brothers film. Two months later the guys, now known as “The Sparks,” were signed to Curb/MGM.

Brilliant compilation featuring 20 of the finest cuts by this band, led by singer/songwriter/producer Ian Broudie. Features two new tracks, 'Song For No One' and 'Tables Have Turned' alongside classics such as 'Pure', 'Lucky You', 'Live Of Riley' and their infamous World Cup anthem '3 Lions'.

The 2007 release of Nicolas Bacri: String Quartets Nos. 3,4,5,6 finds Nicolas Bacri as one of the outstanding figures in contemporary French music, a composer who began his career in the 1980s as a serialist. While he hasn't exactly turned his coat inside out, Bacri is hardly a card-carrying member of the fraternity at this juncture – his music is clearly designed to elicit specific emotional responses and has a natural sense of flow and development, not to mention ample excitement and drama. There is never a sense anywhere in this music where the composer is saying, "Here are the elements the music is made out of, and there – is the result." Bacri's music is the sum total of contact with a wide range of influences and impulses, yet like Henri Dutilleux, his own voice is placed at the fore.–Uncle Dave Lewis

Having sold more than 100 million records over the past quarter of a century, Billy Joel ranks as one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world. In the US he has had 33 Top 40 hits and 23 Grammy nominations since signing his first solo recording contract in 1972. In the UK he has had 14 top 40 hits including the number one hit “Uptown Girl” as well as the original version of “She’s Always a Woman”. In addition to his multiple awards, including Grammys and American Music Awards, his contribution to the industry saw him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2005 he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Piano Man brings all of Billy Joel’s best loved hits together on one disc.