Alpha Ralpha were a short-lived band with Michel Mareska on electric guitar, Claude Alvarez-Peryre on electric and acoustic guitars, Jean Alain Gardet on keyboards, Charlie Charriras on bass and Emmanuel Lacordaire on percussion. On their only album, four more musicians appeared: Francois Breant on piano and synth, Jean de Anthony and Claude Samard on guitars, and Jean-Jaques Goldman on vocals. Alvarez-Peryre, a co-founder of the group was a member of Malicorne, while Gardet and Goldman were the members of Tai Phong. The band released only one album, the self-titled LP released for Warner in Canada and France in 1977. Their music could be described as a mixture of jazz rock and French symphonic, where guitars are keyboards are carrying the melodies for the most part, with occasional usage of vibraphone and marimba, and vocal harmonies.
This album, described as Ambient/Space-Music/Meditation, is composed and arranged by Chris Höppner, with a little help from Peter Mergener. 'The Ring' sets an ethereal scene effectively before 'Start to the Worlds' carries on in he same vein. Sweeping synthscapes, weird effects, cosmic callings. The expected elements but well put together. 'World of Caves' opens with more spacey sounds which, if anything, are even better than those featured in the opening two tracks. Three minutes in and the track switches to a sequencer & improvised lead outing which to be truthful is not that brilliant, but it only lasts a couple of minutes and the track ends as it started with more ethereal synth…
Alpha Mike Foxtrot, is a 4-CD box-set of rare studio and live recordings collected from Wilco's extensive archives spanning the acclaimed Chicago band's 20-year career. Rolling Stone calls Alpha Mike Foxtrot "a comprehensive document of a great band with endless secrets to reveal" and the Austin Chronicle dubs it "a rousing release for fans." Produced by Grammy-nominated producer Cheryl Pawelski, co-founder of Omnivore Recordings, whose credits include Big Star's Keep an Eye on the Sky, The Band's A Musical History and Townes Van Zandt's Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions and Demos 1971 1972, Alpha Mike Foxtrot features 64 pages of liner notes that include track-by-track recollections from Wilco founder Jeff Tweedy, notes by band members Nels Cline and John Stirratt, and reflections from members of Wilco's extended professional family. The booklet also showcases dozens of archival and never-before-seen photos from a wide array of photographers chronicling all phases of the band's career.
Alpha is the second studio album by British rock band Asia, released in 1983. It was certified platinum in the United States, eventually selling close to two million copies. Released one year before the departure of guitarist Steve Howe, Alpha was the last album with the band's original line-up until 2008's Phoenix, after the original members reunited in 2006, and the last album with Howe until Aqua in 1992. Alpha was written by the songwriting tandem of John Wetton and Geoff Downes, with the exception of "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes", which was written by Wetton alone. Alpha was recorded during the spring of 1983 at Le Studio in Morin Heights, Quebec and Manta Sound in Toronto.