Company 2011

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.

Recorded live in 2010, Extended Versions features Paul Rodgers, Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke, Lynn Sorensen, and Howard Leese performing some of the band’s biggest hits, including “Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy,” “Feel Like Makin' Love,” and “Shooting Star.”

Wigmore Hall Live kicks off New Year with an early music release. Handel s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno was the composer s first opera to feature the celebrated aria Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa (Avoid the thorn, pluck the rose). Recorded for Wigmore Hall Live in January 2010 by the Early Opera Company, one of Britain s leading early music ensembles, the group features contralto Hilary Summers in the traditional countertenor role of enlightenment, her voice specifically chosen for its depth and fullness of tone. Director and harpsichordist, Christian Curnyn, was determined to recreate as faithful a sound as possible to what audiences at the time would have heard, not only instrumentally but notably in relation to tempi: Everything in Handel comes back to the heartbeat rate, fifty per minute.

Cut straight on the heels of Bad Company's 1974 debut - just a matter of three months later; not quite long enough to know how big a success the first LP would be - Straight Shooter is seemingly cut from the same cloth as its predecessor. It is, after all, a tight collection of eight strong, steady, heavy rockers that never, ever proceed in a hurry, but from the moment "Good Lovin' Gone Bad" kicks off the proceedings, it's clear that Bad Company have decided to expand their palette this second time around. Where Bad Company was stark, minimalist hard rock, Straight Shooter bears lots of different, vibrant colors: acoustic guitars are used for light and shade, guitars are channeled through chorus pedals, pianos and organs alternate with the occasional wash of strings, and the entire thing feels bigger and bolder than before…

30 years have passed by since the first contract between Todor Todorovic (Blues Company) and in-akustik has been signed. 17 albums by the Blues Company, 2 solo albums by Todor 'Tosho' Todorovic released on the inakustik label and various awards handed out by by the German Record Critics are the testimonies of the creativity and consistency of this extraordinary liaison. This jubilee is celebrated with a special Limited Collector's Edition. The edition is limited to 2.708 copies and serialized. The content of this Limited Collector's Edition is assembled according to this occasion and provides an overview of this creative time working together: 3 original albums plus! »Invitation To The Blues« (2000) »Hot And Ready To Serve« (2007) »Ain’t Nothing But…« (2015) »With A Little Help« – A compilation of Songs with famous guests that had been recorded through the years (Ana Popovic, Joanna Connor, Johnny Heartsman, Louisiana Red, Luther Allison, Stan Webb u. a.) »Encores« – Unissued encores from shows in 2014 and 2016! A real highlight for Blues lovers and collectors: The Limited Jubilee Edition of the Blues Company!

When Sam Cooke signed with RCA Records in 1960, he had already had several hits ("You Send Me," "What A Wonderful World," and "Only Sixteen" among them) on the small independent label Keen Records. He had paid attention to the business sides of things, too, and he signed with RCA because he was allowed to keep control of his song publishing…

Sony Legacy re-released four classic Janis Joplin LPs originally on Columbia – Big Brother & the Holding Company, Cheap Thrills, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, and Pearl – as a four-disc set available on 180-gram vinyl. The cover art was re-created from the original LP jackets.

Lüdenscheid, Christuskirche. The organ of the Christ Church in Lüdenscheid was built by E.F.Walcker in 1902 as opus 1035…