Lossless 1980

Released right before the group called it quits, Abbiamo Tutti I Suoi Problemi is a must-have for fans of complex avant-prog rock and Rock in Opposition, and it can also seduce open-minded fans of Italian progressive rock. The young musicians of Picchio dal Pozzo here manage to carve out a unique sound, resolutely attuned to the most progressive elements in Italian and British progressive rock, yet entirely personal and never matched afterward. Abbiamo Tutti I Suoi Problemi shares strong similarities with Unrest-era Henry Cow in the complex metrics, use of wind instruments, and overall chamber ensemble feel of pieces like "I Problemi di Ferdinando P." and "Mettiamo il Caso Che." Other reference points include Gentle Giant for the contrapuntal writing, Grand Wazoo-era Frank Zappa for the melody and guitar work in "Moderno Ballibile," Premiata Forneria Marconi for Aldo De Scalzi's vocals…

The albums the band recorded for Virgin Records in one package complete with bonus tracks previously unreleased from sessions recorded for the BBC - Remastered from original tapes. The band that featured Phil Collins from Genesis on drums, have never had a upgrade on the catalogue and having all the albums on one 4-CD set is the first time in a number of years they have been available. The set also features sleeve notes by Malcolm Dome and upgraded artwork.

Calling a band Maboul (French slang for crazy, nutty) creates certain expectations. And this album does hold up to them. The result might be called Ethnic-Noise-Chamber-Rock. This album alternates between the bizarre (A Modern Lesson) and the obscure (I Viaggi Formano La Gioventu) with the many oriental/arab sounds in some of the tracks and the classical instrumentation in others. The oriental sounds here add a great flavour to the music alongside the punk in several songs and the chamber-rock in others. Inoculating Rabies is a sort of post-punk track with its noisy guitars on the one hand which sound as if they were a bit far away from the microphones and the wind instruments (bassoon and oboe) which are more in the front of the music…

A Decade Of Rock And Roll 1970 To 1980 is a compilation album from REO Speedwagon. This is a well-chosen recap of REO's dues-paying years. These electrifying guitar licks and razor-sharp pop hooks would soon send Speedwagon to arena-rock superstardom! Here are Ridin' the Storm Out; Roll with the Changes; Time for Me to Fly; Only the Strong Survive; Music Man; Reelin'; Keep Pushin'; Breakaway; Ridin' the Storm Out , and more from the band's formative years.

Jan Garbarek is, of course, one of ECM’s longest standing composers and saxophonists, yet he is first and foremost a spectacular improviser who often manages to reach farther than (I imagine) even his own expectations in touching new melodic concepts. Paired with the Spheres-like church organ of Kjell Johnsen, he plumbs the depths of spiritual and physical awareness in a way that few of his albums have since. Here more than anywhere else, he shapes reverberation into its own spiritualism, exploring every curve of his surrounding architecture, every carved piece of wood and masonry.