Mirch Masala 1987

The European release of Whitesnake's commercial breakthrough is actually their eponymous American release retitled 1987. The differences are small, but they are enough to make it interesting. The first difference is the track order, which is very different. The album seems to flow a little better the way it is presented here, especially when utilizing "Still of the Night" as the opening track. This has always been one of their best songs, and by far one of the best Led Zeppelin rip-offs to ever be written…

One of the main players of the West Coast school of jazz, Chet Baker (1929-1988) shined both as a trumpeter and as a singer. He displayed both a forceful tone on fast tunes and a gentle and soft sound on ballads, which gained him fame even outside of jazz circles. Despite his multiple personal problems due to drug abuse, Baker was active and highly creative until the very last years of his life, which he spent living in Europe. This DVD contains performances taken from two concerts, one in Stuttgart, the other in Tokyo, where he displays his subtle magic in some of the tunes that made him famous, like "I'm Fool To Want You" and the perennial "My Funny Valentine".

The Fabulous Thunderbirds play an energized fusion of blues, rock & roll, and R&B that sounds like it came straight out of a Texas roadhouse. During their heyday in the early '80s, the band was one of the most popular attractions on the blues bar circuit, cutting no-frills albums like 1979's The Fabulous Thunderbirds and 1980's What's the Word. This eventually led to a breakthrough to the pop audience with their 1986 album Tuff Enuff. The mass success didn't last too long, and founding member Jimmie Vaughan left in 1990, but under the leadership of harmonica ace and vocalist Kim Wilson, the Fabulous Thunderbirds remained one of the most popular blues acts in America during the '90s and onward.

While he makes his fame and fortune cutting blues-rock, guitarist Duke Robillard periodically issues albums of stylish, restrained, subtly swinging jazzy material. This date includes guest appearances from swing-influenced contemporary instrumentalists such as tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton and guitarist Chris Flory, who teams with Robillard on "Glide On" for some excellent twin guitar fireworks. Otherwise, it's Jim Kelly who matches licks with Robillard on "Jim Jam" and "What's Your Story, Morning Glory." It's relaxed, elegant music, with just enough grit to keep things interesting.

The European release of Whitesnake's commercial breakthrough is actually their eponymous American release retitled 1987. The differences are small, but they are enough to make it interesting. The first difference is the track order, which is very different. The album seems to flow a little better the way it is presented here, especially when utilizing "Still of the Night" as the opening track. This has always been one of their best songs, and by far one of the best Led Zeppelin rip-offs to ever be written…