More Long Lost Honkers And Twangers

By licensing these previously unreleased live and studio tracks (plus some previously released but rare material) from the Special Markets division of EMI-Capitol Music, the mail-order company Collectors' Choice Music has legitimized Quicksilver Messenger Service recordings that had floated around on bootlegs and quasi-legal discs for many years. The performances all date from 1967-1968, a period during which Quicksilver consisted of lead guitarist John Cipollina, rhythm guitarist and singer Gary Duncan, bassist David Freiberg, and drummer Greg Elmore. As Richie Unterberger points out in his liner notes, "They were not so much singer-songwriters as they were virtuoso players and creative interpreters and stylists. They were not the greatest of vocalists or composers." True, but in Cipollina, with his tremolo-laden leads, they had one of the great San Francisco guitarists of the '60s…

Tom Jones has always been better than the average music snob has been willing to acknowledge. Even when he was making his living as the greatest of all Las Vegas lounge lizards, he had craft, passion, and a desire to deliver for his audience that put his peers to shame. At the age of 75, he's not only singing with all the force, power, and authority he commanded in the '60s and '70s, but he's making the best and most ambitious recordings of his career. Long Lost Suitcase is Jones' third project with producer Ethan Johns, and like 2010's Praise & Blame and 2012's Spirit in the Room, it finds Jones digging into rootsy sounds that give him a chance to indulge his passion for blues, vintage gospel, and R&B.

Vanden Plas, the German progressive metal powerhouse, has been a stalwart presence in the music scene since their formation in the mid-1980s. With a name derived from a prestigious Belgian luxury car manufacturer, the band has consistently delivered a luxurious sonic experience to their dedicated fanbase.
After a hiatus of four years since their last album, the band makes a triumphant return with an enthralling assortment of tracks, showcasing their unmatched musical skill and narrative artistry.
Vanden Plas remains faithful to their signature style: progressive rock infused with elements of elegy, melody, and metallic and epic influences. Furthermore, it's evident that Vanden Plas is embracing a "back to the roots" direction…