Newyear Concert 2011

Born in 1964 in Chiswick, England, the only son of a world-famous guitar legend, Juergen Richard “J.R.” Blackmore began his musical career in Germany. When he was just five years old, his parents separated and J.R. left the United Kingdom together with his mother to live in her birthplace Hamburg. It was the early years of modern-day Hamburg, which had seen legends to be like The Beatles play in the Star-Club before their heyday. Just like his father, Ritchie Blackmore, who made a name for himself and later became world-famous as a founding member of Deep Purple and later Rainbow. If you were going to be somebody in the music business, Hamburg was the place to be and was a gateway into stardom for a plethora of bands.

It is the title. The answer to the question what is the first jarring thing about this album is obvious. Unfulfillment is a very peculiar word for native and non-native speakers of English alike. Not that it is at all difficult to grasp the concept, but it is so very circuitous. Ray Wilson gives us a hint: Things are never finished, never complete, never simple, never contented…

Recorded during her 2010 tour in support of Give Up the Ghost, this live album finds Brandi Carlile performing a mix of original songs and cover material alongside the Seattle Symphony. Carlile’s earthy pop/rock is a far cry from classical fare, perhaps, but the pairing doesn’t sound as odd as you’d think. With their cathartic melodies and storybook lyrics, her songs have always tended to fare equally well in acoustic settings and full-band arrangements.

This excellent live recording served as my introduction to the wonderful Italian-flavoured progressive rock of PFM back in '74. The songs represented are all superlative, and the musicianship is amazing…

Ce disque renferme de la musique de circonstance rythmant la vie de la cour de Versailles de Louis XIV à Louis XVI. Les deux compositeurs mis en valeur sont peu connus mais de leur temps étaient les familiers des souverains et les compositeurs des musiques servant à accompagner les chasses, festins, mariages, fêtes, divertissement qui marquaient les temps forts de la vie de Cour.

A fine compilation of 1965-73 BBC performances, the majority of the tracks hailing from 1965-67, although some are drawn from 1970 and 1973. As one of the best live bands ever, the Who as expected come through pretty well in the live-in-the-studio environment, although the arrangements usually stick close to the records. Most of the songs were done by the group for studio releases as well, but there are a few covers that they never put on their albums or singles at the time, making this essential for the fan. Those numbers include the obscure James Brown tune "Just You and Me, Darling," "Dancing in the Street," ""Good Lovin'," and "Leaving Here" (although a mid-1960s studio version of that last song was eventually released).

With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA is the first official live album by American new wave band The B-52s. On February 18, 2011 the band joyfully celebrated its 34th anniversary with a triumphant return to their hometown of Athens, GA. Wig-wearing, boa-draped, glitter-covered fans came from near and far to celebrate this historic event, which saw the band deliver a sizzling 90 minute set that turned Athens’ Classic Center into a cosmic dancehall. The concert was released on a CD, DVD and Blu-ray entitled The B-52s With The Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA. In a review of the CD, Chuck Howard from Scripps Howard News Service proclaimed, “How The B-52′s have maintained their endearing vitality after all these years is a wonder, yet fans who hear “With the Wild Crowd!” will doubtless wish immortality on this uplifting band.”