Poised For Peak Performance

These three sonatas - composed originally for the viola da gamba and harpsichord - are very musically-appealing compositions. And unlike previous Baroque cahmber-music tradition, the harpsichord is not relegated to mere continuo but projected into the spotlight as co-soloist - perhaps to showcase some of Bach's keyboard virtuosity. There are several fine period recordings of these works on viola da gamba and harpsichord (Savall, Peri, Crum, Wispelwey) or modern cello with harpsichord (Ma, Tortelier). But if your taste favors all modern instuments (cello, piano), then this circa-80's CD by the legendary Martha Argerich and Misha Maisky is the ticket.

A relic from the days when so many artists' catalogs were still unavailable on CD, and a decent hits package was the best you could hope for, Out Demons Out! is a generously stuffed compilation that carves through the Broughton Band's Harvest label catalog, and comes up consistently trumps. Of course the title track is here – a non-LP single at the time, it remains the archetypal Broughton performance, encapsulating everything that made the band great both on vinyl and in concert. But it is by no means the only classic in their arsenal: "Apache Drop Out," "Evil," and "Hotel Room" are all masterpieces, while "Up Yours" rivals "Out Demons Out" in the all-together-in-a-muddy-field shout-along stakes. The subsequent appearance of the full catalog on disc in its own right takes some of the urgency away from this collection, but anybody searching for an easy entry into the world of the Edgar Broughton Band will find no better introduction.