Wheels

Fronted by the captivating brother and sister duo Knut and Johanne Nesdal, MEER returns with their highly anticipated third album, "Wheels Within Wheels." This new release is a masterclass in blending symphonic prog and intelligent pop, showcasing the band's exceptional musicianship, intricate vocal harmonies, and grandiose melodies.

Cosmic Wheels was Donovan's first album in three years to be aimed at mainstream listeners (as opposed to the audience of children and parents for HMS Donovan). For most onlookers, the passage of time meant that this record should have differed considerably from its predecessor…

Wheels Of Steel, Saxon's second LP, was produced by the band with Pete Hinton at Romport Studios. Released in February 1980, and hitting No. 5 in the UK charts, it features the m original line-up of Biff Byford on vocals, Graham Oliver and Paul Quinn on guitars, Steve Dawson on bass and Pete Gill on drums. Wheels Of Steel is crammed with classics, and now includes a rare b-s'tde as well as live tracks recorded in front of 35,000 metal maniacs at the very first Donington Monsters Of Rock festival, in addition to extremely rare, recently discovered demos recorded prior to entering the studio. It also includes rare and previously unseen photos courtesy of the band's personal archives, as well as extensive liner notes written in co-operation with lead singer Biff Byford.

Although best known for his barnstorming blues-rock, Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher had a softer side, too. All of his studio albums contain at least one acoustic folk-blues track, and Gallagher included an unplugged set in the majority of his live shows way before that was fashionable. Almost eight years after his death, Rory's brother Donal compiled a 14-track collection of previously unreleased work dedicated to Gallagher's folkier approach. It's the second such posthumous album (the terrific live and very electric BBC Sessions came out in 1999), and focuses on an important if lesser recognized aspect of the guitarist's career. It's also an eclectic set that shifts from melodic ballads ("Wheels Within Wheels") to instrumental modified flamenco ("Flight to Paradise" with classical guitarist Juan Martin) and solo Delta blues (a studio take of Tony Joe White's "As the Crow Flies," the live version of which was a highlight of Irish Tour). And that's just the first three songs.