Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Released to celebrate Albert King's centennial, this new edition of the legendary artist's first album for Stax Records, Born Under A Bad Sign with all-analog mastering from the original tapes by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl. The album has been inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame and is included in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time." It features contributions from Booker T. & The MG's and the Memphis Horns.

A fine pianist who is quite literate (and even wrote What Jazz Is, a book on jazz that focused on the Young Lions), Jonny King has strong potential for the future. He started playing piano when he was nine (Earl Hines and Teddy Wilson were early influences) and within a few years as a teenager he was already playing some gigs in New York clubs. In addition to his music career, King graduated from Princeton and Harvard Law School and has been an attorney at a copyright practice!

The period from around 1950 to 1965, when B.B. King released numerous recordings on RPM Records and Kent, can be considered not only the earliest but also one of the most glorious chapters in the career of this blues giant. This album, originally released in 1964, is Kent's ultimate "greatest hits" compilation - the most powerful collection of B.B.'s early masterpieces.

It really is a problem, choosing between these two recordings. (Giordano: Andrea Chénier / Pavarotti, Caballé, Chailly) It might seem sensible to start with the tenor in the title-role, and here my strong inclination would be to plump for RCA and Domingo: he is in splendid voice, with a touch of nobility to his manner that makes for a convincing portrayal of a poet. Pavarotti (for Chailly on Decca) begins with a rather leather-lunged Improvviso, but he later finds poetry in the role as well, especially when responding to his soprano, Caballe who is rather stretched by the more exhausting reaches of her role and sounds audibly grateful for the occasional opportunities he gives her to float rather than belt a high-lying phrase. And besides, Pavarotti is an Italian tenor, and his Italianate sense of line adds 1 per cent or so of elegance to some phrases that even Domingo cannot match. Caballe does many things beautifully, and her fine-spun pianissimos and subtle shadings only occasionally sound mannered, but the role is undeniably half-a-size too big for her. So it is for Scotto, you might say, and a hint of strain is audible once or twice, in her timbre rather than her phrasing. It is her phrasing, indeed, that tips the balance back to RCA: Scotto is as subtle a vocalist as Caballe, but she gives meaning and eloquence to every phrase without ever breaking the long line, which one cannot always say of the Spanish soprano. Matters are about even as far as the baritones are concerned: Milnes acts admirably, but refrains from over-acting, and the voice is rich and characterful. Nucci for Chailly is a bit less compelling dramatically, but the voice strikes me as more integrated, more even, than Milnes's, and thus, again, is more Italianate in its line. Decca field a sumptuous supporting cast (Astrid Varnay, worn of voice but full of character as the Countess, Christa Ludwig, no less, in the ten lines of Madelon's part, Tom Krause as a fine Roucher, Giorgio Tadeo an implacable Mathieu), but RCA's striking Bersi, vividly characterized Irtcredibile, and their Roucher, too, are not outmatched (only their Madelon, both fruity and acid—a grapefruit of a voice—is disappointing). A lot of people will enjoy the huge energy and bustle of Levine's direction. It is vividly characterful, but to my taste a shade exhausting and over-assertive. The flow of the music seems more natural in Chailly's hands, and orchestral detail is clearer. The Decca recording, too, is warmer than the RCA, which has a slight edge to it. Even so, for Scotto's sake and to a slightly lesser extent for Domingo's, I think I would choose RCA, but that would mean rejecting Chailly, Pavarotti and the Decca recording … As I say, it is really a problem.

-- Michael Oliver, Gramophone [9/1989]

Many things come to mind when considering the great flowering of the arts during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, among them the plays and poetry of Shakespeare and the magnificent sacred choral music masterpieces of composers such as Byrd and Tallis. But there also was abundant activity on the secular music front, most notably the incomparable lute songs of John Dowland and the lovely works for viol consort and for solo voice and viols by Byrd, Mundy, Farrant, Parsons, and many others. This recording, featuring the clear, expressive voice of Catherine King and the well-tuned, perfectly matched instruments of the Rose Consort of Viols, is devoted to the latter two categories--including theatrical pieces, dances, and some of the most melancholy--and beautiful--songs in the repertoire. King's rich mezzo is an ideal complement to the warm, reedy viols, and the instrumental playing must receive special mention for its sensitivity and tasteful style. This recording will provide an appealing introduction to one of the most significant and accessible genres of early music; and it will satisfy confirmed fans as well. --David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

The best Jamaican musicians brought a substantial, masterful contribution to jazz. Their belated recognition reveals truly original, spirited and sophisticated styles. At long last, the rare, little known albeit greatest recordings of the founders of Jamaican jazz are gathered here, fully annotated in a 32-page booklet by Bruno Blum. They include strong personalities such as Wilton Gaynair, Cecil Lloyd, Billy Cooke; Ernest Ranglin’s quirky guitar playing and groundbreaking afro-jazz by Count Ossie’s drum orchestra, as well as the legendary Joe Harriott, Roland Alphonso, Tommy McCook, Don Drummond and Rico Rodriguez. These musicians, who were about to create ska and reggae, breathe stunning life into swing, mento, blues, hard bop and soul jazz. PATRICK FReMEAUX

Drawn from the worldwide catalog holdings of Sony Classical, which includes both the Columbia/CBS and RCA Victor label imprints, the SONY Classical Originals, SONY Classical Masters Singles and Box Sets, SONY Opera and Opera House series offer an extensive selection of highly desirable and collectible pressed import editions, smartly-designed and graphically-pleasing, featuring the most sought after recordings by the world's preeminent, legendary artists both past and present, with many titles newly re-mastered in 24bit High Resolution Audio.

Vinyl LP pressing. The mono version of this 1962 collection featured five hits including "Stand by Me", "Ecstasy", "First Taste of Love", "Here Comes the Night", and the title track, "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" and showcases the talents of the unforgettable king. Younger fans might recognize "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" as sampled in de la Soul's "A Little Bit of Soap" or KRS-One's "Bring It Back."

Limited 180 gram vinyl re-release of B.B. King's classic album Live At The Regal. Recorded November 21, 1964 at the Regal Theater in Chicago and released the following year, the album is considered one of the greatest blues recordings ever, with Rolling Stone naming it 141 on it's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It is also included in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. King, talking about the album, admitted "that particular day in Chicago, everything came together." Includes 'Sweet Little Angel', 'You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now', 'How Blue Can You Get?' and his signature song 'Every Day I Have The Blues'.