Showing 1 - 25 of 370
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press... [+] Read More
Artist: Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent. But no one could argue with the fact that he was the musician most responsible for popularizing rock & roll on an international level. Viewed in cold sales figures, his impact was... [+] Read More
Artist: Protector
Among the top of the list of underrated calypsonians, Protector has yet to release a bad record. He delivers plenty of good party soca but is also very skilled at social commentary (local and global) and has several times made it to the Monarchy finals. Any Protector album is recommended. ~ Gene Scaramuzzo, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: Scrunter
Another calypsonian who presents a problem in deciding which of his records to list. He's so consistently good that all are recommended. He often presents social commentary, but his party music is what really stands out. ~ Gene Scaramuzzo, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: Pandit V.G. Jog
The violinist Vishnu Govind Jog studied with a variety of musical greats including Allauddin Khan. He has performed in a variety of jugalbandi combinations. Paradoxically, despite his stature and skills, no CD release stands out as instantly recommendable. ~ Ken Hunt, All Music Guide [+] Read More
Artist: The Notorious B.I.G.
In just a few short years, the Notorious B.I.G. went from a Brooklyn street hustler to the savior of East Coast hip-hop to a tragic victim of the culture of violence he depicted so realistically on his records. His all-too-brief odyssey almost immediately took on mythic proportions, especially since his murder followed the shooting of rival... [+] Read More
Artist: Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman helped restore singer/songwriters to the spotlight in the '80s. The multi-platinum success of Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact. Although Chapman was working from the same confessional singer/songwriter foundation that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven... [+] Read More
Artist: Cherry People
A late 1960s pop group with an overtly commercial, AM radio-directed sound, similar at times to things done by the Turtles or Left Banke, but much chirpier, like a somewhat less bubblegummy variation of the Cuff Links ("Tracy"). Little of their material was self-penned, and their self-titled album isn't even recommended to connoisseurs of this... [+] Read More
Artist: Cassiber
Avant-rock band Cassiber comprises Christoph Anders on vocals and guitar, Chris Cutler on drums and Heiner Goebbels on piano, sampler and violin. The trio released three LPs for Cuneiform, beginning in 1987 with Man or Monkey. Several years after their third, Rer/Recommended released Beauty & The Beast and Live in Tokyo 1992. ~ John Bush, All... [+] Read More
Artist: Johann Samuel Endler
This composer learned music in Leipzig and probably studied with Graupner. His teacher recommended him for a position in Darmstat which he accepted; later Endler was to become the Kappellmeister at Darmstadt after the death of his teacher. Endler composed sinfonias (more properly suites) for wind instruments -- the primary instruments of The... [+] Read More
Artist: Joe Carter
An excellent cool-toned guitarist, Joe Carter started playing music when he was around ten. He considers Jim Hall, Bill Evans, Paul Desmond, and Ed Bickert his main influences and has stuck to playing straight-ahead jazz throughout his career. Carter, who has recorded several recommended sets for his own Empathy label, has also taught guitar... [+] Read More
Artist: Bomb Pops
Minneapolis-based indie-pop trio the Bomb Pops formed in the autumn of 1992, comprising singer/guitarist Rick Durgin, bassist Andrea Trollin and drummer Bryan Hanna. The band's existence was brief, and with just a handful of singles and compilation tracks (later collected on Bus Stop as Recommended for Diversion Seekers) to their credit, the... [+] Read More
Artist: István Mártha
One of the leading Hungarian composers of the 1980s, István Mártha recorded industrial and avant-garde rock music as well as classical. The minimalistic Hearts LP was an underground success on release in 1981, and the Hungarian government recruited him to produce a series of Switched On Mozart albums in the mid-'80s. His 1987 recording The... [+] Read More
Artist: Van Halen
With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sounds of machines... [+] Read More
Artist: Veena Sahasrabuddhe
Veena Sahasrabuddhe, although regularly hailed as a rising talent in many quarters, is in fact an established artist. Born in 1948, she began singing in childhood. She has a good reputation and a growing body of recordings to her credit. In addition to the material detailed below she has recorded a seasonal cycle called Rutu Chakra for Rhythm... [+] Read More
Artist: Kit Watkins
The Virginia-based keyboardist creates finely crafted music that always seems to straddle a handful of genres with ease. He was a founding member of the short-lived, yet highly original, progressive '70s band, Happy the Man. In the early '80s, Watkins began building his own home studio and produced consistently inviting music that draws on his... [+] Read More
Artist: Ralph Peterson
During his relatively brief period in the spotlight, Ralph Peterson has already distinguished himself not only as a superior drummer but as an important bandleader too. It was natural that Peterson would be a drummer since four of his uncles and a grandfather played drums. He started at age three and, after attending Rutgers and settling in New... [+] Read More
Artist: Il Baricentro
Natives of Bari, Italy, the brothers Giovanni and Francesco Boccuzzi, and bassist Tonio Napoletano first came to note as members of Festa Mobile, a jazz rock quintet whose one and only album, the ambitious concept Dario Di Vaggio Della Festa Mobile was issued by RCA in 1973. Following that group's collapse later that same year, the trio... [+] Read More
Artist: Walls of Genius
Weird, occasionally very inventive Colorado trio that put out several avowedly wacky cassette-only releases in the 1980s. Songwriters Evan Cantor (aka Joe Colorado) and Dave Lichtenverg (aka Little Fyodor) were the creative engines of the group, which could sound like a much funnier version of the kind of experimental rock produced in Europe by... [+] Read More
Artist: the Smile Rays
Steadily winning the admiration of indie Hip-hop fans and mainstream heavyweights the likes of Ludacris' DJ Jaycee, the Smile Rays hail from the 904 area code – Duvall County, FL – a region that's emerging as the Southeast's newest unlikely True School hotbed. Coming much ruder than their sunny, upbeat name suggests, the Rays consist... [+] Read More
Artist: Savage Circus
Power metal group Savage Circus was first imagined in 2004 by veteran German drummer Thomen Stauch (ex-Iron Savior, Lucifer's Heritage, etc.) prior to his exit from Blind Guardian. Stauch was working on new material in the vein of old Blind Guardian when former bandmate Piet Sielck (bass, rhythm guitar, and a founding member of power metal... [+] Read More
Artist: Baccus Ran
-- http://www.myspace.com/baccusran -- Baccus Ran, formed at the end of 2005 and now comprises of Bushra Hai on vocals, Dan Green on guitar, Mark Warren on bass and Mike Reith on drums. At the forefront of the british rock scene, the band's unique blend of awesome riffs, beautiful vocal tones and heart felt lyrics has brought them comparisons to... [+] Read More
Artist: Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett was one of the last significant graduates of Miles Davis' groups and is one of the potential greats in jazz. He started early on playing in Detroit with Marcus Belgrave and toured with the Mercer Ellington Orchestra before moving to New York in 1980. He made his debut recording for Criss Cross (1984) and was part of the group Out... [+] Read More
Artist: Jonathan Noyce
A native of England, Jonathan Noyce was born in 1971. After trying his hand at many different instruments, Noyce eventually settled on the bass. He did his time at the Royal Academy of Music, beginning in 1990. It was during this time that he first hooked up with David Palmer. In 1995, Noyce met Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre, who eventually... [+] Read More
Artist: Camberwell Now
An extension or pseudo-continuation of This Heat, Camberwell Now was a collaboration between former Gong and This Heat member Charles Hayward (drums, vocals), Stephen Rickard (field recordings, studio recordings, tape manipulation), and Trefor Goronwy (bass, vocals, ukulele). Together, they continued in the vein of This Heat's restless... [+] Read More
