Crabby Appleton's Rotten to the Core – the title of which, no doubt, comes from lyrics once sung by the villainous Crabby Appleton character on the Tom Terrific cartoon show: "My name is Crabby Appleton/I'm rotten to the core" – was released in October 1971. The band's second album, and last as a group, captures them reaching out to find a sound of their own, veering off into boogie rock and heavier Zeppelin-esque romps, twice removed from the plaintive power pop and conga-driven rock of their debut.

Of the many shows that Gov't Mule's faithful fans have clamored to have officially released, this is among the most deeply desired. These tapes on double disc were culled from a pair of December 1999 gigs in Georgia where the trio – guitarist Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody, and drummer Matt Abts – invited ace jazz guitarist John Scofield and keyboardist Dr. Dan Matrazzo to sit in. They were originally intended for release as a live album…

It's uneven, but at times It's Only Rock 'n Roll catches fire. The songs and performances are stronger than those on Goats Head Soup; the tossed-off numbers sound effortless, not careless….

Theodor W. Adorno regarded Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 as “the first work of modern music”. Adorno’s teacher, Alban Berg, saw in it “the expression of a tremendous love for this world, a longing to live in peace and to savor Nature to its depths – before the arrival of Death. For it will inevitably come.” This live recording of the composer’s last completed symphony is part of an ongoing Leipzig cycle of Mahler’s symphonies. It confirms once more the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s reputation as an exemplary ensemble for the performance of Mahler’s music. The highest level of performance culture combined with a sharply contoured, transparent, polished, and detailed manner of playing, plus infectious verve and an unmistakable sound characterized by a darkly golden color – these are qualities responsible for the Gewandhaus Orchestra’s international reputation. Since the time of Bruno Walter, the orchestra has developed over the years a deep understanding of the works of Gustav Mahler, which in their collaboration with Riccardo Chailly has been continued.

Many of Richard Strauss´s compositions had their world premiere in Dresden and the composer dedicated An Alpine Symphony to the Dresden orchestra. The programme includes Four Last Songs, Ernster Gesang by Wolfgang Rihm and the German premiere of the last completed Strauss song "Mallows" in an orchestral version, arranged specifically for Dresden by Wolfgang Rihm.

British grindcore legends NAPALM DEATH will release their 15th studio album, "Apex Predator - Easy Meat", on January 27, 2015 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD's striking artwork, which can be seen below, was created by Danish designer Frode Sylthe (Friktion.com), who has previously worked on the band's "Utilitarian" album as well as with such other acts as AT THE GATES, TOTALT JÄVLA MÖRKER, THE HAUNTED and BURST. Comments NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury: "There are many meanings that you could grab from the new album artwork, I think. But one is the representation of how our natural and most basic needs for happiness and communication are being stripped away by materialism and pre-packaged garbage — crap that we don't need, filtered to us through the media via the megacorporations with the goal to maintain the bloated bottom line of profit. It's all just stuff that will be obsolete in six months time. And behind the scenes, of course, modern-day slavery is alive, well and obscured by this facade. It's all an exercise in deceit to shower us with fake fulfilment, while the poor and underprivileged fall further by the wayside."

"Ultimate Collection" is a compilation album by rock singer Pat Benatar, released in 2008. The 2-CD and digital collection features 40 classic and signature songs, including 20 top 40 chart hits. Some of the songs include "Heartbreaker", "Love Is a Battlefield", "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", "Fire and Ice", "Invincible", and "We Belong".

The liner notes that accompany this collection note that '70s soul music has never really gotten its due. One could argue that point for days, but hubris aside, there's no denying that Can You Dig It pays serious homage to the golden years of American soul. The new box set contains 6 CDs and 136 cuts, 65 of which hit the No. 1 spot on the R&B and/or pop charts. As you'd expect with a project that mines such a rich era (the CDs are compiled chronologically), it represents a who's who of stars. Among the notables: Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield, the Spinners, the O'Jays, the Staple Singers, James Brown, Chairmen of the Board, Laura Lee, Freda Payne, and Jean Knight. Lesser lights also get to shine, i.e., El Chicano, who deliver the salsafied hippie anthem "Tell Her She's Lovely." But let's be honest–the selling point is the hits, and from the uplifting "Ooh Child" to the sassy "Want Ads," if you grew up in the '70s (hands up), then these tracks are beloved. Sure, the hard-core fan will probably wish for more obscurities, and the exclusion of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and George Clinton is troublesome, but anyone wanting an at-home jukebox loaded with classic R&B will certainly dig this.

Best stuff I have heard from this band. Almost like a cross between Black Oak Arkansas and Led Zeppelin although not nearly as heavy as either in their prime. Only a few to diverse tracks, and cool cover to boot. A buck well spent. - from rateyourmusic -

Leslie Howard’s recordings of Liszt’s complete piano music, on 99 CDs, is one of the monumental achievements in the history of recorded music. Remarkable as much for its musicological research and scholarly rigour as for Howard’s Herculean piano playing, this survey remains invaluable to serious lovers of Liszt.