RMI's Steve Dinsdale, Duncan Goddard, and Gary Houghton know how to coax all sorts of nuances from their machines, and they function as a live, interactive trio, with each member responding to the others' riffs and musical motifs. It doesn't hurt any, either, that Houghton has very impressive guitar chops, so when he eases into the mix with some blistering Stratocaster bursts, he rather convincingly updates (and improves upon) Edgar Froese's generic and rather predictable guitar flights on the seminal Tangerine Dream recordings. In a word, Radio Massacre International nail the vintage electronic music sound, but the band is simply more "nimble" than the first generation models, which greatly enhances the listening pleasure of the suitably attuned listener…if you're a musical novice unacquainted with RMI's sources, this music will serve as a stellar introduction to the form.

Duke Ellington had so many talents (composer, arranger, bandleader, personality) that his skills as a pianist could easily be overlooked. Fortunately he did record a fair amount of trio albums through the years so there is plenty of evidence as to his unique style which was both modern and traditional at the same time. The Pianist has trio performances from 1966 and 1970 and finds Ellington shifting smoothly between styles and moods while always remaining himself.

This compilation presents two very different views into the performance life of King Crimson. The first disc gathers live material from the 1971/1972 quartet, a majority of which was culled from the Live at Summit Studios, Live at Plymouth, 1971, and Live in Detroit, MI 1971 archival recordings. The second disc, subtitled "Schizoid Men," contains a single 54-minute rendering of "21st Century Schizoid Man" that consists of ten separate sax and guitar solos seamlessly combined together. These were taken from various performances throughout the 1971/1972 era - although exact dates are conspicuously absent in the packaging. Although the track is indexed for easier access to the edits, there are no interruptions or fades from blow to blow…

An uplifting, enlightening, and soothing peek into the '80s and rock workhorse singer/songwriter Phil Collins. This drummer/vocalist from mega-group Genesis brings out all of the magic from bag for this daring, sizzling record, scoring four smash hits with the passionate, emotionally resonant "Take Me Home"; the red-hot "Sussudio"; the fervent "Don't Lose My Number"; and the dreamy "One More Night." The positive thing about 12"ers is that this is a perfect fit for a dance record, meaning all the material is made up of mixes with brilliant flashes of layered creativity. Throughout the record one hears his trademark percussive statements and dramatic keyboard soundscapes. Perhaps the main thing that jumps out is Collins' endearing vocals, which contain a remarkable range, purity, and sincerity - on both the danceable and the relaxing melodies…

It’s already been twenty years since the art rock formation RPWL from Freising in Bavaria set out to release their most successful and - in the opinion of many critics - their best album to date: World Through My Eyes from 2005. Not a concept album in the true sense of the word, but full of philosophical questions and wonderful approaches to life and various worldviews. Many songs on this album have become classics of the band, especially ‘Roses’, which performed terrific in the studio version by Ray Wilson as a guest singer.

Nicola Vicentino was renowned in his day as a music theorist and inventor of the microtonal archicembalo keyboard instrument, but it is the striking harmonic sophistication of the madrigals that keep his name alive today. These world premiere recordings of madrigals from the Fifth Book of 1572 are interspersed with instrumental pieces that explore comparable chromatic universes, including Giovanni Maria Trabaci’s remarkable Toccata e recercar cromatico, and the first instrumental canzona ever published: Canzon la Bella.

At the risk of repeating myself, if you’re going to cover someone else’s song, then you need to bring something new to the table. Those who opt for faithful renditions of beloved songs are either deluded into thinking that they can improve on something already iconic, or they are merely riding the original artist’s coattails. Neither is a good look!