Back catalogue: All genres

Review: The Firm was a UK supergroup that formed in 1984. Singer Paul Rodgers was the man responsible for getting together with guitarist Jimmy Page and the group became one of the most successful rock outfits of their era. They released a brace of brilliant albums - the self-titled debut in 1985, then a year later Mean Business - and played across the UK and US in the years after. One of the best shows they did was at the Oakland Coliseum on 15th March. Their extraordinary energy and fine set list was recorded for live FM Radio Broadcast and now you can listen back to the whole thing on vinyl for the first time ever.

Review: Director Max Kestner's documentary film portrait Copenhagen Dreams is a tribute to the Danish capital. That also happened to be the place acclaimed composer Johann Johannsson was living at the time he was asked to score the movie. As always he does so with real aplomb and devastating emotionality. This now classic soundtrack features celestial keyboard sounds, emotive string quartets, clarinet, subtle electronic and plenty of melodic magic that both swells and breaks the heart. Academy Award winner Hildur Gudnadottir plays on the soundtrack with various other of Johann's favourite Icelandic talents.

Review: Elton John's Madman Across the Water is a cornerstone of his early 1970s output. It's a window into his magnificently emotive songwriting and Bernie Taupin's vivid lyricism and this reissue comes on limited edition blue splatter vinyl. Featuring iconic tracks like the dramatic 'Levon' and the hauntingly beautiful 'Tiny Dancer,' both timeless fan favourites, it was first released in 1971. Its blend of lush orchestration with Elton's signature piano melodies creates an intimate yet grand sound. Pie for the collection, for sure.

Review: This is one of many landmark albums from the great pop innovator Elton John and one packed with his signature blend of pop, rock and heartfelt balladry. Released in 1973 and soon topping the charts, the album features iconic tracks like the wistful 'Daniel' and the upbeat, rollicking 'Crocodile Rock' which both became instant classics. This one reflects Elton's growing confidence as a composer and performer, with Bernie Taupin's evocative lyrics adding depth to every song. Backed by lush arrangements and Elton's masterful piano work the essence of 1970s pop-rock is right here.

Review: The name John Williams towers over the world of movie scores. The American has made some of the most critically acclaimed soundtracks of all time over the last seven decades, and has worked with cinematic greats like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas on his way to picking up 26 Grammy Awards, five Academy Awards and countless other awards.This album collects some of his greatest ever silver screen moments, starting with maybe the biggest, the Star Wars theme. Many more from that film plus classics like Jaws and Indiana Jones also feature on what is a brilliantly nostalgic collection.

Review: A great example of how critics are often not all right, when Jack Johnson dropped his third studio album, In Between Dreams, music writers the world over adopted partisan positions. Some believed this definitely was worthy of catapulting him from Pretty Famous Acoustic Surf Rock Guy Popular With People Who Went Travelling Post-Millennium, to global superstar. Other were pretty non-plussed.

Suffice to say, we all know who won in the end - Jack Johnson. In Between Dreams rocketed to high chart positions, reaching number one in Australia and the UK, and number two in America, returning to reclaim that US position upon reissue in 2013. One of the most familiar records of the last couple of decades, even if you've never actually owned a copy (partly the result of all the advertising licensing that has taken place), perhaps now is the time to rectify that ownership issue.

Review: If you're not familiar with the 1973 American-Philippine action movie Savage! then join the club. Distributed through Roger Corman's New World Pictures, the Cirio H. Santiago production was one of around 40 that the Hollywood legend worked on at far lower costs in the Asian island nation compared with back in the US. A somewhat exploitative business model taking advantage of lower wages in a developing country, the story also used more than a few totems of the Blaxploitation canon to tell the tale of a criminal who winds up getting caught up in a revolution to overthrow a military government. Heavy stuff dealt with in a pulp fiction style, the score reflects this - funk filled guitar licks, slap bass and woodwind hooks. Hip hop selectors take note, then, there's plenty to play with here.

Review: What you see before you ranks among the most mythologised live albums (n)ever released. Like the title suggests, it was originally recorded in 1972 at Parisian rock institution Le Bataclan, a legendary venue which would later gain notoriety after a group of armed gunmen opened fire on a crowd in 2015, killing 90 people. But that grisly recent history belies its status as one of the most respected concert halls in the French capital, and this not-quite-Velvet Underground show has contributed to that legacy. Showcasing the stop-you-dead qualities of Nico's staggering (and unique) vocal timbre, the surreal, immersive qualities of the Cale and Reed's legendary art-rock tones, this time capsule had been bootlegged and bootlegged until 2004, when it finally got an official release. Now it's back.

Review: This broadcast was first aired on French TV having been recorded at the Bataclan club in Paris, on January 29, 1972. It got a first official release in 2004 having been bootlegged for many years before that from a recording taken from the sound board at the gig. Fans of The Velvet Underground will know that this was the first time the group members Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico had all been up on stage together.

Review: Final Symphony II delves deeper into the cherished melodies of the Final Fantasy series. Renowned composers Roger Wanamo and Jonne Valtonen skillfully craft rich and intricate arrangements of Nobuo Uematsu's iconic compositions from FF5, 8 & 9. Additionally, Masashi Hamauzu offers a captivating suite inspired by his monumental original score for Final Fantasy XIII, while Valtonen sets the tone with his atmospheric opening piece 'In a Roundabout Way - Fanfare'. Pianist Mischa Cheung shines brightly in the spotlight, captivating audiences with his masterful performances in 'For the People of Gaia' and the emotive solo arrangement 'You Are Not Alone'.

Review: Jules Buckley can do absolutely no wrong in our eyes. The conductor responsible for leading the globally revered Heritage Orchestra has made a name for himself experimenting with the limits and limitless potential of classical music, taking influences from the world of dance and club tunes to open up orchestral performances to new demographics and generations.

He also has the honour of heading up the BBC Symphony Orchestra at select performances, another of the world's finest ensembles. This is just one recording from one of those shows, but clearly proves there's genius at work. The same could be said for Paul Weller, the iconic UK guitarist and singer who here invites said players to rethink tracks from his back catalogue for a staggering 75-minute set that elevates the rocker's oeuvre to greater heights than ever before.

Review: Let's face it, Hollywood director Christopher Nolan broke the mould with his re-envisioning of Batman. Taking things closer to the original comic books, themselves forced to 'go soft' by censors in the early-1950s, his films payed direct tribute to the saga's direction from the mid-1970s onwards. A trilogy of movies that were visually arresting, tonally dystopian, and viciously unhinged. It's not clear if we'll ever get a superhero (or anti-hero) film series of that class and calibre again, the world on screen so immersive you quickly feel like a Gotham native. A big part of that universe-building comes through the music, which enlists two of the greatest names in the history of soundtracks to help weave the tales. Hans Zimmer has composed for more than 150 films, James Newton Howard in excess of 100. This compilation of their shared caped crusader efforts proves why they're so well respected.