Who can imagine life without novels?
They have served not merely as diversions but as companions for so much of our lives, offering hours of pleasure and, at their best, insights few of us can ever quantify. And if the speed at which they pile up by our bedside often exceeds our ability to read them, theres a security in looking ahead to the next enticing volume.
But the simple joy of reading novels sometimes obscures our awareness of the deeper roles they play in our lives: honing our intellect, quenching our emotional thirsts, and shaping our sense of ourselves and of the world we live in.

Great Conductors of the 20th Century is a joint venture between the production and licensing expertise of IMG Artists and the international marketing and distribution clout of EMI. Sixty volumes were planned with hopes for even more. Unfortunately, though, perhaps reflecting our leaner climate for classical projects, the producers now advise that only forty will be issued. Thus, rather than a proud celebration of the full wealth of this keystone of classical art,six of the Great Conductors of the 20th Century volumes the truncated result is tinged with regret for what might have been. Even so, the edition stimulates many thoughts, not only about its particular subjects but of trends and issues that transcend the specific contents.

Absolutely awsome. That’s about all you can say about this flabbergasting set put out by Columbia in the early 90?s. The five stars above reflect the love and care that went into every aspect of this set, from the presentation with it’s frosted portrait of Sinatra on the cover, to the different CD sleeves and labels which really give a sense of history to the set – to the music itself, which is priceless. Although the price is awesome – a whopping $250, but in my estimation, it’s worth every penny. This is pop music history in the making, with Sinatra acting as pop music’s custodian, and the culmination of every songwriter’s dream. During his Columbia period, Sinatra chose and recorded masterworks of all the great songwriters of the era, from Rodgers & Hammerstein to Jimmy Mercer; from stage, screen and anywhere else he heard a great tune. Sinatra had great taste in music – and until his audience unaccountably began to shrink, he took great care in the songs he chose. Oh, make no mistake – there are some true stinkers here as well: novelty numbers that he tried when it seemed he could catch an audience’s ear no other way – I mean, you’ve got to hear the reprehensible “Mama Will Bark” to believe it – but the vast majority of music here is pure American gold – the finest songs by the finest songwriters, arranged and recorded with all the love and care that Columbia could muster. This ain’t just a box set, it’s pure music – period.

When the sun goes down and the party heats up, reach for the energising and uplifting sound of "Club Keys", a brand new chart-topping selection of the richest, warmest, and most dramatic piano and current keyboard licks around. All expertly recorded in super-high fidelity digital audio by master ivory-tinkler Richard "Wilx" Wilkinson, the celebrated author of Prime Loops' best selling sound libraries "R & B Progressions" & "NYC Piano Sessions".

A singer and demon guitarist whose raucous blend of country and rock & roll helped make him a successful crossover act, Junior Brown was born in 1952 and raised in the backwoods of Kirksville, IN. He first learned to play the piano from his father, and was exposed to country through radio and TV, becoming a fan of Ernest Tubb's music and television program. He became a professional musician at the tail end of the '60s, while still in his teens.After honing his guitar skills in relative anonymity throughout the '70s, Brown became an instructor at the Hank Thompson School of Country Music, an affiliate of Rogers State College in Oklahoma. There, while teaching under the auspices of steel guitar legend Leon McAuliffe, a onetime member of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys, Brown met "the lovely Miss Tanya Rae," a student whom he would later marry in 1988 and who eventually joined his band as a rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist.