Aja is the sixth studio album by the jazz rock band Steely Dan. Originally released in 1977 on ABC Records, the album peaked at number three on the US charts and number five in the UK. It was the band's first platinum album and ultimately became their best-selling studio release, eventually selling over 5 million copies. It spawned a number of hit singles, including "Peg", "Deacon Blues", and "Josie". In July 1978, the album won the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording. The credits for Aja list nearly 40 musicians, as band leaders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker pushed Steely Dan further into experimenting with different combinations of session players.
Hunter Benedict Shepherd is an American musician best known as the bassist in the rock band Soundgarden from 1990 to 2019.
Weasels Ripped My Flesh is the seventh studio album by the American rock group the Mothers of Invention, and the tenth overall by Frank Zappa, released in 1970. It is the second album released after the Mothers disbanded in 1969, preceded by Burnt Weeny Sandwich. In contrast to its predecessor, which almost entirely focused on studio recordings of arranged compositions, Weasels Ripped My Flesh consists of a combination of live and studio recordings and features more improvisation.
Flex-Able is an album by Steve Vai. This was his first as a solo artist, and was created in Stucco Blue, a shed converted into a studio in Vai's old back garden. It is very different from many of his other albums, and is largely influenced by Frank Zappa. Flex-Able does not rely as much on massive guitar arrangements and shred moments as the rest of his output from the 1990s onwards, with the exception of Leftovers which is a compilation of bonus tracks and remasters from his sessions at 'Stucco Blue'.
Phantasmagoria is the sixth album by the Damned, released by MCA in July 1985. Special editions were available on white vinyl or picture disc; some versions included a free 12" of their No. 3 hit "Eloise".
Lightbulb Sun is the sixth studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released in May 2000, and later reissued in 2008 on CD, DVD-A surround sound, and vinyl.
M2 is a 2001 album by Jazz fusion musician Marcus Miller, and the winner of the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
Hater was an American rock supergroup that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993. The band formed as a side project mostly under the direction of Soundgarden bassist Ben Shepherd. Additional members included Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist John McBain, bassist John Waterman for the self-titled album, Devilhead vocalist Brian Wood, brother of Mother Love Bone vocalist Andrew Wood, and Alan Davis on bass for The 2nd.
Future Games is the fifth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 3 September 1971. It was recorded in the summer of 1971 at Advision Studios in London and was the first album to feature Christine McVie as a full member. This album was also the first of five albums to feature American guitarist Bob Welch. “He was totally different background – R&B, sort of jazzy. He brought his personality,” Mick Fleetwood said of Welch in a 1995 BBC interview. “He was a member of Fleetwood Mac before we’d even played a note.” Welch's primary guitar at the time was a Gibson ES-335, which he played on the record along with a Fender Stratocaster.
Theodore Greene was an American fingerstyle jazz guitarist, columnist, session musician and educator in Encino, California.
Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire is the debut studio album by the American metalcore band Hatebreed. It was released on November 11, 1997 through Victory Records. This was the band's breakthrough album, with the majority of critics praising it, even calling it a "hardcore classic". It lifted them out from the underground scene and thanks to this rise in fame they got a record deal with Universal Records.
Michael W. Smith Project is the debut album of Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith. Originally released in 1983, the album was reissued in CD format in 1987 with a new cover featuring an updated photo of Smith. The album reached number nine on the Top Contemporary Christian chart.
Double Fun is the fourth solo album by Robert Palmer, released in 1978. Self-produced, this pop album is influenced by multiple genres including blue-eyed soul, disco and heavy rock but maintains an overall consistency of production which holds it all together. The album peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart in 1978, his highest rank up to that point, and includes a top 20 hit, "Every Kinda People."
High Havoc is the second LP by Corduroy, released by Acid Jazz Records in 1993. Billed as a concept album, it includes several top ten singles on the UK Indie Chart and many favourite Corduroy tunes. The album was reissued on vinyl by Acid Jazz Records in 2018.
Dad Man Cat was the first LP by Corduroy to be released by Acid Jazz Records, in 1992. It is primarily an instrumental album, with what became the classic Corduroy sound. The album was reissued on vinyl by Acid Jazz Records in 2018.
This Is Meant to Hurt You is the debut EP by These Arms Are Snakes, released in 2003 by Jade Tree Records on CD and Second Nature Recordings on vinyl.
Suffer, Survive is the third album from Canadian hardcore band No Warning released on Machine Shop Records. The album is the band's debut release on the Machine Shop label, and features an alternative rock sound with very melodic vocals, unlike the band's previous releases.
Colours is the debut studio album by English drum and bass producer Adam F. It was released on 3 November 1997 through Positiva Records. The album features collaborations with Tracey Thorn, Grooverider, MC Conrad and Ronny Jordan. The first single from the album, "Circles", was initially released in 1995, but did not chart until its re-release in 1997, when it entered the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 20. Other singles from the album included "Metropolis" / "Mother Earth", "F-Jam", and "Music In My Mind". Upon release, the album reached number 47 on the UK Albums Chart.
Out of Here is the third album by the London-based acid jazz band Corduroy, released in 1994.
Mother Earth were an acid jazz outfit based in London, formed by longtime Acid Jazz associate Bunny. The band members were Matt Deighton on guitar and vocals, Bryn Barklam on Hammond organ, Chris White on drums and Neil Corcoran on bass. Shauna Green was the lead singer on the first album. Prior to their debut live performance, where they played alongside another debutant band Jamiroquai, they started out as a studio project in 1991 with Paul Weller, James Taylor of the James Taylor Quartet and Simon Bartholomew from the Brand New Heavies as contributors.
