Cream teamed up with producer Felix Pappalardi for their second album, Disraeli Gears, a move that helped push the power trio toward psychedelia and also helped give the album a thematic coherence missing from the debut. This, of course, means that Cream get further away from the pure blues improvisatory troupe they were intended to be, but it does get them to be who they truly are: a massive, innovative power trio. The blues still courses throughout Disraeli Gears -- the swirling kaleidoscopic "Strange Brew" is built upon a riff lifted from Albert King -- but it's filtered into saturated colors, as it is on "Sunshine of Your Love," or it's slowed down and blurred out, as it is on the ominous murk of "Tales of Brave Ulysses." It's a pure psychedelic move that's spurred along by Jack Bruce's flourishing collaboration with Pete Brown. Together, this pair steers the album away from recycled blues-rock and toward its eccentric British core, for with the fuzzy freakout "Swlabr," the music hall flourishes of "Dance the Night Away," the swinging "Take It Back," and of course, the old music hall song "Mother's Lament," this is a very British record. Even so, this crossed the ocean and also became a major hit in America, because regardless of how whimsical certain segments are, Cream are still a heavy rock trio and Disraeli Gears is a quintessential heavy rock album of the '60s. Yes, its psychedelic trappings tie it forever to 1967, but the imagination of the arrangements, the strength of the compositions, and especially the force of the musicianship make this album transcend its time as well.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Released early in 1971, a few months after Come Together, their first album for Liberty Records, Workin' Together was the first genuine hit album Ike & Tina had in years; actually, it was their biggest ever, working its way into Billboard's Top 25 and spending 38 weeks on the charts. They never had a bigger hit (the closest was their Blue Thumb release, Outta Season, which peaked at 91), and, in many ways, they didn't make a better album. After all, their classic '60s sides were just that -- sides of a single, not an album. Even though it doesn't boast the sustained vision of such contemporaries as, say, Marvin Gaye and Al Green, Workin' Together feels like a proper album, where many of the buried album tracks are as strong as the singles. Like its predecessor, it relies a bit too much on contemporary covers, which isn't bad when it's the perennial "Proud Mary," since it deftly reinterprets the original, but readings of the Beatles' "Get Back" and "Let It Be," while not bad, are a little bit too pedestrian. Fortunately, they're entirely listenable and they're the only slow moments, outweighed by songs that crackle with style and passion. Nowhere is this truer than on the opening title track, a mid-tempo groover (written by Eki Renrut, Ike's brilliant inverted alias) powered by a soulful chorus and a guitar line that plays like a mutated version of Dylan's "I Want You" riff. Then, there's the terrific Stax/Volt stomper "(Long As I Can) Get You When I Want You," possibly the highlight on the record. Though they cut a couple of classics over the next few years, most notably "Nutbush City Limits," the duo never topped this, possibly the best proper album they ever cut.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Delivered months after her May 2023 death, Queen of Rock 'N' Roll is the first comprehensive solo retrospective assembled on Tina Turner in many years. Spanning either three CDs or five LPs, the box set follows a chronological order, opening with a trippy reading of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" -- popularized in Disney's Cruella -- then swiftly running through several late-'70s tracks that didn't often appear on collections before the comp reaches her great comeback of 1984. By this point, the collection is seven cuts deep and there's another 48 songs to go, which means Queen of Rock 'N' Roll relies heavily on her international hits of the 1990s and beyond, building upon her basic hits with live cuts and re-recordings. It perhaps winds up getting a little too glossy and tasteful by the close of the collection, yet this, of all Turner compilations, paints a portrait of the entire arc of Tina's solo career. Her rawest, nerviest, and funkiest material is missing, but this depicts her comeback and reign in vivid detail.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Recorded during their American tour in late 1969 and centered around live versions of material from the Beggars Banquet-Let It Bleed era, Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! is often acclaimed as one of the top live rock albums of all time, although its appeal has dimmed a little today. The live versions are reasonably different from the studio ones, but ultimately not as good, a notable exception being the long workout of "Midnight Rambler," with extended harmonica solos and the unforgettable section where the pace slows to a bump-and-grind crawl. Some Stones aficionados, in fact, prefer a bootleg from the same tour (Liver Than You'll Ever Be, to which this album was unleashed in response), or their amazing the-show-must-go-on performance in the jaws of hell at Altamont (preserved in the Gimme Shelter film). Fans who are unconcerned with picky comparisons such as these will still find Ya-Ya's an outstanding album, and it's certainly the Stones' best official live recording.© Richie Unterberger /TiVo

After a few years of only being able to afford to release the occasional single, Nation of Language's Ian Richard Devaney and Aidan Noell funded their 2020 debut Introduction, Presence with gift money from their wedding (even though, Devaney has said, "Nearly every person we asked this of politely implied it was a terrible idea or that we should go on a honeymoon instead"). When that record did well enough that they could have paid themselves back, the couple instead decided to almost immediately pour the money into a second album. A Way Forward was worth the investment—continuing to embrace the band's love of '80s synth-rock classics like OMD and A Flock of Seagulls, but also expanding. It all kicks off with "In Manhattan," Noell's Krautrock-style keyboards racing as if on the Autobahn, while Devaney's vocals stay in the slow lane; the contrast is mesmerizing. "Wounds of Love" sounds like it could've been on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack (alongside OMD and Echo and the Bunnymen), all moody lyrics—"They say 'walk it off' but, in my heart/ I was never more than what you said" —and synth that bubbles forth like light waves refracted. Likewise, "Across That Fine Line" perfects the push-pull dynamics between verse and chorus. The Joe Jackson-style electronic drums and Michael Sue-Poi's throbbing bass keep things steady while Noell's keyboards roll in like a big wave. Indeed, Sue-Poi is a major force throughout, his rich bottom end surprisingly airy on the upbeat "Whatever You Want." "A Word & A Wave" is alive, its deep pulse like a heartbeat. With Devaney's vocals layered and a bit blanketed, pleasantly sleepy "Miranda" feels like a dream you can't quite pull out of—until Noell's bubbling-under synth turns into a pretty, aspirationally optimistic melody. On ballad "Former Self," meanwhile, the keyboards are like steady rain, haunted by occasional background bleeps and beeps and a slightly industrial churn; it all ends with Devaney vocalizing "ahhhhhhhh" like a release valve. With its running-jog rhythm, churchy keys and catchy bass line—its attack so precise—"The Grey Commute" is irresistible. Finally, "They're Beckoning" opens with a ticking clock nervousness before the ethereal, spacey synth washes in, only for the ticking to increase, maddening, before it merges into what sounds like the beginning of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" then eases into great, soaring vocals on the chorus. Surprising, and engaging. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Having taken their oppressive black metal symphonies to their furious zenith with their third effort, My Arms, Your Hearse, Sweden's Opeth began deconstructing their sound on 1999's brilliant Still Life. A logical next step in their evolution, the album finds the band re-examining their unlikely fusion of progressive rock and black metal to highlight the former while staying in touch with the latter. The result is a formidable splicing of harsh, often jagged guitar riffs with graceful melodies, and the increasing use of Mikael Åkerfeldt's "clean" vocals (alternated with his ever-present death growl). This tactic only serves to spotlight the quality of Åkerfeldt's lyrics (a rarity in extreme metal circles) and, in the tradition of prior efforts, Still Life is a full-fledged concept album, which, without going into unnecessary details, centers around a tale of unrequited love for a character called Melinda (a discreet reference to Mercyful Fate's early-'80s classic Melissa, perhaps?). Also new to the mix are a wealth of more dynamic, almost groove-oriented riffs (see "Godhead's Lament" and "Serenity Painted Death") which break away from the Wall of Sound overtures of the past. On the other hand, outstanding, multifaceted epics like "The Moor," "Moonlapse Vertigo," and "White Cluster" carry on in the proud Opeth tradition. The all-acoustic "Benighted" is the album's only one-dimensional track (and a beauty it is, too), while the awesome "Face of Melinda" represents a new career high with its quietly building atmosphere and powerful finale. Ultimately, this is another star turn for the group, and the fact that they somehow managed to outdo themselves with their next work, Blackwater Park, is a testament to Opeth's greatness.© Eduardo Rivadavia /TiVo

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the official score for the first stand-alone installment in the Star Wars anthology film series by Michael Giacchino. Being the first composer since John Williams to apply his skills to a Star Wars movie, Giacchino introduces a fresh and revised musical palette with overtones and flavors of Williams’ much revered scores. Comprising cascading brass sections, nostalgic string motifs, and huge, bombastic percussion, the score also incorporates some of Williams’ best-known themes such as "The Imperial March" and "The Force Theme."© Rob Wacey /TiVo