Erik, the Phantom of the Paris Opera House, is one of the great icons of horror literature. This tormented and disfigured creature has made his home in the labyrinthine cellars of this opulent building where he can indulge in his great passion for music, which is a substitute for the love and emotion denied him because of his ghastly appearance. It is in the Opera House that he encounters Christine Daaé whom he trains in secret to become a great singer. Erik’s passionate obsession with a beautiful woman beyond his reach is doomed and leads to the dramatic tragic finale. Gaston Leroux's novel is a marvellous blend of detective story, romance and spine-tingling terror which has fascinated readers ever since the work was first published. 208 page paperback.

Authorised by Paul Anka himself, this is a biography in film form previously titled Destiny. It is a fascinating portrait of the life and the path of Paul Anka's astonishing five decade career from early number ones like Diana that hit the top of the charts he he was just 16 years old. There are interviews with Paul himself, Donny Osmond, Phil Everley, Frankie Avalon and Burt Baccarach. Paul sings parts of some of his songs from the 120 albums to his name. Our Annie has seen him in concert and he is the writer of some of the most famous songs of our era, many he has given away to become hits and make stars of other entertainers. Enjoy the talent of this great performer and travel with him from his hometown to New York and to the many venues of hopeful young singers and songwriters. 52 minute DVD.

A delightful black and white musical comedy from 1942 with running time approximately 68 minutes on new DVD. Set against the background of World War Two and featuring the music of The Andrews Sisters, the film follows the fortunes of a reluctant army recruit who struggles to adjust to military life until he falls for the charms of a retired officer's daughter. Lots of musical tap-a-long toons, this vintage musical with Harry James and His Orchestra contains The Sisters' original rendition of 'Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree'. 'Even the Jeeps are jivin'' says one character. Running time one hour 15, the dancing sequences are an unforgettable treat.

In a rather beautiful metallic navy blue tin box decorated with silver embossed bottles, contained within are 21 sonic feats to amaze your guests. Enjoy Glacial Glockenspiel in which the host plays it cool. Fill a baking tray with about 4cm of water and leave it in the freezer overnight. In the morning, remove the slab of ice and let it rest for around five minutes. With a large, serrated knife, gently and slowly saw the ice width ways into five slabs of decreasing size, in rough proportion. Scrape off the edges until they are fairly smooth and then put them back in the freezer for another few hours. Cut a cucumber into two, long flat strips and place about 8cm apart in parallel and balance the ice bars between them like railway sleepers. Your instrument is now ready. Your mallets, in this instance, are a pair of teaspoons. Virtuosi could use carrots as mallets with your ice now resonant, compose a hymn to polar extremes while we still have them and tap out a tribute to the penguins. Let the room temperature dictate how long your piece lasts and listen as it melts for new and undiscovered tunings. Free Jazz Popcorn needs the equipment of cooking oil, four saucepans, popcorn, tin foil, baking paper and elastic bands or string for a fantastic two minute drum solo. When the Marrow Blows involves a courgette and a wooden spoon and the Ballad of the Greengrocer a cucumber, knife, wooden spoon, apple corer or potato peeler, a carrot and a pepper. Purse your lips and blow through them like a high-pitched raspberry and place your fingers over the holes to make different notes. Dinner parties will never be tame again as you liven up evenings with these hilarious after dinner sound and music experiments, a favourite of which here is recreating the fizz and crackle of a barbershop quartet on an old-time gramophone. You're in for a good time. 21 handsome double sided colourful cards of a large size, get out those wine glasses now and start to sing! Pity the poor dog!

Following a lifetime of witnessing the music industry at close quarters, author of the bestselling '1971' David Hepworth has been a journalist and TV presenter and has a towering stack of anecdotes. Pop music is catchy. Can you dance to it? Do you fancy the singer? What's fascinating about pop music is our relationship with it, and popular modern historian Hepworth is interested in the human side, how people make the stuff and more importantly what it means to us. From the legacy of the Beatles to the dramatic decline of the record shop via the bewildering nomenclature of musical genres, with his characteristic insights and humour Hepworth asks the essential questions of music and life ? is it all about the drummer? Are band managers misunderstood? Is it appropriate to play Angels at funerals? He ponders 'A Hard Day's Night' 50 years on, Rubber Soul 50 years on (2015), pop?s greatest decade the 60s, Satisfaction, catching up with Bob Dylan in 2013, why Sixties rock stars never give up, what use are DJs?, and everything Hepworth knows about the blues, rock TV, why some acts don't make it, when novelists write about rock, why everything must be dark and edgy. Plus how he has measured out his life in record shops and why nobody has ever asked a girl back to listen to their iTunes! His Rock List makes great reading with 2 great songs, 15 memorable gigs, seven things he would tell a young band, 20 songs about Americans on the move and five records that always work at weddings (Dancing Queen, Open Your Heart by Madonna, Dancing In the Dark by Bruce Springsteen, the Jean Genie by David Bowie and Jump Around by House of Pain (because blokes can put their fists in the air and join in the 'Jump, jump, jump, jump' bit!) 222 page paperback.

George Michael found fame and fortune beyond his wildest dreams from the formation of Wham! in 1981. Their music formed the soundtrack to the 1980s, but when they split in 1986, George went on to greater things as a solo artist. He achieved all this despite growing up in a dysfunctional family where his father openly proclaimed that George had no talent. Along the way he was embroiled in several controversies, but always happy to address the issues head on with the media. A court case with Sony, an arrest in a Los Angeles public toilet, minor run-ins over class C drugs and traffic offences in London, the biography tackles the issues that formed the superstar and his place as a cultural icon. In the last decade before his untimely death he had returned to touring and achieved a massively successful 25 Live tour and the critically acclaimed Symphonica after a serious health scare and a stint in prison. In the months before his death, George was working on new material and a TV documentary. It was only after his death in December 2016 that stories of the full extent of his generosity came to light, adding another layer to the complex story of an unusual superstar. 234pp, paperback with illustrations, we have the 2007 original edition.

Sarah Francis plays a 1930s Luis oboe made in London. These recordings were first published between 1988 and 1994. Albinoni Solo Oboe Concertos (complete) "I find it nearly impossible to believe that the Albinoni concertos could be given more musical readings than these."- American Record Guide. The second CD has Handel's Oboe Concertos and Sonatas (complete). "Miss Francis's playing is memorable both for her appealing timbre and her sensitive, lyrical phrasing, where she varies her vibrato with the utmost subtlety. A collection which easily leads the field." The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs 4. CDs 3 & 4: Telemann Concertos for Oboe and Oboe d'amore (complete) and Telemann Triple Concerto for Flute, Oboe d'amore and Viola d'amore. 'Sarah Francis plays here with intense ardour, while elsewhere her dance derived movements have fresh springy rhythms. Equally enticing is the triple concerto for flute, oboe d'amore and viola d'amore.' - BBC Music Magazine. Two CDs.

These unique fascinating discs bring you original performances from original piano rolls in full digital sound. These are not acoustic or electric recordings re-mastered, but actual performances recorded for mechanical reproducing pianos (Ampico, Duo-Art and Welte Mignon) by the great composers and interpreters between 1904 and 1935. The recordings were made recently on a new concert-grand piano. CD 1: 1-3. Piano Sonata No. 14 in Csharpm Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight' (1927), 4-6. Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Op.109 (1927), 7-9. Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Op.79 (1927), 10-13 piano, Sonata No. 3 in C, Op. 2 number 3 (1919). CD 2: 1-2. Piano Sonata in Em Op.90(1927), 3. Gavotte in F (1921), 4. Andante Favori in F Op.35 (1927), 5-8. Piano Sonata in Ab Op. 26 (1928), 9. Bagatelle in Bm Op.126 No.4 (1931), 10. Turkish March (1920). Eugene D'Albert, Wanda Landowska, Harold Bauer, Josef Hofmann perform. The dates in brackets indicate the date the piano roll was made. Two CDs.

Ivor Gurney - 'Alan Gravill plays them with poetic insight and I hope that other pianists will widen their repertoire to include them.' Gramophone. 1. Prelude in F sharp, 2. Prelude in D flat, 3. Prelude in A minor, 4. Prelude in D flat, 5. Prelude in C minor, 6. Prelude in C, 7. Prelude in F sharp, 8. Prelude in F sharp, 9. Prelude in D, 10. Nocturne in B, 11. Nocturne in A flat, 12. Revery, 13. To E.M.H. - a birthday present from Ivor, 14. A Picture Edward Elgar's, 15. Concert Allegro, 16. Skizze, 17. In Smyrna, 18. Adieu Herbert Howells, three pieces Opus 14 played by Jeremy Filsell, 19. Rhapsody, 20. Jackanapes, 21. Procession. Total running time 76.55. CD.

These unique fascinating discs bring you original performances from original piano-rolls in full digital sound. These are not acoustic or electric recordings re-mastered, but actual performances recorded for mechanical reproducing pianos (Ampico, Duo-Art and Welt Mignon) by the great composers and interpreters between 1904 and 1935. The recording was made recently on a new concert-grand piano. BRAHMS: 1. Capriccio in Bm, 2. Rhapsody in Bm, 3. Variations on a Theme by Paganini, 4. Intermezzo in C Op. 119 No.3, 5. Rhapsody in Eb Op, 119 No.4, 6. Waltz in Ab Op. 39 No.15, 7. Rhapsody in Gm Op. 79 No.2. By Artur Rubinstein, Wilhelm Backhaus, Dame Myra Hess, Alexander Raab and Olga Samarov. MENDELSSOHN: 8. The Spinning Song in C Op. 67 No.4 Ignace Paderewski, 9. Rondo Capriccioso in E Op. 14 Josef Hofmann, 10. Characteristic Piece Op.7 No.7 Josef Lhevinne, 11. Song Without words No.46 in Gm Vladimir de Pachmann, 12. Song Without Words No.25 in G Vladimir de Pachmann, 13. Spring Song in A Op. 62 No.6 Guiomar Novaes. CD.