Have you ever wanted to learn about classical music without first having to absorb all the theory or wade through lots of tedious music? Well, your most effective introduction to classical music may be the intensely passionate and highly tuneful music of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky. AMG's Blair Sanderson explains why this great Russian composer might be your ideal guide.

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Susan Boyle's debut album, I Dreamed A Dream, may oust the Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not as the fastest-selling U.K. debut in history. Boyle sold 130,000 copies of her album during its first day of release, while Arctic Monkeys moved over 360,000 during their album's first week. The race is on. [NME.com]

Following Adam Lambert's sexually-charged performance during the AMAs, ABC has canned the singer's next gig -- a Wednesday morning appearance on Good Morning America. "Given his controversial live performance on the AMAs, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning," said an ABC spokesperson. Instead, Lambert will serenade early risers on CBS' The Early Show, and will appear on the same network several hours later as part of The Late Show With David Letterman. For Your Entertainment, Lambert's debut album, was released today. [RollingStone.com]

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Sure, it was only three years ago, but we are still crazy about 2006's debuts (Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys, Burial), breakouts (Amy Winehouse, Gnarls Barkley), bold makeovers (Christina Aguilera), and early farewells (J Dilla), not to mention the less eventful but nonetheless excellent releases from the established veterans (Ghostface Killah, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth). Over a couple hundred favorite albums and singles of 2006 are listed by our editors. Maybe you'll discover, or be reminded of, a few that you missed. The AllMusic Loves series will continue to roll through this first decade of the 2000s during the next few weeks, as we will revisit 2007 and 2008 prior to looking back at 2009.

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