Various Just In Time For Christmas

Various Just In Time For Christmas

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Just in Time for Christmas" is a good example of the kind of holiday album of Christmas rock that used to hit the record stores sometime around Black Friday -- back when there were record stores, that is. Perhaps the executives and marketing personnel at the major rock-music labels got tired of watching Andy Williams et al. monopolize the Christmas-album market. Whatever the reason, the late 1980's and early 1990's saw a growing number of rock-themed Christmas CD's in which one can see some similar trends. This album, released by I.R.S. Records, reflects the alternative-rock sensibilities of the label that once counted R.E.M., the Go-Go's, the Alarm, and Concrete Blonde among its stable of acts. Like many of these albums, "Just in Time for Christmas" starts with a relatively well-established act and then proceeds to less well-known artists -- perhaps in hopes of providing said artists with greater exposure, and thereby drumming up sales. The relatively well-established act that starts things off here is Squeeze with "Christmas Day." Back in those days, Squeeze was considered definitively cool -- it was always safe to play Squeeze at a graduate-school party -- but I must confess that their work, while intellectually satisfying, never did much for me emotionally. That being said, "Christmas Day," a guitar-based song with a harp intro and good harmonies, typifies well the band's smart, hip, self-conscious approach. The Rebel Pebbles' "Cool Yule" is a fast-paced, peppy song with a definite Go-Go's vibe to it. Klark Kent (whose secret-identity name is a pseudonym for Stewart Copeland, according to Wikipedia) contributes "Yo Ho Ho"; with its low-timbre vocals (especially the words "Yo Ho Ho" in a deep, rumbling bass) and sardonic delivery, it could perhaps be retitled "Have Yourself a Portentous Little Christmas." Torch Song's "Hark" is very synthesized, with syncopated percussion and phase-shifted harmony vocals. One hears, in this song, many of the musical trends of the 1980's fading into the distance. But things pick up with the next couple of songs. Reckless Sleepers' "Every Day Will Be Like a Holiday" is a country-tinged song that seems sincere rather than ironic, with fine harmony vocals. Steve Hunter's "We Three Kings," an acoustic-guitar instrumental supported by bells, has a pleasant and contemplative quality. And the dB's, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, bring their own country overtones to "Home for the Holidays," offering a fresh take on the familiar theme of family members missing each other when they can't be together at the holidays. With the vocalist's high thin tenor, effective use of lap steel guitar, and violin coming in on the chorus, this song is a highlight of the album.

Various The Edge Of Christmas

Various The Edge Of Christmas

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There's nothing dangerous about The Edge of Christmas, rather it's a collection of contemporary Christmas songs suitable for play at even the most conservative family gathering-save for one punky number by the Ramones. Bookended by Queen's gorgeous anthem, "Thank God It's Christmas" and the Waitresses' new wave rap, "Christmas Wrapping," the compilation takes a while to get going, but halfway thorough things loosen up-not unlike an office Christmas party. The Pretenders' "2000 Miles" and the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" were classy inclusions. Kate Bush's "December Will Be Magic Again" and the Cocteau Twins' "Winter Wonderland" are rarities now made available again. Dave Edmund's "Run Run Rudolph," a classic rockabilly romp, and the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight )" are modern day standards. As holiday rock records go, it doesn't get much more-traditional than this.

The Jam ‎The Sound Of The Jam

The Jam ‎The Sound Of The Jam

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 If you already own the long out of print Greatest Hits set, then there's no real reason to invest in Sound of the Jam, which, predictably, repeats the majority of that program. However, for latecomers this provides an excellent overview of the output of one of Britain's most distinctive and influential new wave bands. The album's 20 tracks proceed in chronological order, documenting the Jam's progression from sharp, aggressive mod-influenced rock ("Modern World," "In the City") to explicitly Motown-influenced post-punk R&B ("Town Called Malice"), with frequent forays into surreal balladeering ("Butterfly Collector") and ambiguous love songs ("English Rose"). The band's sociopolitical stance is not always comprehensible, especially to American ears (and particularly to American ears born somewhere around the time these songs were written), but it clearly has something to do with populist politics, open-hearted romance, and some kind of gentle socialism. That such sentiments could translate into reliably tight, beautifully constructed guitar pop with a serrated edge is a testament both to frontman Paul Weller and his fellow bandmembers. Weller would later go on to make records of an increasingly unpredictable and inconsistent nature with the Style Council, but as Sound of the Jam makes clear, his first band got the best of his prodigious early talent. Highly recommended.

The Style Council Our Favourite Shop

The Style Council Our Favourite Shop 

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Following the break-up of The Jam in 1982 and The Gift, Weller endeavoured to write what he would coin as 'more soulful' music. In that musical journey, he'd form The Style Council and take himself in a completely new musical direction. Loud guitar solos would be replaced by refined brass sections, whilst the gruff voice of Foxton would be replaced by a myriad of backing singers. Homebreakers, the album's opener, provides with the perfect vibe that sets the rest of the record. It's five minutes of pure brilliance, featuring a defined soul in overall sound, substantiated by both the horn sections and Mick Talbot on Hammond Organ that provide a great backing to Weller's deep vocal. Come To Milton Keynes also features the Hammond Organ during his introduction, but is a much more upbeat and lighter tune when compared to the likes of Homebreakers. It opts for both strings and horns, as well as a steady drum beat, courtesy of Steve White. Despite its happy tune, Come To Milton Keynes is more overtly political than anything The Jam ever produced - like The Jam's A Town Called Malice, it's a deliberate attack on the idea of 'Middle England' and the Thatcherite principles present in the eighties. Internationalists is particularly funky, featuring a rocksteady drum beat in part, and this up-tempo guitar riff that's a little reminiscent of Huey Lewis & The News' I Want A New Drug, as is the lyrical structure. It's undoubtedly one of the record's best offerings, making for compulsive foot-tapping at the very least. On the contrary, A Stone's Throw Away is very much like Weller's own Eleanor Rigby - there's an overpowering string backing that, when coupled with Weller's solemn vocal, changes the vibe and pace of the album completely. It becomes a little more refined and takes a step back from the faster start. The Stand Up Comic's Instructions fusing a Hammond Organ and a spoken word poem that's actually vocalled by Lenny Henry. Interestingly, looking back at this from the perspective of modern-day observational humour, Henry's words evoke a sense of the old seventies comedians, pioneered by the likes of Bernard Manning. It makes you curl up a little with lines like "Tell 'em the one about the friggin' queer/Do the one that always works,/'Bout the lazy blacks that don't like work." and "Do that one that never fails/'Bout the gang of white thugs and the Asian male,/And once you got 'em, they'll be with you!" It's fascinating how humour has changed so much in the past forty years. The Lodgers is one of the other majorly political songs on Our Favourite Shop, featuring a duet from both Weller and then wife Dee C. Lee, who had, quite famously, previously worked with Wham!. It's a great song with four minutes of satire in part, combined with a Nile Rodgers-esque riff backing it and a thumping bassline. Walls Come Tumbling Down! takes us back to Homebreakers by way of overall sound, but instead fusing it with a vocal that could be best suited to a track like The Eton Rifles on the verse. It's one of the tightest and most complete songs on the album and goes down as one of my favourites. On some editions of the album, you'd have Shout To The Top! added as a bonus and since it's on the version we've got, it seems wrong not to discuss one of The Style Council's catchiest songs. In reality, it's that performance on Top Of The Pops that got me into The Style Council, obviously many years later than its original broadcast. Personally speaking, Shout To The Top! is their best effort, fusing a jazzy bassline with great drumming patterns, a recurring piano sound to die for and one of Weller's best vocals in his career. If you're on the search for something with a mixture of fast-paced funk and slowed-down soul, then Our Favourite Shop ticks all the right boxes. Arguably, this is better than any of his works with The Jam and I'd go along with that. As much as I love the likes of In The City and Sound Affects, if I'm honest, Weller's work with The Style Council just has a little more substance and swagger. It's pretty much perfect.

Nik Kershaw The Riddle

Nik Kershaw The Riddle

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The 1980’s remain a seminal period in the development of music. Sonic styles and trends came, and, much like the barbarian tribes that ran amok in the Dark Ages, abruptly ended, or were supplanted by something else entirely. The rise of the synth as the instrument of choice, and the cultural resonance and obsession with commercialized pop music led to an entirely new era in the worldwide music industry. Some musicians grew to become icons, destined to be hailed for decades to come, while others simply achieved one or a few (the lucky ones, that is) charting hits, then sputtered out, never to rise again.This is the world in which Nicholas David Kershaw, better known as Nik Kershaw, was born and bred. It’s easy to look at just the musical achievements of the time, and candid shots from classic 80’s films and conclude (falsely) that entry costs and earnings were, respectively, low and plentiful. On the contrary, the 80’s were one of the most dangerous times for career musicians, as sonic trends were so mercurial, and subject to change. This didn’t stop Kershaw, however, and the little lad from Ipswich landed a charting hit with Wouldn’t It Be Good in 1984, which he followed up with his debut album, Human Racing.Then, in late 1984, Nik Kershaw released what would become one of his (if not THE) most beloved albums, The Riddle. The album itself has a good weight to it, ranging in at 10 tracks, however, it seems to lack a center of gravity. The opener, Don Quixote, is an 80’s pop fanfare of the highest order, combining basic synth rhythms with artificial orchestra hits, and a Latin-esque counter melody. It hits intensely, and is highly infectious.The title track is also impressive as well: the flute-like synth melodies and general marching percussion rhythm work wonders, and The Riddle feels not only catchy, but also takes on it’s own inertia,The reissue includes several of Kershaw’s live performances, and a few extra tracks, of both original material, and reworkings of tracks from The Riddle

Howard Jones Human's Lib

Howard Jones Human's Lib

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Human's Lib is an unintentionally revealing title for Howard Jones' debut album. What first seems like a play on words reveals itself as something of an empowering manifesto, a shift that mirrors his music. Upon first glance, Human's Lib appears to be state-of-the-art synth pop circa 1984: a record where every element outside of the human voices appears to be electronic. While that may well be true, Jones isn't a futurist the way such peers as Depeche Mode or Eurythmics are. At his core, Jones is a reconstituted free spirit, preaching the power of positive thinking and advocating universal love. His dedication to synthesizers does camouflage Jones' innate hippie, which gives the album an appealing dichotomy: underneath his electronics and stylish haircut, he's singing about subjects better suited to acoustic guitars and tie-dyed T-shirts. Still, Human's Lib benefits from Jones' complete immersion in synths, giving the album a glimmering sheen that remains emblematic of the dawn of MTV. In particular, "New Song" is quintessential post-New Wave synth pop, all percolating blips and analog washes held together by a massive melodic hook. Throughout Human's Lib, Jones usually relies on texture, a move that makes the album an ingratiating artifact, but there are moments where his songcraft surfaces. Usually those are on singles, such as "Pearl in the Shell," which flattens a Tamla/Motown beat for the music video era. But it's the searching "What Is Love?" -- the album's biggest hit everywhere outside of the U.S. -- that points the way toward Jones future: it's a big, soaring ballad that hints at the adult contemporary he'd later embrace.

The Creatures A Bestiary Of...The Creatures

The Creatures A Bestiary Of...The Creatures

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The early Creatures material had fallen out of print in most locations for quite a while before Bestiary made its long overdue appearance. Only Feast had made a regular appearance in certain record stores thanks to Japanese pressings; Bestiary topped that by including the contents of the Wild Things and Right Now EPs as well as "Hot Springs in the Snow," the B-side from "Miss the Girl." The result collects everything originally put out in the first phase of the Creatures' existence, making for a convenient and very well remastered collection. No previously unreleased tracks or unexpected bonuses are included, but that's quibbling in comparison to finally having all the cuts available again. Full lyrics are included, as well as recording details, a brief series of informative liner notes, and even release dates and U.K. chart positions. Another bonus is the inclusion of all the original sleeve art for the various releases, including the notorious wet T-shirt in the shower shots for Wild Things (an alternate image from that session is the cover for the collection as a whole). The lovely cover for Feast, featuring Sioux wearing a striking native Hawaiian costume, appears in such a way that one can refold the booklet to make it the front cover, a nice option.

Siouxsie And The Banshees Peepshow

Siouxsie And The Banshees Peepshow

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The switch to Yet Another Banshees Guitarist in Specimen vet Jon Klein might have been seen as a cue for a time of tentative rebuilding -- the more so because another new member, cellist Martin McCarrick, was recruited at the same time. Anything but -- heralded by the spectacular "Peek-A-Boo," interpolating what sounded like the Charleston into hip-hop rhythms with a brilliant, choppy arrangement, Peepshow proved the band's best album in years. Once again showcasing the band's ace in the hole -- the ability to always provide an accomplished variety of sound and approach while still recognizably maintaining a uniquely Banshees style -- Peepshow is the sound of a band reenergized. Siouxsie's thrilling call and response with herself on "Peek-A-Boo" really can't be beat, but her star turns throughout the album all deserve notice, especially with the bravura one-two conclusion of the stately "The Last Beat of My Heart" and the dramatic, lives-up-to-the-title "Rhapsody." McCarrick's cello work is excellently integrated into the music, adding a purring extra bite on songs like the pummeling "The Killing Jar," while both Steven Severin and Budgie acquit themselves well as always. If their moments of total flash are subsumed for the overall arrangements, it's to the benefit of the songs, overseen with another fine production job from semi-regular Banshees studio cohort Mike Hedges. The band's knack for a combination of title, lyric, and atmosphere remains strong -- "Carousel" sounds indeed like a slightly demented version of such a thing, while "Rawhead and Bloodybones," appropriately for two English bogeyman characters, is quiet, creepy, and very much sneaking-up-on-you-in-the-night. "Scarecrow" is a secret highlight, ominous guitar and bass tones and swirling arrangements supporting a great Siouxsie turn, while the hints of flamenco on "Turn to Stone" perhaps inadvertently suggest where the Creatures would end up with their next album two years later.

The Folk Implosion Dare To Be Surprised

The Folk Implosion Dare To Be Surprised

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The surprise success of "Natural One" affected the Folk Implosion in a surprising way. Instead of running from success and shunning melody, Lou Barlow and John Davis decided to embrace pop on their own terms. That means the Folk Implosion remains an indie rock band, recording on cheap equipment, and layering brittle guitars for the basic tracks, but the guys write impossibly catchy hooks, such as the amazing single "Pole Position." At its best, Dare to Be Surprised is spare, tuneful, and infectious, and at its worst, it's merely underwritten. Nevertheless, Barlow has rarely been as succinct and consistent as he is here, and Davis' songs are uniformly strong as well, making Dare to Be Surprised one of the finest items in their respective catalogs.

Sebadoh Bakesale

Sebadoh Bakesale 

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Sebadoh started out as the hobby of two guys hanging out in a dorm room with a four-track cassette machine and some weed, but by 1994, Lou Barlow's side project had matured into a real rock band, and on Bakesale they sounded more like one than ever before. With Eric Gaffney gone, the spotlight was firmly on Barlow and his songs, and he stepped out with some of his best work to date; the navel-gazing confessions of "Not a Friend" and "Dreams" were more articulate and deeply felt than his previous efforts, and there's an edgy grace in his melodies, while he brings some scrappy but committed rock & roll guitar bashing to "License to Confuse" and "Magnet's Coil." Bassist Jason Loewenstein's tunes aren't as strong overall as Barlow's, but they're effective in context and their minor-key twists and turns complement his bandmate's work very well. And though Sebadoh had clearly learned a lot from their years of lo-fi woodshedding, on Bakesale they were working in genuine recording studios with functioning equipment, and instead of having to struggle to hear the songs through layers of aural murk, here Sebadoh burst forth from the speakers loud and clear. And this version of the band stood up well to scrutiny; Barlow, Loewenstein, and drummer Bob Fay may not have been the tightest band on earth, but they had the energy and the commitment to make these songs work, and the simple, direct, and emotionally naked sound of Bakesale served them well, and the album ranks with the most powerful and accessible music they would ever release. Bakesale confirmed that in both theory and execution, Sebadoh had matured into a great indie rock band, and if their obsession with doomed love and fractured self-worth still seemed adolescent, they had at very least grown from eighth graders to high school seniors, and that's a pretty big leap if you're willing to look back on it. [In 2011, Sub Pop reissued Bakesale in a special deluxe edition that paired a remastered edition of the album with a disc of rare singles and unreleased demos. There's an amusing irony that one of Sebadoh's most straightforward and tuneful albums is accompanied by an hour's worth of the sort of indulgent four-track murk Sebadoh seemed to be actively moving past, though as such things go, there's plenty of adventurous lo-fi sound collage to be found, as well as some prime examples of Barlow staring down his neuroses. The package also includes a booklet with essays from Barlow and Loewenstein, cover mock-ups for the original LP and singles, and the not-so-startling revelation of just who that baby on the cover really is.]

Swervedriver Mezcal Head

Swervedriver Mezcal Head

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After the spotty but promising Raise, England's Swervedriver put it all together in a big way. Right from the opening "For Seeking Heat," one can tell this is one of the hottest albums of 1993 -- certainly it's the hottest-produced album. The album explodes with the first onslaught of guitars and keeps up the crackling, monstrous, gargantuan feel thereafter. Add to that some pretty massive melodies they've never before displayed (a heretofore hidden pop sense), complete with pond-deep vocals and harmonies, especially the splendid harmonies that enliven the all-powerful "Blowin' Cool" chorus, the LP standout track along with "Duel." Best of all, they've discarded what little bothersome metallic tendencies Raise had, yet Mezcal Head pulses with even more chops. Additionally, the wah-wah here is used more judiciously, making it more of a flavor element. In the end, though, it's these tremendous songs -- a dozen unique, never-repeating compositions, so big and bold they latch on with the first play and kick your ass without seeming like they tried hard to do it -- that are the benefit of increased confidence, direction, and the bulging, steam-edge production. Behind the mixing desk, this is by far the best work yet by Alan Moulder (Ride, Boo Radleys); this is the warmest, biggest, most dynamite-loud yet clean sound he (and Swervedriver, together) has ever achieved. The band's new lineup (new rhythm section) is tighter and more flexible, with nicer bottom end and stylistic touches, while also being precise -- the otherwise unnecessary jam at the end of "Last Train to Satansville" is redeemed somewhat by the bass and drums' disciplined two-note pounding. As an added bonus, 1992's breakthrough single, "Never Lose That Feeling" (a harbinger of Mezcal Head's greatness), is added to the U.S. release. The only minor flaws are that some of the songs seem to go on a little too long, and some of the really good songs on the second half of the LP aren't quite as breathtaking as the first half, but that's getting greedy; most bands would kill for this side two. In any case, this is one whale of a record.

Lush Lovelife

Lush Lovelife

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Lovelife represents a major shift in style for Lush. Nearly abandoning the trancy melodies and droning guitars that were its trademark, the band has crafted an album full of sharp hooks and melodies, one that owes a great deal to the Britpop mania of 1995. From the circular melody of the opening "Ladykillers," it's clear that Lush had been influenced by the direct, jagged pop of Elastica, but the band also has reached back into '60s pop. All of the ballads on Lovelife are rooted in the hazy dream pop of the early '90s, but they are given stylish, mod arrangements complete with muted brass. Even more startling is the Nancy Sinatra/Lee Hazlewood pastiche of "Ciao!," an irresistible duet between Miki Berenyi and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker. Lovelife simply would have been an embarrassing attempt to seem fashionable if the band hadn't succeeded in updating its sound. However, Lush has been able to recreate itself as a pop band and the result is its most direct -- and arguably most rewarding -- album.

Chapterhouse Rownderbowt

Chapterhouse Rownderbowt

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Possibly one of the more unexpected greatest-hits/archival releases ever, Rownderbowt's very existence is a surprise. Not many bands who only released two albums and a handful of singles to general public indifference would end up being the beneficiary of record company largesse in getting a double-packed-to-the-max CD release, with plenty of rarities and unreleased tracks to boot. Whether the fan base just proved more rabid than anyone expected, or if Dedicated felt that a few more units shifted couldn't hurt, Rownderbowt turns out to be that rarest of beasts, a career overview for unfamiliar listeners equally appealing to the longtime supporter. The first disc covers the hits, for lack of a better word - plenty of tracks from both studio albums, including all single A-sides (including their brilliant non-album cut "Mesmerised"), plus a generous amount of B-sides, including solid songs like the early rocker "Sixteen Years," their not-bad cover of the Beatles' "Rain," and the low-key "In My Arms." (This said, a little more room could have been made for such B-side joys as "Come Heaven" and "Precious One," but who said life was perfect?) The second disc mostly covers the hitherto unavailable goodies, including a good throb through Spacemen 3's "Losing Touch with My Mind," six demos of mostly fine tunes that never reached a final version, and one or two other random tracks. Also included: two remixes, the Blood Music bonus epic "Picnic," and the nuttiest thing Chapterhouse ever did, "Die Die Die," an over the top Stoogefest primal punk rant initially only available with the vinyl version of Whirlpool that single-handedly demolishes the bloodless shoegazer image the bandmembers had.

Catherine Wheel Ferment

Catherine Wheel Ferment

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Centered around re-recorded versions of four songs from the band's two Wilde Club singles and the seven minute lovelorn "Black Metallic" - which was referred to as the "Like a Hurricane" of the ‘90s - the deeply rich Ferment firmly established Catherine Wheel amongst the shoegaze contingent of the early ‘90s. The band would proceed to denounce the shoegaze tag, but it was a fitting one, at least with everything they released prior to 1993's harder edged Chrome. Along with bands like Lush, Ride, and Slowdive, Catherine Wheel buried their sing-along melodies in wafts of distortion and blurry production values. Rob Dickinson had yet to find comfort as a lead singer, so his somewhat fey and dazed emoting blended perfectly with Tim Friese-Greene's comfy production. A fair amount of the bands thrown into the same category as Catherine Wheel were criticized for lacking knowledge of their instruments, but a couple listens to Ferment should prove that they were hardly amateurish. The employment of numerous guitar pedals didn't serve as a smoke-and-mirrors ruse, and Friese-Greene knew enough to allow room for bassist Dave Hawes and drummer Neil Sims to flex their able muscles. Dickinson and lead guitarist Brian Futter were immensely skilled and complementary to each other from the band's inception; certainly they were one of the most unrecognized guitar duos of their stylistic brethren. Like all fine debuts, Ferment is varied emotionally, ranging from lust ("I Want to Touch You") to bliss ("Shallow" and "Salt"). It's a record that makes you want to crawl inside its sleeve and remain. It's as welcoming as it is insular and sheltered.

Supertramp Retrospectacle (The Supertramp Anthology)

Supertramp Retrospectacle (The Supertramp Anthology)

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 Considering their career spanned close to 30 years, it's amazing how condensed most people's vision of Supertramp has become. Or maybe not. Few listeners, after all, would disagree that their prime period encompassed the mere six or so years that divided Crime of the Century (their third album) from Breakfast in America (their sixth), and that the pile of vinyl on either side of that is more or less padding. Certainly Retrospectacle has no problem with that scenario. A completist's eye for affairs does permit the first two albums to enjoy a quick look-in, with one song apiece; and similar treatment is meted out to the seven albums that took the band through the '80s and beyond. The meat of the moment, however, arrives with "Land Ho," the first vinyl manifestation of the so-called "classic" 'tramp lineup, and a lost 45 from early 1974. And, from thereon in, it's all plain sailing -- five songs from Crime of the Century, four apiece from Crisis? What Crisis and Even in the Quietest Moments. . ., and a whopping six from Breakfast in America, all selected to depict the band at the peak of its creative and musical powers -- the haunted harp that opens "School," the staccato percussion that powers "Lady," the lurid harmonies of "From Now On," and on to the sheer illogical madness of "The Logical Song" -- in fact, the only weakness here is the substitution of a live "You Started Laughing" for the vastly superior studio B-side. That aside, though, Retrospectacle tells its story with as much panache as the best of Supertramp could ever demand.

Robert Plant Sixty Six To Timbuktu

Robert Plant Sixty Six To Timbuktu

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Sixty Six to Timbuktu has to be the icing on the cake for Robert Plant. After Led Zeppelin issued its second live album as well as a spectacular DVD in 2003, his career retrospective outside of the band is the new archetype for how they should be compiled. Containing two discs and 35 cuts, the set is divided with distinction. Disc one contains 16 tracks that cover Plant's post-Zep recording career via cuts from his eight solo albums. Along with the obvious weight of his former band's presence on cuts like "Tall Cool One," "Promised Land," and "Tie Dye on the Highway," there is also the flowering of the influence that Moroccan music in particular and Eastern music in general would have on him in readings of Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter," Jesse Colin Young's "Darkness, Darkness," and his own "29 Palms." There is also a healthy interest in technology being opened up on cuts from Pictures at Eleven and Now & Zen. The sequencing is creative, and the way one track seemingly foreshadows another is rather uncanny. But it is on disc two where the real treasures lie, and they are treasures. Of the 19 selections included, five are pre-Led Zeppelin. And these are no mere dead-dog files. Plant was revealing himself to be a jack-of-all-subgenres master: he drops a burning rendition of the Young Rascals' "You'd Better Run" circa 1966, and a wailing version of Billy Roberts' "Hey Joe" (recorded in 1967 and rivaling the emotional wallop of Jimi Hendrix's version recorded that same year). There's also the proto-blues moan and groan of "Operator" with British blues god Alexis Korner from 1968, which foreshadows the following year when he would join Zep. But Plant was not all raw raunch & roll. On Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth," he lays out a paisley hippie sincerity that is downright stirring. And on "Our Song," he takes the example of crooners like Dion and sings a love song, so pure and true it might have come from screen rushes of American Graffiti. These tracks are worth their weight in gold for the integrity in their performances and their rough edges.

Belly Star

Belly Star

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Tanya Donelly's songwriting began to blossom on Throwing Muses' Real Ramona, and Belly's debut, Star, is where it reaches fruition. Using the trancy harmonies of dream pop as a foundation, Donelly expands the genre's boundaries, trimming away its pretensions and incorporating a flair for sweet, concise pop hooks and folk-rock inflections. She also spikes her airy melodies with disarmingly disturbing lyrics. Images of betrayal and death float throughout the album, but what hits home initially -- and what stays after the album is finished -- are the hooks, whether it's the rolling singalong of "Gepetto," the surging "Slow Dog," the melancholy "Stay," or the cool, detached sexiness of "Feed the Tree."

PJ Harvey Rid Of Me

PJ Harvey Rid Of Me

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Dry was shockingly frank in its subject and sound, as PJ Harvey delivered post-feminist manifestos with a punkish force. PJ Harvey's second album, Rid of Me, finds the trio, and Harvey in particular, pushing themselves to extremes. This is partially due to producer Steve Albini, who gives the album a bloodless, abrasive edge with his exacting production; each dynamic is pushed to the limit, leaving absolutely no subtleties in the music. Harvey's songs, in decided contrast to Albini's approach, are filled with gray areas and uncertainties, and are considerably more personal than those on Dry. Furthermore, they are lyrically and melodically superior to the songs on the debut, but their merits are obscured by Albini's black-and-white production, which is polarizing. It may be the aural embodiment of the tortured lyrics, and therefore a supremely effective piece of performance art, but it also makes Rid of Me a difficult record to meet halfway. But anyone willing to accept its sonic extremities will find Rid of Me to be a record of unusual power and purpose, one with few peers in its unsettling emotional honesty.

Manic Street Preachers National Treasures The Complete Singles

Manic Street Preachers National Treasures The Complete Singles 

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 Arriving roughly ten years after their first hits compilation, 2002’s Forever Delayed, 2011’s National Treasures: The Complete Singles has another decade to cover so it’s perfectly sensible that the collection spans two discs as it diligently marches through almost every single Manic Street Preachers released during their first 20 years. The absences are the province of trainspotters: anything released on Heavenly Records prior to “Motown Junk,” for instance, along with other stray exclusives and fan club bonuses. What is here is everything from 1991’s “Motown Junk” through 2011’s “Postcards from a Young Man,” with a new cover of The The’s “This Is the Day” added at the end as fan bait. Through these two discs, the band’s highs, tragedies, slumps, and comebacks are all evident, the first disc devoted to 1992’s Generation Terrorists through 1996’s Everything Must Go, the second capturing the band’s evolution into respected rabble-rousers. The second disc has the chart-toppers and Top Ten hits -- as late as 2004 and 2005 the Manics were reaching number two with “The Love of Richard Nixon,” “Empty Souls,” and “Your Love Alone Is Not Enough” -- but it’s the first disc, containing the songs they recorded with Richey Edwards and the music they made immediately after his disappearance, that makes the strongest case for their legacy.

R.E.M. Part Lies Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982 - 2011

R.E.M. Part Lies Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982 - 2011

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 R.E.M. close out their Warner contract -- not to mention their entire career -- with the double-disc Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage, their first compilation to combine early recordings from their time at IRS with their major-label hits for Warner. It's misleading to look at these as merely two separate eras, as it more accurately breaks down into a three-act structure: the IRS years when R.E.M. were the kings of college rock; the stretch between 1988-1995 when they were international superstars; and then the slow decline of 1998-2011, the years after Bill Berry, the years when Peter Buck, Michael Stipe, and Mike Mills tried to redefine the group as a trio before finally realizing they'd said all they could say. Part Lies gives equal time to each act -- there are 13 songs from IRS, 14 from the golden years at Warner, 13 from the trio years (including a revival of the mid-'80s outtake "Bad Day," which feels like a slight stretch) -- an eminently fair move that tells the story while slightly obscuring the import of the tale. Inevitably, the jangle pop and murk of the '80s are downplayed -- "Can't Get There from Here," "Pretty Persuasion," "Feeling Gravity's Pull" are missing -- in favor of a heavy dose of new millennial material, including three songs from 2011's respectable Collapse into Now and three perfectly fine new songs, which means the last ten or so cuts are songs that fairweather fans of either the '80s or '90s just won't care much about or possibly even know. Nevertheless, this last act is shown in a good light -- the benefit of a comp is that it's totally possible, even welcome, to downplay dull lapses like Around the Sun -- and, when combined with well-chosen highlights from the band's powerful first two acts, adds up to a thorough narrative of R.E.M.'s entire career.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits

Red Hot Chili Peppers Greatest Hits

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The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Greatest Hits is a compelling listen, culling tracks from the band's 1989 breakthrough, Mother's Milk, to its melodic 2002 release, By the Way. In some ways, one could view this as the best of the John Frusciante years, charting most of the band's work with the talented guitarist after the death of original member Hillel Slovak. The tracks here are all hits, including such stellar singles as "Give It Away," "Under the Bridge," and Frusciante's first single after his phoenix-like resurrection from heroin addiction, "Scar Tissue." It should be noted, though, that as a Warner-issued hits collection such fan favorites as "Taste the Pain" and the touchstone antidrug anthem "Knock Me Down" -- both from the 1989 EMI release Mother's Milk -- aren't included. (Similarly, nothing from the Chili Peppers' rambunctious early efforts -- including 1984's Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1985's Freaky Styley, and 1987's The Uplift Mofo Party Plan -- appears on this hits collection.) Nonetheless, Greatest Hits still portrays the band as one of the most consistently brilliant groups of its generation. Helping to paint this picture are such solid cuts as the group's searing, albeit overplayed, 1989 cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" as well as its rarely available addition to the Coneheads movie soundtrack, "Soul to Squeeze." Not surprisingly, "My Friends" is the sole cut to make it from the band's disappointing one-off effort with Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, One Hot Minute. Throw in two new tracks ("Fortune Faded" and "Save the Population") that easily match the quality of the material collected here, and you've got one of the most consistently listenable Chili Pepper releases since Blood Sugar Sex Magik. For fans who gave up after Frusciante left the band, Greatest Hits is the perfect reintroduction.

Deacon Blue Dignity The Best Of

Deacon Blue Dignity The Best Of

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 This import double-disc, 36-track compilation from genre-bending Scottish pop outfit Deacon Blue may be a bit much for the casual fan, but it nearly earns its "definitive" sticker for longtime followers, many of whom voted for the songs that appear here through the group's website. Culled from 1987 to 2001, Very Best of Deacon Blue features all of the obvious singles like "Real Gone Kid," "Your Swaying Arms," and "Your Town," but its charms are found in the 30-plus cuts that pepper the rest of the collection, touching on fan favorites like "Dignity" and "Raintown," as well as B-sides such as "Indigo Sky" and "When You Were a Boy You Were a Beautiful Boy

The Wannadies Bagsy Me

The Wannadies Bagsy Me

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 From its puzzling name (which it shares with a popular Swedish children's play written by Thomas Tidholm) to the unsettling cover art, unexplained shots of beautiful young women playing dead, the Wannadies' fourth album has a distinctly odd vibe. This continues in Pär Wiksten's lyrics; even the most sugary pop songs here barely mask undercurrents of anger, spite, resignation, and obsession. "Friends" is one of the most vengeful kiss-offs to an ex this side of early Elvis Costello, and the vaguely tropical "Oh Yes (It's a Mess)" bemoans the fact that sleeping with someone you actually like is less fun than the alternatives. The songs are uniformly excellent, with the hyperactive "Damn It I Said" featuring both the album's best chorus and coolest guitar sound and the glorious "Someone Somewhere" the most singable melody. The nearly nine-minute closer, "That's All," might tax some listeners' patience, but the hypnotic coda doesn't actually overstay its welcome

Mull Historical Society Us

Mull Historical Society Us

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 Colin MacIntyre's voice is somewhere on a line that connects Lindsey Buckingham to Roger Hodgson, and the only other solo artist possessed with the kind of boundless, restless creative energy to write, play, produce, and design everything he releases is Todd Rundgren. Despite these factors, MacIntyre has managed to develop his own odd personality while also avoiding the pitfalls that come with being labeled a throwback. (Besides, would Rundgren put a wigged dog on one of his album covers? Probably not.) He doesn't fit with the latest new-rock revival, and he doesn't like to whine, yet he's just as modern-sounding and contemporary as any of his peers. On Us, he makes good on the promise shown on his debut. No longer happily adding layer upon unnecessary layer of instrumentation to his songs, he has learned the value of directness that comes with knowing when to put a cap on a song and let it slide without the extra blurt of kazoo. That directness has carried over to the lyrics; the only character in most of these songs is the guy who wrote them. Melody still plays a major role, though the listener isn't beaten over the head with it. A good balance is struck between breezily flowing acoustic songs and hyperkinetic blasts of guitar pop. MacIntyre's wise abandonment of the kitchen-sink approach would've benefited this album even more if he had kept the running time below 45 minutes or so; at an hour, some of its nuances are bound to be lost in the shuffle. This prime songwriter is too anxious to purge his backlog, but too much is definitely preferable to not enough

Yazoo In Your Room

Yazoo In Your Room

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With only two albums and a handful of singles released before they broke up, the '80s synth pop duo Yazoo -- or Yaz if you're outside the United States -- are in the "all or nothing" category when it comes to box sets. Save a couple remixes, Mute's 2008 set In Your Room is everything the duo -- instrumentalist and former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke along with the as yet unheard of vocalist Alison Moyet -- released in its short career, and then some. Disc one of this three-CD/one-DVD set features their debut 1982 album, Upstairs at Eric's, while disc two features the follow-up, You and Me Both, from a year later. Both are remastered splendidly -- giving the albums more depth and punch in the bass -- as are the remixes and B-sides that occupy disc three. The non-album tracks "State Farm" and "The Other Side of Love" both get a proper home on the third disc and sit next to a wealth of desirable extended mixes of club hits like "Situation" and "Don't Go

Eurythmics Be Yourself Tonight

Eurythmics Be Yourself Tonight

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On Be Yourself Tonight, Eurythmics' most commercially successful and hit-laden album, the duo meticulously blended the new wave electronic elements that dominated their previous sets with the harder straight-edged rock and soul that would dominate later sets to come up with a near-perfect pop album. This disc scored no less than four hit singles and kept them a mainstay on MTV's play lists during the channel's heyday. Fusing pop, soul, rock, electronic beats, and even gospel, this is arguably the duo's finest moment. The first hit, "Would I Lie to You," is a straight-forward rocker, complete with great guitar licks, a soulful horn section, and Annie Lennox sounding as vicious and vivacious as ever. The second single, which was a huge chart topper in Europe, "There Must Be an Angel," is nothing short of shimmering beauty, with Lennox providing truly angelic vocals and Stevie Wonder lending an enchanting harmonica solo. Aretha Franklin lends her powerhouse pipes for the duet "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," which has gone on to become an immortal feminist anthem. From the soulful electronic beats (a rarity) in "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" to the beauty of the Elvis Costello duet "Adrian" to the pain and longing of the sorrowful rocker "Better to Have Lost in Love (Than Never to Have Loved at All)," this album runs a wide array of musical styles, each song standing tall on its own two feet. This disc is, without a doubt, one of the best rock/pop albums from the 1980s and one of the grandest, most creative albums delivered by the ever-appealing and innovative duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. A true classic.

Super Furry Animals Guerrilla

Super Furry Animals Guerrilla

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It's difficult not to find Super Furry Animals' brand of pop infectious, particularly the collection of numbers compiled for Guerilla, the band's third full-length and arguably most cohesive -- albeit pleasingly and consistently unpredictable -- to date. Old-school techno remains in remnants, such as in "Wherever I Lay My Phone (That's My Home)." When it rears its head otherwise, it rests easily beside and within the majority of the fully fledged pop songs. The High Llamas contribute to the dreamy "Turning Tide"; there's the tropicalia of "Northern Lites," and, as ever, there are shades of punk and distortion in "Night Vision." Amazingly, the super bouncy rocker "The Teacher" does not credit a sample to the Who's "Baba O'Riley."

Garbage Version 2.0

Garbage Version 2.0 

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Unveiling the new model of a machine that made its debut three years prior, alternative rock outfit Garbage polished the raw grind of their hazy first album with the sparkling digital sheen of 1998 sophomore effort Version 2.0. Emerging from the eerie trip-hop and bleak grunge of the critically acclaimed, multi-platinum Garbage, the quartet expanded their vision, going into overdrive with a futuristic sound that blended their inspirations both classic (the Beach Boys, the Beatles, and the Pretenders) and contemporary (Björk, Portishead, and the Prodigy). While Garbage retained the sleaze and effortless cool of their debut -- hinted on early tracks "As Heaven Is Wide" and "A Stroke of Luck" -- they infused Version 2.0 with deeper electronic layering, improved hooks, and an intimate lyrical focus courtesy of iconic vocalist Shirley Manson, who seized her place as the face and voice of the band with authority and confidence. On the propulsive "When I Grow Up" and the bittersweet "Special," Garbage took cues from '60s girl groups with "sha-la-la"s and stacked vocal harmonies, grounding them with a delivery inspired by Chrissie Hynde. Elsewhere, the hard techno edges of Curve and Björk cut through the frustrated "Dumb" and the lusty "Sleep Together," while Depeche Mode's Wild West years received tribute on the stomping "Wicked Ways." Beyond the blistering hit singles "I Think I'm Paranoid" and "Push It," Version 2.0 is also home to Garbage's most tender and heartbreaking moments, from the pensive "Medication" to the trip-hop-indebted "The Trick Is to Keep Breathing" and "You Look So Fine." Balanced and taut, Version 2.0 is a greatest-hits collection packaged as a regular album, not only a peak in Garbage's catalog, but one of the definitive releases of the late '90s.

China Crisis Flaunt The Imperfection

China Crisis Flaunt The Imperfection 

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China Crisis underwent a complete change in sound for their third album, completely ditching the heavy dub rhythms and challenging arrangements of 1982's Difficult Shapes & Passive Rhythms, Some People Think It's Fun to Entertain and 1983's Working with Fire and Steel (Possible Pop Songs, Vol. 2) with an altogether smoother and less aggressive sound. That doesn't equal a commercial capitulation, however; if anything, the choice of Walter Becker (of the then-unfashionable Steely Dan) as producer was a more commercially daring maneuver than anything the group had previously attempted. The overall sound is considerably prettier than before -- the placid Eno-like "Black Man Ray? is downright beautiful -- and the arrangements mix synthesizers with traditional instruments in what was for 1985 an unusually graceful way, with neither predominating. Another difference from the earlier albums is that the group's songwriting is much improved, the failed instrumental experiments and tiresome dance workouts that occasionally marred their earlier albums replaced with a newfound melodic sophistication and lyrical acuity. By the time of 1987's What Price Paradise, this sophistication will be unfortunately replaced by callow slickness, but Flaunt the Imperfection is the one album where China Crisis got the balance right.

Blancmange Happy Families

Blancmange Happy Families 

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Blancmange's first album, 1982's Happy Families, yielded the radio hit "Living on the Ceiling," which also received a good deal of attention from early MTV. Though Happy Families can accurately be described as techno-pop, it's techno-pop with a modicum of taste and sophistication, putting it more in the ballpark of genre pioneers like OMD and Yazoo than of annoying '80s anachronisms like Kajagoogoo or EBN-OZN. Neil Arthur's lyrics are interesting enough to reward close listening, and his Bowie-esque voice, while somewhat limited, serves the material well. The sound of Happy Families is built largely around synthesizers, played by Arthur and partner Stephen Luscombe. The duo have a knack for catchy basslines and drum programming, on top of which they strategically deploy guitars, Eastern instrumentation, and female backing vocals. Particular highlights include "I Can't Explain" "Feel Me," "Sad Day," and "God's Kitchen."

Heaven 17 Penthouse And Pavement

Heaven 17 Penthouse And Pavement 

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When synthesists Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware left the Human League in 1980, the decision seemed iffy; after all, the League appeared on the way up and would achieve global fame the very next year with Dare! The first album from Heaven 17, Marsh and Ware's new trio with singer Glenn Gregory, wasn't greeted with quite the same commercial kudos when released in 1981, but it turned out to be an important outing nevertheless. Picking up where Kraftwerk had left off with The Man-Machine, the group created glistening electro-pop that didn't skimp on danceable grooves or memorable melodies. What set Heaven 17 apart was the well-deep vocals of Gregory, who managed the difficult trick of sounding dramatic without seeming pretentious, and an overtly left-wing political outlook best expressed on the debut single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang." Other standout combinations of witty lyrics and whiplash electro-grooves include "The Height of the Fighting" and "Play to Win," while the funky title track draws on American R&B for its popping bassline. Despite the catchy material, chart success proved somewhat elusive; the group didn't score a major hit until its next album, 1983's The Luxury Gap. Nevertheless, Penthouse and Pavement stands as one of the most accomplished debuts of the '80s. [The Deluxe 2010 repackage truly lives up to the title. It would do so if it only included a remastered version of the album with bonus 12" mixes, a fold-out poster, a handful of postcards, extensive liner notes, and a DVD documentary on the making of the album. That it adds a disc of demos from 1980 that were previously thought lost makes it something extra special. The 20 tracks are made up of demos for the album, B.E.F. demos, and a batch of experimental songs that paint a complete picture of the process of creating the finished album. This collection is a must for any fan of synth pop.]