This is a personal collection of career-overview album reviews ideal for folks with Palm Pilots and similar handheld computers. Which albums to buy, which ones to avoid even if you're a fan of the artist.

Blondie Blondie **** Plastic Letters *** Parallel Lines ***** Eat To The Beat **** Autoamerican *** The Hunter ** Best of Blondie ***** The Platinum Collection **** Once More Into the Bleach *** No Exit ** Quintessential New Wave band of the late 70's-early 80's. Led by vocalist Deborah (Debbie) Harry and longtime bf Chris Stein (on guitar), Blondie was formed in 1974 in New York City. They released their self-titled debut in 1976 (on Chrysalis), a largely girl-group hommage filled with instant hits like "X-Offender", "In The Sun", & "Rip Her to Shreads" (their misspelling, not mine), the album produced by Brill Building aficionado Richard Gottherher and featuring back up vocals by g-g songwriter Ellie Greenwich. The album did especially well in England & Australia, where the band remains a perennial favorite, especially in Oz which hosts a fabulous website in their honor. "Plastic Letters" followed in 1977 featuring the hits "(Touched By Your) Presence, Dear" and the cover "Denis". More or less of the same kind of fast power-pop from the debut, it's still an essential album in the band's ouevre. 1978's "Parallel Lines", however, became a cornerstone of rock music history. Every groove on this album contains a hit or a potential hit, including their first US #1--a bit of a satire on the waning disco scene--called "Heart of Glass" and the rock radio classic, "One Way or Another", and "Sunday Girl" went to #1 in England. High on international acclaim, the band released "Eat To The Beat" in 1979. I place this as their second-best album of all-time, the second produced by Mike Chapman, who molded them into superstars on "Lines". It contains the wonderful "Dreaming" (featuring Clem Burke's fantastic drumming), "Die Young, Stay Pretty", "Atomic" (another UK #1), & "The Hardest Part" and is also their hardest rocking album with tracks like "I'm Not Living In The Real World" which features Debbie tearin' loose like a lunatic. Blondie's next and biggest US hit (5 weeks at #1), was the theme song for the 1980 Richard Gere sex drama "American Gigolo": "Call Me". With a pounding Giorgio Moroder beat & Debbie alternatingly purring and hollering out the lyrics, it's only available on their hits compilation(s), By this time, Debbie had become the main focus of the band. Her beautiful face, accented by large heavy-lidded blue eyes and a cupid's-bow mouth under openly-bleached blonde hair, became an instant icon of the period. Her influence was phenomenal in terms of look & style, on such contemporaries as Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and even Ann & Nancy Wilson of Heart. She was the first white female rocker to hit the big time who had it all: talent, looks, & commercial success and successive stars such as Madonna & Annie Lennox give her props for their own long careers. Blondie peaked with 1980's "Autoamerican", their last really popular album. A concept album, dubbed a "pop pastiche" by The Village Voice, it contained their last two US #1's: the sublime, reggae-flavored "The Tide Is High" and the rather silly rap number, "Rapture", said to be the first rap single to actually hit the top of the charts. The rest of the album isn't really that bad; listenable pop fluff with occasional sparks of imagination, like bassist Jimmy Destri's "Angels On The Balcony" and Debbie's lovely version of the Broadway standard, "Follow Me". 1982's "The Hunter", on the other hand, was a dismal flop despite an excellent second single, "War Child" and a really nice cover of "The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game"; initial single, "Island of Lost Souls" barely cracked the US top 40 & the subsequent concert tour (only time I ever got to see them live) was a disappointment, cancelled after only a few performances. Blondie broke apart shortly afterwards. Debbie went on to a middling solo career, despite several very nice singles like "The Jam Was Moving", "Liar, Liar", "Rush Rush", "French Kissing in the USA", & "I Want That Man". The band reformed in 1998 for the disappointing album "No Exit" which yielded one big hit by Destri, "Maria", a fresh cover of Shangri-Las' "Out In The Street", and a very good electronica number--which should have been a single--called "Forgive & Forget". Absolute nadir of the set is the title track featuring a Bach organ riff and the execrable rapping of has-been Coolio and others; appropriately, the single flopped and the band has gone into hiding once again. Several good compilations have been released, including the double-CD "Platinum Collection", marred by a hideous quasi-porno cover (Debbie licking a record: yuck), but featuring all of their classic singles and accompanying B-sides, ( a concept I hope someone eventually comes up with for The Eurythmics) plus several demo recordings. "Once More Into The Bleach" is the first of a couple of DJ remixes of Blondie and Deborah Harry solo singles; it's okay, fine for the dance floor or a long drive but not so good for backround music. Stick to "The Best of Blondie" if you just want a distillation of the hits; the current version of the release also contains "Maria", if you're so inclined.

Eurythmics In The Garden ** Sweet Dreams **** Touch ***** Be Yourself Tonight ***** 1984 Soundtrack *** Revenge *** Savage **** We Too Are One *** Eurythmics Greatest Hits (UK vers)***** Peace ** Phenomenal duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, who produced an enviable string of hit singles throughout the 80's and early 90's. The pair had tasted (British) success early in the 80's as The Tourists with a cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You"; the band split up in '81 and evolved into Eurythmics, debuting with "In The Garden" shortly thereafter. This is an okay album, notable mainly for its title track & the single, "Never Gonna Cry Again". The band hit paydirt with its sophomore effort, 1982's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)", a strong set of synth-pop music anchored by the international #1 success of the title track and its accompanying (and quite weird) video. The set also features "Love Is A Stranger" (also with an infamous, gender-bending video) and the funky dance hit, "This Is The House" where Annie's bit of Spanish and raucous laughter lighten otherwise cold mechanics of electronic music. "Touch" followed in 1983, featuring the lovely top ten hit "Here Comes The Rain Again", all delicately-played synth strings and keyboards under Annie's yearning vocals and a stunning video which had her in a white nightgown crawling up a green cliff's edge. Other great tracks include the hard driving "The First Cut", the scorned-woman classic "Who's That Girl?" (another classic gender-bending video), the wrenching "No Fear No Hate No Pain", and the playful, calypso-tinged "Right By My Side". A so-so EP of remixed versions appeared later called "Touch Dance", which is only for hardcore fans. Eurythmic's next album was one of their most successful in terms of both commercial and critical success. Their few detractors focused mainly on those striking stabs Lennox had made at gender roles--the band was popular during the right-wing reigns of Britain's Maggie Thatcher and America's Ronnie Reagan--as if looks/style had anything to do with their music. Ironically, the first video & single from "Be Yourself Tonight", "Would I Lie To You?" (their last major US hit), featured Annie in a sexy little black dress singing one of the greatest kiss-off numbers of all time. The rest of the album featured guest performances by Aretha Franklin (duetting with Annie on "Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves", a rather belated feminist anthem), Elvis Costello (the ethereal "Adrian"), and Stevie Wonder (harmonic on gospelly "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)"), as well as the funky rocker "I Love You Like A Ball & Chain". America's enchantment with the band dwindled after their participation in the soundtrack to a dismal remake of "1984" produced the single "Sex Crime(1984)"; many (illiterate) people thought the song was promoting perversion, which is really not surprising seeing that George Orwell's futuristic classic is banned from so many schools just because the hero has sexual intercourse (the 'sex crime' of the song's title) with his girlfriend. Actually, the album is not that bad, rather a premonition of the electronica movement in the mid 90's: moody, atmospheric with some heavy bass beats and Annie's keening vocals. The achingly beautiful single "Julia", sung to the story's heroine, was a minor hit in the UK; of course here in the States, homophobes regarded it as some kind of lesbian love song and it flopped. Eurythmics bounced back for awhile with 1985's "Revenge", a more acoustically-rocking set of music featuring the Grammy-winning hit "Missionary Man" (and another far-out video) and the second single, "Thorn In My Side", which was featured in the 1986 Bette Midler/Shelley Long hit film "Outrageous Fortune". The album also featured an actual human drummer in the form of Blondie's own Clem Burke, who stayed with the band for a couple more years. Annie appeared in a couple of movies, including a saucy wench in the Al Pacino misfire "Revolution" & in Derek Jarman's "Edward II" (singing Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time You Go Away") and Dave produced some albums for other artists including Tom Petty around this time. The duo, who had been lovers in their Tourists days, were going through early separation anxiety; Annie's face, tho not as pretty as predecessor (and her personal hero) Deborah Harry's, had become an iconic figure in the 80's and landed her much more attention than her eternally-hairy compatriot. "Savage" (their final album on RCA) appeared in 1987 to little acclaim despite the growling, punky genius of "I Need A Man", several luscious disco-style numbers like "Put The Blame On Me" and the sweet single "You Have Put A Chill In My Heart". Except for the weirdly crummy "Beethoven", I like this album for the most part. It's a mishmash of ideas and styles ending with a couple of acoustic numbers, the uplifting "Brand New Day" a particular success by sounding like a lost number from "Jesus Christ Superstar". "We Too Are One", their Arista debut, followed in 1989 and featured one great single, one good album track "Revival" and a couple of overrated numbers like "King & Queen of America" and the huge gooey British hit "Angel". This and their equally-disappointing reunion album ten years later are the least of the band's offerings. Annie fared much better on her solo debut and "Medusa", a collection of covers of her favorite songs; a second studio album, "Bare", was released early in 2004 & a persistent downbeat tone made it a bit of a bore. Dave has released a couple of solos himself, including the instrumental hit he had with Swedish saxwoman Candy Dulfer, plus soundtrack compositions and production.

Culture Club Kissing To Be Clever **** Colour By Numbers ***** Waking Up With The House On Fire ** From Luxury To Heartache ** At Worst...The Best of Boy George & Culture Club ***** Formed in 1981, Culture Club wowed the world with a five-year career which landed flamboyant lead singer Boy George nearly in his own grave due to heroin addiction. Possessed of one of the better blue-eyed soul voices of the period, George Alan O'Dowd joined up with drummer-boyfriend Jon Moss and straight boys Roy Hay (guitar) and Mikey Craig (bass) to produce wonderfully lightweight reggae and soul-tinged pop & dance music. O'Dowd, a tall, boyish Irishman was gayer than springtime and made very few attempts to straighten up for mainstream audiences. A fixture on the London club scene with his feminine hair & makeup and theatrical costumes, O'Dowd toned down his act only slightly to become either an asexual kewpie doll or a bisexual flirt ala David Bowie in the Glam years of a decade earlier. Culture Club's string of hits began with "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?", a precious, yearning love song which hit big on both sides of the Atlantic. The song was featured on their debut album, "Kissing To Be Clever", a slang phrase Boy had come up with to describe his lover's bisexuality (years later, a married-with-children Moss initially denied that the two were once an item, then admitted the affair shortly before release of their 5th album, a reunion piece which yielded one minor Adult Contemporary hit in 1999); album cuts "White Boy" & "White Boys Can't Control It" also allude to sexuality if the word 'straight' is substituted for 'white'. Remember, this was released during the Conservative 80's, long before the revolutionary Clinton/Blair regimes made sexuality relatively irrelevant. By the time "Colour By Numbers" was released in 1983, the whole world seemed to be fascinated with this colorful band. The album produced several hits, including their only US #1, "Karma Chameleon", "Miss Me Blind", & "Church of the Poison Mind". The band's back-up singer, Helen Terry, also enjoyed a brief moment in the sun with her duet with George on "I'm Only Trying To Help You"; Terry's previous claim to fame was backing up Lou Reed on his classic "Walk On The Wild Side". The single "It's A Miracle" proved to be their last big hit for a couple of years. Third album "Waking Up With The House On Fire" was a disappointment, anchored by a silly single "The War Song" and the ridiculous red fright wig Boy wore on the cover photo (the guys totally absent, even from the back cover). There are a few good songs buried in the pretension, like the appropriately-titled & soulful "Mistake #3", but this is hardly a collectable. Even worse was its follow up, 1986's "From Luxury to Heartache", which yielded only two great songs (both blessedly on the same single if you can find it), "Move Away" b/w "Sexuality". The die was cast: Culture Club had lost it. The group split up, George moving into the inevitable solo career, with occasional hits like "Everything I Own", "Don't Take My Mind On A Trip", "Generations of Love", and "The Crying Game", as well as huge popularity as a DJ in British nightclubs. Roy Hay, with his gift for writing catchy melodies, is the only other member to stay active in the music biz, working primarily in soundtrack composition.

Madonna Madonna **** Like A Virgin ***** True Blue ***** Like A Prayer *** Erotica **** Bedtime Story *** Ray of Light **** Music *** American Life **** The Immaculate Collection ***** Something To Remember ***** Greatest Hits, Vol 3 ***** And You Can Dance *** Madonna Louise Veronica Ciconne's older sisters and brothers used to hang her upside down from the family clothesline by her underpants, or so the story goes. There are a total of nine siblings including Madge (my nickname for the diva), including Martin who works as her business manager. When she moved to Los Angeles in the mid-80's as her star began to soar, Madge used to hang out with her sisters and play with her nieces and nephews, longing for a kid of her own. She went through many men, including husband Sean Penn (1985-89) & aging hunk Warren Beatty before allowing her personal trainer to impregnate her in the mid-90's, giving her Lourdes, aka Lulu. Eventually she also had a son--Rocco--with second husband Guy Ritchie, a British film director. But enough with the human face of Madonna, perhaps the all-time champeen of female superstars. In the last 20 years this woman has amassed an amazing array of catchy hit singles and popular albums, not to mention starring in some of the worst pictures ever made. She has done it all without succumbing to the ravages of drug addiction, alcoholism, obesity, insanity, and other ills which have plagued so many of her predecessors. By and large, she is a singles artist. Most of her albums are not easy listening; only the first three ("Madonna", "Like A Virgin", & "True Blue") , "Erotica", & most recent offering "American Life" can be played without setting the CD player to skip tracks. The skippable tracks are as mediocre as any found on any other r'n'b album; even peerless crooners such as Smokey Robinson and Stephanie Mills have recorded doggy tracks, and God knows Diana Ross fell victim to that particular syndrome throughout the latter half of her career. Madonna's not a talentless woman but she isn't Joni Mitchell either: you have to be a great songwriter in order to hold the smarter audience's attention, girlfriend. Having said that, I heartily recommend only her compilation albums to most people. Despite a few bizarre exclusions of such great singles as "Who's That Girl?" (from the horrible film of the same name), "True Blue", and the not-so-great-but-first danceclub hit "Everybody", "Immaculate Collection" lives up to its name. All of Madonna's other hits of the 1980's are here: "Vogue", "Like A Virgin", "Open Your Heart", "Crazy For You", et al. "Something To Remember" collects all of her great love songs like "Forbidden Love", "Live To Tell", & "Rain" and "Greatest Hits Vol 3" has just that of her 90's output plus her 3 biggest hits from 2001's "Music". "You Can Dance" is a comp of various remixed dancefloor classics she put out in the 80's, like "Into The Groove" and "Over & Over", which is competent but only for the hardcore fan crowd.

Pretenders Pretenders ***** Pretenders II **** Learning To Crawl ***** Get Close **** The Singles ***** Packed! ** Last Of The Independents **** Isle of You **** Viva El Amor! *** Greatest Hits ***** Loose Screw **** Chrissie Hynde is a character. Born & raised in the state of Ohio, she moved to Britain in the early 70's and hasn't been back since. She started her life in rock 'n' roll as a music critic, eventually forming her own band, Pretenders, in 1978. One of their first hits was Ray Davies' "Stop Your Sobbing", recorded in a rough, unpolished style that separated it from the pack of rock songs of the period. It was included on the band's debut album of 1979, "Pretenders", an instant classic of the New Wave & Post-Punk era. Who can forget the image of Chrissie in her red leather jacket, the male members of the group (Jim Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon, & Martin Chambers) in darker threads against a stark white backround? Tall and slender with a talent for rhythm guitar & harmonica, writing brilliant songs, and singing them in a distinctively measured alto, Hynde has packed a punch from day one. The debut also featured her own sweet love song "Kid", the raunchy "Tattoed Love Boys", the controversial rocker "Precious" (contro over use of her much-debated use of the "F" word, that is), a grinding instrumental called "Space Invaders", and one of her signature songs (and first big US hit) "Brass In Pocket". Reportedly, she hates the video for this song wherein she plays a waitress in a cheap cafe who doesn't 'get the guy', boyfriend-wise. In real life, however, she was dating Davies & eventually had a child (daughter Natalie) with him. "Pretenders II" was about as imaginative as its title, despite a handful of great songs like "Talk of the Town", the gorgeous "The Birds of Paradise", & Davies' "I Go To Sleep". Recorded in a hurry to capitalize on the debut's success, it's a messy affair. The "Extended Play" EP which preceded it's release contains two of the albums better singles, plus two good previously-unreleased tracks "Cuban Slide" & "Porcelain" and a live version of "Precious". I sooo want to re-release the second album minus it's doggier tracks and plus these two p-e numbers, which are far superior. 1983 saw the release of Hynde's best single in awhile, "Back On The Chain Gang", a wistful tribute to Honeyman-Scott who had died of a drug overdose the previous year. Farndon also succumbed to a heroin overdose; he and Hynde had been an item after she split from Davies and his drug habit also lost him Hynde's attention. Pretender's third album, "Learning To Crawl" arrived later that year to great critical and commercial acclaim. Hynde's most successful album, it sold 5 million units and featured such classics as "Chain Gang", "My City Was Gone", the 60's style dancerock of "Middle of the Road", a cover of the r'n'b standard "Thin Line Between Love & Hate", the exquisite "2000 Miles", and a pretty pop song called "Show Me". During this time, Hynde met and fell in love with Simple Minds' frontman, Jim Kerr. They wed in 1985 and had a daughter together. A newly-romantic Hynde shows up on "Get Close", Pretenders 4th album. It featured a new rhythm section (two black guys) and the hit single "Don't Get Me Wrong". Other key tracks include "My Baby", which I interpret as a double love song to both Kerr & their child, a great Jimi Hendrix cover "Roomful of Mirrors", and an offbeat folky number called "Hymn To Her". Unfortunately, the marriage failed & Hynde was soon involved with the hunky young lead singer for UB40, with whom she recorded a cover of Sonny & Cher's classic "I Got You Babe" and another cover, "Breakfast In Bed". Hynde & Kerr divorced in 1990. The "Packed!" album released in '88, was pretty weak with only two memorable cuts and an amazing amount of half-thought filler, including another Hendrix cover. It seemed like the end of Hynde's career. Miraculously, she bounced back in 1991 with "Last of the Independents", her first album full of songs that she co-wrote with other people. The sexy "Night in My Veins" was a brill return to form and "I'll Stand By You" became a popular anthem & her biggest hit in years. She also covered Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" to great effect. The live acoustic recording "Isle of You" appeared in the wake of this success, not to mention the popularity of that particular back-to-basics format inspired by an MTV show. Hynde seemed to coast on her newfound fame for the rest of the 90's. She recorded a powerful rendition of "State of Independence" with a band called The Moodswings in 1992 but didn't release a Pretenders album until 1999's "Viva El Amor!". The album was good, not great, with only a few memorable tracks like "Human" & the bitter yet upbeat (!) "Popstar". 2002 however brought forth "Loose Screw", her best album in a decade. The music is heavy on the reggae that she's toyed with for years, with her trademark mature, intelligent lyrics. Instant hits: "Nothing Breaks Like A Heart", "Cleanup Woman", "Walk Like A Panther", & even the rather odd "The Losing", a song I still don't understand. There is a lot of bitterness on this album, perhaps because she had to release it on a minor label. Longtime label Sire folded in the 90's despite its enormous stable of talent (Pretenders, Talking Heads, Echo & The Bunnymen, Everything But The Girl, Madonna) and Chrissie moved on to Polydor. Either they broke up too or just weren't willing to release such a downbeat but hard-edged album. No matter, Chrissie is back with us, at least for now. There are two compilations of Pretenders music: "The Singles", which came out in the mid-80's and is just that, and the import-only "Greatest Hits", which includes most of the former album plus more recent singles, including the 2 with UB40 & the one with Moodswings. Alas, her magnificent "If There Was A Man" single from one of the James Bond films ("The Living Daylights") is not included, nor is that particular song included on the 007 themes comp (morons, they chose A-ha's lame title track instead!). There are several other Pretenders movie songs floating around, including two off the "1969" (a forgettable Winona Ryder flick) soundtrack.

X Los Angeles ***** Wild Gift ***** Under The Big Black Sun **** More Fun In The New World ***** Ain't Love Grande ** 5th album *** Hey Zeus! * Live At The Whiskey ***** Anthology ***** The premier California punk band, X debuted in 1980 with "Los Angeles", a much-needed injection of hard rockin', smart talkin' music. The band has never been much more than a cult phenomenon, kind of like the Grateful Dead, but with catchier songs and zero bullshit factor. Heavily influenced by rockabilly and surf rock of the late 50's-early 60's, X made the music roar courtesy excellent lead guitarist Billy Zoom, famous for his long-legged and stock-still stance whilst playing. Bandleaders & head songwriters John Doe and Exene Cervenka sang hard-edged commentary on the state of the nation, particularly its underclass of which they were proud to be a part. They were blessed with an influential champion in the form of The Doors keyboardist, , who produced their first four (and best) albums. Among the album's best tracks: the title song (a profane commentary on a bigoted city resident), "The World's A Mess, It's In Our Kiss", a wild cover of the Doors' "Soul Kitchen", "Your Phone's Off The Hook", the creepy serial killer song "Johny Hit & Run Pauline", and Exene's groaning "Nausea". Only the tiresome, pretentious whine of "The Unheard Music" fails to click. "Wild Gift" is pure, unadulterated rock 'n'roll that barely stops to take a breath. None of the tracks is longer than three minutes or so and the hits keep coming: "We're Desperate", "Adult Books", "Year One" among others. This is my favorite of all their albums. 1983's "Under The Big Black Sun" has the band moving into a more traditional vein. "The Hungry Wolf" was the first of their singles to reach mainstream rock radio and even Exene's cover of "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" sounds like it probably made waves in many a lesbian hangout. This was followed by their last really good album, "More Fun In the New World", full of great music like "Devil Doll", the title track, a cover of "Breathless", etc. Unfortunately, a level of desperation and cornball began popping up in their music as they struggled to survive in the mid-80's. "Ain't Love Grande" even included Exene singing rap-style (arrggh!!) much worse than Deborah Harry; this album is only worth buying for the single, "Burning House of Love", one of their last great songs. A follow-up album, featuring new guitarist Tony Gilkyson (Zoom had wisely split by then) appeared around '87, featuring perennial fav "The 4th of July" and a few other well-made tracks. Sadly, this was to be their swansong. 1990's "Hey Zeus!" was a disaster, not even worth writing about. Aside from an irrelevant acoustic album of their classics, there is a great live album "...At The Whiskey A Go-Go" double album which may already be out of print and the more recent Anthology, a 2-CD with a generous supply of singles, B-sides, and outtakes aimed primarily at hardcore fans like myself. There's also a CD which has their two first (and very best) albums on one disc. Exene has done some solo albums which are an acquired taste at best: very folky/oldstyle country & blues. John Doe has a new band, most likely in the country rock vein of his late-80's solo debut "Meet John Doe". You're more likely to see him in the movies these days, as he has appeared in fairly solid support roles of a few flicks, like "Great Balls of Fire".

Everything But The Girl (EBTG) Everything But The Girl ***** Love Not Money **** Baby, The Stars Shine Bright *** Idlewild *** The Language of Life **** Worldwide ** Acoustic *** Amplified Heart ***** Walking Wounded **** Temperamental **** Named after a sign in a Scottish furniture shop, began in 1982 with a 3-song single featuring their indie hit cover of Cole Porter's "Night & Day". Tracey Thorn (vocals) & Ben Watt (guitar, etc) were attending Hull University while simultaneously recording for the Cherry Red label, Thorn as a member of The Marine Girls and Watt on his own & collaborations with Robert Wyatt. They debuted with the album "Eden" in 1983, which was released a year later eponymously in America with a different track listing. As one of their fans has pointed out, there are three phases to EBTG's career: 82-87 they recorded mostly jazz and folk-pop, '88-'95 (a time that was particularly rough for Watt due to a debilitating illness, about which he wrote a book) they were more acoustic & intimate, and from '96 to the present have thrown themselves full-throttle into the electronica movement. Currently, Thorn has dropped out of the music scene, reportedly to raise a family. Longtime partner Watt has moved into production, working with Beth Orton & Jill Scott among others. (These reviews of mine originally appeared on the band's official message board where I was a member for awhile, thus the break from my usual style) Everything But The Girl ***** Tracey & Ben's first album in America. Full of classic tracks like "Each & Every One", "Mine", & "Native Land". Bossa nova jazz & folky stylings. A must-have in every EBTG fan's CD rack. Love Not Money **** The darker side of Everything But the Girl. More downbeat numbers like Ben's "Sean" and shimmering beauties like "Heaven Help Me" plus upbeat Beatles-esque pop like "Anytown". Baby, The Stars Shine Bright *** "Don't Leave Me Behind" is this album's highpoint, a swinging love song in the Sinatra mode. "Sugar Finney"'s supposed to be about Marilyn Monroe so maybe this is their first stab at making waves in the US market. Didn't work, alas. Idlewild *** Strangely, this is thought of by many critics as the highpoint of EBTG's recording career. I consider it a mere stepping stone to greater things to come. Features the lovely, lilting yearning of "Apron Strings", a great Rod Stewart cover ("I Don't Want To Talk About It"), and --jarringly-- one of their worst all-time songs, the treacley "The Night I Heard Caruso Sing". The Language of Life **** A bright return to form augmented by their first true US hit, the classic "Driving" (its "ah-ah-ah"s a nod perhaps to Laurie Anderson's "O Superman") and the saxaphone of jazz legend Stan Getz. This is one of my favorite EBTG albums to lie back & listen to, a very pleasant album. Worldwide ** Disappointing collection with only one really good song, "Understanding". I love that "1 2 3 4" Tracey sings in counterpoint: sublime. Acoustic *** Similar to REM's collection of outtakes, "Eponymous": a bunch of good covers like "Allison" and some live performances, but not something you want to listen to all the time. Amplified Heart ***** EBTG's best album since their debut. I bought this long before "Missing" hit the big time. Every track on this CD is brilliant: "Rollercoaster", "25 December", "We Walk A Fine Line" (love to hear Kathy Mattea cover that!); another must-have. Walking Wounded **** The first of the band's two adventures into the realm of electronica. A lot of good material, though I believe some of the artificial doodads that Ben has added to the mix will seem dated in years to come. Aching title track and Tracey's lovely autobio of "Mirrorball" are among the gems here. Temperamental **** Some great dance music ("Five Fathoms", "The Future of The Future") & some great slow songs, like "Hatfield 1980" which sends a chill down my back sometimes, & "No Difference". Only thing that keeps this from being a 5 star collection is the completely useless instrumental "Downhill Racer", which sounds like a failed Olympics theme song. Boo, Ben. :(

B-52's B-52's ***** Wild Planet ***** Mesopotamia *** Whammy! *** Bouncing Off The Satellites ** Cosmic Thing ***** Good Stuff ** Time Capsule **** Nude on the Moon **** An utterly original new wave band from Athens, GA, The B-52's got their start in the local gay scene with its emphasis on camp themes. Girl groups, space aliens, boys in bikinis, girls with surfboards and boo-fant hairdos, and decidedly casual (early 60's retro of course) outfits were some of their trademarks. Theatricality aside, the B's were led by a great guitarist named Ricky Wilson who was heavily-influenced by surf-rockers like The Ventures and Jan & Dean. His sweet sister Cindy, and an older pair (ballsy belter & keyboardist Kate Pierson & occasionally irritating Fred Schneider) handled the vocals while Keith Strickland played drums. Their self-titled debut is a milestone in pop-rock, anchored by such classics as "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "52 Girls", & "Dance This Mess Around". This was followed in 1980 by the equally fabulous "Wild Planet", which featured "Party Out of Bounds" ("where's the icebox, where's the punch?!"), the kinky "Quiche Lorraine" & "Strobe Light", and the paranoiac "My Own Private Idaho". Talking Head David Byrne produced their third release, an atmospheric & underrated six-song EP called "Mesopotamia", which featured the title track, a sexy duet between Cindy & Kate called "Cake", and a dreamy Cindy solo called "Deep Sleep". Sadly, after this ripe period of popular albums, Ricky contracted AIDS and eventually died in 1986, the first major casualty in the music business as a whole. The band did not fully recover until 1988 with the release of their best album since their sophomore effort, "Cosmic Thing". Led by the smash pop hit "Love Shack" b/w "Planet Z", the B's enjoyed their greatest commercial success ever, following it with another top 20 classic, "Roam". A final studio album was released in 1990, the misnomered "Good Stuff" which had a good title track and a couple of other okay but enervated (Cindy had retired from the scene by then) numbers. There are a couple of widely-available hits comps out there: "Time Capsule" and "Nude on the Moon", as well as the combo of "Mesopotamia" & a remix album of hits from the first 2 releases.

Sinead O'Connor The Lion & The Cobra **** I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got ***** Am I Not Your Girl? **** Universal Mother **** The EP Gospel Road *** Faith & Courage **** Sean-Nos Nua (unheard) She Who Dwells...**** She's a loon, this is true, but Sinead O'Connor did write and perform some of the best rock & roll of her generation. Unfortunately, she courted controversy to a point that pretty much destroyed her credibility. The sensitive soul of the riot grrl movement of the late 80's & early 90's (which also included Liz Phair, The Breeders, Juliana Hatfield, L7, & P J Harvey), O'Connor was as famous for her iconoclastic appearance --shaved head, huge brown eyes, various body piercings, & weird combinations of mannish boots and flimsy cotton dresses, usually white-- as for her heart-0n-her -sleeve lyrics, such as the heartbreaking "Last Day of Our Acquaintance" and the lusty "I Want Your Hands On Me" from her humongously popular 2nd album. Previously she had hit the ground running with the rocker "Mandinka" and the simply gorgeous "Troy" from her debut. Then came her cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" which topped the US charts for 5 weeks and made her an international darling...for awhile. An appearance on "Saturday Night Live" ending with her brilliant attack on the Catholic Church (ripping up a photo of "the real enemy", Pope John Paul) long before today's current sex scandals, followed by another eye-rolling contro (refusing to play at a stadium that planned to play the American national anthem thereby pissing off US legend Frank Sinatra) the reactions to which reduced her to tears at a benefit concert shortly afterwards, led off the stage by a gallant Kris Kristofferson. Whew! This did not help sales of her from-left-center but quite good collection of jazz standards, "Am I Not Your Girl?", which featured lovely readings of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", "Secret Love", "How Insensitive", and others accompanied by Phil Ramone's lush orchestrations. The icky cover shot--Sinead bald as a doorknob in a pretty lacy black pantsuit and those hideous boots--was also needlessly jarring. She did not release a new album of original material until 1996, with "Universal Mother". Of course despite its innate goodness, it came too late for fickle rock fans and she was deemed a has-been, a weirdo, and a one-hit wonder. So, naturally (to appease her public no doubt) she appeared as a foul-mouthed Virgin Mary in the British film "The Butcher Boy", the heartwarming tale of an adolescent psychotic who terrorizes his 1950's Irish village. Auuugggh!! Sinead followed this with a few duets with fellow Eire iconoclast Van Morrison and an EP of new material which appealed only to critics and we the faithful fans. Then she announced she had become a priest in a radical offshoot of the Catholic Church. Then she announced she was playing for the home team, forsaking men to the point of coming this close to headlining what would have been a fantastic queer version of Lollapalooza, the pressure of which apparently sent her back into the arms of the opposite sex (marrying the sorry bastard) & the tour was cancelled. Around this time, O'Connor released a decent collection of music ("Faith & Courage") that only WTFF bought and enjoyed, regardless of the ignorant masses. Then Sinead announced in April 2003 that she was retiring from the music business altogether. By year's end she had released a collection of Irish traditionals which topped the World Music charts, as well as a combination live album and rarities compilation with a very long title was released to some critical acclaim. Some of the cuts include the reggae-style "A Hundred Thousand Angels", a strangely-beautiful tribute to Princess Diana, a B-52's cover (!), and several more Irish traditionals.

Prince Prince (unheard) For You (unheard) Dirty Mind ** 1999 ***** Controversy **** Purple Rain ***** Several one-hit wonder albums coasting on his newfound fame ** Sign o' The Times **** More overheated dross, including the overrated Black Album ** Diamonds & Pearls *** Batman Soundtrack ** The Comeback Album That Had A Hit On R'n'B Radio (unheard yet) Mix one part Phil Spector with one part Michael Jackson with smidgens of Van Morrison, George Clinton, & Jimi Hendrix and you have Prince Rogers Nelson. Debuting with the limp late disco-period hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" in 1978, the mighty midget really grabbed rock critics by the privates with his third album, the sleazy "Dirty Mind" which inexplicably wound up on a lot of Top 100 Rock Album lists even to this day. However, it was "1999" which caught this listener's ear when I was in college and listened primarily to the indie & r'n'b radio stations. He was huge by then and worth it with brilliantly created combinations of rock, funk, & soul: the first black artist since Hendrix who was played on all-white, all-the-time rock radio. The high point of his career came with the soundtrack to his vanity autobiographical flick, "Purple Rain", which earned him an Oscar for Best Original Song Score. Like his doppleganger The Kid, Prince was born to an interracial couple who loved hard and fought a lot. He is short, just over 5 feet tall, and attractive in an androgynous way he tends to exploit despite being 95% hetero, and he was throughout most of the 80's a brilliant composer & performer, highlighted by witty lyrics and searing guitar solos. Unfortunately, like Elvis, he made one too many more movies and his credibility --not to mention his talent-- sank like a stone. Except for a precious few choice singles, Prince has not put out a memorable album in nearly 20 years! Like David Bowie, he has come up against a major wall to his creativity and has become almost completely irrelevant if not for his back catalog of classic singles like "When Doves Cry", "1999", "Controversy", "Delirious", "Let's Go Crazy", "Sign of the Times", "Kiss", "Raspberry Beret", "Mountains", "Seven", et al. I miss Prince like I miss Bowie and hope that someday they'll snap out of their personal mindwarps and give us some more great music.

In the Offing: Sade, Rolling Stones, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Sam Phillips, David Bowie

all contents by mabster60