This is a reviews page based on my own collection, which just keeps growing despite itself. If it isn't listed here, it's because I don't own it yet, or I haven't gotten around to it yet.
Also, bother your local "new rock" radio station and make sure they are playing "new rock" and not "I Melt With You," which is not new.
note: entries in red text indicate my pick for the artist's best available album. A gold numeral indicates the POPocalypse winner of the year's best album; second- and third-place winners are in blue. Green lettering indicates an obviously exploitative record company compilation without apparent artist input. Purple lettering indicates something nobody legally got paid for.
ROBERT PALMER: Addictions Volume 1 (1989, UK #7, US #79, **)
Someone's brain-dead idea of how to archive Palmer results in several key tracks held over to volume 2 and substitutes too much of his ill-advised Carribean crap here. On the other hand, it does have "Some Like it Hot," the only good Power Station track, and the truly magnificent "Johnny & Mary," his finest hour by some margin.
PEACH UNION: Audiopeach (1997, ***)
I usually detest relying on allmusic.com, but sometimes a band's only around a few months and they somehow manage to land a CD in my collection, so they're my only hope for background. This trio formed after producer/keyboardist Pascal Gabriel and guitarist Paul Statham met during the production of Peter Murphy's 1995 LP Cascade. Adding singer Lisa Lamb, they sold Mute Records on their big pop album. It's simplistic, and Lamb's vocals veer towards cliche, but quite a good singalong. You could do worse than to find a used copy.
PELICAN CITY: The Chilling Effect original motion picture score (***)
Spectacular mood music from Athens. This instrumental combo, led by Brian Burton and including Josh Perry, Todd Monfalcone and Scott Patton, got some college radio spins with this 1999 debut. Lots of atmospheric washes and samples, ideal for late night inspiration and dreaming. The dark cover photo, shot on College Square during heavy rain, is one of the best examples of a picture describing the music I've ever seen.
BARRINGTON PHELOUNG: Inspector Morse: Original Music from the TV Series (***)
The music was one of the best things about Morse. Lush and operatic, it was miles removed from the usual, univentive TV cop music. This album mixes some of the scores written especially for the show with Pheloung and his orchestra adapting Mozart, Puccini and Mendelsson. It's beautiful background music and more.
SAM PHILLIPS: Cruel Inventions (1991, ***)
Sam's second "secular" album (she spent the 80s as a Christian rocker named Leslie) is a good introduction to her work. Her lyrics are somewhat more oblique than the direct material on her more commercial follow-up, but she wraps her gravelly voice around some pain and sadness to get her point across, even if the upbeat pop arrangements may mean you're missing the point if you're not paying attention. Best tracks: "Lying" and the agonized "Private Storm."
SAM PHILLIPS: Martinis & Bikinis (1994, ***)
Sam's beautiful gravel-voice probably takes some getting used to, but her 1994 third album, again a collaboration with T-Bone Burnett, is a nearly perfect slice of middle American guitar pop. Highlights: "Baby I Can't Please You" and "Same Rain." A cover of Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth" isn't as successful as her own efforts.
SAM PHILLIPS: Omnipop (It's Only a Flesh Wound, Lambchop) (1996, ****)
Good grief, but this is an odd album. There's none of the Martinis sense of typical American pop, about typically American emotions and moods, here. Instead, she's concerned with plastic, with puns and with libraries, and I don't know what on Earth "Animals on Wheels" is about. There are some songs about emotions and hearts on this 1996 album, and Sam fills "Your Hands" and "Slapstick Heart," which was co-written with R.E.M., with pained emotion. Overall, however, this is dense and strange and wonderful. Just be prepared to scratch your head and wonder what all these Philco swivel-screen TVs are doing on the sleeve.
SAM PHILLIPS: Fan Dance (2001, **)
Five years off did Sam Phillips no favors. Fan Dance, which is barely more than 30 minutes long, is slow and ponderous. The writing is as sharp as ever ("Taking Pictures" is particularly remarkable here), but the arrangements are stale and it moves without hook or energy. It's a fan dance for fans only.
COURTNEY PINE: The Vision's Tale (1989, **)
Unthreatening, new age/world jazz from the British saxophonist. Interesting only to those curious about what boring old avenues jazz has meekly ventured since Miles' retirement: if this is any evidence, nowhere exciting.
JOE PISAPIA: Daydreams (2002, **)
The frontman of the Nashville band Joe-Marc's Brother, Pisapia's solo debut is quiet, contemplative and often dirge-like. It's a well constructed album, but one which will work best late at night, alone with a glass of whiskey.
PLACEBO: Placebo (1996, UK #5, ***)
The London trio formed in 1994, with obvious influences-on-the-sleeve from everybody from Bowie and Ferry to Rush, but run through a dense and harsh guitar sound and with unapologetically graphic lyrics. Frontman Brian Molko's nasal whine perfectly fits the bilious dismissal of "Nancy Boy," the album's fourth single and first top 5 hit. The band's visual style is perhaps equally interesting, featuring harshly-lit naturalistic photos of everyday people, while the band themselves stay cloaked in shadow.
PLACEBO: Without You I'm Nothing (1998, UK #7, ****)
Placebo found minor US success when "Pure Morning," the fabulous lead single from this second LP, got a smattering of radio play here. Naturally, their emotional, driven music has found much more stability from the British press and radio, where albums like this tend to get a great deal more respect. The album is strongly reminiscent of Roxy's For Your Pleasure, following a similar template and moving at the same speed. Is the closing "Burger Queen" autobiographical? One hopes not.
PLACEBO: Black Market Music (2000, UK #6, ***)
There's not a lot wrong with the third Placebo record, but there's truly not a lot of progression either. All three of these discs could have come out in one fell swoop and nobody would have noticed. It's by no means bad -- "Special K" and "Black Eyed" are sublime -- but I'm a believer in bands modifying their sound over the course of their career.
PLACEBO: "Special K" (2001)
Good value for money here: this contains three versions plus the video for "Special K," two instrumentals and remixes of "Passive Aggressive" and "Slave to the Wage." All this material made the CD ineligible for the UK singles chart due to their strict "three tracks / under twenty minute" rule; rather it made #1 on the "budget albums" chart.
PLACEBO: Astoria '97 (unlabelled, London 2/20/97)
A very good gig promoting their first album and previewing a few songs from their second. A good quality recording, this one should be easily found on the trading circuit.
IGGY AND THE STOOGES: Raw Power (1973, US #182, ****)
I've noticed that very few of my friends share anything like a similar taste in music with each other. That said, this album turns up between many of their record collections. From 1973, this is the crucial, loud, angry link between the Velvets and the Sex Pistols. Compelling and brilliant, the subpar original mix was tinkered with and remixed by Iggy himself for this newly mastered version.
IGGY POP: Lust for Life (1977, UK #28, US #120, *****)
Now here's an important album. It opens with a minute of solid fury, wherein Hunt Sales makes a damn convincing argument that the drum is the most important musical instrument ever devised. Now, I will say that "important" may not always mean "favorite," and most of the second half I prefer not to play with that often, but the old side one is just remarkable, with that title track, "The Passenger" and "Some Weird Sin" all just waiting to kick your butt. Influential and powerful.
PRIMITIVE RADIO GODS: "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand" CD single
Two versions of this remarkable piece of sampling and engineering, from the band's Rocket album and the 1996 film The Cable Guy. One of the best singles of that year.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS: All of This and Nothing (1988, UK #67, US #102, ****)
I'm unfamiliar with the band's discography (have you noticed how rawk reference books pass them over?), so I can't say if all their singles are here. The songs are in random order, but there's a good essay by Steve Sutherland, lyrics and several photos. Oh, and the songs are really good, too.
THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS: World Outside (1991, UK #68, ***)
Their final album, from 1991, barely dented the UK top 70, but was a strong return to form, being at least their best effort in seven years. The single "Until She Comes" is a great swan song.
PULP: It (1983, *)
It would have been nice to discover that Jarvis Cocker's 1983 debut was a really good lost treasure. Sadly, it's nowhere close, but the elements (mainly in the lyrics) are there. The major musical influence seems to be Joy Division. Nobody else but Jarvis played in the successful and excellent mid-90s version of the band, although Simon Hinkler did some production chores later on. The best track is probably the single "My Lighthouse," but really none of this is all that necessary.
PULP: "My Legendary Girlfriend" CD single (1990)
Not, sadly, essential. The lead track of this single, released in 1990 but recorded three years before, is fair, but it's backed by two overlong and rather irksome remixes of "This House is Condemned."
PULP: Intro (aka PulpIntro) (1993, ***)
Pulp's major label debut, in November 1993, is this compilation of the three singles and the accompanying B-sides they recorded for Gift Records the previous year: "OU," "Babies" and the spectacular "Razzmatazz." All of the irony and power they'd be known for in a few years is present, played with a younger and looser vibe.
PULP: His n' Hers (1994, UK #9, ***)
After 11 years of recording, Pulp finally managed a chart LP with 1994's #9 His n' Hers, which saw the band hiding behind a very ugly sleeve and some intricate rock anthems. Jarvis Cocker damn near makes the 90s model Bryan Ferry obsolete, as he personifies the spirit of bitter irony displayed on the first five Roxy albums. Guitars and organs mesh for a mostly successful collection with only one downer, the too-long "David's Last Summer." Superior tracks include their first top 40 single "Do You Remember the First Time?," the familiar dance riff of "She's a Lady" and the recorded "Babies." The US edition adds the brilliant "Razzmatazz" as an unlisted 12th track.
PULP: Different Class (1995, UK #1, *****)
The best album of 1995, containing "Common People," a contender for best single of the decade. Punk manifestos mixed with powerful anthems and Jarvis Cocker's incredibly real lyrics make for a potent mix. Other key songs: "Disco 2000" (built around a Bay City Rollers riff!), the banned drug story "Sorted for E's and Wizz" and the vividly sexual "Underwear." They even get romantic with the lush "Something's Changed." Simply stunning.
PULP: "Disco 2000" CD single (1995, UK #7)
Four fun mixes of this perfectly radio-friendly song.
PULP: This is Hardcore (1998, UK #1, US #~120, ****)
Proof that British critics like nothing more than shooting down icons on pedestals, many seized on the line, in "The Fear," "This is the sound of someone losing the plot" and applied it to this record. More sensible American critics, just discovering the band, put it on most year-end best-of lists. This is a real stunner, and while it may not be as romantically vivid as some of Different Class's best material, it's vivid in a lot of other respects. "Party Hard" contains lyrics the radio would hate, "Help the Aged" mentions sniffing glue and so on. The US edition contains a bonus track from some film, the sterling "Like a Friend."
PULP: "Party Hard" CD single (1998, UK #29)
The fourth single from This is Hardcore, teamed here with a remix of "The Fear" and the non-LP track "We are the Boyz."
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: The Downward Road (**)
Strong, guitar-heavy middle American rawk, with obvious Todd Rundgren influence. Reminiscent of Better Than Ezra with more nasal vocals, better guitar and a female backup vocalist who do-wops well.