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 "Sunday Bloody Sunday," 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.
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: Beauty (**)
This critically praised pop effort with collaborators Yossou N'Dour, Robert Wyatt, Jill Jones and the "Neo Geo" ensemble contains his first US dance hit, "You Do Me," and a bizarre cover of the Stones' "We Love You."
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: Heartbeat (1992, ***)
Collaborators on this one include Yossou N'Dour, Dee Dee Brave, David Sylvian and Ingrid Chavez. The latter two handle vocal duties on 1992's best single: "Heartbeat (Tanai Kaiki II)." There's one colosally annoying bit of traditional Japanese lament smack in the middle of the album which almost causes the whole package to collapse around it.
SET ON EDGE: "A Story to Cling To" EP (2001)
Shannon Lewis's energetic Christian rock band has the distinction of being a going concern in two separate cities named Athens, having formed in Athens, Ohio, before relocating to Georgia. Outside of their official collections, they occasionally offer low-priced compilations of new material at live shows; this one, featuring "A Story to Cling To," "The Weaker David, "Give Without Taking," the awesome "Summon the Rain" and "Stoning Stephen," was offered April 13 2001. Featuring a fluid lineup, tight performances and an anything-can-go attitude, SoE shows are extremely fun evenings. The lyrics are positive and uplifting, and the music, hemmed in by Neil Stephenson's tight drumming, stretches out in all sorts of different avenues, from complicated keyboard flourishes to fierce acoustic strumming. And Shannon has a classic rock voice. Visit their page at MP3.com for more info, album ordering and free song downloads.
DUNCAN SHEIK: Duncan Sheik (*)
Whiny, mournful music from a man heck-bent on becoming the 90s Art Garfunkel. Contains the reasonable "Barely Breathing," a 1996 radio hit, and a lot of sludge. Actually, this turd of a record isn't in my house any more, but I really like that lead line.
SHRIEKBACK: Go Bang! (1988, *)
Shriekback was a band that never managed to find the technical profiency to match their spectacular ideas and enthusiasm. For starters, Barry Andrews can't sing. He just rhymes in this menacing whisper. On their earlier albums, this worked since the band was playing moodier, funk-oriented music for goth clubs. By Go Bang!, their fifth, they opened up their sound, playing faster, louder and brighter. The lyrics are vapid and their cover of "Get Down Tonight" was a terrible idea.
SHRIEKBACK: The Dancing Years (1990, **)
This is an Island compilation of material from their first four albums, including extended or alternate mixes. Shriekback's strongest moment was their first, the thumping single "My Spine (is the Bass Line)," though there are many other great songs, such as "Feelers," "Everything That Rises" and (of course), "Nemesis," which I probably like as much for its comic-related origin (it's inspired by a series in 2000 AD) as its actuality. The packaging is cheap and nasty.
SHRIEKBACK: Priests and Kanibals -- The Best of... (1994, **)
Despite the stupid spelling, this is a superior compilation. There are 17 tracks, four of them extended mixes. The packaging isn't much better than The Dancing Years, but it contains full production notes.
THE 6THS: Hyaciths and Thistles (2000, ***)
The second release from another of Stephin Merritt's side-bands, this album features a host of guest vocalists singing his songs. Among the excellent performances: Katharine Whalen, Bob Mould, Clare Grogan, Neil Hannon and a surprisingly good Gary Numan. Melanie sings "I've Got New York" to the accompaniment of a toy piano. Marc Almond's contribution is surprisingly ordinary.
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS: "Tonight, Tonight" CD single (1996, UK #7, US #36)
The lead is from their 1995 album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness; it's teamed with three otherwise unavailable tunes.
THE PATTI SMITH GROUP: Easter (1978, UK #16, US #20, *****)
This belongs in a museum as well as every rock lover's collection. It's an angry, thrilling work from 1978 that doesn't pull any punches, rocks louder than anything and is constantly thrilling. Angry, bitter and hurt, Patti put together one of the most powerful, mean records of all time. "Because the Night" might be beautiful, but it's offset by the bile of "Spacemonkey" and "Rock and Roll Nigger." Approach with caution, but definitely approach.
THE SMITHS: The Queen is Dead (1986, UK #2, US #70, *****)
THE SMITHS: Singles (1995, UK #5, ***)
Exactly what the title promises and nothing more, the 18 singles on this album represent some of the most powerful, moving material of the 1980s, and the simple packaging's pretty effective. Essential.
SNEAKER PIMPS: Becoming X (1996, UK #27, ***)
Very listenable slow electronic studio stuff, including the oppressive 1997 radio hit "6 Underground" and several other bits of bad mood. Among the very well-done samples, listen for the excellent treatment of David Sylvian's "Let the Happiness In" in the stunning "Waterbaby."
SOFT CELL: The Singles (1986, UK #58, ***)
All 11 A-sides in order, along with an essay, but no photos. Fufills most of the rules about this sort of thing.
SPICE GIRLS: Spice (1996, UK #1, ***)
Excellent post-Bananarama dance pop, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. Anthems and ballads mix beautifully and the girls provide exactly what they promise -- brainless fun -- and nothing more or less.
SPICE GIRLS: Spiceworld (1998, UK #1, ***)
Very much more of the same. This doesn't break any new ground, but it's flawless dance pop. Mind you, the silly "Lady is a Vamp" may have a few flaws, but for perfect pop and girl power, this '97 album, released to tie in with their wondrously dumb feature film, won't disappoint.
SPICE GIRLS: "Spice Up Your Life" CD single (1998, UK #1)
Three very short (under 3 minutes!) remixes of the stomping lead track, plus the quite embarassing "Spice Invaders."
SPICE GIRLS: "Too Much" CD single (1998, UK #1)
Three short mixes of this fair song from Spice World and "Outer Space Girls," not included on the LP.
SPICE GIRLS: "Goodbye" CD single (1999, UK #1)
Sort of the "covers" EP. The lead is the first post-Geri track, a mammoth Christmas hit that stayed on the British charts for six months. It's teamed with a studio take of "Christmas Wrapping" and "lemmehearyasing" live versions of "Sisters are Doin' it For Themselves" and "We are Family."
SPONGE: Rotting Pinata(***)
Power grunge? This starts with the monotonous "Pennywheels," which bodes ill, but picks up quickly and furiously for some furious and fast-paced numbers like "Plowed," which might be the best single of 1994, "Molly" and the strong title track.
LISA STANSFIELD: The #1 Remixes (EP) (***)
EP my ass! There are nine songs on this 65-minute compilation. It features seven bass-heavy techno mixes of four songs that reached #1 on the Billboard club chart throughout 1997 and 1998, along with two other tracks. Neither version of "Never Never Gonna Give You Up" (which is why I bought this) is as good as the radio version.
RINGO STARR: Ringo (1973, UK #7, US #2, **)
Happy Beatlesphiles tend to hold this album up as one of the best post-1970 records by any of the Fab Four. Maybe they should lower it. With one-and-a-half good songs, it's nothing special. "Photograph" is a damn good US chart topper, and "Six O'Clock" sports a fantastic lyric by Paul McCartney, which is sadly ruined by an intrusive, dated and laughable Moog synth. The rest is all denim, weed, session horn players with fuzzy beards, and incredibly simple chord changes. If only Ringo's crowning moment, the brilliant 1971 single "It Don't Come Easy," had been added to the album (leading side two), then contemporary audiences would find this a lot more palatable.
THE STONE ROSES: The Stone Roses (1989, UK #19, US #89, *****)
In the US, we saw a very simple shift: late 80s hair metal was killed by the just-as-stupid Seattle grunge. Since hit songs stay on the charts for an eternity in America, there might as well not be any other truth. In England, however, dozens of fashions hit the charts at a time. In 1989, the Stone Roses picked up where My Bloody Valentine began, introducing pounding dance beats to muddy guitars and lyrics of desperation, and almost single-handedly knocked everything excessive and horrible about trendy, shoulder-padded 80s music dead with the echoing, distant torture of "I Wanna Be Adored." The Happy Mondays and the La's soon joined them, and for about four years, Britain was deep in a beautiful, shoegazing, E-fuelled, trip-hop guitar-driven dance revolution. Little of this music made an impact on American charts; our youth were too busy being dirty and miserable. Major UK labels cast about desperately for indie bands with baggy shirts, but only Lush came close to the yearning power the Roses wielded on their debut. Four years later, the Roses tried again but failed to find the same power and split. This album, however, remains defiantly iconoclastic and beautiful. Only an American, ignorant of music not endorsed by MTV and too stubborn to learn, would not include this on a list of the most influential albums of the last century.
THE SWIMMING POOL Q's: The Deep End (1981, ***)
If only the Q's had come from any other city but Atlanta, they might have been huge. Since this city has always ignored its musical talent, they were lost and buried: a new wave guitar pop act in a city where Boston and Styx ruled the radio. Nevertheless, fans of other regional acts of the early 80s would do well to check out DB Records' 2001 reissue, which adds 12 great bonus tracks and a mammoth booklet, to see what the competition was like back in the day. (It was pretty damn good!)
SWING OUT SISTER: It's Better to Travel (1987, UK #1, US #39, ****)
They should have been enormous; they had to settle with merely being great. Swing Out Sister still struggle from the specter of the perfect 1987 pop single "Breakout," incredibly retro but outrageously modern. "Twilight World" also charted in America and "Surrender" hit the dance charts. Corrine Drewery and her Louise Brooks-bob made the fashion spreads, but they sadly saw chart success decline after this wonderful worldwide hit.
SWING OUT SISTER: Get in Touch With Yourself (1992, UK #27, US #113, **)
They perfect their "adult mod" sound on this third album in 1992, the last one to achieve any real chart indentation. The cover of "Am I the Same Girl" is fantastic. Other great tracks include "Circulate" and "Who Let the Love Out."
SWING OUT SISTER: "Not Gonna Change" CD single (1992, UK #87)
Two mixes of the lead, plus the lengthy and interesting "Alone."
SWING OUT SISTER: Shapes and Patterns (1997, ***)
Their fifth album, from 1997, was a minor critical success but didn't nudge any charts anywhere. Strong writing, good tunes...it seems to come from some weird world where Burt Bachrach is still a huge success on AM radio. I like it, anyway.
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