Pulp -- This Is Hardcore

  These guys were around forever before hitting any kinda success, I'll give it to them for not throwing in the towel.  This Is Harcore is the follow up to the hit record A Different Class, with this they take a different approach to their music, instead of trendy dance pop licks, they try to emulate Gainsbourg's Melody Nelson.  Question is how well do they pull it off, I'd say it's ok, but they could hardly out do or compete with the master himself. 

Blur -- 13

  Fueled by the muse junkie, heroin driven scene bicycle Elastica's front woman Justine Frischmann who turns boys into addicts with her charisma, charm and smack.  Blur's 13 showcases a darker angrier side to a usually cutesy pootsy poppy boy band.  What I like about this album is that Blur steps away from the Britpop comfort zone and starts going towards American style Indie Rock, the prime hit examples are Mudhoney-esque Bugman and Sebadoh-ish Coffee and TV.  As a whole it sounds like pretty boys trying to be hard-ass American junkies while finding some chops and discovering manhood.

Lush -- Gala

  A collection of Lush's early EPs when they started off as an ok, no surprises, run of the mill, Shoegaze band.  In the latter part of their career, which starts off the album, they start to mix in elements of Dream Pop and that's where they really shine.  Unfortunately this band sold out and jumped on the Brit Pop lame-train in the mid-nineties to finish off their career, no pun intended.     

The Police -- Synchronicity

  Man, so many people love the sh*t out of this band, I get it, they are technical masters, but really, the music is so lame and cheesy it totally forfeits whatever talent they have.  

Ennio Morricone -- Les Meilleures Bandes Sonares De Ses Films

  This best of LP from the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone is hardly a good showcase of his most brilliant work.  Side one features some of his western scores with director Sergio Leone, personally I was hoping to hear some of my favorite memorable numbers, unfortunately most of them were not present.  Side two was a total f*cking debacle of garbage, probably taken from his lesser known works.  All in all it was fun to hear some of these songs on my turntable, but I think the bargain basement label who put together this compilation couldn't afford the good stuff.  

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

  Classic Synth-Pop group OMD.  These guys are primarily known for their dance club mega hit Electricity, but the sax driven Mystereality is the real piece of brilliant work. 

The Yardbirds -- Shapes Of Things

  This compilation spans most of the Yardbirds career, featuring their slew of luminary guitarists, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.  These guys have more in commune with, and influenced, the American Garage Rock and 60's Punk scene, rather than their British Invader contemporaries.  This band served as a stepping stone to the future of the music scene by showing us the Shapes Of Things to come!