Possibly the kitschiest band of the 1980s (as Joy Division was for the 1970s), Tears for Fears turned out a small treasury of well-crafted songs during their heyday and helped to define a genre that everybody recognises, but nobody can name. "John Hughes movie pop" comes close, but somebody should find something more apt. Tears Fall Down collects all their best and adds a scattering of good album cuts. The original albums will still hold some delights after this, but they won't be required listening. If you want more Tears for Fears, check out their strong, though under-appreciated, later work like 1996's Saturnine Martial & Lunatic. -Gavin McNett.

Homegrown soul produced by Trevor Horn and including the pop hit "Look of Love", The Lexicon of Love is bursting with hooks, clever lyrics and synthetic funk-inspired grooves that hold up better than most others from the early 1980s. ABC leader Martin Frey sings with a histrionic despair, at once naive and cynical, and all dressed up by horn and string sections that feel positively overwhelming. Such larger-than-life arrangements may seem over-the-top to some listeners, but as the soundtrack to a lexicon of love-how else would you expect it to sound? -David Cantwell.

Perhaps the most interesting decade in her career, GHV2 is a selection of the best songs from 1992's Erotica to Music in 2000. Throughout the 1990s, Madonna was well publicised for trying her hand at anything musical together with setting new styles and standards in pop fashion. GHV2 highlights her diversity as it shifts from the "In Bed with Madonna" period with tunes such as "Erotica" and "Deeper & Deeper" to the William Orbit and Mirwais phases of her last two albums by way of the Lloyd Webber musical, Evita. Fans of Music or Ray of Light who were not Madonna fans from back in the day may find the latter half of the album less easy going as it does not possess the quirkiness of her later material nor the cheesy but highly accessible quality of older tunes as featured on the first Greatest Hits, The Immaculate Collection. Nevertheless, there is far more to Madonna than cowboys and ultra-trendy producers; each of the 15 tracks featured here are definitely the pick of her five albums from this golden period. -David Trueman.

Elton John doesn't seem like a natural choice to write for a Disney musical, but he rose to the task on The Lion King, transcending his usual penchant for the softest of soft rock. Sir Elton's collaboration with Tim Rice (former writing partner of Andrew Lloyd Webber) helps connect the soundtrack to the theatrical lineage of all Disney musicals-so much so that, like Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King was eventually adapted for Broadway. Undistinguished songs like "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" are far outnumbered by stirring, stately tunes that lent the film so much of its sense of pageant and play. -John Sanchez.

The premise was simple. Bruce Springsteen invites a dozen or so New York City musicians-packing banjos, fiddles, accordions and the like-to his New Jersey farmhouse for a three-day hootenanny and leaves the tape rolling. The results are sublime, his 21st album featuring their versions of songs harvested from Springsteen's dog-eared LPs by Pete Seeger. Not all written by Seeger, the songs are how the American folk icon interpreted them, and these organic recordings, with no rehearsals or overdubs, pay tribute with the simplicity and spontaneity he intended. It's not hard to link Springsteen's dissatisfaction with American politics to the protest song "We Shall Overcome" or even the Irish ballad "Mrs McGrath," where he alters the lyrics to read, "I'd rather have my son as he used to be/Than the King of America and his whole navy. " But the beauty of these Seeger Sessions are pieces that underscore the mood of the bandleader, which borders on down-home amusement: the bluegrass outlaw ballad "Jesse James," the Dylanesque "Pay Me My Money Down" and the euphoric "Jacob's Ladder," a gumbo-and-whiskey-fueled romp that could pass for the closing hymn at the Church of Asbury Park. -Scott Holter.

So is generally regarded as a peak in Gabriel's recording career, notable both for its solid set of songs and lush yet musically sound production. For Gabriel, who'd put his music in theatrical contexts ever since his days with Genesis, the modern sound of So (co-produced with Daniel Lanois) was itself a dramatic conceit that effectively played off the more organic roots of many of its songs. The album's big hit was "Sledgehammer", the English rocker's somewhat stilted take on the Stax/Volt style of rhythm and blues. Gabriel was much more powerful on his own art- rock songs, such as "Red Rain", which evoked nuclear ruin with its cascading rush of guitars and synthesizers. "Don't Give Up" is perhaps Gabriel's best ballad, with Kate Bush's heavenly second vocal enough to give anybody encouragement. But the song that best exploited So's blend of technology and soul is "In Your Eyes", a beguiling rhythmic tapestry in which Gabriel duets with Youssou N'dour. - John Milward.

Nebraska is a cruel landscape of serial killers, shady deals, jobless workers pushed to the edge, brothers who finally just look the other way. Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and little else, Bruce Springsteen mixes together his own Jersey mythology with bits of Woody Guthrie, the Delmore Brothers and country blues to produce among the most emotionally crippling roots rock ever caught on tape. "What does it mean", Springsteen moans plaintively, "(that) at the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe?" He has no answer but if there's any hope at all here, it's that his characters are still asking the question. -David Cantwell.

Singer Michael Stipe finally confesses that even he doesn't know what he's trying to say-among the lines flying by are "tryin' to tell you something we don't know" and "there's something going on that's not quite right. " But R. E. M. 's roar is at its sharpest, as Peter Buck's guitars twist up surf riffs and the Bill Berry-Mike Mills rhythm section captures the force of forebears Big Star and the Byrds. After half a decade of American college-rock heroism, R. E. M. achieved its first hit album thanks to the rambling "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and the gentle (but subtly barbed) "The One I Love". -Steve Knopper.

Balancing raw power with shades of vulnerability, Gaye rose to the top of Motown's roster without the benefit of a supporting vocal group. Whether singing love songs or social commentary, Gaye's voice displays an earnestness and sincerity that are a soul singer's most potent weapons. Among these 47 hits are his memorable duets with Mary Wells, Kim Weston and Tammi Terrell along with Motown staples such as "Can I Get a Witness", "How Sweet It Is", "Ain't That Peculiar" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". This set also covers socially conscious 1970s originals such as "What's Going On", "Mercy, Mercy Me" and "Inner City Blues". Only his last hit, "Sexual Healing", is left out. -Marc Greilsamer.

Being, as she is, the daughter of prominent British actor Keith Allen, the cynics could easily dismiss the rise of Lily Allen as an act of backroom nepotism, talent-free starlet helped to the stage by the right connections. One listen to her debut album Alright, Still, dispels any doubts about young Ms Allen's star quality. Possessed of a feisty wit and taste for urban storytelling that should see her compared to Mike "The Streets" Skinner, these eleven tracks of sunshine-friendly reggae pop cover topics including frustrating potential closing-time suitors ("Knock `Em Out"), being happy when your ex is having a bad time ("Smile"), and having a little brother who likes a bit of a smoke-and not just of the tobacco variety ("Alfie"). Wisely, however, Allen doesn't let the grittiness of the subject matter tarnish the golden pop suss of the songs, a suite of gleaming productions by names including Mark Ronson and Gwen Stefani collaborator Greg Kurstin that take inspiration from at the lighter end of reggae and vintage rocksteady. Doubtless some corners of the press will pillory her as a poor role model, but there's an engaging honesty to the likes of "LDN" - a love song to a city filled with teenage muggers, pimps and crackwhores, narrated by someone who's cycling because "the filth took away my license". Like father, like daughter. -Louis Pattison.

Disintegration is a pop album realised on an epic scale. Most of its 12 songs are long mood pieces that develop slowly around the listener. Anchored by complex drum patterns, the layered guitars, soaring bass lines and rich keyboards blend to create a lush, evocative soundscape that captures the ear immediately; and for all its length, the album is never boring. The lyrical focus is intensely personal throughout, and, with the exception of "Love Song", the mood is overwhelmingly dark and brooding. Here are songs of remembrance that, through their deep candor, transcend the individual level to explore universal longings and fears. Robert Smith, his vocals plaintive or angry or despairing, unfolds a tapestry of loss. Broken bonds, old lies, missed opportunities, belated realisations. Anyone who has experienced the joy and sorrow-especially the sorrow-of love will find his or her deepest sentiments, noble and petty alike, echoed poetically here. -Al Massa.

Considering that Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, the English duo known as Tears for Fears, were avid followers of Arthur Janov, father of the Primal Scream form of mental therapy, it wasn't surprising that one of their biggest hits was titled "Shout". What was surprising was how the two managed to take all their deep- rooted inner turmoil and make such positively buoyant music. Case in point: their other Songs From the Big Chair-spawned, No. 1 hit, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", was a meditative contemplation of the struggle for power within interpersonal relationships as a metaphor for global supremacy-which, thank god, had a good beat so you could at least dance to it. -Billy Altman.

You Could Have it So Much Better, the second album from Mercury Music Prize winners Franz Ferdinand is pretty much everything a band's second record should be: an assured, endearingly cocky return that builds on the strengths of its predecessor, and importantly, brings a few more tricks to the table. Beyond hipster quips and hedonism, however, Franz are busy expanding their emotional palette. "Walk Away" is a fragile indie soul piece, Alex Kapranos cooing "mascara bleeds into my eyes" over a tune reminiscent of London garage rockers The Flaming Stars (although it also features references to Mao-Tse Tung and Hitler, so don't be too quick to pin this one as a love song). Meanwhile, "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" nods to Dylan and Revolver-era Beatles, suggesting an urge to capture hearts beyond the dancefloor. All the same, though, a fabulous return. -Louis Pattison More to Explore See more music by Franz Ferdinand Play Guitar with Franz Ferdinand (Guitar Tab) Franz Ferdinand (CD) Franz Ferdinand ~ Nicholas Artsrunik (Paperback) See more Franz products.

Never underestimate Madonna's power of persuasion: by nearly all critical accounts, Ray of Light, Madonna's first album of new material since 1994's Bedtime Stories, and her first since motherhood, is her richest, most accomplished record yet. While Ray of Light is being tagged as Madonna's big leap into electronica, it's important to note two things: first, her music has always had close ties to dance culture, and, second, her collaborator William Orbit is no Chemical Brother. Though it has all the latest blips, bleeps, and crackles electronica has to offer, Ray of Light is still largely an adult album, completely within Madonna's realm. Still, Orbit's tasteful sonic constructions provide Madonna with her most adventurous, hippest musical backdrop ever. What's more, the arrangements and production are understated enough to highlight an even bigger development: fresh from singing lessons on the Evita set, Madonna's vocal range, depth, and clarity have never been stronger. But larger pipes don't necessarily make for deeper, truer music. Never a master lyricist, Madonna's words have worked best when they've practically been slogans ("Vogue," "Express Yourself"). This time she goes for more emotional depth, and even tries her hand at ethno-techno-mysticism ("Shanti/Ashtangi"). She largely stumbles, however. The tone conveyed on songs like "Nothing Really Matters" is a self-centred pat on the back that belies her claim to a newly found altruism. [+]

Even those who customarily dismiss Elton John as a somewhat bland and sentimental balladeer would find much to admire in Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the best album he has ever made. The track listing reads like an early Greatest Hits collection; it contains not only the original version of "Candle In The Wind" but such raucous and gleeful songs as "Bennie And The Jets", "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" and "Your Sister Can't Twist (But She Can Rock 'n' Roll)". From the impassioned opening medley of "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" to the gentle closer, "Harmony", there are few duff moments among these 17 tracks. "All The Young Girls Love Alice" is a savage but wry tale of lesbian exploitation, and the title song is just short of lovely. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is both a joy for fans and a genuine surprise for the uninitiated. -David Bennun.