As the follow up album to Oxygene, Equinoxe offers the same mesmerising affect, with rapid spinning sequencer washes and bubbling synthesizer portions all lilting back and forth to stardust scatterings of electronic pastiches. Using more than 13 different types of synthesizers, Jarre combines whirling soundscapes of multi-textured effects, passages, and sometimes suites to culminate interesting electronic atmospheres. Never repeating the same sounds twice, it is obvious that the science fiction hype of the late 70's played a large part in the making of this album. Computerised rhythms and keyboard-soaked transitions scurry by, replaced by even quicker, more illustrious ones soon after. There is always a pulsating beat or a fluttering tempo happening somewhere in each of the tracks, which are titled as a numbered sequence one to eight. Each track harbours its own energy and electronic fleetness, but none are identical in sound or pace. So much electronic colour is added to every track that it is impossible to concentrate on any particular segment, resulting in waves of synth drowning the ears at high tide. -Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide.

The greatest live recording in rock & roll history was-officially, at least-buried in the vaults of Columbia Records for more than a quarter of a century. But no more: Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert has surfaced on two discs mixed and mastered from three-track source tapes that put the myriad pirated recordings to shame. More important, Live 1966 documents a momentous artistic showdown between a wilful, inflamed and utterly fearless performer and his headstrong core following. The Dylan of the mid 1960s had made the leap from socially conscious voice of his generation to surrealistic electric poet, a transformation that was met with contempt by a vocal element of his audience. The most telling moment of the recording centres on the stand-off: A folk zealot in the audience shouts, "Judas!" earning cheers from the contentious crowd. Dylan responds by snarling, "I don't believe you. You're a liar," then turns to his group, the Hawks (soon to become the Band), and, as the intro to "Like a Rolling Stone" takes shape, commands, "Play loud!" A crucial moment and, time has demonstrated, the correct call. -Steven Stolder.

Terrific sales of their independent Cheshire Cat got Blink-182 signed to a major label (MCA) for 1997's Dude Ranch, which led to US radio hits ("Dammit" and "Josie") and platinum sales. No "sell-out" on the band's part, though, as Dude Ranch simply features another infectious collection of snotty vocals, punchy rhythms, vivid lyrics, and aggressive chords. San Diego producer Mark Trombino shines some of the scuffed edges, but this is still good ol' Blink at its sunny, effervescent best. Nice "emocore" spoof here ("Emo"), plus an odd knack for crafting bass-lines that recall-seriously!-New Order, and vocal harmonies that owe debts to the Beach Boys. -Mark Woodlief.

Straddling the gap stylistically and historically between the cut-and-paste acid house of Bomb the Bass and the big-beat explosion, this U. K. DJ duo fashioned recognizable samples from established classics into equally exciting contemporary dance singles. "What Can You Do for Me" mates Gwen Guthrie with the Eurythmics, while "Something Good" lifts a hook from Kate Bush's "Cloudbusting" (the first time she approved such a usage). Both those club hits appear on the Saints' sole full-length to date, rounded out by notable tracks including a shockingly traditional rendition of Simple Minds' "New Gold Dream" and "Trance Atlantic Glide" (designed to be spun at either 33 or 45 rpm). - Kurt B. Reighley.

Each of Harvey's previous albums has been a distinct affair. She has taken steps forward not only in forging her sound but also in exploring the wealthy veins of rock and roll. So on first listen, Is This Desire? seems almost disappointing, very close to same dark, woozy and bluesy musical territory she staked out on To Bring You My Love. But it's been said that though good stories can be read once, great stories must be read twice. In that spirit, this album, beautifully complex and subtly shaded, deserves a few revisitations. A recommendation: spend a few nonstop hours with Is This Desire?. It will change you. -Tod Nelson.

Alongside Ghost, another romantic comedy drama, Pretty Woman dominated the box office of 1990. The movie revitalised Richard Gere's career, and made a superstar of Julia Roberts, launching her on a string of hugely successful romantic comedies including My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), Notting Hill (1999), and, reuniting her with Gere and Pretty Woman director, Garry Marshall, The Runaway Bride (1999). Inevitably the movie's theme song is Roy Orbison's "Oh Pretty Woman", sounding fresh as ever. And if that is a typically male view of feminine attractions, Natalie Cole tells the other side of the story with the unrepentant "Wild Women Do". David Bowie provides an update of one of his greatest hits, with "Fame 90" and Robert Palmer describes "Life In Detail". The remainder of the album is a snapshot of up-and-coming acts at the beginning of the 90s, with Go West's massive hit, "King Of Wishful Thinking" and Roxette's chart smash "It Must Have Been Love" setting the agenda for slick, well produced power-pop. As nostalgia for the time just before dance took over the charts, or simply as a highly polished souvenir of one of the most popular movies ever made, Pretty Woman requires, as Peter Cetera appropriately adds, "No Explanation". -Gary S. Dalkin.

Back in the '80s and '90s, Richard Thompson could be depended upon to release a well-crafted collection of Celtic-influenced folk-rock every few years. But when he left Capitol after 1999's Mock Tudor, Thompson headed off on side projects, all of typically high quality, but not the solo albums his established cult expected. Those fans can now rejoice, because on Sweet Warrior Thompson roars back with his first electric set of originals since 2003, and it's a winner. As the disc's title implies, he revisits the familiar territory of love as a battlefield in these 14 originals. The concept is emphasized by a liner photo of the singer/songwriter in army gear and camouflage flanked by two beautiful women planting kisses on either cheek. Supported by longtime backing cohorts, the guitarist adds to his six-string talents with occasional mandolin, autoharp, accordion, and even organ, all used as icing on a cake of tunes that further refine his established style. Perhaps the most startling song is the viciously anti-war "Dad's Going to Kill Me," about a soldier stationed in Baghdad (the "Dad" of the title), wondering if he will survive another day. "Guns are the Tongues" finds Thompson telling the tragic tale of a young man enticed by a woman's charms ending up as a suicide-bombing terrorist. Thompson's dramatic guitar solos are kept on low boil, occasionally bubbling up but never hogging the spotlight. They are, along with his distinctive vocals, actors in a play of characteristically classy tunes that will thrill Thompson's fans, who have been waiting for just such a set of literate and challenging music from a musician who never delivers less. [+]

Eno first emerged as a member of Roxy Music, where the synthesizer player electronically "treated" the band's other instruments, the first indicator that the recording process was itself Eno's chosen instrument. His subsequent career has been one of the most provocative in pop, for not only did he devote himself to such obscure pursuits as "ambient music," but he produced vital albums by David Bowie, Talking Heads, and U2. Eno made a handful of relatively conventional pop albums in the 1970s, and Another Green World ranks with Before and After Science as his most enduring solo work. Another Green World finds Eno mixing distorted guitars (courtesy of Robert Fripp) with a variety of keyboards and exotic rhythms to create a meditative wash of sound that is nonetheless awash with colourful touches. Particularly appealing is the bubbling "St Elmo's Fire", with a stunning guitar part by Fripp, and "I'll Come Running", in which Eno shows that even a dedicated experimentalist can have a soft heart. From the strange-but-true file, Phil Collins contributes drums and percussion to three tracks. -John Milward.

Emmylou Harris's formula has been to match a crack crew of left-of-centre country players with an assortment of tasteful tunes and head into the studio with a non-intrusive producer. Now and then (most notably the 1980 bluegrass collection Roses in the Snow), she tampers with her basic blueprint and comes up with something exceptional. Wrecking Ball is one of those. Daniel Lanois's radiant production no longer seems as fresh as it did on albums by U2, Peter Gabriel and Bob Dylan, but here its hum enfolds Harris like an electric blanket. Lanois's usual recruits, including U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr, and New Orleans regulars Malcolm Burn, Brian Blade, and Daryl Johnson, lay down a solid base for Harris's weary vocals and Lanois's buzzing guitar. At its core, Wrecking Ball seems almost too finely calculated. Hot producer plus sought-after songwriters plus venerated performer frequently totals on deadly bore. Here, however, all that calculation adds up to something. -Steven Stolder.