One of the greatest and most underrated electro-pop acts of the 1980s, Erasure seem to have let slip the crown of pop greatness with recent albums-so Hits!, an updated "Very Best Of", is more than welcome, lest we forget how fantastic they once were. Oddly, although Vince and Andy have easily released enough singles by now for a double-CD compilation, Hits has been pared down to a single CD, presumably to appeal to mainstream nostalgia-obsessed audiences. If that's the case, however, the choice of tracks is an odd one, as some of their best singles-such as "Who Needs Love Like That", "The Circus" and "Drama!"-have been overlooked in favour of lesser but more recent "hits" such as the anaemic "Freedom" and their recent "Solsbury Hill" cover. It's not all bad, of course-the first two-thirds of the album does exactly what it says on the tin, providing quality pop for the best part of an hour-but, overall, this is a disappointingly unnecessary compilation; those in search of a quality Erasure best-of would be far better off investing in 1992's Pop! The First 20 Hits. -Rikki Price.

It's easy to dismiss the music of this cute, vegan, bare-pated relative of Herman Melville, especially if you don't actually listen to the music and focus instead on his ultra-PC interview style or the manner in which he sold dozens of songs to commercials and film soundtracks back in Y2K. But to do so is to knee-jerkedly miss out on some very fine and innovative music by one of the most influential musicians of the last decade. With the exception of two tracks (one of them the title tune), Go is a best-of from the years that Moby's been on the V2 label, from 1999's breakthrough hit Play onward. But Play-with its uncanny reworking of field recordings with playful beats and ambient textures-remains the artist's finest moment. A full disc of remixes and a smattering of unreleased songs (including a rad new number with Debbie Harry on guest vocals) make this an essential purchase for rabid fans. And, as a judicious selection of Play-era material is included alongside the finest songs from Moby's subsequent albums, 18 and Hotel, this is also the perfect entry point for the more casual fan. -Mike McGonigal.

A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rogers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure's full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like "Blue Savannah" with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting "Ship of Fools", and the campy, raucous "Love to Hate You" all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and centre here with "Oh L'Amour" and the audience participation number "Stop!", but the beautifully crafted "Sometimes" shows the band's true potential. The irrepressible melody line is punctuated by an acoustic riff and a melancholy trumpet solo that actually has to do its best to keep up with Bell's warm lament. An indispensable collection. -Steve Gdula A singles band if ever there was one, the hits on Pop make the duo of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke of Erasure sound like the Rogers & Hammerstein of synth-pop disco. With the exception of The Circus and The Innocents albums, most of Erasure's full lengths house only a few brief moments of brilliance, the rest of the songs being limp and uninspired. But putting songs like "Blue Savannah" with its sweeping loveliness, the haunting "Ship of Fools," and the campy, raucous "Love to Hate You" all on the same disc shows that when Erasure is on, they shine like a thousand-carat tiara. The energetic and electronic disco is front and center here with "Oh L'Amour" and the audience participation number "Stop!," but the beautifully crafted "Sometimes" shows the band's true potential. [+]

Effectively the solo project of New York based DJ and producer Andy Butler, with the help of some interesting friends, Hercules and Love Affair is , unlikely though it sounds, the point where classic disco meets classical myth-the title apparently refers to the legendary hero's fondness for his own sex. Although co-produced by LCD Soundsystem's Tim Goldsworthy, Hercules and Love Affair is a flightier, more hedonistic proposition, filled with echoes of long gone clubs and ghosts of the pre-AIDS glory days of New York's gay scene. Yet it celebrates rather than mourns the past as a series of guest vocalists leave their mark, Antony Hegarty the most familiar. The terrific, irresistible single "Blind", reportedly some four years in gestation, stands out but the wistfully positive "Raise Me Up" isn't far behind, Hegarty's inimitably sad tones incongruously juxtaposed with a gleeful arrangement. Though even his voice has a hard battle with the lift from Frankie Knuckles's classic "Your Love" which underpins the opener "Time Will". The spaced out jazz of "This Is My Love", sung by Butler himself, the dizzily ecstatic house of "You Belong", the purest of flashbacks, and Kim Ann's vocal turn on the elegant "Athene" are other highlights on a remarkably assured and entertaining first effort. This year won't see a better example of danceable melancholy than Hercules and Love Affair. -Steve Jelbert.

Not to be confused with his equally eponymous but rather less fine second album. Seal towered briefly over the scene in the early nineties-latecomer to pop, he co-wrote and sang on Adamski's sublime "Killer", bringing a rare touch of Marvin Gaye-style gravitas to the otherwise E-driven and perishable techno scene. His debut album was equally stately, benefiting from producer Trevor Horn's trademark epic flourishes and funky bombast, with Seal's hoarse vocals and impassioned lyrics taking on the entire, broken world. "Deep Water", for instance, was a spiritual/eco-lament inspired by the fate of some dolphins who found themselves washed up in the Thames where the water pollution killed them. This conscientious cri de coeur was echoed in "The Beginning" and "Crazy", pop music that dared to shed a serious tear. After this, unfortunately, Seal went all MOR-shaped. -David Stubbs.

Moby may have stolen his thunder on Play but St Germain, aka Ludovic Navarre, has been showcasing his futuristic nous and love of roots music by funking up the 4/4 electronic world with a little blues and gospel since the early 90s. After his F-Communications swan song, From Detroit To St Germain in 98, Navarre worked with a host of great session musicians for this, his major label debut. Tourist, his first album for the legendary Blue Note label, certainly justifies the continuing hype. A perfectly formed melodic journey of eclectic and idiosyncratic deep house that mixes blues, latin percussion and, of course, jazz without the noodle factor, Tourist is likely to generate as much head-nodding as dancing down your local groove emporium. The tracks range from the straight-ahead blues cut, "Rose Rouge" to the aptly titled "So Flute", an Afrobeat percussive shin-dig with a wondrous flute riff. "Latin Note", a funky latin stomper, reminiscent of Nuyorican Soul/Masters At Work is packed full of minor chords, smashing beats and off-the wall dynamics. Elsewhere, Navarre proves himself a master of suspense and beat-heavy poignancy, "Pont Des Arts" combines a carnival spirit with a monster piano groove, whereas "What You Think About" would have made Roy Ayers circa "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" very happy. Tourist is the kind of album that is put on at a fantastic, idyllic beach bar stereo at sunset and then constantly looped, a future classic. -Kate Nafolo.

A key record of the 1990s, Exit Planet Dust invented the big-beat style that dominated British dance music in the second half of the decade, and it still sounds superb in its own right. Skull-crunching hip-hop loops, fuzz guitar, insistently repetitive spoken samples and thunderous basslines make up the blueprint for one of the most instantly energising albums ever recorded. Many of the titles-"Chemical Beats", "Fuck Up Beats", "Chico's Groove"-are fairly self-explanatory. Others show a level of erudite humour; "Song To The Siren" filches the name of a Tim Buckley ballad for a track more in keeping with the mysteries of a car alarm, while "One Too Many Mornings" is nothing that Bob Dylan would recognise in a hurry. Collaborations with Beth Orton ("Alive Alone") and the Charlatans' Tim Burgess ("Life Is Sweet") add human voices to the brilliant mechanical formula. -David Bennun For years before the release of Exit Planet Dust, the production duo of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons were cranking out slabs of the biggest sounds around on the U. K. label Junior Boys' Own. Before screeching guitars and massive breakdowns were par for the course in dance music, they were unleashing monsters like "Chemical Beats" and "Song to the Siren"; their distorted beats and rock mentality were years ahead of their time. And, not surprisingly, they still hold up today, collected and rereleased, along with several newer tracks, on Exit Planet Dust. [+]

Managing-sort of-to keep within the Pet Shop Boys tradition of one-word album titles, the moniker of this latest best-of, PopArt, is typical of the band-arrogant and somewhat pretentious yet also tongue-in-cheek and slyly self-aware. All the 35 tracks on these two CDs are indeed both pop and art and rather than being in chronological order have been split in fairly arbitrary fashion across a "Pop" and, erm, an "Art" disc. The band are doubtless well aware that much heated discussion will take place among fans about which track belongs where, and indeed, as evidenced on the commentary of the accompanying DVD, squabbled about the splits themselves when compiling this release. Philosophical debates aside, this is an absolutely essential collection for anyone who enjoys the Pet Shop Boys' unique mix of bittersweet poignancy, archness and occasional high camp-or indeed for any discerning pop (or art) fan. Encompassing almost all their single releases (only "Was It Worth It?" and "How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?" are missing), this is a glorious retrospective of one of Britain's finest pop institutions. Let's hope there are another 35 singles half this good for a quadruple box set in another 18 years' time. -Rikki Price.