It begins with a twittering of birdsong lifted from "Across The Universe". And once the triple-tracked a capella harmonies of "Because" enter, followed by snatches from "A Hard Day's Night" and "The End", leading into a fired-up "Get Back", it becomes obvious that this is far more than just another Beatles compilation. This is "Love", conceived by the Fabs' former producer George Martin and son Giles as a stageshow soundtrack to Cirque de Soleil's Las Vegas spectacular of the same name, but appears to have taken on a life of its own. Where The Beatles' last release 1 delivered the (over?) familiar hits in a nice simple package, this is a mélange of the familiar and obscure, all literally mixed together in one 78-minute audio collage which succeeds in reminding the listener just why The Beatles truly are, as Lennon put it "toppermost of the poppermost". There's no new Beatles material per se, but the songs are all approached differently-some are cut together in a flawlessly mixed medley (check out the "Mr Kite/I Want You/Helter Skelter" moment), some reassemble different backing tracks and vocal performances to create new spins on old classics, but all the songs are revitalized considerably. Even in its weakest moments (which probably work better in the context of the show itself), it's still a formidable prospect, and one has to admire Martin's willingness to go out on a limb with such a project. While purists may complain that the cut'n'paste nature of the project is simply tampering with perfection, at the very least it'll make them reach for the originals and enjoy them all over again. For newcomers and everyone else, it makes a fine listen, both in its sonic clarity (the actual tracks are the best they've sounded on CD) and audacious nature. -Thom Allott.

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.

Dylan shows an unlikely innocence and a greater sense of the world around him on this 1976 follow-up to the more cynical and introspective Blood on the Tracks. Working with lyricist Jacques Levy, Dylan offers a work with rougher edges and greater urgency that is distinguished by the prominence of Scarlet Rivera's melancholy violin and Emmylou Harris's bare harmonies. The album features two of Dylan's famous wrongly accused-and-misunderstood-criminal sagas but truly peaks elsewhere. Exotic imagery meshes with simple melody on "Isis," one of Dylan's most appealing rambles. The droning piano and plodding drums propel a mystical journey that contains some of his most insightful (and most ridiculous) lyrics about paranoia, trust, betrayal, and, of course, desire. ("What drives me to you is what drives me insane. ") In the end Dylan shows no signs of being jaded by love's fickleness. Delicate and heartbreaking, the finale "Sara" is a gift to his ex-wife that eloquently recounts the wonders of a relationship, perhaps in an attempt to revive it. -Marc Greilsamer.

Widely credited with being the band who kicked off (and merged) the two sub-genres of punk-pop and geek rock, The Green Album is Weezer's attempt to wrestle back their crown from the upstart likes of Blink 182 and Wheatus. The Green Album, recorded nearly five years after their previous album, the widely ignored (but wholly excellent) Pinkerton, sees the band reunited with former Cars frontman Rik Ocasek, who produced their multi-platinum debut way back in 1994. The result is an album of catchy pop gems, more accessible than Pinkerton, and with a quicker pace and more sonic depth than Weezer. Though the high-pitched harmonies of former bassist Matt Sharp are missed (he left to focus on his own band, the Rentals), lead singer/songwriter Rivers Cuomo still has a way with an infectious hook and a sing-along chorus, especially on "Don't Let Go", "Photograph" and "Knockdown Drag Out". The album's first single, "Hash Pipe", kicks off with a bass-heavy, 70s-sounding metal riff, while "Island in the Sun" is as summery as its title suggests. At just over 30-minutes long, The Green Album may leave some listeners feeling a little cheated, but overall, this is a gem of an album, small yet perfectly formed. It is also a worthy return for a band whose influence is undeniable, if under appreciated. -Robert Burrow.

The great iconoclast of techno returns with a smooth, sacred and exhilarating record. Play's concoction of breakbeat rhythms, ambient mixology and inspired blues and gospel samples cry out across musical genres and histories, imparting a time-tested wisdom to beat-driven ears. Moby's devout faith-in both God and his own musical whims-give this approach a sort of legitimacy that another, less sincere artist would never have. That sincerity reverberates through the beats and instrumental eclecticism like a pulse. The soulful refrains and proclamations in "Find My Baby" and "Natural Blues" somehow nestle between straight-up dance-floor rave-ups ("Bodyrock") and melt-in-your-mouth ambience ("Inside") with an effortless grace. Moby reaches across his turntables and finds something pure-almost organic. In fact, the album feels more natural than techno is ever supposed to feel, more spiritual than DJs are supposed to be able to muster and more alive than it has any right to be. Check out the spellbinding compilation Natural Blues to hear the original source material from blues and spiritual singers such as Etta James, Vera Hall and BB King. -Matthew Cooke.

At this stage in a band's career a Mojo front cover would seem more likely than actually getting their old mojo back. And at 14 albums young, REM's longevity had been taken as a byword for pale compliance-in spite of a melodic obedience, last album Around the Sun lacked the emotional vigour of their key works and was presumed by many to be no more than a footnote in their decline. Here then is where they break all the rules. Accelerate is exceptionally loyal to its title and marks a hefty return to their Document-era heyday, when their Byrdsian post-punk was beefed up to suit the arenas they were then beginning to fill. There's even a new "end of the world" song to back up that assertion-the excitable Stooges/B52s love-in "I'm Gonna DJ" ("Death is pretty final/I'm collecting vinyl/I'm gonna DJ at the end of the world!"). Michael Stipe's voice splinters scattered emotional punctuation, Mike Mills is as ever REM's secret weapon, drilling out bass-lines like rapid CPR and achieving more with a single backing vocal than many lead singers manage over a whole album, while Peter Buck deals out memorable guitar twists a-go-go evoking amongst others The Who, The Small Faces and Neil Young. To summon a cliché, this really does sound like a band-and a band half their age at that-playing live in a room, packed full of all the fire and nuances needed to feel at home in a club or the stadiums they now more regularly inhabit. -James Berry.

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. [+]

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.

George Orwell's classic tale of totalitarianism, 1984, was the inspiration for a project that David Bowie hoped would further solidify his standing as a rock visionary. Bowie was a natural artist to helm a musical companion to Orwell's allegory, since his own music exhibits an innate alienation. The concept ultimately broke down, but the music didn't. "Rebel Rebel" has become a rock staple, while "Sweet Thing," "Candidate," and the forthright yet experimental title track (Bowie as puppet master) offer additional highlights. Still, despite such benchmarks and its conceptual flaws, Diamond Dogs is best listened to as a thematic collection. -Rob O'Connor.

All Things Must Pass was George Harrison's first release following the acrimonious falling apart of the Beatles. Co-produced by the unhinged genius that was Phil Spector, it features his biggest solo hit in the "He's So Fine"-soundalike, "My Sweet Lord". Alongside a laid-back strum through Bob Dylan's "If Not For You", this remastered two-CD set also has the gentle "Isn't It A Pity" and "What is Life"-songs that show a writer enjoying true creative freedom for the first time and exploring his growing devotion to Krishna, outside of Lennon and McCartney's shadow. Ably supported by celebrity mates like Eric Clapton and the redoubtable Ringo Starr, All Things Must Pass is the sound of Harrison breathing out for the first time in 10 years. Moreover, it's conclusive proof that the Beatles were blessed with not just two, but three truly great songwriters. -Billie Swift.

Two years in the making, This Desert Life is the kind of collection that will please the Counting Crows faithful and leave doubters unconverted. Adam Duritz's recognisably emotive vocals and the group's classic-rock stylings remain in the fore as the Crows stick near the nest with their third studio outing. The Mellencamp-like opener, "Hanginaround", is one of the strongest tunes here, thanks to its laid-back passion and catchy piano and percussive elements. The familiar feeling "Mrs. Potter's Lullaby" is another lively offering, but at nearly eight minutes it's too long. The emotional, Van Morrison-like lament "All My Friends" feels self-pitying, while the balance of the album is simply bland. The sound is appealing (witness the spare "Colorblind" and the waltzing "Amy Hit the Atmosphere"), but This Desert Life is, on the whole, rather dry. -Katherine Turman.

The second album by New York City's Scissor Sisters, Ta-Dah, brings with it a huge weight of expectations. After all, their debut album slowly rode up the charts in 2004 to become that year's biggest selling album. The good news is that, like their debut, Ta-Dah is packed full of witty, grown-up pop music. Their influences remain the same, including a bit of 1970's disco and glam rock, a bit of classic Fleetwood Mac and a bit of early Elton John (who plays piano on the ultra-catchy album opener "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"). Musically, it's easily as much fun as their debut: "Land of a Thousand Words" is an homage to the themes from the James Bond films, "She's My Man" tells the tale of a fabled female New Orleans river pirate, "Ooh" is the funkiest dance song never played at Studio 54 and "Kiss You Off" is a liberating break-up anthem sung by the band's Ana Matronic. Lyrically, though, Ta-Dah is not as full of the unchecked hedonism of their first album, with the vaudevillian "Intermission" proclaiming, "We were born to die. " But even if the sentiment isn't particularly cheerful, the music definitely is. With Ta-Dah, the Scissor Sisters manage to be both big and clever, once again producing some of the smartest pop music you can dance to. -Ted Kord.

That's the great thing about being a written off as a one-hit wonder-it really focuses your mind on making a stunning, no-holds-barred eat-that-you-smug-critics album the year after. It happened with Radiohead, from "Creep" to The Bends; Supergrass, from "Alright" to In It For The Money, and, most notably, with Beck, from "Loser" to Odelay. As thrilling today as on its release, Odelay is the sound of new musical frontiers being opened up: no-one before had thought to arrange a shot-gun marriage between hip-hop and Bob Dylan before and, as the subsequent slew of poor imitators proved, that was because only Beck could pull it off (with the help of the Dust Brothers, who also produced the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique). "Devil's Haircut" and "New Pollution" warped pop's boundaries on entering the Top Twenty; and "Where It's At" still kicks like a mule in a can-can line. They were calling him "The White Prince" by the end of the year, you know. -Caitlan Moran As it turns out, Beck isn't just a funny guy with a good blues-rap hybrid novelty up his sleeve-he's a funny guy with a deep understanding of the history of pop music, an unstoppable universalist impulse, and a whole lot of excellent songs up his sleeve. Produced with hyperactive kitchen-sink technique by the Dust Brothers (of the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique fame), Odelay sounds like 60 years' worth of radio at once, but the foundation beneath the flash owes more to pre-war blues than anything else. Beck can turn a surreal pomo phrase like nobody's business, and he knows a good drum break when he hears one; his greatest strength, though, is having enough respect for tradition to make it sound modern. -Douglas Wolk.