It's that old story: unknown British band gets an American hit single, gets huge off the back of that one song, and the success ends up destroying them. Fortunately, Oxford quintet Radiohead were the exception that proves the rule. Radiohead's albatross was "Creep"-a titanic anthem to paranoia, self-hatred and self-obsession, utterly huge in every way. Pablo Honey, though, is much more than filler. "Anyone Can Play Guitar" is certainly as good as "Creep"; swathed in walls of feedback, it races blindly into a apocalyptic chorus, frontman Thom Yorke singing "As the world turns and as London burns, I'll be standing on the beach with my guitar. " Certainly, indie-rock seldom got better than this, and elsewhere "Vegetable" and "Prove Yourself" pulled similar pyrotechnical tricks. Pablo Honey was later superseded by first The Bends, and later OK Computer, but it's certainly much more than a curious debut. -Louis Pattison.

Bob Dylan has always been incredibly prolific, only releasing a fraction of what he records. Such a policy has made him a prime target for bootleggers over the years, finally prompting this sanctioned 1991 triple-disc dive into the Dylan vaults. It consists of rare tracks, unreleased outtakes, early versions of classics ("Times They Are a-Changin'", "Like a Rolling Stone", "I Shall Be Released"), and alternate versions that sometimes cut the originals ("Idiot Wind"). A measure of Dylan's depth is his list of discarded songs ("She's Your Lover Now", "Blind Willie McTell", "Series of Dreams") that would be the crown jewels of most catalogues. These 58 tracks serve as a shadow history of one of our most important artists. -Ben Edmonds.

The Best of 1990-2000 can be seen as an introduction to the reinvented U2 (Part One), the group who ruined irony for everyone. Gone were the mullets, canyon-scraping guitars and "locust winds", and out came the fly shades, leather and TV remote. Bono hid behind a mask, started enjoying himself, and the band began making the best, most interesting, diverse and rewarding music of their career. When grouped together, however, the material on The Best of 1990-2000 feels mix-matched. But that is hardly surprising considering the between-album sonic leaps (bordering on artistic self-indulgence and poncy-Enofications with Passengers) and only half finishing Pop. Despite Pop's patchiness, the songs' zeitgeist experimentation and fundamental nonchalant attitude to their own position in the U2 scheme of things are both invigorating and satisfying. Notably though, they've been reworked (i. e. , finished) here: "Staring at the Sun" apparently suffering from "mid-temp syndrome". The new versions are better, and the new songs "Electrical Storm" and "The Hands that Built America" are stronger still. [+]

At a time when the majority of those his age are drifting into retirement, 65-year-old Bob Dylan has released an album that ranks with the best in his storied, 44-album career. Like Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft before it, Modern Times is a rootsy, blues-soaked pool of the purest form of Americana-skipping the progressive bells or whistles for an understated backing by his touring band. Dylan's voice, which cracks, rasps and moans from the pop singer's pulpit, hasn't been this rich and emotive since 1976's Desire. And while his lyrics prolong his steadfast allusions to a higher power and his own immortality, they are not without the Dylan mirth, as when he sings of tracking pop queen Alicia Keys from Hell's Kitchen to Tennessee in "Thunder on the Mountain". This track, along with with "Someday Baby" and "Rollin' and Tumblin'" (for which Dylan misguidedly claims writing credit), is one of the record's fieriest numbers. Still, it's the Dylan that tells of a slave-loving owner ("Nettie Moore"), who brings New Orleans to the front burner ("The Levee's Gonna Break") and plays the part of an eloquent lounge singer ("Spirit on the Water," "When the Deal Goes Down" and "Beyond the Horizon") that makes Modern Times sound just like old times. -Scott Holter.

Extreme's best recording displays this band's considerable talents to their best advantage, particularly those of guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and vocalist Gary Cherone (as of this writing, sounding a lot like Sammy Hagar as the current singer for Van Halen). The album's success has mainly been due to the soft-spoken hits "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted," but there's plenty to like on this album, which explores the very general theme of love in a cynical world. Extreme had a lot on their minds when they recorded Pornograffitti, as evidenced by the songs "Decadence Dance," "When I'm President," and "Money (In God We Trust). " Aside from the aforementioned ballads and the loungey "When I First Kissed You," this album rocks out, examining serious themes with considerable humor, which prevents Extreme from ever sounding preachy or condescending. -Genevieve Williams.

If you want to plot a classic rise and fall pattern in the career of a band, look no further than the Pixies. This middle album, third of five, is the pinnacle of their noise equation: taut, terrifying and tightly edited, these 15 tracks (best known: "Monkey Gone To Heaven"; best quality, the insane "Debaser"; or the predatory "Hey") have the confidence that was missing from Come On Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, but without the bloated pomp of Bossanova or Trompe Le Monde. Black Francis, as Charles Thompson IV was known then, surfs fast with his and Joey Santiago's guitars, tempered by the groundswell of Kim Deal's fine bass and counter vocals. It is like the last stand of US indie-dom: intelligent music encased in its precious, intricate and trademark Vaughn Oliver sleeve. Charlie Porter.

Hatful Of Hollow presents the raw and yearning performances of the early Smiths at their best, with Morrissey singing "'the sun shines out of our behinds" on the iconic "Hand In Glove", his tongue firmly in his cheek. For many Smiths devotees, this is the band's alternative debut album, containing vital Smiths recordings like the John Porter produced "How Soon is Now?". Other less well-known delights include a beautifully mordant acoustic rendition of "Back to the Old House" and the kitchen sink melancholy of "This Night Has Opened My Eyes". Hatful Of Hollow is a sixteen track collection that is taken in the main from BBC Radio 1's cutting edge John Peel and David Jensen evening shows in 1984. Like The Beatles at The BBC, The Smiths radio sessions sound both timeless and epoch defining, and there is no better introduction to the band's beguiling talent than on Hatful Of Hollow. -James Littlewood.

By the release of 1998's Mezzanine, critics were suddenly of the understanding that Massive Attack were one of the most important bands in the world. Bristol's original trip-hop pioneers had, on previous albums Blue Lines and Protection, fused turntable wizardry to the warmest of soul. With Mezzanine, however, the party had ended; revisiting the murky soundscapes so favoured by former partner and fellow Bristolian Tricky, the comeback single "Rising Son" muttering edgily about "cheap beer filled with crocodile tears", over the deepest bass. Tensions were heightened by the news that the making of Mezzanine was riven by inter-band rifts. The friction, though, seems to have create some gems; "Inertia Creeps" is drenched in menace, and "Teardrop" features the ethereal vocals of Liz Fraser of the Cocteau Twins-both of these a benchmark not just for the band, but for the trip-hop genre. Bleak, but powerfully beautiful. -Louis Pattison.

History gives Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagen the last, hearty laugh on this, the crown jewel in their remarkable canon of 1970s Mensa-pop. Sneaking onto the charts a half-decade earlier with sinuous, jazz-inflected "rock", the dysfunctional duo's acerbic, anti-heroic visions had been critically lauded for their band identity and killer guitar riffs, then promptly challenged when the two songwriters retired from the road, dissolved any formal band lineup, and used the studio as laboratory. Aja carried the added indignity of its increased focus on sophisticated jazz models and musicianship, which carried the Dan's ambitions even further in terms of suave harmonies, intricate song structures, and brilliant playing. Time has proven them wiser than their rock crit detractors: These seven songs abound in knotty plots, sneaky imagery, and drop-dead brilliant performances from a blue chip studio repertory studded with first-call jazz players epitomised by Wayne Shorter's towering solo on the title song. From the hard-boiled jazz romance of "Deacon Blues" to the twisted Homeric vamp of "Home at Last", the veiled but ominous swing of "Peg" to the sci-fi eroticism of "Josie", Aja is a modern pop classic and the coolest fusion record no one ever thought to lump in that category. -Sam Sutherland.

Nick Cave has been writing songs about killing and other evil things since he first surfaced in 1980 as the Birthday Party's pale, skinny, goth-punk version of Jim Morrison. But the murder ballads that provide this set's title are different, tantalisingly deliberate. Sure, there's plenty of trademark Cave here, but Murder Ballads is a fascinating concept album that uses the narrative ballad form of the English folk tradition to tell of murder: random deaths, passion crimes, and killing sprees, all in one package. Cave clearly thrives in this genre, and he produces some of his sharpest and most facile writing to date: "Song of Joy", a genuinely scary campfire mystery of a murdered family and an unnamed killer, chillingly weaves clues into the lyrics, while "Where the Wild Roses Grow" is a narrative duet in which killer (Cave) and victim (pop star Kylie Minogue) reveal parallel tales. Cave even shows his knack for adaptation on Bob Dylan's "Death Is Not the End", recontextualising a song of heavenly comfort into a sort of zombie "We Are the World" (featuring Minogue, PJ Harvey, Shane MacGowan and others) in which "death is not the end" of pain and suffering. Above all, Murder Ballads should be heard as a work of pulp fiction-as sensationally funny as it is harrowing. The already violent traditional song "Stagger Lee" becomes gangsta folk, so ridiculously packed with obscenity and brutality it would make the Geto Boys cringe. And Cave's (unintentional?) point to would-be censors-that bad-ass songs existed long before rappers polluted the airways-should not be missed. -Roni Sarig.

Slippery When Wet transformed Bon Jovi from minor league poodle rockers to global superstars, on the back of hit singles "You Give Love A Bad Name", "Never Say Goodbye" and, of course, "Living On A Prayer". It's easy to forget, now that Jon is a film star with a decent haircut and an ever-improving line in blue-collar Springsteen-lite lyrics, quite how silly Bon Jovi were back in the mid-to-late 80s. From the scantily clad carwash girls on the inner sleeve to the "You lost more than that in my back seat. Yeah!" lyrics, the album is blissfully untouched by notions of irony or subtlety. Fortunately, this adds to its charm. With guitarist Richie Sambora and Desmond Child (who has written for and with everyone from Cher to Robbie Williams), Jon Bon Jovi has now produced more than 10 years worth of consistently memorable tunes, and this album contains its fair share of them. Slippery When Wet won't change your world, but it will, undoubtedly, rock it. -Ronita Dutta.

Lionel's decision to release a second hits compilation within a decade may have had something to do with the fact that sales of the first were overshadowed by a spousal abuse charge; unsurprisingly then, there isn't too much to distinguish this from the other one. Certain critics have commended Lionel for having spurned the whims of fashion and persisted with sentimental love songs like "Say You Say Me" and "Penny Lover", whatever the weather, and, listening to the tacky 1980s synths of the more upbeat "Running With The Night", it's hard to disagree. Lionel's obviously at his most comfortable with the power ballad-so much so that he has no idea when to exercise a little restraint. For all its baggage-the sickly video with that blind girl and its terrible lyrics-there's the chord structure to a good Charles Aznavour song trying to get out of "Hello", but it's drowning in syrup. Perhaps it's time for a reunion of the old band: the inclusion of "Sail On", "Three Times A Lady" and "Easy" (all Commodores songs) suggests as much. -Peter Paphides.

The Jonas Brother's second album-2007's Jonas Brothers-proved beyond doubt that the New Jersey trio can get beyond the Disney clichés and write songs of above average calibre. A Little Bit Longer, the band's third outing, continues their harmonic forays into the teen-rock market, offering an upbeat selection of tunes notable for their catchy hooks, fuzzy guitars and bouncing grooves. Opener "BB Good" sets an energetic pace, kept up via songs like (first single) "Burning Up", the soaring "Tonight" and the sugar-coated punk of "One Man Show". Mellower moments come courtesy of the Jack Johnson-esque "Love Bug" and the title track, a song about Nick's struggle with diabetes. A Little Bit Longer might not push particularly hard at the creative boundaries, but then no one expected it to. The Jonas Brothers remain the undisputed kings of highly polished, teen-friendly pop rock-until their formula starts to break, they surely don't need to fix it. -Paul Sullivan.

When flipping through the annals of new-wave history, one can easily enough overlook the entry marked "Human League". But the truth of the matter is, this Phil Oakey-helmed synth-pop outfit was crucial to the movement, and Dare!, its third release, is an absolute linchpin. Thanks to its breakthrough single "Don't You Want Me", the record almost single-handedly made it safe to like new wave, and an MTV video gave it a fashionable face that was impossible to ignore. The sound was theatrical and awash with kitschy keyboards, but felt new and refreshing back in 1982. The League would never climb to such hooky aesthetic heights again; Dare! ranks as its greatest achievement-and it still sounds new and refreshing today. -Tom Lanham.

These are the greatest hits of the version of Big Mac that produced Hits with a capital H! While pre-Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham versions of the group charted in the UK five times between 1968 and 1973, the post-blues-rock edition of the band reached unprecedented commercial heights beginning with "Rhiannon". It's on this 16-track solid-gold set, along with the rest of the hits up through 1988's "Everywhere". A long version of "Sara" and some bonus tracks are included for extra value. -Steven Stolder.

To say that Springsteen's live shows with the E Street Band were legendary is the height of understatement. On a good night, the set might extend to three and four hours of exhilarating, pulse-pounding rock & roll. How best to capture that on CD? Or was it possible at all? As it turns out, Live 1975-1985 comes as close to the experience as possible. Culling material from various tours, with settings ranging from small rooms to stadiums, the three-CD set emphatically displays Springsteen's charisma as a bandleader and storyteller and makes plain the sheer power of the E Street Band. Some of the many highlights here include covers of Edwin Starr's "War", Tom Waits's "Jersey Girl" and Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and rare versions of originals such as "Because the Night", "Fire" and "Seeds". And relax-all the hits are here as well. If you never saw Springsteen and the E Streeters back then, you might still get your chance. But this set chronicles a special time in the life of a special performer. -Daniel Durchholz.