With three decades of acclaimed songwriting behind him, former Jam frontman Paul Weller knows a thing or two about knocking up a catchy tune. It may come as a surprise, but Hit Parade is Weller's first major career retrospective, combining material from his Jam and Style Council days, as well as from his last 15 or so years as a solo artist. Released to coincide with a high-profile full-length BBC documentary, Hit Parade features his biggest hits. Seminal Jam anthems such as "Town Called Malice", "Going Underground", "Eton Rifles" and "Down In The Tube Station", sit surprisingly well next to Style Council selections like "Shout To The Top!" and "You're The Best Thing", connected of course via Weller's distinctive, raw vocals and his dual passion for soul and rock. Not all of his solo albums are represented, but most of his best loved records are here; "Wild Wood" and "Sunflower" (from Wild Wood), as well as songs from Stanley Road and 2005's As Is Now. It's a compelling profile of a man whose unique sound has proved not only thoroughly consistent, but also impressively enduring. -Paul Sullivan.

Here's what they say about Jeff Buckley: "He died too young". Here's why they say it: Grace is simply one of the most amazing things you can do with your ears and a little digitally-encoded disc. He inherited the voice of his father, the legendary Tim Buckley-seven octaves, each of them only just enough to cram his big feverish dreams into-but his music was all his own. Think Van Morrison's Astral Weeks on drugs-but then drugs could give some kind of comfort, and there's no comfort in Grace; just constant flux between crippling despair and an almost violent joy. When "Last Goodbye" unfolds it's third different middle-eight of Bollywood strings and Buckley's ecstatic scatting, it's hard to believe an ordinary human could have had a hand in something so extraordinary. -Caitlin Moran.

Amidst the denizens of fabricated boy bands, Westlife's debut comes as an unexpected gem. With a strong management team behind them-courtesy of Boyzone's own Ronan Keating-Westlife became the first Irish boy band to top the charts with their first three singles. "Swear it Again", the album's opener, is reminiscent of 1970s American balladeers Chicago, but their weak cover of Abba's "I Have A Dream" is a welcome omission. Instead, we're treated to a fantastic reworking of funk metal outfit Extreme's "More Than Words"; singer Bryan's plaintive vocal make it a superb choice. With producers Steve Mac and Pete Waterman in charge, as well as perfect string arrangements and surprisingly thoughtful lyrics, Westlife puts these boys in place to inherit Boyzone's pop crown. -Shanthi Sivanesan.

Extreme's debut album is sometimes uneven but always fun. Van Halen influences are prominent, which is ironic given singer Gary Cherone's post-Extreme career. This album, like all of Extreme's work, is notable for Nuno Bettancourt's guitar playing, but the songs aren't bad either, mostly examining childhood from a playful but oddly mature perspective. "Kid Ego," their first single, is here, as well as "Mutha (Don't Want to Go to School Today)," "Little Girls," "Big Boys Don't Cry," and the rock-out finale "Play with Me. " There are a few ballads as well: "Watching, Waiting" is particularly poignant and surprisingly spiritual in content. This album showed Extreme's considerable potential, which peaked with their second album, Pornograffitti. -Genevieve Williams.

The last album released before Dylan's late 1970s/early '80s three-album foray into Christian music, Street Legal is both fascinating and flawed. At the time, Dylan was enthralled with the slick stage presentation of Neil Diamond, which he clumsily attempted to re-create on this 1978 collection. Say what you will about Diamond, but he ran a tight ship; the clunky drumming and rudimentary brass that mar these nine tracks reflect a misbegotten attempt to make Dylan's wing-it studio approach work for an underrehearsed 12-member backing group. Songwise, Street Legal is a mixed bag. Despite a few missteps ("Is Your Love in Vain?" is embarrassingly. well, vain), the wordsmith navigates dense terrain in the masterful "Senior" and the open wound of a closer, "Where Are You Tonight?" -Steven Stolder.

For the most part, Rio is an eerie and sumptuous record. With their raspy, arpeggio synth sounds and Simon Le Bon's uninflected vocals, the misty ballads "Lonely in Your Nightmare" and "Save a Prayer" can still pull heavily on your heartstrings. With the dance-oriented singles "Rio" and "Hungry Like the Wolf", you lighten up a bit, but the songs are far from airy or whimsical. One anomaly in this release, though, is the inappropriate prominence of John Taylor's bass lines. In every song, it sounds as if he is mixed more in expectation of a solo than as an integral part of the rhythm section. Ignore this technical distraction, however, and you'll enjoy rediscovering this gorgeous body of water-coloured synthpop. -Beth Bessmer.

A hit single can be a bit of a mixed blessing for new bands, especially if said song gets you firmly lumped into the "novelty band" category. Such was the case with Weezer, whose runaway hit "Buddy Holly" touched a global nerve upon its release, then got on everyone's nerves after months of radio saturation. However, it did ensure that they sold millions of copies of their self-titled debut. Which is why it's so strange that their second album, Pinkerton, was soundly ignored. Perhaps it was down to that album's wilfully non-commercial first single, "El Scorcho", which crashed and burned out of the charts at a rate of speed usually reserved for the likes of Gary Barlow. Whatever the reason, Pinkerton soon disappeared without a trace, which is a shame because it's actually a great album. Whereas Weezer had the band revelling in their geek rock image, Pinkerton saw singer / songwriter Rivers Cuomo maturing as a lyricist: From opening track "Tired Of Sex", which rants about the frustrating easiness of groupies, to the New Wave pop of "Getchoo", to the sheer, unadulterated epic genius of "The Good Life", the songs are much more diverse than the Pixies-influenced bouncey grunge of their debut. With the closing solo acoustic lament of "Butterfly", Rivers Cuomo hints at his mastery of the pop song as an art form, suggesting great things from this reformed geek in the future. -Robert Burrow.