Paul's first solo outing is very much a home-grown affair with him singing and playing everything (apart from a few harmonies by Linda). The expectations were high, and while not everything clicked, there was enough good stuff for the legend to continue. "That Would Be Something", "Man We Was Lonely", "The Lovely Linda" and "Teddy Boy" all make the grade, but everything is eclipsed by "Maybe I'm Amazed", which remains one of his most enduring songs, up there with anything the Beatles released (and which would have sounded quite at home on Let It Be). -Chris Nickson.

Primal Scream have never rested on their laurels and the chronological running order of Dirty Hits highlights the innovative progression their music made on every album. Beginning with the acid-fuelled dub of their breakthrough Screamadelica, the declaration of hedonism that heralds the horns of "Loaded" couldn't be a more appropriate way to start the album. Moving the tempo up a notch, the band ditched the trippy nuances for Give Out But Don't Give Up-unabashed rock & roll in the spirit of the Stones, demonstrated superbly by "Jailbird" and "Rocks". Just when they had been written off as hopeless nostalgics, along came the mind-bending Vanishing Point which retained the rock & roll ethic but twisted it into a dark oppressive form summed up perfectly by "Kowalski" and "Burning Wheel". Unrelenting, they released Xtrmntr, a harsh wall of noise underpinned by searing synth melodies and bitter lyrics which produced the hits "Swastika Eyes" and "Kill All Hippies". Finally, taking them to the modern day, Dirty Hits includes a few songs from the even more extreme, structured noise that was Evil Heat plus "Some Velvet Morning", a song featuring Kate Moss that never made the album. Many thought that Primal Scream were an album band and a best-of collection wouldn't do them justice but Dirty Hits is a great listen and a great reminder of exactly how much good music they've made over the years. -David Trueman.

Violator is Depeche Mode's most mainstream, chart-climbing album. Although it contains only nine tracks, half of them are tailor-made for the dance floor. This album was conceived when dance-club DJs were gaining recognition alongside original composers. Heavily influenced by techno-pop, the singles "Policy of Truth", "Enjoy the Silence" and "World in My Eyes" prove that DM did their homework. A particular highlight on this fantastic album is the bluesy guitar line Martin Gore lays down on top of the synth-dominated grooves on "Personal Jesus". - Beth Bessmer.

Headline-grabbing personal upheavals turn into introspective surges on Homogenic, the third album by Icelandic singer Björk. Driven inward after a bizarre year accented by a much publicised mail bomb, airport cat fight and brawl between ex-lovers Tricky and Goldie, Björk gets lost in a wash of strings and minimalist techno patterns on her latest outing. The eccentricity and stylistic schizophrenia of Debut and Post have been cast away in favour of darker, more sublime edginess. Filled with songs about paranoia, heartbreak and lost faith, Homogenic not only showcases more mature themes, but a more uniform mood. Notch that up to Björk's decision to produce the album herself. Aside from a few nominal collaborations with Mark Bell of obscure techno outfit LFO and the Icelandic String Octet, this is the purest representation of the artist's vision. Little did we know that such a quirky personality would have such a bleak world view. Homogenic is almost too heavy to take in sitting, and songs, like the grating "Pluto", are downright unlistenable. But there are moments of inspiration that burn through the dark clouds, particularly on the contemplative "Joga" and the uplifting "Bachelorette". -Aidin Vaziri.

ABBA were one of the first pop groups to exploit the promotional video as a vehicle for publicising their music across the globe. ABBA-The Definitive Collection provides an audio-visual timeline of how their promos developed over a 10-year period from the mid-1970s to the early 80s. The first ABBA videos were simple recordings of the band miming to their songs in a studio ("Waterloo" and "Ring Ring"); then, for "Mamma Mia" and "SOS", the style was replaced by something more adventurous, focusing on the four grouped together in rival pairs. As technology and the group evolved so did their promo films, with more recent examples shot on videotape and incorporating post-production special effects and outdoor locations ("One Of Us" and "Head over Heels"). Director Lasse Hallstrom has since made the transition from these relatively low-budget vehicles to Hollywood success with Chocolat and The Shipping News. If ABBA's early efforts look a little primitive compared to big-budget modern music promos, the songs themselves now sound even better than ever, having been digitally re-mastered in 24-bit format. As well as featuring the digitally re-mastered promos for the majority of their single releases, exclusive previously unreleased material is also incorporated here, such as the extended original mix of "On and On and On". On the DVD: ABBA-The Definitive Collection on DVD squeezes in all 30 videos, plus five bonus tracks which include the promos for the Spanish-language versions of "I Have a Dream", "Happy New Year" and "When All is Said and Done". The video for the never released "When I Kissed the Teacher" is also included, too, as is a camp recording of "Dancing Queen" filmed at a gala tribute for Sweden's King and Queen. The 20-minute picture gallery is an excellent and comprehensive photographic record of the group through the years. [+]

Guero marks Beck Hansen's highly anticipated return to his partnership with the Dust Brothers, and the sound captured distinguishes this as the spiritual follow-up to Odelay. Guero is a lovingly crafted soundscape with few lulls and many peaks. High points include the opening one-two of "E-Pro" and "Guero", both of which are insidiously catchy and smartly humorous; "Black Tambourine", which sounds like a miniature reinvention of the Stone Roses' classic "Fools Gold"; "Hell Yes", in which Beck, armed with vocoder, returns as a great wielder of irony, taking potshots at hedonism; and the dustbowl rootsy blues of "Scarecrow" and "Farewell Ride", adverts for the neglected genre that are strong enough to make a next generation pick up harmonicas and slip on cowboy boots. As with Odelay, Guero's instrumentation and sonic textures are always changing. Everything is here-from string sections, celeste and organ (courtesy of guest keyboardist Money Mark) through 12-string and slide guitars, bass from Jack White, a good dose of colourful samples, and programmed blips and bleeps that recall Midnite Vultures' best moments. Beck is a true master of pastiche, but Guero isn't eclectic merely for the sake of it-instead, it's a constantly surprising, ever-revolving creation that looks at Beck's multiple talents through an entertaining kaleidoscope and which, backed by the Dust Brothers' formidable production, is damn groovy. In sum, Guero is what Beck's admirers have waited so long to hear: "Odelay 2". Where Beck will go from here is anyone's guess. -Jonathan Davies.

The four discs in With The Lights Outencompass the career of one of those rare bands who genuinely changed things. When Nirvana climbed to number one in 91 with their album Nevermind, they destroyed forever the very concept of 'alternative', ending the rule that edgy and raw music was doomed to mere cultdom. With The Lights Outlooks at Nirvana's meteoric rise and abrupt implosion with the suicide of frontman Kurt Cobain through a glass darkly: the trajectory of underwhelming debut, glossy produced second album which merged punk fury with pretty melodies and third album where they dirtied everything up to prove they hadn't sold out is accurately presented but via demos, radio performances, live versions, B-sides and outtakes, the vast majority previously unreleased. It's part treasure trove (e. g. , unreleased worthy "Verse Chorus Verse") and half trainspotter fare (the band jokingly running through Terry Jacks' '70s corn-fest "Seasons In the Sun" on the fourth, DVD, disc). This is not the place for the uninitiated to start but this set will, for Nirvana fans, be the perfect closure to their glorious, sad career. -Sean Egan.

Deacon Blue never really achieved the U2-style fame for which they were obviously being groomed, and after their split in the early Nineties, they have pretty much fallen through the trapdoor of history. Less lyrical than Elvis Costello, less bombastic than Springsteen and less awful than Big Country-but not a million miles away from any of them-the band made four albums (plus 2 b-sides sets and a "Best of" compilation), of which Raintown is the first and most accomplished. Containing a number of singles including "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" and the original version of perhaps their best-known song, "Dignity", this is an album of unashamedly proper, thoughtful, grown-up pop, which deserves more recognition than the mere footnote in history the band eventually achieved. -Ronita Dutta.

Take a long hard look at that man gracing the cover of Ringleader of the Tormentors; caught mid-concerto, tempered by lofty eloquence, gliding towards a crescendo of instrumental distinction. Who's he trying to kid exactly!? Ever since The Smiths disbanded and he was deserted by Johnny Marr, Morrissey's work has only really been musical by association. He's more parts lyricist than he is straight poet, you see, relying as much on the emotive reach of his mighty vocal as his articulate depression. He needs melodic accompaniment, but it's hardly been the focus. The image does still work though, as a metaphor. Name, if you can, a greater performer of pathos, a finer maestro of the maudlin. If he is widely accepted as having been through a fallow period of creativity prior to 2004s comeback classic You Are The Quarry then he's hammering the counterpoint now. Two albums into his renaissance and we find Moz more tender, more cinematic and, if possible, more serious than ever. Fittingly it is much more orchestral too. Take "Dear God, Please Help Me", as self pitying as expected, only bound in silk and suspended just above the depths you'd otherwise expect to find him in. [+]