This is not an album for the timid. 
An amazing album, Angel Dust unfortunately has limited appeal, although perhaps "unfortunately" isn't the right word; the record's oddities are also what make it such a fascinating listen. "Land of Sunshine" is a rocker with a foot-tapping rhythm punctuated by insane laughter from vocalist Mike Patton, whose distinctive voice and frequently disturbing lyrics drive the album. To call it hard rock does Angel Dust a disservice; it's far more musically complex than such a label implies. There's the funk-influenced "Midlife Crisis," the ballad "RV" (a bitter monologue from the point of view of a middle-aged discontent sitting in his trailer), the hard-edged claustrophobia of "Smaller and Smaller," and the rock-married-to-electronic-organ "Be Aggressive," which includes positively inspired cheerleader chants on the chorus. Impossible to classify but incredibly entertaining (there isn't a single boring moment on this album), Angel Dust is well worth picking up. —Genevieve Williams 
Few bands are better suited than the Barenaked Ladies to take obnoxious old Christmas jingles to an entirely new level of obnoxiousness. The Canadian pop group does a smack-up job on this generous collection, where they tackle children's relics like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," curious seasonal fare such as Band-Aid's Ethiopian charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas," and a handful of tongue-in-cheek originals that share the bookish humor of the band's hits like "One Week" and "Brian Wilson." Even the inclusion of three Hannukah songs doesn't raise the bar for reverence. The disc also includes collaborations with Sarah McLachlan and Michael Buble. —Aidin Vaziri |
Bat Out of Hell III is Meat Loaf's long-awaited 3rd installment of the most successful rock music series of all time, with the two previous albums selling a total of 45 million copies around the world. Bat Out of Hell, released in 1977 and produced by Todd Rundgren, is the third best-selling album of all time, with 30 million copies sold worldwide, featuring such Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman standards as "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad,""You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" and the show-stopping "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights." 
The film that officially signaled Disney's animation renaissance (following The Little Mermaid) and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman. (The title song won the 1991 Best Song Oscar, and Menken's score scored a trophy as well.) The downright funniest song is "Gaston," a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication, and pure joy. —David Kronke —This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. 
Cher's recording career has long taken a back seat to her acting pursuits, but with Believe she's back with a vengeance as a throbbing disco diva. Although no fewer than five producers with dance pedigrees are along for the project (including Todd Terry, Junior Vasquez of Madonna fame, and Rob Dickins, who helped resurrect Rod Stewart's ailing career), this is by no means a dance album in the '90s trip-hop sense of the term. Rather, it's a tour de force that summons mid-'70s images of strobe-lighted dance floors, sequined miniskirts, and writhing bodies. In "Power," Cher wails, "Ain't nothing changed much through the years." Not a bad thing in this case, since Cher's star was still rising in the steamy '70s and '80s with a string of hits that included the disco gem "Take Me Home" and the haunting "If I Could Turn Back Time." Although not blessed with much vocal range, Cher knows how to work a song with her trademark sultry, slightly ironic delivery. And she's certainly in fine form on the masterful title track, which is marred only by the intrusive, anachronistic wah-wah vocal effect. —Jaan Uhelszki 
While Best Of may not be inclusive enough for the avid collector because it focuses more on Blondie's new wave dance hits than on their punk beginnings, songs like "Heart of Glass,""Dreaming,""The Tide Is High," and "Call Me" display the diverse musical styles this band embraced. It's a new wave album, a reggae album, a dance album, a punk album, and a rap album. Rock-solid songwriting and Debbie Harry's sultry vocals hold the CD together despite the stylistic reaches of the tracks. —Beth Bessmer 
This collection of 16 OMD songs includes all their singles, including "If You Leave" (from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack) and "So in Love." OMD's sound is trademarked mostly by Paul Humphrey and Andy McCluskey's glassy-smooth vocals, along with harmonies that occasionally crack for dramatic emphasis but never shatter. The music is classic early '80s synth-pop, with swelling, hopeful strings and low-key tempos sugar-crusted to keep the songs rich but not totally fluffy. —Beth Bessmer |
Stephanie Bryant
Collection Total:
1716 Items
1716 Items
Last Updated:
May 23, 2010
May 23, 2010
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