Okay, well maybe not a masterpiece. But very good nonetheless. Elton and his new lineup flex their muscles on what can be considered his last true "rock" album. Musically the album is top notch and Elton contributes some of his most underrated arrangements to date. The first side is as solid as anything since "Dont Shoot Me" and Elton is clearly enjoying himself. From "Yell Help/Wednesday/Ugly", the funky medley that opens the album straight on through the gorgeous "Bullet In The Gun Of Robert Ford" (a re-write of "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" but who cares?) there is not a bit of filler to be found. About the only weak moment here is "Hard Luck Story" but even so it hardly drags the album down. The last song "Billy Bones", with it's Bo-Diddley beat and paranoid lyrics is another overlooked gem that will stick in your head long after it ends. Unfortunately as strong as the music is, the lyrics are somewhat disappointing this time out. Bernie must have been struggling with writers block (or alcoholism) to have served up such weak (by his standards) offerings as the "Yell help" medley that opens the album, "Hard Luck Story" and "Feed Me". He seems preoccupied (more so than usual) with the seedy elements of society, namely prostitutes ("Island Girl", "Ugly"), Junkies ("Feed Me"), gigolos ("Grow Some Funk Of Your Own") and gangmembers ("Street Kids"). But I digress. The music is the big selling point here and makes for a rewarding listen.

Man, I be one agitated brutha right now. I laid out some serious jack for this CD afta seein' all the mad props homies be layin' on this John Coltrane dude (sayin' he got mad skillz on tha saxophone and be blowin' all this spiritual noize on his horn). I wuz straight up buggin' when I peeped these wack tunes for myself. I mean, I dont mean to be no playa hayta but dude don't even sing! Brutha dont need to be no Teddy Pendergrass but at least step to the mic and give a shoutout, know what I'm sayin'? I be stockpilin' benjamin's fo three weeks to drop on tha new Jay-Z album but I got stone cold hustled into wastin' tha dead prez on this garbage.

What took so long?? It is my personal belief that Duran Duran's b-sides (particularly "Faster Than Light", "Like an Angel" and "Khanada") were better than many of the tracks that made it onto their early albums. Unfortunatley Capitol has chosen to distribute these lost gems over 13 CD's by packaging them in minature reproductions of their original 12" sleeves. It's a nice nod to nostalgia, but it is frustrating to have to shuffle through all these CD's to cherry pick the best of this compilation. It has to be said that many of the early "night versions" have not dated well at all and sound hopelessly campy in hindsight. The stronger remixes found here include the 12" remix of "Hold Back the Rain", the dance mix of "The Reflex" and the monster mix of "Is There Something I Should Know".

Who's Next, the last truly great Who album from start to finish, has been expanded to double-album status with the addition of outtakes from the original aborted Lifehouse sessions with Kit Lambert and an entire disc of live tracks from the Young Vic shows. The live material is nearly as impressive as the "Live at Leeds" shows and Pete sounds more than a little irked with the audience as his smart-aleck dialogue between numbers would suggest. As most Who fans already know, Who's Next was culled from the ashes of Pete Townshend's abandoned Lifehouse multi-media concept. Every last scrap of what remains from that project is here and may be a little overwhelming for the average Who fan. The sound quality is great but not appreciably better than the previous reissue. "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Behind Blue Eyes" were the biggest hits, but some of the leftover Lifehouse tracks are solid as well, including "Pure and Easy" and "Naked Eye". A great investment for the Who freak but nonessential to the casual fan.

In Van Halen circles this is commonly known as the "disco" album as nearly half it's nine tracks are given over to funky dance experiments. Apparently lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen wanted to break from the hard rock formula of the band's first three albums and make the ultimate dance record. "Dirty Movies" has a great shuffling disco beat and is a good song to hustle to. "Push Comes To Shove" would not have sounded out of place on a Rick James or Barry White album and David Lee Roth holds his own against his funky soul contemporaries. "Sunday Afternoon in the Park" is the very first Eddie Van Halen synthesizer instrumental (foreshadowing his work on the 1984 album) and has a menacing vibe to it. The album's straightforward rock tracks include the flawless "Unchained", the underrated classic "Mean Streets" and the Grand Funk Railroad homage "So This Is Love". This is definately one of Van Halen's most eclectic efforts and a rewarding listen time and time again.

I own two copies of this CD already (this is something like the fifth time the album is being released on CD if you count the "Shine On" boxed set) and was skeptical that the sound quality would be markedly improved over the most recent remaster from 1994. Happily, the investment was well worth it as the SACD remastering process has given this classic Floyd masterpiece a marvelous upgrade. The sound effects really jump out at you, especially if experienced with the benefit of a surround sound system. This is without question the greatest Pink Floyd album and one of the best rock and roll albums of all time. The liner notes are a treat as they provide a collection of "Dark Side" pictoral artifacts over they years including rare album covers and band photos. My only complaint, albeit a minor one is the cover, which has again been tampered with and updated in this most recent reissue. The original stark black album jacket with the light striking the prism was designed by Hipgnosis and remains one of the most classic pieces of cover artwork.

Van Halen's debut album served as the blueprint for all future spandex-wearing, hair-bleaching, Jack Daniels-guzzling heavy metal prototypes and in an era of disco and punk rock, made good old-fashioned loud and melodic rock and roll cool again. All the classic metal themes are here: satanism ("Running With the Devil"), unapologetic misogyny ("Aint Talkin' Bout Love" and "Jamie's Cryin"), pyromania ("On Fire") and sexual irresponsibility ("Feel Your Love Tonight"). Embedded in the grooves of this album was an implicit warning to parents in 1978 (many of whom were still hoping their kids would get into Crosby Stills and Nash or Cat Stevens): "Be afraid, be very afraid, because even though you thought the world was safe again after Led Zeppelin released that tame "Presence" album nobody bought and stopped touring, Van Halen is here to make rock dirty and nasty again." Not since Tony Iommi and the early years of Black Sabbath were there so many memorable riffs on one album. Guitar sorcerer Eddie Van Halen and dynamic vocalist David Lee Roth square off in the ultimate battle of hedonistic showmanship. For better or worse, rock would never be the same again.

Reading the title of this disc and then taking a quick scan over the track listing begs the question "So when is volume 2 going to be released?". Namely because there is no "(Oh) Pretty Woman", no "Everybody Wants Some" no "You Really Got Me", no "Where Have All The Good Times Gone" in fact no Diver Down album tracks period. In fairness, it IS a daunting task trying to cram all the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar hits onto one disc and the argument could be made that each lineup deserved it's own separate volume. Given what we have here, however, I think most fans would have sacrificed the two new songs recorded with David Lee Roth in favor of a more comprehensive collection. This album will whet your appetite for Van Halen but will in no way satisfy it given the songs omitted.

If you are a casual Rolling Stones fan, you really ought not bother with this inconsequential album. For the more serious Stones fan, this should be one of the last albums you buy, if only for the purpose of completing your collection. It would be an exaggeration to say this is a terrible album as it does contain some solid moments, notably "Hand of Fate" and "Memory Motel". But if measured by the rather high standards the Stones had set for themselves during the Jimmy Miller era of the late 60's and early 70's it has to be characterized as something of a disappointment. The reggae experiments ("Cherry Oh Baby" and "Hot Stuff") are weak and uninspired. "Fool To Cry" is almost a parody of the Stones more sensitive material and is ultimately forgettable. There is little chemistry between Ron Wood and Keith Richards at this stage of the game, however that would be remedied on the next album. For hardcore fans only.

This disc pretty effectively tells the tragic story of Boston's new wave/hard rock prototype the Cars. The story goes something like this: A blue collar rock and roll bar band from Boston get signed to Elektra records on the strength of some quirky demos that showcase their unique style (concise pop tunes that rock hard with a synthesizer and electronic drum rhythm section). Band cuts a brilliant debut album and releases a slightly less-inspired carbon copy with "Candy-O". Band completely immerses itself in the New Wave movement and subsequently alienates it's core audience with "Panorama". Band then tries to backtrack slightly and regain a commercial audience (with mixed results) on "Shake It Up". Band then completely sells out to the corporate rock conglomorate and MTV with the abysmally poppy "Heartbeat City". Band releases the even more pop-oriented commercial bomb "Door To Door" before mercifully calling it a day. Thankfully this disc distills the finest moments of this spotty, yet still enjoyable career and rescues a mediocre catalog of music. I still think the only real Cars disc you need is their debut album but this will suffice for those who need a more well-rounded experience.