Big Shot Chronicles
Artist: Game Theory

Scott Miller broke in a new Game Theory lineup on The Big Shot Chronicles (a revolving-door cast of musicians was something he would get used to over the next decade or so), and if the album lacks the narrative cohesion of the group's first full-length effort, Real Nighttime, it's obvious from the album's first cut that the addition of Shelley... Read More

Driving into the Sun
Artist: Tommy Keene
Altered Beast
Artist: Matthew Sweet
Community Score: 7.00

Compared to the concise songwriting of Girlfriend, Altered Beast is all over the place, both emotionally and musically. Ranging from piercing guitar rave-ups ("Dinosaur Act") to gorgeous country-rock ("Time Capsule"), the album not only covers all sides of Matthew Sweet's musical personality, but pastes them together haphazardly. Consequently,... Read More

Back Again (Try ...)
Artist: Tommy Keene

With its luscious harmonies and cheerful hooky chorus, "Back Again," ahad all the makings to be a hit single. Unfortunately, it never happened. "Back Again" was produced by T-Bone Burnett and Don Dixon and was originally intended to be part of Tommy Keene's second album Songs From the Film, with its melancholy flip-side "Safe In the Light," a... Read More

Run Now
Artist: Tommy Keene

Containing the song "Run Now," produced by Bob Clearmountain, and included in the Madonna film Out of Bounds, four of the other five tracks here were culled from the T-Bone Burnett and Don Dixon sessions cut in 1984 for the original version of Songs From the Film. In contrast to the album Geffen ended up releasing, the Burnett/Dixon tracks... Read More

Based on Happy Times
Artist: Tommy Keene

Much like 1986's Songs From the Film, Geffen seemed bent on making Keene's music bigger than life with Based on Happy Times, but this time the overall production sounds less forced and truer to capturing the purity and aggressiveness of Keene's live sound. Recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Joe Hardy and John Hampton at the helm, Based... Read More

Songs from the Film
Artist: Tommy Keene

In what seemed like an attempt by Geffen to make a "big" pop record and endear Keene to an audience wider than critics and a small cult of discerning record buyers, renowned producer Geoff Emerick (Elvis Costello, Beatles) only succeeded at rounding the edges, thus stealing the spark from Keene's performance. The drums are buried in the mix and... Read More

Zen Arcade
Artist: Hüsker Dü
Community Score: 8.51

In many ways, it's impossible to overestimate the impact of Hüsker Dü's Zen Arcade on the American rock underground in the '80s. It's the record that exploded the limits of hardcore and what it could achieve. Hüsker Dü broke all of the rules with Zen Arcade. First and foremost, it's a sprawling concept album, even if the concept isn't... Read More

The Ups and Downs
Artist: Stephen Duffy
Community Score: 10.00

This is a brilliant debut album. Dropping the name Tin Tin (due to the threat of a law suit from the publishers of the Tin Tin comics), Stephen Duffy emerged with this stunning album. It's chock-full of strong pop melodies, love-found-and-lost lyrics, and Duffy's sweet vocals. The album was assembled over a period of time using a variety of... Read More

Blind Leading the Naked
Artist: Violent Femmes

A more mainstream effort courtesy of producer Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads). Gano returns to his troubled teen persona and the band rocks harder than on the previous two releases. A nice cover of the T-Rex classic "Children of the Revolution" and the yearning "I Held Her in My Arms," complete with a horn section, are highlights. ~ Chris... Read More

3-Way Tie (For Last)
Artist: Minutemen

D. Boon's death in December 1985 was one of rock's most tragic occurrences. And, a decade later, I find that it still affects the way I listen to this, the "final" Minutemen record. Boon was hitting his stride here; the songs were emphatic, smart, and marked by his increasing sociopolitical awareness. Boon did not suffer fools gladly, and this... Read More

Eight Miles High/Makes No Sense at All
Artist: Hüsker Dü

Eight Miles High/Makes No Sense at All combines two singles Hüsker Dü put out when they were at the height of their powers. Their fantastic rendition of "Eight Miles High" was backed with a live version of "Masochism World," and the marvelous "Makes No Sense at All" was backed by Sonny Curtis' "Love Is All Around," the theme from the Mary Tyler... Read More

New Day Rising
Artist: Hüsker Dü
Community Score: 7.52

For New Day Rising, the follow-up to their breakthrough double-album Zen Arcade, Hüsker Dü replaced concept with conciseness, concentrating on individual songs delivered as scalding post-hardcore pop. New Day Rising is not only a more vicious and relentless record than Zen Arcade, it's more melodic. Bob Mould and Grant Hart have written tightly... Read More

Ten Years After
Artist: Tommy Keene

The first full-length album since 1989's Based on Happy Times, Ten Years After comes closer to capturing the raw energy of a Tommy Keene live show than any of his previous studio recordings. Kicking off with a hard guitar assault in "Going Out Again," the intensity and emotion is sustained throughout the rest of this superb 12-song collection.... Read More