Hunting High and Low
Artist: a-ha
Community Score: 8.30

Anyone who dismissed a-ha as a one-hit wonder must have missed out on the band's fine debut, Hunting High and Low. Though the band spawned many further hits across the rest of the world, "Take on Me" exploded in the States and the group never cracked the top of the charts again. It's a shame, because the album contains a handful of songs that... Read More

Texas Fever - JAPAN BONUS TRACKS
Artist: Orange Juice

Released in March 1984, the delicate structures and melodic avenues explored in Texas Fever contrast the volatility of the recording sessions which produced it, with reggae producer Dennis Bovell attempting to keep the peace between the entrenched factions. The rhythm section wanted to become progressively funkier (following the success of "Rip... Read More

Heartbeat City
Artist: The Cars
Community Score: 8.80

MTV had become a major marketing tool by 1984, and the Cars were one of the first bands to use the new video medium to their advantage. The band's fifth album, Heartbeat City (Elektra), spawned several imaginative and memorable videos, which translated into massive chart and commercial success, making it one of the biggest releases of the year.... Read More

From Time to Time: The Singles Collection
Artist: Paul Young
Community Score: 1.00

Paul Young's retrospective From Time to Time: The Singles Collection brings together all his major U.S. and European hits from the 1980s and early 1990s. Some of these, including his only U.S. number one "Every Time You Go Away," were remixed when released as singles and to radio -- this collection intelligently includes those versions. Young's... Read More

The Secret of Association
Artist: Paul Young

In 1984, Paul Young scored a couple of medium-sized U.S. hits with "Come Back and Stay" and "Love of the Common People" from his album No Parlez. In 1985, however, with his stellar album The Secret of Association, the British singer gained his highest level of commercial success with several hit singles, most notable his chart-topping cover of... Read More

Should Have Been Greatest Hits
Artist: The Tourists

A best-of released in the wake of Eurythmics's success, and therefore emphasizing Stewart and Lennox's contributions over Coombes's. Nevertheless, it's a well-chosen selection and includes four of their five UK hits, among them their sole US chart entry, a terrific remake of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to Be with You." ~ William Ruhlmann,... Read More

Little Creatures
Artist: Talking Heads
Community Score: 7.40

Talking Heads' most immediately accessible album, Little Creatures eschewed the pattern of recent Heads albums, in which instrumental tracks had been worked up from riffs and grooves, after which David Byrne improvised melodies and lyrics. The songs on Little Creatures, most of which were credited to Byrne alone (with the band credited only with... Read More

She's So Unusual - BONUS TRACKS
Artist: Cyndi Lauper

One of the great new wave/early MTV records, She's So Unusual is a giddy mix of self-confidence, effervescent popcraft, unabashed sentimentality, subversiveness, and clever humor. In short, it's a multifaceted portrait of a multifaceted talent, an artist that's far more clever than her thin, deliberately girly voice would indicate. Then again,... Read More

Dream Into Action
Artist: Howard Jones
Community Score: 7.75

This album shows the synthesizer pop idol at the height of his creativity -- Dream Into Action is definitely the most interesting of Jones' albums. It contains some of his best songs -- "Things Can Only Get Better," "Life in One Day," and "No One Is to Blame." The CD includes two bonus tracks, "Bounce Right Back" and "Like to Get to Know You... Read More