No Dice
Artist: Badfinger
Community Score: 7.50

Badfinger's second album No Dice kicks off with "I Can't Take It," a rocker that signaled even if Badfinger still played pop and sang ballads, they considered themselves a rock band. What gave Badfinger character is they blended their desire to rock with their sensitive side instead of compartmentalizing. Even when they rock on No Dice, it's... Read More

BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert
Artist: Ultravox
Community Score: 10.00
Illiterature
Artist: Adam Schmitt

Adam Schmitt's debut, 1991's World So Bright, was a sunny piece of D.I.Y. power pop, as catchy and solidly written as anything by his Champaign-Urbana compatriots Ric Menck and Paul Chastain. Unfortunately, a record that could have been a decent seller on an indie was a stiff on a major label, although it received good reviews. It seems likely... Read More

Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings
Artist: The Police
Community Score: 7.00

Despite their legendary status, the Police only released five albums during their brief reign from 1978-1983. In addition, the trio had amassed a healthy amount of both studio and live B-sides, plus songs that only appeared on soundtracks. For the 1993 four-CD box set Message in a Box: The Complete Recordings, every single song the Police ever... 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 Collection
Artist: Ultravox
Community Score: 10.00

While Ultravox's commercial success was virtually nonexistent in the U.S., their singles were strewn across the British charts throughout the early half of the '80s. Led by Midge Ure's haunting but forceful vocal presence, sometimes reminiscent of U2's Bono, Ultravox used the keyboards to guide their sophisticated and intelligent pop style,... Read More

The Rembrandts
Artist: The Rembrandts
Community Score: 10.00

One of the more noteworthy "jangly guitar" acts of the 1990s, the Rembrandts were off to an enjoyable start with this debut album. Melodic and congenial but far from wimpy, such pop/rock as "If Not for Misery," "New King" and the small hit "Just The Way It Is, Baby" set the tone for the L.A. duo's career. A variety of influences from previous... Read More

Capitol Collectors Series
Artist: The Raspberries
Greatest
Artist: The Go-Go's
Community Score: 7.67

The hits collection Greatest tries to reduce the Go-Go's' career to that of a mainstream pop/rock band, downplaying their punk and new wave roots. Of course, those can't be entirely erased, especially since the hits "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat" form the core of the collection, but the song selection on the 14-track compilation... Read More