Dirk Wears White Sox
Artist: Adam & the Ants

The original Ants lineup released only one LP, Dirk Wears White Sox for Do It in 1979. The album finds a young Adam Ant exploring the sometimes-awkward fusion of punk, glam, and minimalist post-punk with bizarre images and disturbing tales of alienation, sex, and brutality. And while the somewhat pretentious, overly arty lyrics and inexperienced... Read More

Cars/Candy-O
Artist: The Cars
Community Score: 10.00

While the Cars were between their fourth and fifth albums, Elektra reissued their first and second albums together on a single cassette. Since Candy-O closely follows the pattern of The Cars, it's a successful matchup, and the price can't be beat if you can still find a copy. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

The Cars
Artist: The Cars
Community Score: 8.26

The Cars' 1978 self-titled debut, issued on the Elektra label, is a genuine rock masterpiece. The band jokingly referred to the album as their "true greatest-hits album," but it's no exaggeration -- all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics, still in rotation on rock radio. Whereas most bands of the late '70s embraced either punk/new wave or... Read More

The Best of Tim Curry
Artist: Tim Curry

This selection from his three albums (1978-1981) shows him to be a capable rock vocalist. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Quiet Life
Artist: Japan
Community Score: 8.00

Quiet Life is the album that transformed Japan from past-tense glam rockers into futuristic synth popsters, though they'd been leaning in that direction for a while. It's also a solid proto-new romantic synthesizer record, enhanced by Karn's superb fretless-bass work and Sylvian's smooth, sneering vocals spread over pop hits like the title track... Read More

Fool Around
Artist: Rachel Sweet

If Stiff Records wanted to market Rachel Sweet as an ironic sex symbol, they succeeded only at the irony of forbidden fruit; the picture of her on the back of this disc in a rugby shirt and jeans, head cocked, hands on hips, could grace the cover of Lolita's next edition. Sweet was fully sweet 16 in 1978, though, and pictures aside, "the little... Read More