Face Value
Artist: Phil Collins
Community Score: 6.79

Collins proves himself a passionate singer (and distinctive drummer) with a gift for both deeply felt ballads and snarling rockers. His debut album transformed him from the frontman of Genesis to a solo star who happened to be in Genesis, too. Contains "In the Air Tonight" and "I Missed Again." ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Singles 45's and Under
Artist: Squeeze
Community Score: 8.00

Above all, Squeeze were a great singles act -- among the finest of the era -- and Singles 45's and Under offers proof of that fact, giving a chronological survey of their biggest hits from their early, pre-breakup period. Most of the songs can be found on the actual albums, aside from the slightly different single version of "Goodbye Girl" and... Read More

Robot Woman
Artist: Mother Gong
The Visitor
Artist: Mick Fleetwood
Community Score: 10.00

Recorded in Ghana in 1981, Mick Fleetwood's solo debut reveals more diversity and depth of feeling than any of Fleetwood Mac's multi-platinum monsters. Six of the tracks are not overt attempts at worldbeat, instead using a variety of West African musicians as sidemen, sidewomen, and, in the case of drum ensemble Ebaali Gbiko, sidechildren. Of... Read More

The Completion Backward Principle
Artist: The Tubes
Community Score: 9.50

The Completion Backward Principle was the first release on EMI/Capitol by San Francisco-based the Tubes. It found the outrageous septet working with producer David Foster, who gives the record a high-gloss sheen. It's a pairing that, while possibly surprising to fans of the band's earlier releases, actually works quite nicely. The ballads (the... Read More

The Hurting
Artist: Tears for Fears
Community Score: 8.28

The Hurting would have been a daring debut for a pop-oriented band in any era, but it was an unexpected success in England in 1983, mostly by virtue of its makers' ability to package an unpleasant subject -- the psychologically wretched family histories of Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith -- in an attractive and sellable musical format. Not that... Read More

Cargo
Artist: Men at Work
Community Score: 9.50

Cargo was bashed out fairly quickly, but its release was delayed because of the success of Men at Work's debut, Business as Usual. Though it was recorded on the road, Cargo is considerably more diverse -- but not necessarily more ambitious -- than its predecessor. Again, the album is anchored by two extraordinary singles. Fortunately, the... Read More

Business as Usual
Artist: Men at Work
Community Score: 7.50

Business as Usual became a surprise international hit on the basis of "Who Can It Be Now?" and "Down Under," two excellent singles that merged straight-ahead pop/rock hooks with a quirky new wave production and an offbeat sense of humor. Colin Hay's keening vocals uncannily recall Sting, and the band's rhythmic pulse and phased guitars also... Read More

Escape
Artist: Journey
Community Score: 8.64

Escape was a groundbreaking album for San Francisco's Journey, charting three singles inside Billboard's Top Ten, with "Don't Stop Believing" reaching number nine, "Who's Crying Now" number four, and "Open Arms" peaking at number two and holding there for six weeks. Escape flung Journey steadfastly into the AOR arena, combining Neal Schon's... Read More

Genesis - ATLANTIC
Artist: Genesis
Community Score: 6.79

If Genesis still had one foot in the art rock world with Abacab, they jumped into pop with both feet on their eponymous release. Genesis used crisp, glossy production and mid-tempo arrangements designed for pop radio in the 1980s. After years of relative obscurity on this side of the Atlantic, one cannot blame the band, especially one so... Read More

Abacab
Artist: Genesis
Community Score: 7.32

After gaining some limited commercial success with Duke, Genesis went for the jugular of American radio with the well-crafted pop of Abacab. While there are still some traces of their art rock past, the album is primarily filled with a new wave sound and concise songs. Phil Collins, who replaced Peter Gabriel years earlier as the lead vocalist,... Read More

Making Movies
Artist: Dire Straits
Community Score: 8.35

Without second guitarist David Knopfler, Dire Straits began to move away from its roots rock origins into a jazzier variation of country-rock and singer/songwriter folk-rock. Naturally, this means that Mark Knopfler's ambitions as a songwriter are growing, as the storytelling pretensions of Making Movies indicate. Fortunately, his skills are... Read More

Live at Red Rocks: Under a Blood Red Sky - 10" LP
Artist: U2