1979-1983: Vol. 1
Artist: Bauhaus
Community Score: 6.00

If all single-artist compilations were like this, the world would be a much better place -- while lacking liner notes, or even specific references as to what songs come from where, 1979-1983: Vol. 1, drawing mostly from In the Flat Field and Mask, does a frankly smashing job at capturing the many early high points of Bauhaus' recording career.... Read More

Songs to Learn & Sing
Artist: Echo & the Bunnymen

Liverpool's favorite lads Echo & the Bunnymen battled the cathartic reign of the Smiths and the enigmatic synth pop of Depeche Mode and New Order throughout the '80s movement of redesigned post-punk, and they became a staple image as well. Songs to Learn & Sing marked the Bunnymen's cemented place in new wave and relished the crooning ambience... Read More

Ocean Rain
Artist: Echo & the Bunnymen
Community Score: 9.30

Channeling the lessons of the experimental Porcupine into more conventional and simple structural parameters, Ocean Rain emerges as Echo & the Bunnymen's most beautiful and memorable effort. Ornamenting Ian McCulloch's most consistently strong collection of songs to date with subdued guitar textures, sweeping string arrangements, and hauntingly... Read More

Out My Way
Artist: Meat Puppets

When originally released in 1986, the six-track Out My Way EP was supposed to be a stop-gap release -- guitarist/singer Curt Kirkwood had broken his finger, and needed time to recover. Musically, the EP showed that the Puppets were moving on from their early punk sound to a more traditional rock direction. But the band's originality was still... Read More

Up on the Sun - BONUS TRACKS
Artist: Meat Puppets
Community Score: 9.85

What does a band do when they're trying to follow up a masterpiece? Release another masterpiece, of course. That's exactly what the Meat Puppets did with 1985's Up on the Sun. Issued one year after Meat Puppets II, the songwriting had become more focused, the performances were tighter, and Curt Kirkwood's vocals had progressed from a... Read More

God's Own Medicine
Artist: The Mission UK
Community Score: 5.00

Even though the Cult had already mastered the art of mashing goth with more traditional elements of classic rock, the Mission's debut, God's Own Medicine, was the marker for goth rock's invasion of the U.K. charts for a good chunk of the late '80s. Having already made a serious dent on the top reaches of the indie charts with the singles... Read More

This Is What You Want...This Is What You Get
Artist: Public Image Ltd.
Community Score: 6.00

Lydon adds keyboards, horns, and even a violin, double-tracks his vocals, and writes shorter songs with faster tempos. This Is What You Want ... This Is What You Get doesn't quite add up to a pop album, but you can dance to it. Contains the UK hit "This Is Not a Love Song." ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Album/Compact Disc/Cassette
Artist: Public Image Ltd.
Community Score: 9.00

Hot guitars and 4/4 time signatures make this sound more like a hard-rock album than anything Lydon's done since The Sex Pistols. And the hit single "Rise" is actually a catchy number, believe it or not. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read More

Tinderbox
Artist: Siouxsie and the Banshees
Community Score: 8.00

Tinderbox is the most musically up-tempo of all Siouxsie and the Banshees' albums and the most stylistically consistent one since The Scream and Join Hands. Most of the selections here feature urgently rocking drumming, drivingly aggressive yet fully textured guitar playing, and masterful, gutsy singing. The songs here are intense and unfold... Read More