(Who's Afraid Of?) The Art of Noise!
Artist: The Art of Noise
Community Score: 8.83

Art of Noise's first full album, (Who's Afraid Of?) The Art of Noise!, consolidated the future shock of the earlier EPs and singles in one entertaining and often frightening and screwed-up package. Rarely has something aiming for modern pop status also sought to destroy and disturb so effectively. The most legendary song is still "Close (To the... Read More

Open All Night
Artist: Marc Almond

This is the album that Marc Almond has been trying to make since leaving Soft Cell. He has managed to fuse together all of his influences: pop, disco, dance, electronic, R&B and cabaret all thrown into the mix to produce this incredibly diverse and entertaining album. Perhaps it was the freedom of recording and releasing the CD as a... Read More

The Twelve Inch Singles
Artist: Soft Cell
(Who's Afraid Of?) The Art of Noise! - JAPAN
Artist: The Art of Noise

Art of Noise's first full album, (Who's Afraid Of?) The Art of Noise!, consolidated the future shock of the earlier EPs and singles in one entertaining and often frightening and screwed-up package. Rarely has something aiming for modern pop status also sought to destroy and disturb so effectively. The most legendary song is still "Close (To the... Read More

Visage/The Anvil
Artist: Visage

Polydor combined Visage's first two (and best) albums, Visage and The Anvil, on one cassette in the early '80s. It's not a bad way to collect all of this music at once, but the packaging and sound are a little shabby, and since it's out-of-print and quite rare anyway, it's best to go for the collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Read More

The Luxury Gap
Artist: Heaven 17
Community Score: 10.00

After creating a marvelous electronic debut, Glenn Gregory, Ian Marsh, and Martyn Ware decided to tamper with their winning formula a bit on Heaven 17's 1983 follow-up to Penthouse and Pavement. The result, which added piano, strings, and Earth, Wind, & Fire's horn section to the band's cool synthesizer pulse, was even better, and The Luxury Gap... Read More

The Best of the Art of Noise
Artist: The Art of Noise

As an overview of Art of Noise's brief output, this best-of can't be beat, though it does inadvertently track their slide from forerunners to recyclers and cultural panderers. The 1-2-3 rush of "Beat Box," "Moments in Love," and "Close (To the Edit)" make this CD worth the money already -- at the time of their release, these singles swiped... Read More

Best of Yaz
Artist: Yaz
Community Score: 6.00

The Best of Yaz does an excellent job of summarizing the synth-pop duo's singles, containing such hits as "Only You," "Ode to Boy," "Nobody's Diary," "Midnight," "Don't Go," "Mr. Blue," "Tuesday," "Winter Kills," and "Goodbye Seventies," plus a couple of rarities -- the American 12" mix of "Situation" and Richard Stannard's 1999 remix of "Only... Read More