Greatest – BEE GEES*****

Jive Talkin'/Night Fever/Tragedy/You Should Be Dancing/Stayin' Alive/How Deep Is Your Love/Love So Right/ Too Much Heaven/(Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away/Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)/If I Can't Have You/You Stepped Into My Life/Love Me/More Than A Woman/Rest Your Love On Me/Nights On Broadway/Spirits (Having Flown)/Love You Inside Out/Wind Of Change/Children Of The World

This double LP compilation includes all the Bee Gees best songs from their enormously successful late 1970s disco period. Coupled with the two earlier greatest hits packages, together they provide a testament to the group’s huge contribution to popular music. (US:1 UK:6)

“This album perfectly assembles the nuggets from the Bee Gees' disco period, the best phase of their career. Every song, whether a hit or not, is as outstanding as its performance. The high quality of the arrangements and the musicianship are just breathtaking. And the grooves are irresistible as well as the harmonies, and the ballads are heart wrenching.”

“What great memories they brought up. Having listened to this music profusely in the 70s, the songs are ingrained into my both my heart and mind.” “When you listen to these songs, they earmark a period of music. The landmark Saturday Night Fever album, and the Bee Gees number one hits from that period, are all here and have aged better than most of us would have ever predicted.”

“Barry Gibb's falsetto had developed into an instrument unto itself, yet Robin and Maurice had their own leads along with extraordinary harmonizing abilities. Children Of The World probably best displays that interplay the brothers shared.”

“There is something appealing about this compilation. It sets its own mood because the songs all fit together so well. If you are only interested in the Bee Gees for their disco music or if (like me) you appreciate being able to play their disco music separately from all their other stuff, this is ideal.”

“It's truly incredible how smooth of a transition this band made from their original sound to this sound, all the while maintaining their incredible writing and singing skills, in some ways enhancing both.”

“This was the period when the Bee Gees adopted their trademark sound and became identified at the forefront of the disco movement.”

Greatest Hits Vol. 2 – ABBA****

Gimme Gimme Gimme/Knowing Me Knowing You/Take A Chance On Me/Money Money Money/Rock Me/Eagle/ Angeleyes/Dancing Queen/Does Your Mother Know/Chiquitita/Summer Night City/I Wonder (Departure)/The Name Of The Game/Thank You For The Music

The Swedish pop group Abba were the dominant chart act in the UK during the second half of the 1970s. This second compilation maintains the standard of the first. (US:46 UK:1)

“Usually I'm not a big fan of compilations, but Abba were essentially a singles band so I don't think their artistic vision is compromised too severely by listening to their songs outside of the context of the original album. The track selection on here is pretty solid.”

“If they had combined the best hit songs from this album with those from the first greatest hits album they would have had a superior release.” “As with all Abba albums; you will want to play this over and over again, and sing along, because we all seem to know the words without having to learn them.”

“This was the first LP I purchased as a teen in the '70s. I loved it then and love it now. A classic pop album, a collection of their early hits and best songs.”

“Each song took me back to my childhood, when I knew them all by heart. You don't realize how many memories you store until they come flooding back as if they were just made yesterday.”

“This compilation represents Abba at their pop best before they sacrificed their glitter pop/Eurosong edge for the twin evils of show tune-ism and ersatz disco, not to mention the final horror of adult sophistication.”

“Whilst there is very little one can say about any Abba album to add to what everybody knows already, namely sheer brilliance, it has to be said that they surprised many with this one by adding four non-hit tracks to this compilation. Although there had been several included on the first Greatest Hits album that had not been singles in the UK, but they had been hits elsewhere. However, here we have four, including a couple of 'B' sides.”

Wet – BARBRA STREISAND****

Wet/Come Rain Or Come Shine/Splish Splash/On Rainy Afternoons/After The Rain/No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)/Niagara/I Ain't Gonna Cry Tonight/Kiss Me In The Rain

Barbra Streisand’s album Wet is highly unusual in that all of the songs include a reference to water. For the first time she records some disco tracks, most notably the US No. 1 duet with Donna Summer No More Tears. (US:7 UK:25)

“By the late seventies most singers were recording disco albums, and Barbra Streisand decided to join in by releasing Wet, a concept album where the songs all refer to water. The idea sounds ludicrous, but anything Barbra records is great, so only she could get away with recording such a record.”

“Wet is a somewhat underrated Barbra Streisand album with the theme of water in all of the songs. It's actually a fine concept album that stands the test of time. She is in excellent form here; her voice is as clear as a bell and she can hit any note she desires. The duet she performs with Donna Summer, No More Tears, made the airwaves sizzle back when released and played in clubs everywhere.”

“On Rainy Afternoons has become my favourite Streisand song. The lyrics, the voice, the arrangements entangle me into a painful and wonderful past romance. I find no escape when I'm listening to this piece. After The Rain offers a wonderful counterbalance, once again romance has wings and wonderment.”

“Wet is an interesting mix of songs that range from lush ballads, such as the title cut, to pop to rock and disco. This album covered each musical genre flawlessly. Not just because of Streisand's impeccable voice, but because the song choices and arrangements are top-notch.”

“This album is notable for many things, the least interesting being her disco duet with Donna Summer. Unlike the purists, I don't mind this foray, or her takes on Splish Splash and I Aint Gonna Cry Tonight, since they are yet again proof of Barbra's eclectic choices. However for me, the big plus of the album are the orchestrated arrangements of the ballads.”

“The album has an aquatic theme throughout, as each song incorporates water themes. The title track is a really tender ballad, quite beautiful. On Rainy Afternoons and After The Rain are also songs you will love. The highlight though is the closing track Kiss Me In The Rain, one of her best songs. This is a must for Barbra fans.”

One Step Beyond – MADNESS****

One Step Beyond/My Girl/Night Boat To Cairo/Believe Me/Land Of Hope & Glory/The Prince/Tarzan's Nuts/In The Middle Of The Night/Bed & Breakfast/Razor Blade Alley/Swan Lake/Rockin' In A/Mummy's Boy/Madness/Chipmunks Are Go

The North London group Madness started their recording career as a 2 Tone band, but soon became a successful mainstream pop group, albeit with a zany image. One Step Beyond was their debut and features the excellent UK No. 3 hit My Girl. (US:128 UK:2)

“Musically speaking, the album is quite daring. There is a bit of reggae, a bit of east European music, a bit of punk, some rock steady beats, and in Swan Lake they even make a cracking version of a classical music piece. It's daring in the sense that it's never stiff, never boring. There is always something that fills it with restless exuberance, and that is no doubt what makes them so appealing.”

“A truly remarkable debut album. Being in my early teens at the time of release you had to know all the lyrics, and had mastered the moves, or else you were a total loser. That's the power this album wielded over impressionable youth.”

“Madness connected with British people in all kinds of ways, their zany image, the fun and sheer bright eyed enthusiasm they brought to ska tunes, and of course the songwriting. Listen to My Girl and Bed & Breakfast and appreciate the very classic English flavour that runs through their work.”

“Their influences were clearly ska, reggae and rock steady, but they also took from punk a frenetic musical delivery. They had a schoolboy cheeky, grinning humour and a penchant for the madcap.”

“At heart, for at least this release, Madness were a pop band masquerading as a ska band because, well, it would have been foolish not to ride the 2-Tone wave. An astonishing debut, considering the band’s working class image, providing a lyrical counterpoint to their more serious 2-Tone brethren.”

“Perhaps the purest expression of Madness's original 2-Tone sound, One Step Beyond brings a variety of good-natured, good-humoured pop-ska to bear and marks one of those occasions where the band's distinctive sense of humour doesn't become cloying. It's by no means perfect and there's some filler here and there, but at its best it places Madness at the absolute peak of the late 1970s British ska revival.”

Specials – SPECIALS****

A Message To You Rudy/Do The Dog/It's Up To You/Nite Klub/Doesn't Make It Alright/Concrete Jungle/Too Hot/Monkey Man/(Dawning Of A) New Era/Blank Expression/Stupid Marriage/Too Much Too Young/Little Bitch/You're Wondering Now

At the end of the 1970s a number of new bands appeared on the British music scene under the 2 Tone banner. The first and most representative was the Specials and this is their eponymous debut album. Features the UK Top Ten hit A Message To You Rudy. (US:84 UK:4)

“The Special’s debut album is the best example of the 2 Tone genre, the one that takes up the Jamaican reggae and ska, combining them with influences from the punk explosion. Being one of the first interracial bands, they achieve a typical English sound that combines cheerful rhythms with a sophisticated melancholy, applying it to other artist’s compositions plus some of their own gems.”

“The 2 Tone ska bands were one of the more surprising but welcome phenomena that emerged in the British musical scene after the punk era. They tended to have two different gears: quirky feel-good times and biting political commentary, with most groups on the scene dipping into both. Whereas Madness were thick on the jokes the Specials were big on social commentary.”

“This is a pretty fun album, a mixture of upbeat late 70s ska and new wave sounding rock. It’s pretty catchy with some horns and is one of those albums you put on when you are in a fun mood. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but its still has that upbeat late 70s sound and, even though no songs are quite up to Ghost Town level, it still is a really enjoyable listen.”

“A true classic of the ska genre, the Specials self-titled debut album is a must-have for any serious fan of the 2 Tone scene or for any keen student of the recent social history of multicultural Britain.”

“On this album you find a band with two voices, one black, one decidedly white but both undoubtedly British and unhappy. Not that the music is unhappy it isn't, it's a pounding concoction of bluebeat, ska, roots reggae, rockabilly and punk, a euphoric combination of influences and instruments locked into place by swirling keyboard.”

“Their version of ska was a lot less jazzy than the original incarnation, drawing in strong elements of punk, and shifting the instrumental emphasis from the horns to the guitars. You won't find a lot of brass in this album.”

Tusk – FLEETWOOD MAC*****

Over & Over/The Ledge/Think About Me/Save Me A Place/Sara/What Makes You Think You're The One/ Storms/That's All For Everyone/Not That Funny/Sisters Of The Moon/Angel/That's Enough For Me/Brown Eyes/Never Make Me Cry/I Know I'm Not Wrong/Honey Hi/Beautiful Child/Walk A Thin Line/Tusk/Never Forget

Tusk proved that a double album does not necessarily have to include some filler. The revitalised Fleetwood Mac were on a roll, which would continue well into the next decade. The title track and Sara were the US top ten hits. (US:4 UK:1)

“This album is a real delight, every song is a stunning little jewel of self contained beauty and fragility, beautifully crafted and realised by Fleetwood Mac. Tusk is an album which has captivated my heart. I would never have believed that I would enjoy a mainstream rock album so much as I enjoyed this one.”

“It's the last album where the band's three songwriters shared much common ground. While Buckingham is the guy who gets all the attention - he writes the most songs, produces, plays stinging guitar and arranges everything - the contributions of Nicks and McVie are just as crucial in setting the mood of the album.”

“This album is criminally underrated; it is arguably where the band reached their purest artistic form, with a sophisticated, unique approach to songwriting and production. The experimental direction in which Buckingham led the band proved to be a major success. The entire album is stellar on every possible level, comprising the works of three amazing songwriters and singers, a double album without any filler, and almost every song is pure greatness.”

“A magnificent double album that reveals multitudinous layers of earth quaking sensitivity. It eschews the shining pop monuments of Rumours and instead aims for something deeper, broader, less showy but more resonant. A delicate balance is struck between shimmering soft-rock balladry, courtesy of the two ladies, and jagged experimentation courtesy of Buckingham that is sustained wonderfully throughout.”

“The three songwriters have a lot of ideas, finding themselves clashing and colliding against each other in a glorious, fabulous manner. We have witchy balladry, dreamy hippy croons, country punk, adult contemporary rock numbers and so much more. Tusk is filled to the brim with evocative sounds.”

“Another brilliant example of an artist not accepting the status quo, proving that depth or experimentation in lyricism and musicianship makes for greatness.”

Storm Watch – JETHRO TULL***

North Sea Oil/Orion/Home/Dark Ages/Warm Sporran/Something's On The Move/Old Ghosts/Dun Ringill/Flying Dutchman/Elegy

Jethro Tull, in the first few years of their career, were one of the most innovative rock bands, thanks to the creative genius of Ian Anderson. However, with Storm Watch, the inspiration has become seriously diminished. (US:22 UK:27)

“A rather disjointed, depressing album that lacks atmosphere, enthusiasm and heart. It has that ‘why are we doing this’ sort of vibe. Treading water? More like paddling here.”

“Stormwatch is not their best recording. Sloppy and disinterested seem to be the best way to describe the quality and their effort. Jethro Tull, as a unit, had made some great long plays, but like many prog rock bands by this time they really had nothing much left.”

“I feel that Tull were getting burnt out because of constant touring and album making, long with the changing musical climate and the death of their bass player John Glascock. Things were hard so I think they needed a drastic change in style. This was a goodbye to their classic straight ahead folk-rock sound. All in all this is just a mediocre album that might have been something great.”

“The musicianship is superior to all but a select few bands, and there are many stunning moments. However, one does notice a perceptible drop-off in energy level from one album to the next.”

“The music is as great as always, with Anderson writing the bulk of the material and the band members doing a splendid job, with Anderson playing the bass parts on top of his usual duties as singer, acoustic guitarist and flautist. The album also includes some elaborate orchestral arrangements, which by that time were an integral part of many prog albums, expanding the sound beyond the usual rock instruments.”

“Stormwatch ends the trilogy of albums dealing with man's relationship with nature. The overall mood of the record, established by the cover shot, is a cold one. Anderson sings point of view of someone watching an approaching storm, as in the character on the cover. Throughout the songs, he is warning everyone to stop abusing nature or they will live in eternal winter and darkness.”