#694 - Heavy Weather, Weather Report

"Released just as the jazz-rock movement began to run out of steam, this landmark album proved that there was plenty of creative life left in the idiom." (allmusic guide)






#693 - Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, PJ Harvey

"The album cover's stylish, subtly sexy image suggests what its songs confirm: PJ Harvey has grown up. Direct, vulnerable lyrics replace the allegories and metaphors of her previous work, and the album's production polishes the songs instead of obscuring them in noise or studio tricks." (allmusic guide)

#692 - Lincoln, They Might Be Giants

"Cutting away some of the artier aspects of their debut, They Might Be Giants craft another wildly eclectic and geekily fun collection of alt-pop with Lincoln. In general, the album displays greater musical ambition than its predecessor, especially since the duo have trimmed many of the weirder excesses of the debut." (allmusic guide)


#691 - At Yankee Stadium, NRBQ

"More than just NRBQ's best record, but one of the great records of the '70s (maybe ever!). This album contains the strongest batch of new Q songs on one record, many of them the best and most memorable songs in the band's long and storied career...Yankee Stadium should have been a huge album, but Mercury booted it and never capitalized on the band's fanatical support base." (allmusic guide)

#690 - I Just Can't Stop It, The English Beat

"The English Beat decided to do more than just evoke the sounds of the past on their debut album: they created an original, hybridized world of pop, reggae and ska. "Mirror in the Bathroom" is the key track, but the combination of Dave Wakeling's pop vocals, Rankin' Roger's toasting style, and an amazing rhythm section makes this a solid record." (real music guide)

#689 - Out Of The Blue, Electric Light Orchestra

"Released in 1977, E.L.O.'s ambitious double album Out of the Blue went platinum on the strength of such radio-friendly singles as "Sweet Talkin' Woman" and "Turn to Stone." Although some of the album's highly orchestrated, Beatles-esque pop missed its target, the rest of it ranks among the band's finest moments." (real music guide)