After seven albums, Chris Rea was finally beginning to get the hang of what makes a commercial success. He had not changed his style throughout the 1980s, but now it was 1985 and the synth pop sounds and new romantics were both long gone -- and in their place were stadium-filling anthemic rock or power ballads. Shamrock Diaries was a mix of soft ballads like "Chisel Hill" and "One Golden Rule" along with saxophone-led uptempo numbers such as the title track and the feel-good song of the summer,...   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

By the time one has listened to the first few songs on Back Country Road, he or she will be aware of two dominating factors: the band's fine harmony, and a romantic glance toward simpler, rural lifestyles. Lead singer Tony Holt gets things started with "The Long Valley," a fun, up-tempo piece that finds a young man, tired of his rambling ways, wishing to return to familiar faces and places. Holt's originals mix well with the other material, the most familiar being Lefty Frizzell's {&"Mom and...   [ read more ]

CD $15.18

Originally issued as two separate EPs in 2007, Avantasia's Lost in Space doubleheader never received an official physical release in North America, so the chances that this handy single-CD repack that emerged the following year will piss off their fans are slim to none -- especially with an ABBA cover, "Lay Your Love All Over Me," on hand to draw the brunt of spiteful indignity from the heavy metal faithful. And it doesn't end there; Lost in Space also features a rocking waltz through {&"Dan...   [ read more ]

CD $15.18