Dirty Original Soundtrack

The act with the first arena-sized sound in the electronica movement, the Chemical Brothers united such varying influences as Public Enemy, Cabaret Voltaire, and My Bloody Valentine to create a dance-rock-rap fusion which rivaled the best old-school DJs on their own terms – keeping a crowd of people on the floor by working through any number of groove-oriented styles featuring unmissable samples, from familiar guitar riffs to vocal tags to various sound effects. And when the duo (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons) decided to supplement their DJ careers by turning their bedrooms into recording studios, they pioneered a style of music (later termed big beat) remarkable for its lack of energy loss from the dancefloor to the radio. Chemical Brothers albums were less collections of songs and more hour-long journeys, chock-full of deep bomb-studded beats, percussive breakdowns, and effects borrowed from a host of sources. All in all, the duo proved one of the few exceptions to the rule that intelligent dance music could never be bombastic or truly satisfying to the seasoned rock fan; it's hardly surprising that they were one of the few dance acts to enjoy simultaneous success in the British/American mainstream and in critical quarters.

This debut 1999 release by these Southern blues/blues-rock based musicians has a lot going for it, not the least of which is some very fine musicianship. This is music for putting the top down on a classic '60s Impala and crusin' down the road. Motoring down the highway and then all the small back roads of the southern countryside including the bayous and levees of swamp country……

Status Quo are one of Britain's longest-lived bands, staying together for over 40 years. During much of that time, the band was only successful in the U.K., where it racked up a string of Top Ten singles across the decades. In America, the Quo were ignored after they abandoned psychedelia for heavy boogie rock in the early '70s. Before that, the band managed to reach number 12 in the U.S. with the psychedelic classic "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (a Top Ten hit in the U.K.).

Terrified is the seventh album by American heavy metal band Quiet Riot. It is the band's first album in five years, and marks the return of singer Kevin DuBrow after his firing in 1987. It is bassist Kenny Hillery's only studio album with the band, and drummer Bobby Rondinelli plays on several songs. Many of the album's songs were featured in Charles Band's movie Dollman vs. Demonic Toys, with the album itself being released on Moonstone Records, the soundtrack offshoot of Band's film company Full Moon Entertainment.

Band formed, 1990; released debut album, Jackyi, Geffen, 1992; debut sold more than 1.2 million copies; released Push Comes To Shove, 1994; released Night of the Living Dead, Mayhem, 1996; released Cut the Crap, Epic, 1997; collaborated with AC/DC’s front-man Brian Johnson on the single “Locked and Loaded” for Cut The Crap in 1997, the first time a member of AC/DC collaborated with another band; released Stay-in’ Alive, Epic Records, 1998; appeared on the Beavis & Butthead soundtrack which went platinum;Stayin’ Alive appeared in 1998; released Choice Cuts, 1998; surpassed George Thorogood and The Destroyers Guinness Book of World Records mark of 52 shows in 50 days as most live performances in the shortest amount of time, delivered 100 performances in 50 days in 27 different states in 1998.

Great debut from French fusioneers Camembert. Obviously endebted in title to the pothead pixies, this album plays like an easy listening Frank Zappa record. Big Band riffs, xylophone runs, incessant tempo changes trademark the package. A fabulous record that's thrilling and easy listening all at the same time. If I ran a department store this record would be on repeat.

The occasion of the series of television films broadcast under the umbrella title The Blues in the fall of 2003 provided the opportunity to compile the highlights of Keb' Mo''s recording career thus far into a single-disc collection…