Dr. Z

U2 sounded so confident and assured on their debut that perhaps it was inevitable they would stumble slightly on its follow-up, October. The record isn't weaker than its predecessor because it repeats the formula of Boy. It's because the band tries too hard to move forward…

Lillinger und der tiefe Grund: Viel zu entdecken gibt es in dieser Musik, die nicht ganz einfach ist - aber auf ungemein reichhaltige Art zeigt, dass es sich für den Hörer sehr lohnen kann, Hürden zu überwinden. Eine hochkomplexe Schönheit entsteht in dieser Musik, bei der sich Stück für Stück immer mehr herausstellt, dass sie von einer hingebungsvollen Empfindsamkeit geprägt ist. Und die so vertrackt virtuos sein kann, dass einem der Atem stockt.

As far as major-label debuts by underground bands go, Green is fairly uncompromising. While it displays a more powerful guitar sound on "Get Up," "Turn You Inside Out," and "Orange Crush," it also takes more detours than Document, whether it's the bizarrely affecting contemporary folk of "The Wrong Child" and "You Are the Everything," the bubblegum of "Stand" and "Pop Song 89," or the introspection of the lovely "Hairshirt" and "World Leader Pretend." But instead of presenting a portrait of a band with a rich, eclectic vision, Green is incoherent. While its best moments are flat-out great, the band has bitten off more than it can chew; many of the songs sound like failed experiments, and its arena-ready production now sounds slightly dated. Nevertheless, half of the record is brilliant, and it certainly indicates that R.E.M. are continuing to diversify their sound.

Famed for her hard-rocking, dance-inducing new-wave sound, ferocious vocals, cult-film acting and scandalous talk-show appearances, Nina saw her name spread westward from her native East Berlin as the '70s gave way to the '80s. Here's her 1979 debut LP Nina Hagen Band, 1982 English-language debut Nunsexmonkrock and relentlessly grooving 1983 LP Fearless. What it is (unmistakably featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers) joins New York New York; My Sensation; Superboy; Der Spinner; Antiworld; Smack Jack; UFO; Dr. Art; her German-language version of White Punks on Dope, and more!

Together Alone is the debut studio album released by Dutch singer Anouk. It was highly successful in the Netherlands and featured three top 30 singles: "Nobody's Wife", "It's So Hard" and "Sacrifice"…

The gracefully aging Brazilian guitarist takes a trio into a jazz club in Pacific Beach (near San Diego) and delivers a lovely, swinging set of transcriptions and arrangements of music from three continents, bracketed by the music of Jobim ("Outra Vez" to start, and a medley of hits to close). While Almeida was not a technical dazzler at age 74, it doesn't matter; his selection of notes, his feeling for the samba, his selection of material, and his fine-tuned timing with his rhythm section (Bob Magnusson, bass; Jim Plank, drums) make this a hugely enjoyable record.

Israeli pop singer Noa (aka Achinoam Nini) is a beautiful woman who creates beautiful music. She wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks on this impressive set, including her lyrical interpretation of "Ave Maria" (it's impressive to claim Bach as a co-writer). Of course, it doesn't hurt to have members of the Pat Metheny Group accompanying you…

The songs on Solitude Standing, Suzanne Vega's second album, had years listed beside them on the lyric sheet, so you could see that some of them dated back to 1978. But that bold admission heralded the album's triumph – its diversity was what made it so good…