Grüße Aus Hollywood

Strip away all the hype, controversy, and attendant craziness surrounding Frankie – most of which never reached American shores, though the equally bombastic "Relax" and "Two Tribes" both charted well – and Welcome to the Pleasuredome holds up as an outrageously over-the-top, bizarre, but fun release. Less well known but worthwhile cuts include by-definition-camp "Krisco Kisses" and "The Only Star in Heaven," while U.K. smash "The Power of Love" is a gloriously insincere but still great hyper-ballad with strings from Anne Dudley. In truth, the album's more a testament to Trevor Horn's production skills than anything else. To help out, he roped in a slew of Ian Dury's backing musicians to provide the music, along with a guest appearance from his fellow Yes veteran Steve Howe on acoustic guitar that probably had prog rock fanatics collapsing in apoplexy. The end result was catchy, consciously modern – almost to a fault – arena-level synth rock of the early '80s that holds up just fine today, as much an endlessly listenable product of its times as the Chinn/Chapman string of glam rock hits from the early '70s.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood were one of the biggest-selling pop groups of the 1980s, as well as the most controversial. Their debut single, 'Relax', went to No. 1 in ten countries around Europe and its follow-up, 'Two Tribes', was the definitive cinematic soundtrack to the Cold War. They also had a sensitive side ('The Power Of Love'), a rocky side ('Born To Run') and a playful side ('Do You Think I'm Sexy?'). Listen to Frankie afresh, from all sides, with this essential collection.

The veteran rap-rock unit's fifth studio long-player and the follow-up to 2015's Day of the Dead, the aptly named Five delivers an eclectic sonic slap that draws from a wide array of influences. Like its predecessor, the 14-track set can go from gritty to velvety at the drop of a needle, with hood-centric (as in Los Angeles) party anthems like "Riot" and "California Dreaming" (definitely not a Mamas & the Papas cover) simmering alongside languid reggae-folk jams ("Ghost Beach") and brooding, "Lose Yourself"-era Eminem-inspired beatdowns. That penchant for experimentation, as well as a flair for pop craftsmanship, is what sets Hollywood Undead apart from some of their contemporaries – for every seedy barrel roll into nu-metal malevolence – "Renegade" is a bona fide street peeler – there's a slick blast of buttery radio fodder like "Nobody's Watching."

A tasteful and intelligent modern blues band, the Hollywood Flames came together in 1975 on the West Coast as the Hollywood Fats Band, led by guitar phenom Michael "Hollywood Fats" Mann, and featuring what was arguably the best traditional blues line-up this side of 1954. "Soul Sanctuary" was welcomed with unanimous praise by blues fans around the world, as blues with both a history and a future. A great album in the west coast and Chicago style blues and a must have if you like guitar players like Ronnie Earl, Dave Specter, Alex Schultz and Steve Freund. Featured special guest artist is Kim Wilson on harmonica. The Hollywood Blue Flames literally burn their way through a set of fresh originals sprinkled with well-chosen covers.