Html To Exe

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.

An intimate 1963 collection of Sonny Boy Williamson in solo and duet (with guitarist Matt Murphy) formats; on three tracks, pianist Memphis Slim hops aboard. This delightful addendum to Williamson's electric output of the same era was cut in Denmark and first issued on Storyville.

First off, "Dream Come True" is maybe the most beautiful ballad ever. Why Lanni's lesser "Lost in You," which he recorded with Sheriff, came back from the dead instead of this pearl seems just plain unfair. Otherwise, this collection plays even more polished than Frozen Ghost's still-quirky debut, whereupon the Canadian duo established a superior level of professionalism and skill that works against the tunes this time around. Except for the Fixx-like first single, "Round and Round," there exists nothing simple about any of these songs. Nice Place to Visit almost echoes a new age atmosphere – i.e., dealing with outer (the memorable "Mother Nature") and inner ("Perfect World") solace. It's hard to recommend this CD to scratch any particular musical itch, but "Dream Come True" on a mixed tape could make anybody fall in love with you.

Sixty Six to Timbuktu has to be the icing on the cake for Robert Plant. After Led Zeppelin issued its second live album as well as a spectacular DVD in 2003, his career retrospective outside of the band is the new archetype for how they should be compiled. Containing two discs and 35 cuts, the set is divided with distinction. Disc one contains 16 tracks that cover Plant's post-Zep recording career via cuts from his eight solo albums. Along with the obvious weight of his former band's presence on cuts like "Tall Cool One," "Promised Land," and "Tie Dye on the Highway," there is also the flowering of the influence that Moroccan music in particular and Eastern music in general would have on him in readings of Tim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter," Jesse Colin Young's "Darkness, Darkness," and his own "29 Palms." There is also a healthy interest in technology being opened up on cuts from Pictures at Eleven and Now & Zen…