One World Anthology

For all their many attributes, Utopia was notoriously uneven on record. They were just as capable of turning out great pop tunes as they were to wander into meandering jams or directionless hard rock – and this applies not only to their earliest art rock records, but also to their mainstream pop/rock albums. That's what makes Rhino's Anthology (1974-1985) such a welcome addition to their catalog…

Anthology is the first John Wetton compilation to draw exclusively from his solo albums. Why hadn't anybody thought of doing this before? Well, common sense for one thing. Not that Wetton's solo albums are bad, but they tend to be maudlin; jam 18 of these babies together on a single disc and you can suck the air out of a pretty big room. Even Wetton himself doesn't lean so heavily on his own handiwork, interspersing his live shows with material from Asia, King Crimson, and UK. For the irredeemable optimist, Anthology poses less of a problem; the sound quality is very good and there are some strategically placed reprieves from sadness along the way ("Jane," "Round in Circles," "I'll Be There").

Import-only two CD compilation from the British Folk/Rock legend highlighting his critically successful years with Island Records. Along with Nick Drake, John Martyn was one of the most compelling British singer/songwriters to emerge during the 1970s. Martyn specialized in an acoustic, bluesy Folk sound, but he was also a restless experimentalist, running his guitar through all manner of effects processors and incorporating elements of Jazz, Pop, and ambient music. This double disc set is a survey of Martyn's work for Island Records, ranging from 1971's folky Bless The Weather through 1980's pop-oriented Grace And Danger. In between, listeners are treated to a comprehensive sampling of the artist's talents, from his sonically expansive guitar-scapes to his poetic, meticuloussense of songcraft. The music from Martyn's early-to-mid '70s period stands up the best, but the later work selected here is strong too. This is an excellent introduction back to front.

Jackie DeShannon's work is actually too diverse to be satisfactorily captured on an anthology, even one that includes 28 tracks, as this one does. Focusing on her output for Liberty between 1959 and 1970, it has all the essentials: her two Top Ten hits, the minor hits like "A Lifetime of Loneliness," and the original versions of "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room," and a host of fine girl group, ballad, folk-rock, and singer/songwriter flop singles. From the collector's viewpoint, the most interesting songs are the rarities.