Still Corners Strange Pleasures (édition Studiomas)

Cinderella returned from their self-imposed exile in late 1994 with Still Climbing, a gritty record that shows them building upon the bluesy hard rock of Heartbreak Station. Arguably, it boasts a more consistent song selection and tougher sound than Heartbreak, yet radio and MTV were resistant to the band's classic good-times-and-hard-rockin' attitude and the record disappeared soon after its release.

When considering the "strict" period of neo-prog (i.e., the 1980s), The Wake is definitely a classic. Together with Marillion's first LPs, it helped define what neo-progressive was and generated dozens of sound-alike albums by as many bands in the U.K. and worldwide. While IQ would top The Wake with the 1997 two-CD set Subterranea (stronger compositions, stronger musicianship), the former remains the band's true classic, a must-have for anyone remotely interested in progressive rock from the 1980s…

When considering the "strict" period of neo-prog (i.e., the 1980s), The Wake is definitely a classic. Together with Marillion's first LPs, it helped define what neo-progressive was and generated dozens of sound-alike albums by as many bands in the U.K. and worldwide. While IQ would top The Wake with the 1997 two-CD set Subterranea (stronger compositions, stronger musicianship), the former remains the band's true classic, a must-have for anyone remotely interested in progressive rock from the 1980s. The third album by the band, it took a more pop approach than Tales From the Lush Attic; there was no 20-minute epic track and songs were rather simple in terms of structure. "The Thousand Days," the title track, and "Corners" had single potential, especially the first of these, a stirring rock number…

Nils Lofgren has a story unlike any other in rock & roll. Something of a teenage rock & roll prodigy, he first made waves when he played on Neil Young's After the Gold Rush at the tender age of 17, just around the time his D.C.-based band Grin relocated to Los Angeles in hopes of hitting the big time. Grin never became stars, but Lofgren did. His association with Young provided a launch pad for a solo career that was acclaimed and fitfully commercially successful, with the late-'70s albums Cry Tough, I Came to Dance, and Night After Night all making waves in album rock…

One of Canada's most underrated new wave bands' debut album, it contains the singles "She Controls Me" and the epic title track – which is about as hypnotic as a song can get it. Wonderfully lushly produced and masterfully written (principally by Drew Arnott and Darryl Kromm), this is a wonderful collection of great new wave music, notched up by those two irresistible singles and songs like the Simple Minds-inspired "Love Games." A promising debut for a band that would be far too short-lived.