Prince & The New

Matthew Bourne’s triumphant modern re-interpretation of SWAN LAKE turned tradition upside down, taking the dance world by storm. Now firmly crowned as a modern day classic, this iconic production is perhaps best-known for replacing the traditional female corps de ballet with a menacing male ensemble. Matthew Bourne blends dance, humour and spectacle with extravagant, award-winning designs by Lez Brotherston, to create a provocative and powerful Swan Lake for our times.

By the end of the 1970s, the original triumvirate of hard rock heroes Zeppelin, Purple and Sabbath had either graduated to the arenas of the world, or even split up, whilst the second wave of British heavy rockers, including UFO, Motörhead and Judas Priest, were beginning to fill theatres across the land. Punk exploded in 1976 and 1977, and the DIY ethos that sprang up in its wake soon influenced the grassroots metal bands who had yet to leave their local bars and clubs. Often independently released, some of the bands in this set never made more than one now highly prized and collectable 45 or one-off EP.

100 Hits begins with some songs that might be termed new romantic, then shifts into non-romantic synth pop, then sophisti-pop, and then, suddenly, it looks more like a compilation more accurately classified as "'80s pop, alternative, and mainstream." Like the other sets in the 100 Hits series from the U.K.'s EMI-funded Demon label, 100 Hits: The New Romantics features 20 songs on each one of its five discs and provides a big chunk of music for a small price. This is ideal for hoarders who care more about obtaining a wide swath of songs on a budget than focused track lists with nice packaging. Most of the tracks were, indeed, hits, new romantic or not. Duran Duran's "Planet Earth," Japan's "Ghosts," the Human League's "Sound of the Crowd," and Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive!" are among the highlights.