Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys make up Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who were responsible for some of the catchiest and brightest synth pop that the '80s had to offer. O.M.D.'s material was a step above other keyboard pop music of the time, thanks to the combination of intelligently crafted hooks and colorful rhythms that bounced and jittered with pristine charm. Their squeaky-clean brilliancy initiated by both their synthesizers and subdued yet attractive vocal styles gave them a more mature sound over bands like Duran Duran and A Flock of Seagulls, who were attracting a younger audience. The Best of O.M.D. is an excellent compilation of their polished music, starting out with less provocative material like the basic electronic wash of "Electricity" and the bare but ebullient fervor of "Enola Gay." As this set moves along, so does the craftiness of their work, which is evident on tighter sounding songs like "Tesla Girls" and "Locomotion," where the intricacy of their formula begins to take a more resounding shape. O.M.D.'s best work came from 1985's Crush album, which harbored the midnight airiness found in "So in Love" as well as the adolescent innocence that streamed its way through "Secret," which are two of the best tracks on this set.

When We Were the New Boys finds Rod Stewart tackling the music of his Brit-pop offspring and coming to terms with his pub rock roots. It's a bit of a risky move, since he could have embarrassed himself with stodgy singing but, surprisingly, he (more or less) pulls it off. Granted, he's not nearly as energetic as he once was, and he stumbles on occasion, but he recasts Oasis' "Cigarettes and Alcohol," Primal Scream's "Rocks," and Graham Parker's "Hotel Chambermaid" as comfortable rockers in the vein of "Hot Legs." They're not as vibrant as the Gallaghers' rolling thunder or Bobby Gillespie's ironic classicism, but they're easily the best rockers Rod has cut in ages.

Following the success of Unplugged…and Seated, Rod Stewart had shrewdly repositioned himself as a mature, middle-aged man who still had a slight streak of his wilder days in him. Unsurprisingly, the music both recalled his past glories in instrumentation, yet the attack was different the acoustics rocked, but it wasn't bracing; it was like a back-porch jam session. Stewart expanded that approach on A Spanner in the Works, his first album since Unplugged. The acoustics are still there, but they're strummed a little more gently and set in a bed of unobtrusive synths.

Rod Stewart continued to regain his strength with Vagabond Heart, the follow-up to his comeback album, Out of Order. Vagabond Heart is a stronger, more diverse album than its predecessor, featuring a more consistent set of songs, including Robbie Robertson's "Broken Arrow" and the hit "Motown Song," as well as a convincing, impassioned performance by Stewart.

Repertoire records has sort of confused the issue of Herman's Hermits CDs by releasing this 25-song compilation in 1994 and then, in 2000, re-releasing the soundtrack Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter on CD. To clarify, this is not the soundtrack to the 1968 movie, but a collection of the group's 1964-1965 sides from various singles and EPs. Some of it will surprise listeners who think of Herman's Hermits as the poppiest component of the British Invasion and barely a rock & roll group at all - regardless of who is actually playing on "Walking With My Baby" or "Dream On," those are as solid as any early album track by the Hollies, and they don't do a bad version of "For Your Love" either; they even make an attempt at a slightly bluesier sound on "I Wonder," though this was clearly not Peter Noone's vocal forte…

Still Waters is the twenty-first studio album by the pop group the Bee Gees, released on 10 March 1997 in the UK by Polydor, and on 6 May the same year in the US by A&M. As if they finally realized that they couldn't quite compete with contemporary musical fashions any more, the Bee Gees moved firmly into "mature" territory with Still Waters. However, they are canny enough to realize that they shouldn't abandon the frothy disco that made them superstars in the late '70s – they should merely temper it with measured rhythms and tasteful melodies. Consequently, nothing on Still Waters is infectious, but it is pleasant, and while only a handful of singles stand out – "I Could Not Love You More" is a sweet ballad – it is still a fine, professional effort from these consummate professionals.

Richard Bennett is an American guitarist, sideman, session musician, and record producer. As a touring sideman, he performed with Neil Diamond for 17 years, and Mark Knopfler since 1994. As a session player, he has worked with artists ranging from Billy Joel and Barbra Streisand to Rodney Crowell and Vince Gill. He has produced Grammy award winning artists like Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, and Marty Stuart.

A truly unique and wonderfully American band, the Lovin' Spoonful released nearly all of their creative legacy between 1965 and the end of 1966. The first album, Do You Believe in Magic, hit in 1965, with the second, Daydream, and the third, Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, arriving in 1966. Also in 1966, the group delivered the soundtrack to Woody Allen's first film, What's Up, Tiger Lily? This set combines that soundtrack with Hums on a single disc, and truthfully, it works mostly because Hums, which contained such classic Spoonful numbers as "Lovin' You," "Rain on the Roof," "Coconut Grove," "Nashville Cats," and "Summer in the City," is such a fine album. Aside from the minor song "Pow" and a redo of "Fishin' Blues," the music on What's Up, Tiger Lily? is of the instrumental soundtrack variety…

With the support of Power Station guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist Bernard Edwards, Rod Stewart rebounds from his previous career nadir of "Love Touch" with Out of Order. Alternating between professional, driving rock & roll like "Lost in You" and ballads like "My Heart Can't Tell You No," Out of Order is a well-constructed set of mainstream pop/rock and his best album since Tonight I'm Yours, even if none of the songs rank among his best work.

With classical pianist Kevin Savigar established as his songwriting partner, Rod Stewart marched into the mid-'80s in finer shape than he'd been in for a few years. Every Beat of My Heart was his 15th solo album and, after the disappointments of the preceding Body Wishes and Camouflage, the wistful romance of the title track alone suggested that he was back on track. Unfortunately, it was not to be. One could compile a genuinely excellent collection from across Stewart's entire '80s output. But Every Beat of My Heart, like the LPs on either side of it, found him floundering directionless in a sea of, on the one hand, syrupy schmaltz; and, on the other, clichéd rockers, with just the occasional flash of style sneaking in, to remind us why we even cared any longer.

Camouflage is better than the disastrous Body Wishes, but that's only a relative term. Jeff Beck adds the occasional rock guitar flourish, but that doesn't save the faceless material. Again, the two singles "Infatuation" and "Some Guys Have All the Luck" are fine, ready-made pop hits, but they wear thin after a few plays, and they're the best things on the record.

With a fun, bright, and wonderful run of hits like "Do You Believe in Magic," "Daydream," and "Summer in the City" behind them, the Lovin' Spoonful began running out of gas by the spring of 1967, and the two albums paired here, You're a Big Boy Now and Everything Playing, both released later that year, show a band that was creatively exhausted. You're a Big Boy Now, the soundtrack to a film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, did generate a couple of good songs, the title tune and the lovely "Darling Be Home Soon," while Everything Playing yielded the joyous "She Is Still a Mystery" and "Six O'Clock," but these were really the last great gasp of a truly great American band. Serious fans of the group will want to have these for the sake of completion, and this two-fer is a good way to get both of them at once, but taken together, it's a swan song.

Two of the songs are first-rate synth-laden, disposable pop/rock filler "Baby Jane" and "What Am I Gonna Do (I'm So in Love With You)" but when those songs sound substantial next to dreck like "Ready Now" and "Sweet Surrender," it's clear that Body Wishes is one of Rod Stewart's worst efforts.

It is never a good sign when a live album begins with a snippet of David Rose's "The Stripper," and that's surely the case with Rod Stewart's 1982 album, Absolutely Live. This captures Rod at a particularly awkward stage, as his recordings were gradually becoming the commercial-minded dreck that many critics had claimed they were for years. Despite the negative press of his late-'70s albums, they often had their moments, but Stewart lost his way in the early '80s, becoming glossier. That's evident on this live album, where he sounds like he's going through the motions, even as he digs out such chestnuts as "Rock My Plimsoul." This isn't unlistenable, but it's stilted and slick, losing much of the joie de verve that marked Rod at his best. It's the first bland, worthless record Stewart released, the first that felt like sheer product.

Rod Stewart followed the faux-disco trash of Blondes Have More Fun with Foolish Behaviour, which sanded out most of the character of the previous album. The result was a bland but professional even at their worst, Rod and his band are always professionals collection, mainly comprised of dance-oriented, lightly synthesized pop/rock. The passionless "Passion" was the hit, but the only worthwhile song was the gorgeous "Oh God, I Wish I Was Home Tonight," which has the clever wit and self-depreciating melancholy of his finest work.