The Fixx had a banner year in 1983, as their second album, Reach the Beach, broke down doors and gave the band a huge hit with "One Thing Leads to Another." Phantoms wasn't as good, not just because Reach the Beach had that hit but also because it was simply a really good mainstream new wave record. Phantoms was a little more serious, a little more lugubrious, a little directionless, but it still is a pretty good record, all the same. The reason why? The Fixx were a good band. They had an original sound, thanks to the echoing synths, clean-processed guitars, cavernous drums, and Cy Curnin's soaring voice, which soared over the precise arrangements to make it sound human. The wondrous thing about this combination is that it sounded appealing even when the material wasn't the equal of the sound, which is often the case on Phantoms. That's not to say it's a disaster, because it hardly is – the band sounds good, and the record is a shining example of post-new wave production.

The B-52's is the debut album by the Athens, Georgia-based new wave band the B-52's. Also released in Germany as "Play Loud". The kitschy lyrics and mood, and the hook-laden harmonies helped establish a fanbase for the band, who went on to release several chart-topping singles. The B-52's peaked at number 59 on the Billboard 200, and "Rock Lobster" reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2003, the television network VH1 named The B-52's the 99th greatest album of all time. Shortly before his death, John Lennon said he enjoyed the album. In his 1995 book, The Alternative Music Almanac, Alan Cross placed the album ninth on the list of 10 Classic Alternative Albums. In 2012, the album was ranked number 152 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The B-52's was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Drummer and songwriter best known as a member of million-selling album hard rock/glam band Queen. Collection includes: Fun In Space (1981); Strange Frontier (1984); Happiness? (1994); Electric Fire (1998).

Released in 1998, Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation is the essential B-52's greatest-hits collection. A chronologically assembled highlight reel of the group's first two decades, it contains all of their singles and a number of album favorites, along with two exclusive then-newly written tracks. When they first arrived on the scene in 1979, their kitschy thrift-store image and weirdly spartan sound immediately set them apart from others in the new wave scene to which they were loosely attached. Three guys, two girls, arcane hairdos, no bassist, and a sound that was equal parts spy music and good-time dance party, the B-52's were always fascinatingly loveable outsiders and remained so throughout their years of success. Beginning with "Planet Claire," "52 Girls," and the immortal "Rock Lobster," Time Capsule winds its way through their early and mid-'80s hits like "Quiche Lorraine" and the charming "Song for a Future Generation." As they continued to grow and evolve, their sound expanded, becoming both more nostalgic and more light-hearted, leading into their commercial peak in the early '90s with the excellent "Channel Z," "Roam," and of course "Love Shack".

Collection includes twelve studio albums, one EP, and also tree compilations: "Please" (1986); "Actually" (1987); "Introspective" (1988); "In Depth" EP (1988); "Behaviour" (1990); "Discography" (1991); "Very" (1993); "Bilingual" (1997); "Essential" (1998); "Nightlife" (1999); "Release" (2002); "PopArt" (2003); "Fundamental" (2006); "Yes" (2009); "Elysium" (2012); and "Electric" (2013).

Although Blondie made several first-rate albums, most of their best songs were released as singles, which makes The Best of Blondie an essential collection. The Best of Blondie glosses over their punk roots – very little from the first album, apart from the vicious "Rip Her to Shreds" and the seductive "In the Flesh" – but the band's pop hits are among the finest of their era and encapsulate all of the virtues of new wave. Apart from genuine chart hits like "Heart of Glass," "One Way or Another," "Dreaming," "Call Me," "Atomic," "The Tide Is High," and "Rapture," Best of Blondie picks up several of the group's best album tracks, like "(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear" and "Hanging on the Telephone." The Best of Blondie isn't all you need to know, but it is an excellent introduction to one of the best new wave bands.

Eurythmics were one of the most successful duos to emerge in the early '80s. Where most of their British synth pop contemporaries disappeared from the charts as soon as new wave faded away in 1984, Eurythmics continued to have hits until the end of the decade, making vocalist Annie Lennox a star in her own right, as well as establishing instrumentalist Dave Stewart as a successful, savvy producer and songwriter. Originally, the duo channelled the eerily detached sound of electronic synthesizer music into pop songs driven by robotic beats. By the mid-'80s, singles like "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" and "Here Comes the Rain Again" had made the group into international stars, and the group had begun to experiment with their sound, delving into soul and R&B. Collection includes: Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) (1983); Touch (1983); 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother) (1984); Be Yourself Tonight (1985); Revenge (1986); Savage (1987); We Too Are One (1989).

Rare 1991 French-only 12-CD set, comprising all their albums from Three Imaginary Boys to Disintegration in individual card wallet picture sleeves, plus 68-page deluxe illustrated booklet [all text in French], housed in a picture box with pull-out tray and die-cut band logo section with rotating wheel insert!

2009 CD/DVD live release from the veteran Synth Pop band fronted by Terri Nunn includes a bonus DVD. Berlin's Electro-Pop sound features the enduring and assertive voice of Nunn, which is why All The Way In is the most preferable place to hear this Los Angeles-based group's music. Berlin made its first national impression with the provocative single 'Sex (I'm A…)' from the gold-selling debut EP Pleasure Victim in 1982. The Synth-soaked punch of 'No More Words' from 1984's Love Life album and the number one ballad 'Take My Breath Away' from the film Top Gun are the album's high points. Berlin's '80s poignancy provided some rather palatable music, even if the charts didn't say so. Songs like 'Dancing In Berlin' and 'Scream' could compete with anything Depeche Mode or Duran spouted at the time, and the range of Nunn's vocals elevated most of Berlin's efforts above the norm of the run-of-the-mill synthesizer glitz. All The Way In captures Berlin at their best in front of a hometown Los Angeles crowd.

To celebrate the 21st anniversary of their debut release, Blur s eponymous fifth album has now been remastered from the original tapes by Frank Arkwright (The Smiths, Arcade Fire, New Order, Joy Division), with the remastering overseen by legendary original producer, Stephen Street. Continuing the trend, Blur went straight in at No 1 on its release in February 1997, as had Parklife and The Great Escape before it. Representing a musical evolution for the band, the album is home to two of Blur s biggest hits in Beetlebum and Song 2. B-sides taken from all formats of these two singles are included in the accompanying Blur Special Edition bonus disc, along with b-sides from the album s fourth single M.O.R. Also included on the bonus disc is a 7 mix of Death Of A Party by Adrian Sherwood, the Dust Brothers produced Cowboy Song (which featured on the Dead Man On Campus soundtrack), four acoustic live tracks recorded at Viva Niteclub (previously only released on the German-only version of the M.O.R. single) and three live tracks recorded at MC Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands, which were only previously released on the Netherlands-only version of the album.

British pop group that amalgamated soul, jazz, and funk with a Stevie Wonder sound-alike named Jason Kay as its frontman. A Collection includes: Emergency on Planet Earth (1993); The Return Of The Space Cowboy (1995); Travelling Without Moving (1997); Synkronized (1999); A Funk Odyssey (2001); Dynamite (2005); High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006); Rock Dust Light Star (2010).

Ultravox are a British new wave band, formed in London in 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980–86, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "Vienna". The band has been led by two different frontmen who never played together in the band at the same time. From 1974 until 1979, singer John Foxx was frontman and the main driving force behind Ultravox. Foxx left the band to embark on a solo career and, following his departure, with the three remaining members in hiatus, Midge Ure took over as lead singer, guitarist and frontman in 1980 after he and keyboardist Billy Currie worked in the studio project Visage.

Lauded London 6-piece Melt Yourself Down are back armed with a new approach for their fourth studio album Pray For Me I Don’t Fit In. Created for misfits, by misfits, Pray For Me I Don’t Fit In sees Melt Yourself Down embrace a celebratory punk agenda. Having realised they are never going to fit the mould, the group deliberately draw on their myriad influences, speaking all languages musically and lyrically. Led by the potent sounds of Sax pioneer Pete Wareham, the punchy sax hooks pay homage to the traditional horn sections of late 60’s early 70’s era of Jazz, Soul and Rock n Roll, while showcasing African pentatonic scales and dance-inducing rhythms with raw 70’s rock and punk.

To celebrate the 21st anniversary of their debut release, Blur s sixth album 13 has now been expanded across 2CDs, with an entire disc of bonus material added to the original album. Originally released in March 1999, 13 saw a departure from long-time collaborator Stephen Street with William Orbit taking over production duties, what followed was Blur s fourth consecutive No 1 album and a further, more introspective, development of their music. Accompanying the remastered album in the 13 Special Edition is a whole disc of bonus material, including b-sides to the hit singles Tender, Coffee & TV and No Distance Left To Run. Featured in this extensive collection of b-sides are each band member s own remix of the album track Bugman, the track Beagle 2 (which was sent aboard Mars landing spacecraft of the same name) and the epic Cornelius Remix of Tender. Completing the bonus disc are a demo version of I Got The Law (previously only released on the Japanese version of 13) and the Music Is My Radar single (and its b-side) released on the 2003 Blur: The Best Of.

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is the debut studio album by the American new wave band Devo. It was originally released in August 1978 on the Warner Bros. label. Produced by Brian Eno, the album was recorded between October 1977 and February 1978, primarily in Cologne, West Germany. Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! has scored on several "best of" lists, including Spin's list of the "50 Most Essential Punk Records" and Pitchfork's list of the 100 best albums of the 1970s. It was ranked number 447 in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, climbing to number 442 in the 2012 update and shooting up to number 252 in the 2020 reboot of the list. It is also listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.