The '60s Rock Experience Most of the 60s could be termed tumultuous, especially the latter half of the decade. These were the confluent years of radical hippies smashing head-on into Madison Avenue. This was when the music started most disturbingly to transmogrify into "the music business."

Start From The Dark by Europe If you're a 1980s band that decides to reunite, how do you thwart suggestions that you're simply doing it for the cash? Probably the best way is to start by recording a killer comeback album.

Unbreakable by Scorpions Since forming in 1972, the Scorpions have outlived and outsold all of their Teutonic contemporaries, whether fellow metal screamers like Accept or one-hit pop wonders like Nena.

Hit by Peter Gabriel Hit/Miss is a retrospective double CD collection that covers his 25 years in and out of the spotlight. Clocking in at over three hours, the collection manages to do more than just cash-in. Sweet Talk by Renée Austin On Sweet Talk, Renée Austin delivers a high powered, high voltage performance. Like a stick of dynamite, her vocal strength explodes right from the very first note, practically taking your breath away. Elephant by The White Stripes After firmly establishing themselves as the undisputed rock 'n roll resurrection, The White Stripes have answered their growing frenzy of devotees with one dud of an album. Live in London by Judas Priest Judas Priest's latest opus, Live in London, reflects some of the difficulties that crop up when Atlas is asked to carry the world on his shoulders for more than 30 years. We're not talking herniated discs, but you can definitely hear some creaking. Nocturama by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Like an embittered Bob Dylan tirelessly shoveling dirt over his 60s reputation as "protest singer," Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds have seemed adamant, in recent years, about demonstrating their versatility. The Ragpicker's Dream by Mark Knopfler A consistent thrust of melody renders The Ragpicker's Dream Knopfler's most gorgeous and tactful project to date. Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild by CKY CKY is a forward-thinking retrograde outfit with a voice, vision and an off the wall mentality to go for broke and still end up rich. Saturate by Breaking Benjamin Breaking Benjamin is a feel good success story overall. Saturate is a down to earth example of real Rock music without the excessive bantering of lifeless pity. Demolition by Ryan Adams In a pop music world that's painfully devoid of surprises, Ryan Adams can't help but stick out. In many an eye, he is Springsteen before Born to Run, Bowie before Ziggy Stardust and the anticipation has grown rather sizable. Nextdoorland by The Soft Boys If Nextdoorland sometimes coasts by on the charm of sounding like the Soft Boys, well, they're the ones who've earned it. Inviolate by Emmaline Emmaline offers up a rare combination of sensuality and strength. Inviolate offers up a mix that kept our reviewer going back for more. Big Delta by Omar and the Howlers Big Delta is well produced, balancing the raw, gutsy, in-your-face sound with a smooth, slick Southern feel. Blues fans everywhere will enjoy the mix, especially those enthusiasts who love hard-driving, no frills, straight ahead blues. One Beat by Sleater-Kinney Being indie rock media darlings, Sleater-Kinney's hype has grown to such mammoth proportions that it must be excruciatingly difficult to know what to do when standing at the center of such a buzzstorm. We Will Rise by Stefan Elmgren's Full Strike The uninitiated might easily mistake We Will Rise for a HammerFall album. It has the same triumphant manner and melodic intensity. Can't Look Back by CoCo Montoya Can't Look Back is a full-bodied work of substance. It not only delivers its share of blistering fretwork, it adds a soulful blend of R&B to the mix. Liquifyed by Liquifyed Liquifyed consists of five members playing guitar, bass, sax, drums, congas and percussion. Together they intelligently blend elements of funk, rock and Latin genres to showcase a varied and very enjoyable array of music. Wetlands by Tab Benoit Wetlands is a true reflection of Tab Benoit's musical versatility and depth, a great collection of slow blues, swampy ballads, electric shuffles, and even some delta blues. Are You Passionate? by Neil Young At 56 years old, Neil Young insists that he still has something to prove. Not only is this one of the year's most inventive and inspired albums, it disputes the unfortunate stereotypes that dog rock's aging stars. Industry Rule by Jonah Smith Industry Rule is a special listening experience: An intelligent blend of lyrical wit and wisdom served over a soul/funk/rock backing. Music Of The Spheres by Ian Brown Music of The Spheres takes Ian Brown to another level. This album remolds him as the aloof and respected star he has always aspired to be. Alt-Rock Souljacker by Eels Taken as a whole the Eels oeuvre, now with four albums and a hard-to-find live collection to its credit, comprises a musical statement of reputable coherence, honesty and emotional urgency. Fragile by Firebug Strong musicianship, distinctive vocals and intelligent original songwriting combine to make Firebug a nominee for band most likely to in 2002. Expect to be hearing good things about this Los Angeles-based foursome. Love and Kisses from the Underground by Handsome Devil What comes across on Handsome Devil's debut album is solid -- and sometimes inspired -- musicianship, overlaid on material that is as consistent in its excellence as it is varying in style and influence. Gold by Ryan Adams History is what lingers on and informs the prolific Adams' music and makes him the vulnerable virtuoso that he is: a crooner embroiled in a maelstrom of the lovesick blues. Beyond Good and Evil by The Cult The Return of Rock. Clearly nothing less will satisfy vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, who have just released The Cult's first new studio album in seven years.		Welcome by Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack Jimi Hendrix may be gone, but he can be channeled. Jim Morrison might be buried in Paris, but there are those among us that can reach out and touch him. Doyle Bramhall III has got the 4-1-1. 300 Percent Density by Candiria At the core of the matter, Candiria is a metal group, but to define them thus doesn't even come close to describing either what the band is about or what kind of music it is they're making. Flammable: Tribute to the Red Hot Chili Peppers The thing about reinterpreting someone else's music is not to merely imitate the original, or bend lyrics to suit your style. It's about finding a theme in the original, drawing it out and building your own voice on top of the framework. jubilant newborn alien haze by Julia Brown Impressive in its austere beauty, economy of production and brilliance of performance, jubilant newborn alien haze is a breathtaking debut for this talented singer/songwriter. Everyday by Dave Matthews Though there is a theme running through Everyday, it's hardly in your face and while life affirming messages permeate the album, they are far from preachy or overly heavy. Profiles Carole Pope author of Anti Diva The Northern rock diva talks about Rough Trade, her relationship with Dusty Springfield, the kind of music she wants to make now and her inexplicable fear of celery. Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology by Foreigner This new two-disc retrospective on the popular but critically maligned hard rock superstars of the late 1970s and 1980s captures what it's like to be at the top of a game nobody is playing anymore. Parachutes by Coldplay Britpop was a great thing... if you were a British band in 1995. The whole scene should be dead by now. And then there's Coldplay. All That You Can't Leave Behind by U2 Idealism tempered by maturity gives life to U2's new album, their finest in 10 years. Clear production from Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno makes the album a near-religious experience for fans of U2's 1980s output. East Autumn Grin by Mathew Ryan Striving too hard to create anthems for the emotionally bankrupt, Grin is lacking in originality and sounds dated, derivative and out of place with current musical directions. Profile Twist Don't let the deceivingly rockabilly-flavored album art on Somewhere In Between fool you. The post-punk electronica metal blend of Twist is music by still another name. Rock/Heavy Metal Renegade by HammerFall If this is the first HammerFall album you've ever checked out, you're in for a thrill. But longtime fans of the Swedish power metal quintet may wonder if the band is making the necessary artistic strides forward. Metal Resurrection by Halford Your average metal singer might hesitate to write off his recent solo career as a "burning hell." But Rob Halford's unusual candor on Resurrection lends it a spark that makes it easily one of the best heavy releases of 2000. Inhale by James Michael Detroit. London. And ultimately Los Angeles. The music that touched James Michael has marked his own music. And the touch is good. Rock/Punk-Pop Horrorscope by Eve 6 Eve 6 practically rockets through all 12 album tracks. Strong hooks, sharp melodies and solid vocals and playing emphasize the tight musicianship and give Horrorscope a consistency not often found in such a young band. Start With the Soul by Alvin Youngblood Hart Hart is a blues musician. His music is firmly rooted in tradition, yet constantly stepping across the boundaries of strict genre definitions. In his hands, blues becomes both rich with history and vibrant with pertinent immediacy. Rock/Alternative Sustainer by Starling With the release of their self-produced debut album, Starling has come through with some pleasingly crafted, angst-ridden songs that are fresh and intelligent. Profile Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne doesn't write songs from a bottom-of-a-beer-glass perspective. They prefer to inject wry humor into finely-crafted pop songs that have more bounce than a rubber ball hitting a marble floor. The ConstruKction of Light by King Crimson Of course, there was never anything even vaguely progressive about "progressive rock." Played exclusively by males for an audience of same, prog could boast the distinction of being a socially acceptable sort of musical circle jerk. Rock/Blues Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions by Shannon Curfman This is blues the way they were meant to be played and sung: with heady guitar licks and confident vocals that pump straight back to the history of the genre. And all of this from an artist who wasn't even 14 when most of this album was recorded. Rock/Folk Silver & Gold by Neil Young Young's past accomplishments create expectations that no artist can live up to time after time. Nevertheless, Silver & Gold gives the impression of being a toss-off album into which little or no effort was put. Rock Gung Ho by Patti Smith Patti Smith has the talent and the vision to push rock 'n' roll further while keeping it true to its rebellious roar. She can make music that screams to be remembered and revisited. Metal Live Aus Berlin by Rammstein Without the group's outré visuals, one loses the primary context of this German industrial/metal band's performance: mainly, that they're really funny. Post-Punk Bloodflowers by The Cure Bloodflowers, The Cure's 11th studio album, is absolutely consistent with earlier work. An almost magical natural progression from the music that has come before. Interview Rudolph Schenker of The Scorpions Nothing gets a metal fan going like an E power chord through a stack of blazing Marshalls. The trouble is, those kick-ass riffs are constructed from a limited harmonic palette and guitarist Rudolf Schenker has clearly tired of variations on "Smoke On The Water." Metal Alchemy by Yngwie Malmsteen While critics often railed against Malmsteen's musical self-indulgence, he became an idol to aspiring "shredders," who would argue over whether he played better or faster than Eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads.