The The

The The is the musical project of Matt Johnson. To listen to the first album, one would never guess he'd become an excellent songwriter, sign to a major label, get radio airplay and be in MTV rotation. Nor would anyone have guessed he'd record a fairly straight album of Hank Williams tunes.

Then Jerico

Then Jerico will probably be of interest to people into '80s jangle pop or fans of the Alarm, Mighty Lemon Drops, or Waterboys.

The Cure

Not to sound like a broken record but... I'm not a huge fan of the Cure, I just happen to have most of their stuff. Actually, I really like the early 80s stuff.

Big Noise

Here's some late-'80s rock. This was their one album. I found lots of stuff like this in the bargain bins back in the day. It kind of treads the line between AOR and Alt radio and never found a home on either.

Midnight Oil - Overflow Tank

Glad to have these boys back. They've included 1 disc of b-sides and 1 disc of unreleased demos on this new box set, along with 2 discs of previously unreleased live tracks.

The Boss

I could write an essay about Bruce, but it's probably all been said before. I will offer, though, that I think he's the best, most consistently excellent American songwriter of the last 40 years.

Angelfish

Shirley Manson started out in the band Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie in the '80s, supplying backing vox and keyboards. When that band failed to break into the US market, they refashioned themselves as '90s chick rock band Angelfish, with Manson taking the lead role. They only lasted 1 album, but it's pretty decent.

Blondie

Blondie is the band. Deborah [Debbie] Harry is the singer. She's had a strange career considering they have a few gigantic hits. They've had an on again/off again relationship, with Harry going off to spotty solo ventures and acting in B-movies.

Berlin

Berlin started as a dark kind of synth band who ended up having one of the biggest songs of the '80s. There's some good stuff spread across their 3 major label releases.

Eve's Plum

They only lasted 2 albums, but Eve's Plum delivered some pretty good '90s chick rock.

R.E.M.

What more needs to be said about REM? They made 2 of my favorite albums of the '80s - Reckoning and Document - and emerged from their first decade second only to U2 in critical and commercial stature. The '90s boosted them to mainstream pop star status. Their output in the new century, though, was pretty lackluster and they called it quits in 2011.

Thompson Twins

People never believe me when I tell them that Thompson Twins' first two albums are full of some pretty good, edgy post-punk tunes. That's probably because they went from that to mainstream crossover success with a handful of New Wave anthems, and all the way to has-been, out of step adult contemporary within a mere 9 years.

And that's not even mentioning their Live Aid performance which was... bizarre? Look it up online if you've never seen it. But beware... why anyone thought it would be a good idea to invite Madonna to sing for their cover of the Beatles' Revolution... whew.

The Plugz / Cruzados / Tito & Tarantula

Tito Larriva has been a staple of the L.A. music scene since the late '70s. First, he led The Plugz, often cited as the first Hispanic punk band. Then he moved on to roots rock with Cruzados. And for over 2 decades, he's played bluesy rock with Tito & Tarantula.

Bryan Ferry

Bryan Ferry started his solo career while Roxy Music was still active. When Roxy finally petered out in the early-80s, Ferry just continued doing what he does. Is he an edgy crooner or a suave rocker? I'm not sure, but he has been able to carve out his own identifiable sound. Viva!