Classic Albums

How time flies; in the Fall of 2022, U2’s Achtung Baby will be thirty-one years old. For myself and many others, this album not only represented some of the best of U2’s creative abilities but […]

Usually, when reviewing an album for XS Noize, I’m obliged to give a rating out of ten to reflect how I feel about it. Whenever I am considering how an album rates on that scale, […]

This month marks the 40th anniversary of Joy Division’s ground-breaking debut studio album Unknown Pleasures. My own personal exposure to Joy Division came much later than 1979, initially through New Order’s Substance 1987 compilation, just before I […]

U2’s release of its 12th album “No Line on the Horizon” in 2009 ended a long five year wait for U2 fans hungry for another helping of U2 goodness. At the time it was the […]

It’s almost impossible to believe it, but Blur’s sixth album ’13’ was released exactly 20 years ago today, on 15 March 1999. The late ’90s were a very interesting period in Blur’s career. Their self […]

The Police by December of 1982 had achieved fame and fortune and were much admired by both critics and the public at large. Their 1981 release “Ghosts in the Machine” had cemented the accolades they […]

By 1987 REM had come a long way from their humble begins as four guys messing around playing parties in Athens, GA. Since their founding in 1980, the band had grown in popularity, first as […]

Debut efforts can be a mixed bag, some are brilliant but unfortunately, the artist/band never again captures the success of that first time.  Often bands end up somewhat embarrassed about their first stab at greatness […]

Heartbreaker is the stop-gap album that came to define a career. Released 18 years ago this month, Adams himself described it as “An amazing stroll down the back alley of my soul with some fine company.” With […]

Forget about ‘You’re Gorgeous’… Recorded two years after that big hit, this extraordinary, dark, and remarkable album was Babybird’s REAL main event. Released 20 years ago on 24 August 1998, ‘There’s Something Going On’ never became a massive seller […]

In 1988 the seminal band Husker Du spectacularly imploded due to external pressure and numerous self-inflicted wounds. Shell-shocked Frontman Bob Mould would take himself away from the toxic environment that had grown up around Husker […]

In 1996 after more than a decade of magnificent music making the members of Crowded House surprisingly decided to shutter their endeavour. There were a number of reasons some evident at the time and others […]

Mention Radiohead’s “Kid A”, to music aficionados and that one album title brings up significant discussion and disagreement. For every person who loves it dearly, there are those who dislike it and can rarely be […]

Many music enthusiasts have those albums that gather dust and go forgotten through no fault of the performer. Those same recordings have the magic ability to instantly transport the listener back in time. Michael Penn’s […]

Oh, the allure of what could have been. That is the legacy of Jeff Buckley. As many a music fan from the ’90s knows, Jeff Buckley was standing on the edge of stardom after his […]

On February of this year U2’s watershed album “War” will celebrate its 36th anniversary. “War” was a revelation for many of my generation and the point where the band for the first time appeared on […]

The Smiths’ immeasurable influence casts a long shadow on the music scene that has transpired since their inception. The band is frequently heralded with accolades like “The most influential band of the 80’s, and the […]

By 1996 Bjork had justified her departure from The Sugarcubes with a highly successful and critically acclaimed solo career. Both “Debut” and “Post” had presented a woman who could meld together various genres almost at […]