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.