Lenny Kravitz -- Baptism

He's a mystery to me is our Len.

So revered and so fabulously wealthy, but so guilty of ripping off everyone from Hendrix through Sly Stone and all the way down to Prince.

He's even got Jay-Z on the album to up his cred. On the one hand he sings of being the Minister Of Rock and Roll, but then on the next song he's saying he doesn't really want all the trapppings of fame (yeah, right).

So you end up wondering just what he does really want and even if he knows. It's all fairly middle of the road stuff and might appeal to those grown men you see wearing t-shirts that feature Def Leppard or the Mighty Quo. Best left alone really.

Antony Silson

Einstrzende Neubauten/Kactesterne

Scrap metal and power tools were used alongside tribal drumming and Banshee's style guitar by this German band.

Kactesterne, from the early 80s, includes the 1982 single Thirsty Animal, in which Blixa Bargeld's ribcage was miked up to record the rhythms while a fellow band member 'played' his body with his fists. Talk about suffering for ones art!

Originally released in 1993 Tabula Rasa features 14 tracks over two CDs and was probably the band's career highlight.

You can hear where Depeche Mode got their inspiration after they got over their pop phase and the departure of Vince Clarke.

Unique, powerful and compelling both these albums are worth investigating.

Graham Scaife

The Bees -- Free The Bees

Two years ago their debut album Sunshine Hit Me was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.

The Bees might not have been busy in the meantime, but Free The Bees could win the coveted award.

It might not receive the airtime, the media coverage or the sales that it deserves but -- with a retro, 70s-laden psychedelic sound -- it still works as a classy, original labour of love.

Aside from the usual guitars and drums, The Bees combine more instruments than you can shake a stick at. That all adds up to a vibrant and diverse album ranging from the raucous yet daft Chicken Payback to reggae instrumental The Russian and from the vintage Horsemen to slower love song, I Love You.

Paul Cook

Javine -- Surrender

Javine first hit the headlines when she narrowly missed out on becoming part of Girls Aloud on Popstars the Rivals.

She has since 'done a Lemar' and brought out her own solo album.

But unlike Lemar, despite her promising debut hit, Real Things, Javine fails to leave an impression with Surrender.

She has a wonderful gravelly quality to her voice, switching from funky urban garage tracks to soft soulful ballads with no problem.

But a lack of catchy choruses and a couple of bland covers means the songs tend to blend into one.

I wanted this to be a great album, but in reality it's just ok.

Real Things stands out, but for that you might as well just buy the single.

Gemma Berry

Animal Serenade -- Lou Reed

Normally when you associate the word shocking with Lou Reed it's a reference to shock lyrics, metal machine music or double concept albums about Edgar Allen Poe.

The shock that comes with this double live album is that it finds one of the grumpiest men in rock in a particularly jovial mood, chatting away to his people and even cracking jokes. But Reed certainly hasn't gone soft. His music certainly isn't compromised. Tracks from the entirety of his career including classics Street Hassle and Velvet Underground's Venus In Furs sound as haunting and dark as ever.

Reed's still got it and remains as fresh, inspiring and unpredictable as ever. Whatever next? A cheesy dance version of Satellite of Love?

Manny Grillo

Emerson, Lake and Palmer -- The Ultimate Collection

I found it very hard to listen to this three CD set of the prog rockers' best bits, mainly because my wife insisted she wasn't in the house whilst it was playing!

Do they deserve this sort of ridicule? Well, yes they do really.

The main problem seems to be a desire to labour the point. The version of Fanfare For the Common Man is over nine minutes long and has a lot of squealing organ on it.

If I were Lake or Palmer, I'd have told Emerson to stick to the basics and stop showing off on his keyboards.

Some of the lyrics meanwhile would make Boney M shudder. Thank goodness prog rock left and punk arrived just in time.

Antony Silson