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Collections
 Cake Like
- Delicious
 (Avant) 1994
Minimalistic, moody, amateurish punk.
J.J. Cale
- Travel-Log (Silvertone) 1990
Laid back, bluesy guitar lines with muffled, raspy vocals.
Camper Van Beethoven
- Key Lime Pie (Virgin) 1989
Unconventional pop combining vivid lyrical images with a hazy sound.
Cardigans
- Life (Stockholm) 1995
Effervescent stylish pop with retro-tinged melodies.
- The First Band on the Moon (Stockholm) 1996
Lounge pop kitsch.
Carlene Carter
- Musical Shapes/Blue Nun
 (Demon) 1980/1981
Well crafted country pop produced by ex-husband Nick Lowe.
- Little Love Letters
 (Giant) 1993
A rousing, infectious album from the hippest woman in country.
- Little Acts of Treason (Giant) 1995
Toe tapping collection in Carter's trademark upbeat style.
Paul Carrack
- The Carrack Collection (Chrysalis) 1988
A limitted, 8 song retrospective including work with Ace, Squeeze, and Mike and the Mechanics. For a more definitive view try 21 Good Reasons/The Paul Carrack Collection.
- Groove Approved (Chrysalis) 1989
Finger snapping, feel good pop.
Peter Case
- The Man with the Blue Postmodern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar (Geffen) 1989
Gritty, personal lyrics with an understated musical base.
Johnny Cash
- The Sun Years
 (Sun/Rhino) 1955-1958 (released 1990)
Taut, grimly elegant tales with a strikingly contemporary folk, country fusion.
- American Recordings
 (American) 1994
A revelation. Stark, acoustic blend of country, folk, and rock.
- Unchained (American) 1996
Snarling, country blues sparsely backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Johnny Cash/Willie Nelson
- VH1 Storytellers (American) 1998
Willie, Johnny, two acoustic guitars, and an audience. Priceless.
Cast
- All Change (Polydor) 1996
Former La's bassist John Power with fresh, uptempo pop.
Catherine Wheel
- Happy Days (Mercury) 1995
Airy, ethereal rock weighted with ripping, power guitar chords.
- Like Cats and Dogs
 (Mercury)
Collection of outtakes that didn't make the bands first 3 albums.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
- Let Love In (Elektra) 1994
Gloomy rants with intriguing musical twists.
- Murder Ballads (Reprise) 1996
A collection of tragic, violent tales sung in a haunting style.
Cherry Poppin' Daddies
- Zoot Suit Riot (Mojo) 1997
Swing with a touch of ska, rock, and 70's punk.
Chickasaw Mudd Puppies
- 8 Track Stomp (Polygram) 1991
Roots rock produced by Micheal Stipe.
Chieftains
- Long Black Veil (RCA/BMG) 1995
Duets with Van Morrison, Sting, Sinead O'Connor, the Rolling Stones, Mark Knopfler, and others.
Alex Chilton
- Like Flies on Sherbert/Live in London (See For Miles) 1980/1982
Like Flies on Sherbert is stripped down country rockabilly with no production values. A defiant (and probably drunken) Chilton thumbing his nose at the record industry. Live in London is a shockingly tight performance backed by the Soft Boys with solo material, Big Star favorites, and Chilton's Box Top hit The Letter.
- 19 Years: A Collection (Rhino) 1991
A treasure trove of guitar hooks, kooky lyrics and sublime ballads.
- Cliches (Ardent) 1994
Solo, accoustic versions of love song standards.
- A Man Called Destruction (Ardent) 1995
Further proof that Chilton deserves his reputation as an alternative god.
- Stuff (New Rose) --
An undated French import.
Lou Christie
- EnLIGHTNIN'ment (Rhino) 1988
Greatest hits from the early sixties king of falsetto.
Eric Clapton
- Journeyman (Reprise) 1989
Bluesy, guitar rock. Clapton returns to his roots.
- Unplugged (Reprise) 1992
MTV aired accoustic performances of some of Clapton's finest songs.
The Clarks
- Love Gone Sour Suspicion and Bad Debt (--) 1994
Bluesy independent effort from local Pittsburgh band.
Patsy Cline
- 12 Greatest Hits (MCA) 1988
Greatest hits from a country legend.
Eddie Cochran
- The Best of (EMI) 1987
The best of an underapreciated rockabilly legend who died at 21 in 1960.
Lloyd Cole
- Lloyd Cole (Capitol) 1990
Smart, hip story telling from singer songwriter.
Holly Cole
- Temptation (Metro Blue/Capitol) 1995
Minimalistic, softened collection of Tom Waits material.
Collective Soul
- Hits, Allegations and Things Left Unsaid (Atlantic) 1993
Trendy, early 90's low-fi pop.
John Coltrane
- My Favorite Things (Atlantic) 1961
Awesome interpretations of 2 all time classics: My Favorite Things and Summertime.
The Commitments
- The Commitments (MCA) 1991
Soulful covers from the movie of the same name.
- The Commitments Vol. II (MCA) 1992
A second set of covers with slightly weaker material than the original.
Concrete Blonde
- Bloodletting (IRS) 1990
Melodic, powerful, and strange. A deviation from standard rock.
- Walking in London (IRS) 1992
Passionate and strong with hauntingly unforgetable lyrics.
- Still In Hollywood (IRS) 1994
Collection of rarities, B sides, and live performances.
Harry Connick Jr.
- Music from "When Harry Met Sally" (Columbia) 1989
Standards that are tied together by a fine movie.
- We are In Love (Columbia) 1990
Charming, witty, and perhaps a bit to well crafted.
- Lofty's Roach Souffle (Columbia) 1990
Connick oozes more charm and sophistication.
Tommy Conwell and the Young Ramblers
- Rumble (Columbia) 1988
Raucous, good time rock and roll without pretension.
Elvis Costello
- My Aim is True (Rykodisc) 1977
Melodic, punk effort featuring clever yet bitter word play.
- Live at the El Mocambo (Rykodisc) 1978
Official release of popular live bootleg featuring material from My Aim is True and This Years Model.
- This Years Model (Rykodisc) 1978
First album with the Attractions is aggresive, quirky, and irresisiably catchy.
- Armed Forces (Rykodisc) 1979
A rich, layered album that perfectly merges punk influenced anger with pop craftmanship.
- Get Happy (Rykodisc) 1980
Cool, nervy set of two minute classics consisting of covers of 60's soul nuggets and originals of the same style.
- Trust (Rykodisc) 1981
The beginning of Costello's transformation from punk geek to pop auteur.
- Almost Blue (Rykodisc) 1981
Chameleon-like effort featuring classic country ballads recorded in Nashville.
- Imperial Bedroom (Columbia) 1982
A rewarding listen. Rich in musical styles with lyrics focusing on emotional turmoil.
- Punch the Clock (Columbia) 1982
A commercially accessible pop effort.
- Goodbye Cruel World (Rykodisc) 1984
Critics (and Costello himself) often regard this as Elvis' worst album. Still a good collection of pop tunes.
- The Best Of (Columbia) 1985
Indispensable overview of hits through 1984.
- Blood & Chocolate (Rykodisc) 1986
Energetic set filled with Costello's trademark angst and emotion.
- Out of Our Idiot (Demon) 1987
Stray singles and recordings, often originally released under an alias, compiled into a single disc.
- Spike (Warner Bros) 1989
Sprawling collection of songs in a diverse range of musical styles.
- Mighty Like a Rose (Warner Bros) 1991
Complex, well-crafted pop music with elaborate compositions and arrangements.
- The Juliet Letters (Warner Bros) 1993
A collection of art songs recorded with the Brodsky Quartet that are really neither classical nor pop.
- Brutal Youth (Warner Bros) 1994
Scaled down return to punk roots fueled by reuniting with the Attractions.
- An Overview Disc (Rykodisc) 1995
Spoken word interview. Not rated or reviewed.
- Kojak Youth (Warner Bros) 1995
Cover versions of mostly obscure 60's blues and R&B.
- All This Useless Beauty (Warner Bros) 1995
Grab bag of songs, many of which had originally been written for other artists.
- Extreme Honey: The Very Best of the Warner Brother Years
(Warner Bros) 1997
Greatest hits from 1989 through 1996. More polished, but slightly lacking the emotional depth of Costello's punk/pop works for Columbia records.
- Painted From Memory (Mercury) 1998
An inspired colaboration with Burt Bacharach. Costello provides Bacharach with his most gifted lyricist since Hal David. Bacharach provides Costello with rich melodies and inspired orchestrations.
- Unplugged and Unshaven (Smoking Alligator) --
Undated bootleg with live performances from MTV Unplugged, the BBC Late Show, and an LA tour rehearsal.
Counting Crows
- August and Everything After (Geffen) 1993
An exhilarating mix of soul, R&B, folk, country and rock n' roll with introspective lyrics.
- Recovering the Satellites (Geffen) 1996
Richly textured blend of folk, country, and rock with a more aggressive feel than their debut album.
Cowboy Junkies
- The Trinity Sessions (RCA/BMG) 1988
Surreal, moody country rock with gentle, smoky atmospheres.
- The Caution Horses (RCA/BMG) 1990
Gentle, haunting, and a bit weird.
- Black Eyed Man (RCA/BMG) 1992
Mysterious and seductive with more lyrical storytelling.
Cowboy Mouth
- Are You With Me? (MCA) 1996
Straight ahead, good time rock with vocal harmonies, catchy hooks, and chiming guitars.
Cracker
- Kerosene Hat (Virgin) 1993
Update of classic 70's strum rock in the mold of Soul Asylum.
Cranberries
- Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We? (Island) 1993
Softly stroked guitars, dreamy hooks and a female voice of exceptional merit.
- To the Faithful Departed (Island) 1996
The characteristicly quirky Cranberries sound with bittersweet, melancholy lyrics.
Crash Test Dummies
- The Ghosts That Haunt Me (Arista) 1991
A spirited folk pop hoedown with unorthodox instruments and eclectic musical detours.
- God Shuffled His Feet (Arista) 1993
Winsome, often pastoral, folk pop that's oddly juxtaposed with baritone vocals.
Robert Cray
- Midnight Stroll (Mercury) 1990
Mix of Memphis soul and emotive blues guitar on tales of complex relationships.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits (Fantasy) 1976
Classic swamp rock sound that helped define a generation.
Marshall Crenshaw
- Marshall Crenshaw (Warner Bros) 1982
Expertly crafted pop in an unassuming, straight forward style.
- Field Day (Warner Bros) 1983
More sincere straight forward pop that deserved a wider audience.
- Mary Jean & 9 Others (Warner Bros) 1987
More well written gems performed in a simple yet satisfying style.
- Good Evening (Warner Bros) 1989
I am running out of things to say. Any or all of these works are worth multiple listens.
- Life's Too Short (Paradox/MCA) 1991
Another collection of finely polished and uncommonly effective pop songs.
- Live: My Truck Is My Home (Razor & Tie) 1994
Live performances spanning Crenshaw's entire career including his own material and covers of songs from such diverse sources as Abba, MC5 and Dave Alvin.
- Miracle of Science (Razor & Tie) 1996
Mix of Crenshaw's trademark Beatlesque pop with anthemic soul and barnstorming R&B covers.
Sheryl Crow
- Tuesday Night Music Club (A&M) 1993
Stylish music with lyrics that mix irony, imagination and observation.
Cucumbers
- Where Was Sleep Tonight (Zero Hour) 1994
Strange, imaginative, upbeat pop.
Cyclones
- Twist This (--) 1993
Blues riffs from Pittsburgh guitar hero Glen Pavone.
Damn Yankees
- Damn Yankees
 (Warner Bros) 1990
Power chords and blistering guitar solos on overproduced ballads.
Deep Blue Something
- Home (Interscope) 1995
Jangly, strummed guitars with quaint, positive sentiments.
Del Fuegos
- Smoking in the Fields (RCA/BMG) 1989
Melodic guitar rock with gruff vocals.
Depeche Mode
- Music for the Masses (Mute/Sire) 1987
Multi-layered, keyboard dominated grooves with self-questioning storylines.
Neil Diamond
- Hot August Night (MCA) 1972
Surprisingly raucous live set.
- Jonathon Living Seagull (Columbia) 1973
Tuneful, but sometimes pretentious concept album.
- Live at the Greek (Columbia) 1977
A more controlled, yet still impressive live performance.
- I'm Glad Your Here With Me Tonight (Columbia) 1977
Well crafted, eminently listenable soft pop.
- You Don't Bring Me Flowers (Columbia) 1978
Features You Don't Bring Me Flowers duet with former high school classmate Barbara Streisand.
- Classics (Columbia) 1983
Collection of early, folk influenced tunes originally released by Bang Records.
To be continued as time permits
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