Sting

Lightly jazzy English pop spread thinly

Comprehensive compendium from indie-rap-rock Midlanders

The Beatles, The Doors, The Bee Gees, Curtis, Kris and Willie etc, are treated to a first-class passage to heaven thanks to Green's matchless ability to inhabit his material. Buy it for yourself, soul brothers and sisters. The Prisoners IN FROM THE COLD BIG BEAT The Prisoners spearheaded an early '80s Medway garage scene that spat in the eye of synth-pop ubiquity. Their fourth LP was released just as their parent label, Stiff, went bust in 1986.

Three-CD, 64-track compilation of unsung '70s soul visionaries

Debut album from 19-year-old Norwegian singer-songwriter

Four CDs of Mancunian magic from New Order's back pages, including cherry-picked album tracks, B-sides, rarities, remixes and live performances

Hip hop's finest double-act, Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg, pay loose, improvisational homage to the 1976 comedy classic Car Wash with this amiably inert tale of two roommates scheming, scamming and "busting suds" at the local LA 'wash. There's a kidnapping subplot, consistent casual misogyny, and cameos from Ludacris, Eminem and Tommy Chong. Overall, patchy, but not entirely pointless.

Early '70s New York singer-songwriter in retrospect

Godlike genius in "plastic funk" scandal

Blasting testament to Todd Rundgren's late-'70s stage rebirth