Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: Peel Sessions 19791983 (BBC/Virgin)
OMD's air-conditioning system synth-pop was never built to last, and only one song - Enola Gay - has survived the inevitable obsolescence. Kraftwerk may have been the masters of cool, completely detached electronica, but OMD tried their best to emulate their Teutonic neighbours, putting lots of Vorsprung Durch Technik into tunes like Bunker Soldiers, Messages and Julia's Song. These BBC Radio sessions cover the band's first four albums, but don't include hits like Joan Of Arc or Souvenir. Only the techno trainspotter could find anything of lasting interest in the stark, metallic machine music of Dancing, Annex, Genetic Engineering and ABC Auto-Industry.
Kevin Courtney
Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot And Cool (Sony)
Anyone who loves classic pop and light jazz will adore Tony Bennett's new album. It may even be his best album ever: no mean feat for an artist of 73. But then the album bristles with the kind of love and attention to detail that could only come from a singer who came of age in Ellington's era and was a friend, fan and musical associate of the man. From the Bennett sketch of Duke, on the back sleeve, to the choice of songs, musicians, orchestrations and production - by Bennett himself and son Danny - Hot And Cool really is a pop masterpiece. One could quibble about the song fragments and the change of gender in She's Got It Bad, but such moans are blown away by richly resonant readings of Duke tunes like Caravan, Chelsea Bridge and a positively orgiastic It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing). It sure don't.
Joe Jackson