Original Hits: 70s is a decent six-disc set, highlighting 111 pop singles released in that decade. Along with the original versions of radio classics by Al Stewart, Blondie, the Knack, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Dr. Hook, are less-than-obvious inclusions by Peter Tosh, XTC, the Move, and Benny Hill!

Orange County's Social Distortion returns with its first album in 15 years with Born to Kill. Armed with 11 urgent songs, Mike Ness continues to build on the mystique that Social Distortion is more than just a punk band. Throughout the collection, Ness revisits the sounds of the 1970s, his formative adolescent years. Born to Kill is a continuation of the bar of excellence that Social Distortion and, in turn, Ness has long been praised for.

The Deep, Bright Below by Actionesse is a tightly focused punk rock release that captures a raw and emotionally charged sound within a compact runtime. Released in 2019 as a self-published work, the album emphasizes urgency, distortion, and lyrical introspection, balancing aggressive energy with moments of reflective tension. The production is intentionally direct and unpolished, reinforcing the DIY aesthetic commonly associated with modern punk recordings. Across its ten tracks, the album explores themes of personal doubt, psychological strain, and social alienation, often delivered through sharp guitar riffs, driving percussion, and vocal performances that shift between restrained delivery and more forceful expression. Despite its brevity, the record maintains a consistent atmosphere, building a sense of momentum from track to track. The closing piece extends into a more expansive structure, offering a final release of intensity that contrasts with the tighter compositions preceding it. The result is a concise yet impactful statement within contemporary punk rock.

They came from the era of punk. They literally turned the New York rock music scene on its head back in 1978. Wendy Orleans Williams was the driving force of the band, a focal point who made female peers like Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and Ann Wilson look pussy-cat tame by comparison. The Plasmatics blazed their own path through the turn of the Seventies. At one point, they were a headline act without actually being signed to a label.

40th anniversary reissue of their long out of print third album. Released in 1986 and produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, The Blind Leading the Naked saw Violent Femmes expand their sound beyond the stripped-down folk-punk of their early work. Incorporating a horn section featuring the Stooges’ Steve Mackay on saxophone, legendary guitarist Leo Kottke on the acoustic 10-string, and acclaimed experimental artist Fred Frith, performing an array of homemade instruments, the album marked a commercial breakthrough for the band.

Patti Smith completed her contract with Arista Records after 27 years by assembling this compilation, which serves as both a best-of and rarities collection, one disc devoted to each. Disc one is drawn from Smith's eight studio albums (with the exception of a newly recorded cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry"). Having scored only one hit single, "Because the Night," Smith was not constrained by chart performance, and she seems to have chosen the songs that still mean something to her (though in an interview she claimed to have taken fan preferences into consideration). Curiously, given the album title, the epic "Land" is missing, as are such straight-ahead rockers as "Ask the Angels" and "Till Victory." But most of Smith's more impressive album tracks are included, with the selection favoring her 1970s records, an imbalance that is redressed on the second disc, which contains 2001 live recordings of songs from later albums Gone Again…