Not the Prince music from the first Batman film – but all those other sounds that were used in the movie, penned and produced at a surprisingly strong level by Danny Elfman – who shows the world that he's got a lot more to offer than just his previous work in the group Oingo Boingo! This isn't a rock soundtrack by a fading talent from the mainstream – and instead, it's one of Elfman's first full forays into scoring – performed by the Sinfonia of London with a richness that's given the music maybe a more enduring quality than the film! Titles include "Birth Of A Penguin", "The Lair", "Selena Transforms", "Cat Suite", "Rise And Fall From Grace", "The Children's Hour", and "Final Confrontation". CD

Fantastic stuff – and one of the grooviest soundtracks you'll ever hope to own! Sid Ramin did a heck of a lot of work for TV soundtracks by the time this one came out – and he took all that experience, and came up with some fantastically swinging jazz tracks that have a sock-mod 60s groove! Hammond organ dances around the best numbers – blasting out with horns on variations of the very catchy "Stiletto" theme – and other great cuts mix flute, strings, and a bit of harpsichord or piano – creating that cool 60s easy sound that never gets old in our book! Titles include "Confrontation", "Goat Island", "Follow That Man", "Stiletto", "Tram", and the classic "Sugar In The Rain", a great light bossa number with some dreamy vocals from Sally Stevens! CD

Kind of a confrontational title, but still an excellent batch of grooves from The Maestro, with heavenly production, and lots of long drawn-out sexy grooves. Cuts include "Don't Make Me Wait Too Long", "I'm Qualified To Satisfy You", "Your Love – So Good I Can't Take It", and "I Wanna Lay Down With You Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

Prime weirdness from The Residents! It's fair to consider Fingerprince as a transitional effort from the group, though it's not a dismissible one – it's out there, exciting and may be easier to get all the way through than some of the more anti-pop experiments they delivered in the mid-to-late 70s. It's probably not as confrontational as Meet The Residents and Third Reich 'N Roll – or perhaps it just seems less vicious because the cover art isn't as confrontational. Side one has shorter pieces, which seem to be informed by vintage exotica and field recordings, though it sounds like nothing but the Residents. Side 2 is a single long suite. Titles include "You Yesyesyes", "Home Age Conversation", "Godsong", "March De La Winni", "Bossy", "Boo Who?", "Tournequit Of Roses" and the the 17+ minute, side-long "Six Things To A Cycle". CD

On Things Fall Apart ?uestlove, Black Thought, DJ Scratch, Rahzel and co. reinvigorated the scene with a Philly style soulful, melancholy groove that seemingly influenced the entirety of the NuSoul world – and it could even be argued that the Roots birthed that whole scene. Phrenology carries that torch, but it's so, SO much more, as the heady nature weighed the previous LP down in spots, and Phrenology is a sprawling exercise in expectation-busting perfection! "Rock You" kicks things off in explosive fashion, forgoing the laid back, yet angry soul backbone the group pioneered in hop hop, for a massive electro pulse pounding style – with Black Thought frenetically spitting confrontational wisdom until the synth unexpectedly dives into a short burst of live hardcore punk with "!!!!!!!" (we know what you're thinking, but trust us, it REALLY works). "Sacrifice" features a surprisingly effective chorus sung by Nelly Furtado, and other guest spots include Kweli heating up "Rolling With Heat", Ursula Rucker kicking some reverential poetry on "Waok (ay) Rollcall", and Musiq on the single "Break You Off". Other highlights include the late 80s Bomb Squad-like production on "Thought @ Work", the group's live instrumentation (and ?uestlove's always great trap work) and soul claps on tunes like "The Seed (2.0)", the epic "Water", and "Complexity" with Jill Scott. If you're solely of the 2 turntables and a mic camp you may want to head elsewhere, but if you've been anxiously awaiting the new Roots LP like we have, you'll be knocked straight on your arse, welled up with tears of joy. The best major label hip hop album of '02, and a beauty to go in the time capsule for future generations to learn, and mourn what they missed first hand. Amazing!!! Other tracks include "Quills", "Pussy Galore", and "Something In The Way Of Things (In Town)". CD