Maid of

Young lovers fall afoul of repressive society as Salem elders get caught up in the witch hunts and trials of 17th century Massachusetts. One family in particular uses the hysteria to its advantage, getting even with everyone for every slight–real or imagined.

Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys make up Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, who were responsible for some of the catchiest and brightest synth pop that the '80s had to offer. O.M.D.'s material was a step above other keyboard pop music of the time, thanks to the combination of intelligently crafted hooks and colorful rhythms that bounced and jittered with pristine charm. Their squeaky-clean brilliancy initiated by both their synthesizers and subdued yet attractive vocal styles gave them a more mature sound over bands like Duran Duran and A Flock of Seagulls, who were attracting a younger audience. The Best of O.M.D. is an excellent compilation of their polished music, starting out with less provocative material like the basic electronic wash of "Electricity" and the bare but ebullient fervor of "Enola Gay." As this set moves along, so does the craftiness of their work, which is evident on tighter sounding songs like "Tesla Girls" and "Locomotion," where the intricacy of their formula begins to take a more resounding shape. O.M.D.'s best work came from 1985's Crush album, which harbored the midnight airiness found in "So in Love" as well as the adolescent innocence that streamed its way through "Secret," which are two of the best tracks on this set.

The Hall of the Olden Dreams is the second full-length album released by Spanish power metal band Dark Moor. Many of the songs are based on historic figures or events, like "Maid of Orleans", "Bells of Notre Dame", and "Quest for the Eternal Fame", among others. Musically Dark Moor could be compared to a successful merging of Rhapsody and Malmsteen.

UK three CD collection. This release charts the birth of synthesized pop music in the 1980s and ultimately the roots of contemporary electronic dance music. The importance and continued popularity of '80s pop is not to be underestimated, and the emergence of serious synthesized music producers in Kraftwerk, the Human League, Heaven 17, OMD, Yazoo, Ultravox, Talk Talk, Japan, Devo, Sparks, Gary Numan, New Order and the Pet Shop Boys, all of whom massively pushed the boundaries in experimenting with (mainly) Roland synths in this era, ultimately showed the way for the House and Techno producers of the '90s to the present day. Within this more serious side there was also some brilliant, pure Synthpop from the Thompson Twins, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Thomas Dolby, Simple Minds, Propaganda, Erasure, China Crisis, Belouis Some, the Lotus Eaters, a Flock of Seagulls, Howard Jones, Blancmange and the Associates.