Blur's second LP is their secret classic. Coming between the pop-psych shimmer of 1991's Leisure and the cool Britannia of 1994's Parklife, the brittle jangle and bitter observations on Modern Life Is Rubbish were near-career-killers. But this two-CD reissue (part of a grand dress-up of Blur's catalog, including a 21-disc box) arms the LP's real bravado. "Advert" and "Pressure on Julian" anticipate the full-throttle indie-rock swerve on the '97 hit Blur, with more Kinks and David Bowie in the clamor. Of note among the many B sides: the lethal Byrds sizzle of "I'm Fine" and Damon Albarn's soured-David Bowie vocal flair over the garage-band snap of "Mace."

Listen to 'Modern Life Is Rubbish':

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.