The latest CD releases reviewed

NICK LOWE
Jesus of Cool Proper ****

"In those days I wasn't interested in creating serious art. I was much more interested in the mischief . . ." Nick Lowe is recalling how 30 years ago he came to record Jesus of Cool. Relatively speaking, Lowe

was an old stager even in 1978, having played through the UK pub-rock era. But while many of his contemporaries lost their way in the new wave stampede, Lowe was, and is still, cool. He had a disarmingly cheeky English lowbrow appeal, but there was a lot going on in his Pure Songs for Now People, as the US release was called (they couldn't hack the Jesus reference). For one thing, he was and remains a pop tunesmith of the highest order and an equally incisive and acerbic lryicist. This anniversary edition includes all the album and 11 more tracks. The lavish package includes all the original artwork as well as some of the dodgy promotional material, and is a lively reminder of a happy era. www.nicklowe.net  JOE BREEN

Download tracks: I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass, Little Hitler, So It Goes

MICHAEL JACKSON
Thriller - 25th Anniversary Edition Sony/BMG ****

Still the best selling album ever, Jackson's sixth solo album propelled him into the stratosphere. Of its nine songs, seven went on to become hit singles. What's still remarkable about Thriller is how little it has dated and how it continues to influence. It remains a near-perfect amalgam of pop and r'n'b. Along with the original album, this artfully designed turbo-charged version

also includes a DVD of the album's stand-out videos and a "new personal greeting from Michael". The greatest interest will focus on the bonus disc, where today's big hip-hip noises pay their own tribute. Kanye West, will.i.am and Fergie all provide remixes (to varying degrees of success), but the standouts here are For All Time, the track that never made the original running order,

and a newly recorded version of Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' with Akon and will.i.am. On this evidence, Jackson has still very much got it. BRIAN BOYD