Nervous Night/One Way Home/Zig Zag

BGO's 2012 compilation rounds up the three albums the Hooters cut for Columbia in the '80s and presents them in a double-disc set. All the hits -- "And We Danced," "Day by Day," "All You Zombies," "Where Do the Children Go" -- arrive on the first album, the band stretches out on One Way Home, then tries to figure out a new direction on Zig Zag, ultimately pushing them off the charts and off the label. Taken collectively, these three albums are a terrific snapshot of the sound of mainstream rock in the late '80s: at their best, the band was muscular and melodic, yet they could fall prey to the big, polished bombast of '80s major labels -- a sound that could sometimes obscure their skills. Here, both their talents and ill-suited production are showcased and they are both appealing; you can either listen to the production or listen through it and find it satisfying either way. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine