By Nigel Packer BBC News Online

Click here to read the review of Elvis - 30 Number One Hits

Peter Gabriel's Up

Good things come to those who wait, and fans of Peter Gabriel must know it better than anyone.

They have had to endure a full 10 years of thumb-twiddling since the great man's last studio album.

But he returns in weird and sometimes wonderful form with an album of rich soundscapes and supple melodies.

In the true spirit of Prog Rock it was recorded in the UK, France, Senegal and a boat travelling up the Amazon (yes, really).

Gabriel was a member of Genesis

But if it sounds like a recipe for excess, the result is often some beautifully evocative music, as Gabriel's intense and gravelly tones take a dazzling journey across musical continents.

Imagine Foxtrot-era Genesis as played by the Prodigy and you have some idea of the dynamic scope of opening track Darkness.

Sky Blue, meanwhile, delicately weaves gospel and techno strands into a lullaby-like melody.

Ever since departing Genesis all those years ago, Gabriel has quietly gone about ploughing his own musical furrow, and this long-awaited album is a worthy addition to his innovative body of work.

At its best it blends the strong melodies of So with some striking arrangements, although unfortunately not everything works as well as it should (step forward the heavy-handed satire of The Barry Williams Show and the sub-Sledgehammer trudge of Growing Up).

When he gets it right, however - as on No Way Out and The Drop - he still has an emotional clout few others can match.

Peter Gabriel's album Up is released by Real World records on Monday.

Click here to read the review of Peter Gabriel's Up

Elvis - 30 Number One Hits

A Dutch DJ and an ad for football boots propelled Elvis Presley back to the top of the UK singles chart earlier this summer.

JXL's reworking of A Little Less Conversation makes a bonus appearance at the end of this collection, but the rest of the album eschews the high-tech makeovers in favour of a simple polishing of the original master tapes.

What we are left with is Elvis in the raw, and a powerful reminder of just what all the fuss was about in the first place.

Released to mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death, it traces the full trajectory of his career - from hip-shaking icon to karate-kicking self parody.

Elvis' voice remains unique

The truly great stuff is crammed into the opening few years, and the gaps between later chart-topping hits speaks volumes about a remarkable but chequered career.

Yet even in the less prolific periods there is plenty to counter John Lennon's famous remark that Elvis died as a creative force when he was drafted into the army in the late 50s.

Debut hit Heartbreak Hotel still simmers menacingly, and remains the perfect introduction to those rich and tremulous tones.

Don't Be Cruel and Hound Dog are devastating follow-ups - bursting with feral energy and a studio sound as wide as the Mississippi.

The pelvis then gets a break on Love Me Tender - the definitive rock 'n' roll ballad with no hint of the slush which was to weigh down some later efforts.

His Latest Flame is the standout track from the 1960s, but these were days when the music was often outshone by the Hawaiian shirts - plus the distraction of a burgeoning film career.

The late 60s comeback is amply represented by In The Ghetto and Suspicious Minds, while the muscular backing of Burning Love playfully trades blows with the larger-than-life voice.

Unlike The Beatles, Elvis' musical legacy sometimes seems to get lost within the wider legend - fuelled by tales of excess and a very public decline.

But this near definitive compilation throws the spotlight back firmly where it belongs.

The youthful tracks still crackle with a sense of excitement and innovation almost 50 years after they were recorded.

And no matter how many millions have parodied that voice, the real thing remains unique.

Elvis - 30 Number One Hits is released by BMG on Monday.