Pop Music: The Modern Era 1976-1999

With the earliest of its cuts, Aerosmith's "Dream On," dating back more than a quarter of a century--a hit in 1976, it was first issued in '73--calling this double-CD volume of Sony Music's self-admiring Soundtrack for a Century series "The Modern Era" seems to be stretching it a little. "Dream On" is a great song, though, which is more than some might say of Des'ree's listlessly anthemic "You Gotta Be" or the endless (aren't they all?) Celine Dion ballad "Because I Loved You." But because of the formerly CBS Records corporation's massive sales and airplay presence over much of the period surveyed here, Modern does bring together some of the decades' signature moments, both good and bad. --Rickey Wright