Kevin Bryan casts a critical eye over some of this week's CD and DVD releases.

"A Night with Lou Reed" (Wienerworld)- This impressive new Wienerworld DVD captures Lou Reed's legendary homecoming concert at New York's Bottom Line Club in 1983, when this irascible character regaled his adoring audience (including former mentor Andy Warhol) with a snappy and energised set featuring a blend of classic solo material and gems from his Velvet Underground days. Golden oldies such as "Sweet Jane" and "I'm Waiting For The Man" are given a welcome airing but it's the solo material which packs by far the greater punch,with Reed and his excellent band featuring innovative guitar ace Robert Quine in particularly fine fettle on "Kill Your Sons" and "Waves of Fear."

Frankie Goes To Hollywood, "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" (Union Square / BMG)- This nicely packaged CD re-issue explores the short-lived but highly lucrative musical phenomenon that was FGTH. The flambuoyant Merseysiders first attracted controversy when their debut single, "Relax," was banned by the BBC because of its rather raunchy lyrical content and went on to top the UK charts for five weeks in 1984. Two more hits, "The Power of Love" and "Two Tribes," followed later the same year, and the group's gloriously overblown debut album, "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" also boasted covers of everything from Edwin Starr's "War" to Springsteen's "Born To Run," with the whole shebang stylishly supervised by producer Trevor Horn of Yes and Buggles fame.

Cliff Richard, "Stronger Thru The Years" (Parlophone)- He may never have been a particularly fashionable figure as far as the nation's rock pundits are concerned , but the artist born as Harry Webb in the Indian city of Lucknow some 77 years ago has gone on to sell in excess of 250 million records worldwide despite never really being able to crack the normally all important American market. This easy on the ear 2 CD anthology serves up remastered versions of a blend of bona-fide hits and popular album tracks from Cliff's extensive back catalogue, including sixties gems such as "The Young Ones," "Summer Holiday" and "The Day I Met Marie" to name but a few.

Albrecht Mayer, "Tesori d'Italia" (Deutsche Grammophon)- The latest D.G. recital from German oboe virtuoso Albrecht Mayer focusses attention on six Italian concerti which were penned for the instrument during the Baroque era, including world premiere recordings of works by Sammartini and Domenico Elmi. This splendid collection also finds Mayer breathing new life into Vivaldi's much loved "Oboe Concerto in C major RV 450,", aided and abetted by the musicians of I Musici di Roma, the acclaimed chamber orchestra whose natural affinity for Vivaldi's music has already been well documented.