No Turning Back 1985-2005

Glass Tiger may have disappeared from the U.S. charts over a decade ago, but they managed to build a respectable following across their Canadian homeland that took them into the '90s with numerous Juno awards and platinum record sales. No Turning Back: Glass Tiger 1985-2005, despite its being released in 2004, celebrates "almost" 20 years in which the group managed to release only three records -- this is their third "greatest-hits collection." This time around, the hits are presented in their shortened "radio edit" incarnations -- which really aren't that different from the album versions -- and the compilation is augmented by two new tracks, both of which are surprisingly good. The single "No Turning Back" does for the band what "Ordinary World" did for Duran Duran in 1994. Glass Tiger were at their best when mining the infectiously melodic, and songs like "Thin Red Line" and "Diamond Sun" do suggest a cross between U2 and the Waterboys, but like fellow '80s anthem-makers the Cutting Crew, the Canadian quintet's pleasant facelessness keeps each over-produced track ground into its respective era like a lead snowflake. [No Turning Back was also released with an accompanying DVD.] ~ James Christopher Monger