Mecano already were an established band in their origin country, Spain, when they went into the studio to record their fifth studio effort. Nevertheless, up to the release of Entre el Cielo y el Suelo, Mecano's success had seemed somewhat fluky, built on some beautifully crafted pop sensibilities and a very fortunate choice of singles. But then Entre el Cielo y el Suelo came, a powerful collection of potential hits without a single song of landfill to spoil the global result. The record is easily the band's finest to date, combining both Nacho's and Jose Maria Cano's composition skills and, more beautiful than ever, Ana Torroja's flawless voice. The warmth of ballads like "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte" or "Hijo de la Luna" joins together with the melodic perfection of tunes like "Cruz de Navajas," "Ay, Qué Pesado," or even "Las Cosas Pares." Entre el Cielo y el Suelo was Mecano's first work in which Jose Maria, the older of Cano's brothers, manages to demonstrate his authentic value as a composer, leaving behind the aura of the secondary role that had accompanied him until this point. To him belong some timeless, fascinating pop treasures, turned with the step of the years into some of the band's (even Spanish pop's) seminal songs, such as the aforementioned "Cruz de Navajas," "Hijo de la Luna," and "Me Cuesta Tanto Olvidarte" as well as the not less brilliant "No Es Serio Este Cementerio." Meanwhile, his brother Nacho continues showing signs of his compositive geniality in "50 Palabras, 60 Palabras ó 100" or in the poetic "Las Cosas Pares." Ana Torroja reaches kind of enviable vocal registers, which will continue developing throughout subsequent works. The innocent techno-pop of Mecano's beginnings has been transformed here into more mature and timeless singer/songwriter compositions with some well-crafted lyrical and musical passages which made the delights, not only of the band's more unconditional and youthful public, but also of a sector of more adult and traditional tastes.© Robert Aniento /TiVo

Released in 1988, Descanso Dominical is the second Ariola release from La Movida Madrileña trio Mecano. Produced by the bandmembers themselves, it's a combination of melodic synth pop anthems and unique social commentary, including "Los Amantes," described as the first Spanish gay anthem, and "El Blues del Esclavo," which addresses the abolition of slavery. The follow-up to Entre el Cielo y el Suelo, it features the singles "No Hay Marcha en Nueva York," "Mujer Contra Mujer," and "Un Ano Mas."© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

Billed as the most comprehensive Mecano compilation release to date, Siglo XXI isn't much different from the previous couple greatest-hits albums chronicling the Spanish synth pop trio's recording output to date -- that is, unless you go for the Deluxe Edition. Following the initial breakup of Mecano in 1993, there has been a steady stream of compilations. The first of them, Ana, José, Nacho (1998), was a million-seller that featured eight new songs alongside 22 greatest hits. The second, Grandes Éxitos (2005), was a 30-track double-disc CD compilation accompanied by a DVD featuring 20 video clips. (There was also the eight-CD box set Obras Completas [2005], but that's another matter.) Released a mere four years later, Siglo XXI is yet another double-disc CD compilation. Like Grandes Éxitos, it features 30 tracks of previously released material sequenced chronologically, beginning with the breakout hit "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar" and following with more or less the same selection of hit singles. There are a couple differences worth noting, however minor they may be. For one, Siglo XXI includes a couple of the new recordings from Ana, José, Nacho ("Stereosexual," "Cuerpo y Corazón"), whereas Grandes Éxitos went no further than the final full-length album Aidalai (1991). More significantly, Siglo XXI tacks on a few tracks of previously unreleased material: "María Luz" is a new recording from 2009 that was written and produced by José María Cano, and there are a couple contemporary remixes of fan favorites "Un Año Más" and "La Fuerza del Destino" that were done by second parties. None of these is essential, the club-oriented remixes in particular, but the entirely acoustic "María Luz" is at least curious in how out of character it is for the rhythmically inclined trio. All in all, if you stick with the standard edition of Siglo XXI, what you get in essence is the Grandes Éxitos compilation plus three new tracks of minor significance. On the other hand, if you shell out additional money for the Deluxe Edition, you get quite a lot more. The Deluxe Edition is better packaged and boasts two DVDs and a 96-page book that will surely entice Mecano fanatics. The DVDs feature 16 video clips (the same ones featured on Grandes Éxitos) and a whopping 32 live clips that range in date from 1982 to 1992. The book features a biography, chronology, discography, lyrics, and more than 100 photos.© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo

Named after its three members, brothers Nacho and José María Cano and vocalist Ana Torroja, this 2008 compilation is a comprehensive retrospective of one of Spain's most successful pop acts. Gathering material from their 17-year career, it includes tracks from their 1982 self-titled debut ("Perdido en Mi Habitacion") right up to 1991's Aidalai ("Naturaleza Muerta"). The 30-track collection also includes six new songs and a reworking of their 1984 hit "Aire."© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

Released in 1988, Descanso Dominical is the second Ariola release from La Movida Madrileña trio Mecano. Produced by the bandmembers themselves, it's a combination of melodic synth pop anthems and unique social commentary, including "Los Amantes," described as the first Spanish gay anthem, and "El Blues del Esclavo," which addresses the abolition of slavery. The follow-up to Entre el Cielo y el Suelo, it features the singles "No Hay Marcha en Nueva York," "Mujer Contra Mujer," and "Un Ano Mas."© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

Named after its three members, brothers Nacho and José María Cano and vocalist Ana Torroja, this 2008 compilation is a comprehensive retrospective of one of Spain's most successful pop acts. Gathering material from their 17-year career, it includes tracks from their 1982 self-titled debut ("Perdido en Mi Habitacion") right up to 1991's Aidalai ("Naturaleza Muerta"). The 30-track collection also includes six new songs and a reworking of their 1984 hit "Aire."© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

Released to coincide with their 25th anniversary, Grandes Exitos is a two-CD collection from the influential Spanish synth pop trio Mecano. Its 30 tracks include early singles "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar" and "Barco a Venus"; material from their critically acclaimed final two studio albums, Descanso Dominical and Aidalai; and several unreleased songs. It ignores the eight new tracks recorded for their previous Ana, Jose, Nacho compilation.© Jon O'Brien /TiVo

The late-'70s and early-'80s pop scene in Spain was a mixture of different styles fighting one against the other, trying to succeed in winning the audience's affection. Madrid was the cradle of most of these movements, a wellspring of a lot of bands that were riding on the sounds swamping Europe at the moment. While Alaska y los Pegamoides, Ramoncín, and Siniestro Total were fans of new wave and post-punk bands like the Clash, the Jam, and the Buzzcocks, other groups like La Mode, Golpes Bajos, andAlphaville were more keen on pop melodies mixed with electronic textures, the type of music that the new romantics and groups like Depeche Mode were performing in those years. All these bands made up what was called la Movida Madrileña, one of the most significant European musical movements in the early '80s. In this environment, brothers Nacho and José María Cano found a friend, Ana Torroja, who accepted the invitation to sing their compositions, which elegantly mixed techno-pop music with fancy melodies. Mecano is their first record, and one of their most popular, a glamorous effort in which listeners can already appreciate Nacho Cano's brilliant mind for composition. Synths and electronic devices mixed with poppy melodies and Torroja's sweet voice are heard throughout the record, forming a style that became the group's personal trademark from then on. Mecano's lyrics tried to emphasize and represent the problems of the beautiful young people at the time. "Hoy No Me Puedo Levantar" was their first hit in Spain, while other songs on the record like "Perdido en Mi Habitación," "Maquillaje," and "Me Cole en una Fiesta" (with a later English version, "The Uninvited Guest") became fan favorites in the years to come. Among José María Cano's three compositions on Mecano, "Solo Soy una Persona" -- a tune combining pop and singer/songwriter elements with Sartre-esque lyrics -- stands out.© Robert Aniento /TiVo