Summer Soundtrack
You can always spot the arrival of the festival season, it rains a lot even though heat waves have been predicted, big bands play one off dates around the UK as warm ups, and another compilation CD appears in your local record store, cashing in on the fact that sleeping rough in a field for three days is now the must do thing of the summer. This particular offering is called 'Headliner' and is a double disk with over forty alternative anthems, most of which it must be said are belters.
The criticism of this album is not of the product itself, but the concept of the compilation in general. Although there's plenty of ace songs on here, every person who gets a copy will skip songs and the thought inevitably crosses the mind, if I take the best bits and put them on one CD or the MP3 player it would be perfect, and of course you could be rid of The Fray.
On first look you'd think this is meant to be a CD made up of the best of this summer's festival acts. This obviously isn't the case though as Hard-Fi are busy working on their new album, New Order look like they've split, and with Jeff Buckley being dead, sadly he's unable to make Glastonbury again this year ... maybe modern science can sort that for 2008.
To me the best way to sum this album up is to say, imagine a collection of all the tracks you're likely to hear in between bands on any stage this summer. The opening three songs on CD one, The View 'Same Jeans', 'On Call' from Kings Of Leon and The Gossip's 'Standing In The Way Of Control' are nailed on regulars.
Other highlights of the first, more rock based disk include the massive Muse hit 'Starlight', Editors 'Munich' which is always good to hear, a welcome appearance for 'Motorcycle Emptiness' by the Manics, the sometimes overlooked Stone Roses classic (that isn't 'Fools Gold' or 'I Am The Resurrection') 'Waterfall' and the brilliant current Mumm-Ra single 'She's Got You High'. Obviously 'Killamangiro' from Babyshambles is on here, it's the law with indie compilations and frankly I'd rather it didn't go on any of them.
CD two is the dance-based side of the set. In amongst current favourites from Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris and Mylo are some real gems that should be in everyone's music collection. The obvious one is 'Loaded' by Primal Scream, but the real bonus is the mighty 'Africa Shox' from Leftfield. 'Crafty' is a recent gem from New Order and the chill-out classic 'At The River' by Groove Armada is worthy of any compilation album.
Being the person in my festival crowd with the annual responsibility of putting the CDs together for the drive there's plenty that would go on my own 'Best Driving To Festivals Album in the World Ever (part whatever number we're up to these days)', but the sort of person who is likely to want this will probably have a good amount of the tracks on albums or the Ipod already. Definitely worth owning if there's gaps that need filling in your collection though.