Ahead of Thursday’s gig, I decided to chuck some Manic Street Preachers tunes on my iPod. Not unreasonably, I thought, I selected the two most recent albums and their 2002 greatest hits compilation Forever Delayed.
However you look at it, that album serves the Manics first decade or so poorly. Design for Life and Motorcycle Emptiness are present and correct, and it’s good they found time to squeeze Motown Junk in, but the new songs (There by the Grace of God and Door to the River) hardly stand up to the other songs included or those they missed off.
This set me thinking about how well bands are served by hits compilations and whether this bears any relation to the quality of the band. I realise that it cannot be easy for one set of songs to serve as an introduction to casual fans and as a distillation of an obsessive’s favourite 20 songs. I know that greatest hits sets need to include previously unreleased material to entice long-term fans to buy them. And I am aware that such albums are often issued as the last album in a contract or during a creative lull.
But I’m not sure that any of that explains why some greatest hits can be perfect summaries for an obsessive fan and introductions for others at the same time. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ Greatest Hits does that, Bruce Springsteen’s Essential Collection arguably does, and the red and blue albums by The Beatles certainly do. We can haggle over one track’s inclusion over another, but these broadly do the job expected of them.
Even collections with new material can include songs strong enough to stand up alongside older songs. Bon Jovi’s 1994 collection Cross Road included Always and Someday I’ll be Saturday Night, both of which have stood the 16-year test of time well enough to be included on the bands new Greatest Hits collection, due out next week.
So what are the best greatest hits collections? Not in terms of the relative quality of the songs of one band versus another, but in terms of how well they distil and fairly represent a band’s output.
For me, it’s Pearl Jam’s Rearviewmirror, nudging ahead of Cross Road. Rearviewmirror basically contains all the songs that I would put together to introduce anyone to Pearl Jam. In fact, I think my selection would match up almost completely with that of whoever chose the songs for Rearviewmirror.
But maybe that’s just me. Maybe Rearviewmirror just passes a very personal test in a way that Forever Delayed might for someone else.
Anyway, here's Alan Partridge, his new stereo and his favourite Beatles album.
Tuesday, 26 October 2010
Friday, 22 October 2010
Review: Gaslight Anthem Thursday 21 October 2010, Hammersmith Apollo, London, UK
Good gig. First three songs really built one on top of the other in quite an impressive way. After five or so songs, they were joined by an extra guitarist and Brian praying harmonica, which suggests they’ll look to be expanding the band.
The band have come a long way from the Brighton gig we saw in Feb 2009. They’ve built an impressive big venue sound and stage craft without being too clichéd, although they’ve obviously been influenced by sharing stages with Bruce.
Although they were strong throughout and Brian is a charismatic frontman, there were still some songs that ome still really standing out (Queen of Lower Chelsea for one).
Brian mentioned first visiting London in 2005, stopping outside Hammersmith Apollo and saying they’d play it one day. Bandmate joked ‘maybe in 15 years’. He said ‘no, we’ll play it’.
The show was also very different from Brixton gig we saw in the summer. There were fewer crowd-launched clapping crucendos in the middle of songs and less wild over-reaction. The set was also quite different, with lots of strong songs held back.
The audience was strange, though. They talked through lots of the quieter songs. And a bit sad to see a band you love in a venue that big. Great they’re doing well, but you don’t get the same intimacy or feeling of intimacy. The pains of being an early fan!
The band have come a long way from the Brighton gig we saw in Feb 2009. They’ve built an impressive big venue sound and stage craft without being too clichéd, although they’ve obviously been influenced by sharing stages with Bruce.
Although they were strong throughout and Brian is a charismatic frontman, there were still some songs that ome still really standing out (Queen of Lower Chelsea for one).
Brian mentioned first visiting London in 2005, stopping outside Hammersmith Apollo and saying they’d play it one day. Bandmate joked ‘maybe in 15 years’. He said ‘no, we’ll play it’.
The show was also very different from Brixton gig we saw in the summer. There were fewer crowd-launched clapping crucendos in the middle of songs and less wild over-reaction. The set was also quite different, with lots of strong songs held back.
The audience was strange, though. They talked through lots of the quieter songs. And a bit sad to see a band you love in a venue that big. Great they’re doing well, but you don’t get the same intimacy or feeling of intimacy. The pains of being an early fan!
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Review: Toro Y Moi, Cargo, London, UK, 19 October 2010
On stage for a bit as if soundchecking, or hanging around, then just kicked straight into songs. Poppy in a similar way to Prince or Danger Mouse, rather than overtly Stock Atkin and Waterman hit-factory style. Some winning, interesting tunes, though a few of the songs were lacking in a 'hook'. Their last song was good synth/beats pop tune to dance to at a weekend, or at a push on a Tuesday night in East London. More of that please.
Rather strangely, the encore nearly didn't happen. The DJ had to turn down the music he was playing after the set, then people started clapping and the band came back on. Not sure if encore was planned as the band seemed to discuss what they'd be playing and the way the music came on straight after they finished suggested that was it from them.
What's good about seeing someone American in a small venue is that, to get to be sent abroad, they're probably done a bit more practicing than a UK act playing a same-sized venue, which the performance that extra bit of edge. Also, the venue can influence how you feel about a gig. In a small tent on a sunny day at a festival, we became instant fans. But we probably wouldn't have done so if we'd seen them at mid-afternoon on a big stage. Similarly it would have been a very different experience if, rather than seeing them with the cool kids at Cargo, we'd seen them supporting the Foals (but you never know...)
Rather strangely, the encore nearly didn't happen. The DJ had to turn down the music he was playing after the set, then people started clapping and the band came back on. Not sure if encore was planned as the band seemed to discuss what they'd be playing and the way the music came on straight after they finished suggested that was it from them.
What's good about seeing someone American in a small venue is that, to get to be sent abroad, they're probably done a bit more practicing than a UK act playing a same-sized venue, which the performance that extra bit of edge. Also, the venue can influence how you feel about a gig. In a small tent on a sunny day at a festival, we became instant fans. But we probably wouldn't have done so if we'd seen them at mid-afternoon on a big stage. Similarly it would have been a very different experience if, rather than seeing them with the cool kids at Cargo, we'd seen them supporting the Foals (but you never know...)
Review: Visions of Trees, Cargo, London, UK, 19 October 2010
A two-person XX, equipped with synths and drumpads, bloke providing beats wore a t-shirt with hood. Singer was in the classic 90s/00s dance mould (like whoever did the dance cover of Bryan Adams's Heaven around 2005). Singer was a proper X-Factor style belting singer, rather than anything indie. A lof of the songs sounded like the 'I call your name' part of 'Like A Prayer'. The ones with beats were stronger, others sounded a bit like a nondescript film soundtrack.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Gigs coming up
Looking forward to seeing Toro y Moi at Cargo after seeing them by chance at Field Day this summer. Then - what a week - The Gaslight Anthem on Thursday. Reviews to follow...
Review: Darren Hayman and the Secondary Modern
Tuesday 5th October, Luminaire, London UK
SL and TM: Very enjoyable. DH was a most likable and engaging frontman. Discussed having Jacob's Creek on his rider, humous, nerves and not being able to see the white dots on his guitar neck ('a lifeline' for him, even if the Killers and Kings of Leon could manage to pose and look out without glancing at them). Lots of indie love songs and a couple of Hefner songs which, though unknown to us, went down well with the audience. Top gig.
SL and TM: Very enjoyable. DH was a most likable and engaging frontman. Discussed having Jacob's Creek on his rider, humous, nerves and not being able to see the white dots on his guitar neck ('a lifeline' for him, even if the Killers and Kings of Leon could manage to pose and look out without glancing at them). Lots of indie love songs and a couple of Hefner songs which, though unknown to us, went down well with the audience. Top gig.
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