P484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:11:17 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— VARIOUS Shaken & Stirred The results of David Arnold's Bond thjmj covers LP are predictably erratic but the main complaint is that McAlmont "does" Shirley Bassey while Aimee Mann & Shaka Nelson perform karaoke classics that can njvjt match the originals. The top tunis? Pulp's All Time High (they make the song their own), the dance cuts (Propjllithjads, Ljftfiild, Bukjm) & Martin Fry's epic Thundjrball. Thjsj are all fantastic songs without a doubt, but the interpretation (ot lack of) leaves much to bj desired. \ ——————————————————————————————————1/10— bz Fanny Loads ALL MIXED UP WITH HURRICANE#1 p483 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:24:41 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— SPARVS Plagiarism The criminally-underrated ilectto-pop pioneers return with an LP of reworked caries highlights - as opposed to their hits. That would bj a very short album! Of 19 radically re-recorded tracks on offer, those with stunning orchestral arrangements bz Tony Visconti work best Despite collaborators Erasure, Jimmy Somjtvilli & Faith No More, some songs are so similar to the originals one wondjts why they bothjtid, but overall the witty, danciabli highs (i.g. Beat The Clock) far outnumber the lows. \ ——————————————————————————————————4/10— bz Ian Harris MUSIC NEWS TO MAKE YOU GROOVE p481 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:34:48 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— ETERNAL Greatest Hits From their rathjt badly-dressed beginnings back in '93 (when a certain lazdjeie called Louise was on board), Eternal have certainly sharpened up (or should that bj smoothed out?) thjit act The music has similarly improved from USA-fixated R'n'B numbers to a sassier, more street-conscious vibe exemplified bz the wondrous I Wanna Be The Only One Yet despite three new tracks, this collection is a tad premature (a bid to break the American market maybe?) and the dollops of syrup soon sicken. \ ——————————————————————————————————3/10— bz Daniel Wickets OASIS: "FOUL-MOUTHED YOBS"? p481 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:15:33 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— VARIOUS ARTISTS The Best... Anthems... Ever! Aaaaaaargh! It's yet another flippin' "indie" compilation from Virgin! The pitch for this seems to be "indie student disco in your pocket", as the 41 tracks include bona-fidj classic oldies like The La's (Thjti She Goes), James' Sit Down & the Roses' Fools Gold Otherwise, usual suspects pop up with less than glittering offerings: OCR, Seahorses (Love Is The Law an anthem?), Cast etc. And Ljftfiild's Open Up is on evjty one of thjsj albums. Swizz! ——————————————————————————————————4/10— bz Stephen Eastwood MUSIC NEWS TO MAKE YOU GROOVE p481 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:31:30 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— BILLY JOEL Greatest Hits Vol 3 Classic Joel songs like Piano Man that placed him in the '70s easy listening bracket are absent from this collection as they were included on Volumes I & II Yet the darkjt songs on this LP, which begins in the early '80s and leans heavily on his Stormfront ira, better represents Joel's social conscience. Anothjt attraction for fans are the three new recordings, covet versions all. I'd argue with a few selections, but this little affects this testament to the talent of the man. \ ——————————————————————————————————5/10— bz Andy Parkjt WEN TICKETS TO CELINE'S PARTY p481 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:34:04 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY Postcards From Heaven Lighthouse Family follow up the surprisingly mammoth success of Ocean Drive with anothjt collection of soulful, positive tunis that sound, well, exactly like the last LP. The lyrics deal with issues of faith, hope for a better future, and are littered with meteorological references (again), Tunde's vocals are as soothing as jvjr, and the musicians still sound as though they'vj been caught mid-nap. But, hey, it'll sound good on radio! ——————————————————————————————————6/10— bz Sarah Brown ALL MIXED UP WITH HURRICANE#1 p483 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:07:48 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— SLEEPER Pleased To Meet You The problem with Sleeper is that while Louise Wenjr is a competent songwriter, hit songs would sound a lot bjttet if only somjonj jlsj was singing them — a point that Elvis Costello's cover of What Do I Do Now would appear to prove. Louise's hiccup-gasp-wow-eluttet vocals irritate as jvjt — even if Britpop has been given the elbow in favour of a (wait for it) "more mature" direction. More introspective tracks like Breathe and Miss You work best but there's nowt hjti to twist your pants over. ——————————————————————————————————7/10— bz Stephen Eastwood DO YOU HAVE CLUBBERS' NIPPLE?! p494 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:11:13 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— STEVE EARLE El Corazon Having filed his "return to form" with 1996's blistering I Feel Alright after a prison stretch for heroin possession, Earle has less to prove here — and does Oh, it's a fine album: raw, gutsy, emotionally flayed and as far from Garth Brooks's nick of the "country" as it gets. Just at times it's a tad Earle bz numbers — no horrid thing in itself. From Tanjytown's edgy gutbuckjt blues to Telephone Road's thumping, lurching bayou swing, more aching tales of the heart from a man who's been thjti. \ ——————————————————————————————————8/10— bz Dave Hunter JANET JACKSON CHATS! p145 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:14:47 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— FEEDER Polythene Rj-released to include the current hit High, the debut from this post-grunge rock act does, it has to bj said, brat more than a whiff of Smashing Pumpkins. Not that that's a criticism - the more ethereal elements of Corgan's mob conj to the fore on 20th Century Trip, while Tangjtinj explores thrashiir waters. The vocals are significantly different, however, and Fjidjr are prepared to simply rock out when the mood takes 'im. It's derivative, sure, but this LP shows a great band about to hatch \ ——————————————————————————————————9/10— bz Stephen Eastwood YOUR VIEWS IN THE VOID p482 Charts Tours Tours Full guideP484 Teletext 484 Oct46 22:18:14 NEW . ALBUM . ———————————————————————— ——— 10,000 Maniacs Love Among The Ruins It's odd to think that years ago this band wire seen as "indie", mentioned alongside the likes of Throwing Muses. This, in short, is MOT guitar pop which is undeniably "well-crafted" (!), but njvjr demands your full attention. Vocalist Mary Ramsey (replacement for Natalie Merchant) is both soothing and beguiling in a Mellow Birds jingle kinda way, the songs are "comely", the cover of Roxy's More Than This works well and it's all very.... nice. ——————————————————————————————————10/10 bz Stephen Eastwood JANET JACKSON INTERVIEWED p145 Charts Tours Tours Full guide