Music

To celebrate the station’s fortieth birthday, the fabulous folks at BBC Radio 1 have flexed their reputational muscle to pull together this 40-track album of covers spanning the years since the station’s birth. Needless to say, it’s a camp classic on a par with ‘Lost In Space’.

Let’s be honest, although it does have its moments (Mutya’s ‘Fast Car’, The Streets’ ‘Your Song’) you’re not going to buy this album because you genuinely believe ‘Too Much Too Young’ would sound better performed by Kasabian.  There’s fun to be had trying to guess what was going on in the heads of some of the bands, whether it be McFly’s overly reverential version of ‘Town Called Malice’ by My Chemical Ro… er, The Jam or The Kooks’ baffling stab at Ace Of Base’s hated ‘All That She Wants’. Generally, the participants have either taken the opportunity to get karaoke on an otherwise untouchable favourite (The View’s ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’) or gleefully ream a song they don’t particularly like (Hard Fi’s ‘Toxic’)

However, it’s difficult to advise anyone to part with money for it when there are so many other records out that you could enjoy without irony. Then again, it’s a bit of a slow week, so hey, knock yourself out. Perhaps club together with some friends for a communal copy – at least The Pigeon Detectives will manage the unlikely task of making you appreciate Huey Lewis’ hitherto unseen brilliance.