Memories abound of midweek club nights in the 1990s whenever I hear The Levellers, and it makes me feel old to find that they are releasing a Greatest Hits compilation. It isn’t until you see the tracks laid out in front of you that you realise what a huge body of work they have under their belts, so much so that ‘Carry Me’, the title track of their debut EP doesn’t surface until track 12 of disc 2. Kicking off with ‘Fifteen Years’ from the breakthrough 1991 album Levelling The Land, it is sheer class all the way.
Although at their commercial
peak in the early 1990s, the band never stopped working on their own terms. This
collection was handpicked and as such paints an honest and personal picture of
the band’s timeline. Crowd pleasers and student disco floor fillers are in
attendance of course; ‘One Way’, ‘Fifteen Years’ and ‘Just The One’ sit
comfortably among ‘The Recruiting Sergeant’, ‘Burn America Burn’ and ‘Truth Is’,
illustrating their political commentary and ear for a damn fine tune to boot.
As a cool little twist for a Greatest Hits album, several of the best known songs have
been re-recorded with guest vocalists adding their own unique spin on things,
especially interesting as the originals are there for comparison. Billy Bragg,
Bellowhead, and Frank Turner all step up to the mic and Imelda May’s vocals on ‘Beautiful
Day’ are worth the admission fee alone.
Release date: 29th
September 2014
Imelda May ‘Beautiful Day’ available as download and limited edition 7”: 15th September
Imelda May ‘Beautiful Day’ available as download and limited edition 7”: 15th September
Additional formats with extra
features available, see website for details.
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