BSE BANGIN' SUMMER EXTRAVAGANZA: SELECT (1999)

1. Prologue To History - Manic Street Preachers

B-Side to the Manics' #1 single If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next and considered by some to be a lost classic. This also featured on the band's 2003 rarities compilation Lipstick Traces.

2. Organ Yn Dy Geg - Super Furry Animals

The first track on SFA's first EP, the spectacularly titled Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerchwryndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (In Space), this was omitted from their B-Side/rarities compilation Out Spaced and was a weclome addition to this freebie for completists who couldn't afford the pricey CD version of the EP.

3. Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (Chemical Brothers Remix) -Mercury Rev

Relatively laid back remix from the Chems of the closing track on Mercury Rev's critically acclaimed Deserter's Songs album. This featured on the single for the track which peaked at #26.

4. Explode (Remixed) - The Cardigans

Alternative version of a track from the Gran Turismo album. This appeared on the Top 10 single Erase/Rewind.

5. Implement Yeah! - Suede

A homage to Mark E Smith, this was originally intended as a B side to the Filmstar single but subsequently dropped. A live version was released as a fan club only CD in 1997 but this studio version is an exclusive. The only time you'll ever hear Suede do The Fall.

6. She's So Strange - Travis

Taken from the mega-selling album The Man Who.

7. On Days Like Yours - Ben & Jason

This is from the London singer-songwriter duo's mini album Hello. They went their separate ways in 2003 - Ben stayed in the music industry whilst Jason went on to write for Viz

8. C'mon Cincinatti (M. Organs Village Mix) - Delakota

Short-lived indie-dance hybrid formed from the ashes of The Senseless Things. This remix is featured on the C'mon Cincinatti which hit #55 in 1998.

9. New Style - Orbital

Remix featured on the second CD single of Orbital's Top 20 single Style. The track was produced almost completely with a Stylophone hence the title. The original can be found on the Hartnoll brothers' album Middle Of Nowhere.

10. Jumbo (Jedi's Electro Dub Mix) - Underworld

Featured on the first CD single of the #21 single Jumbo, this is one of two mixes by Jedis. The glorious original is on the classic Beaucoup Fish.

11. Burn The Light - Cast

From Scousers' third under-achieving album Magic Hour.

12. Fame Thing - Ultrasound

This also appeared on NME's Spring Offensive compilation featured earlier so obviously this was the track used to lure people to buy their album Everything Picture. Didn't work.

13. (1903-70) - Idlewild

From the CD single to When I Argue I See Shapes, the band's commercial breakthrough. The song is a tribute to artist Mark Rothko, the title being his birth and death dates.

14. Madam, Your Carriage Awaits - Bentley Rhythm Ace

Probably hurrying the Pop Will Eat Itself reunion (see below), BRA's second album, For Your Ears Only, was released to little fanfare and bombed. This is an excerpt.

15. Lefturno - Scott 4

Named after Scott Walker's fourth album, Scott 4 were an indie country-rock band whose album Works Project met with huge critical acclaim in 1999. Commercial success eluded them, this single reaching #181, but they released two more independent albums in 2002 and 2005, the latter under the guise of the Scott 4 Free Rock Orchestra.

16. Raymond's Shop - Stereophonics

B-side to the early single More Life In A Tramp's Vest, released here presumably to show off their rare tracks after huge success with the Performance & Cocktails long player.

17. Paranoid People - 3 Colours Red

From their second album Revolt. Named after what most people did when they listened to 3CR probably.

VINYL CONFLICT 1: MELODY MAKER (1986)

1. Oily Black Limousine - Marc Almond & The Willing Sinners

An ultra rare track from early in Marc's career post Soft Cell. This didn't appear on either this era's two Willing Sinners albums or his two completely solo min-albums, Violent Silence and A Woman's Story. Only on their double reissue in 1998 did this track become available again.

2. Skin & Dust - Cactus World News

Exclusive track from Dublin New Wave rock band. They scored 3 minor hits and a Top 60 album, Urban Beaches, in 1986.

3. The Bells - The Men They Couldn't Hang

Long running Pogues-ish roots rock band from London. This is from their 1986 album How Green Is The Valley.

4. Anxious - The Housemartins

The 4th best band in Hull but the most successful by some distance. The band had only released one EP, Flag Day when this track appeared here but that EP, and a number of Radio 1 sessions, saw them quickly become indie favourites. Their second single, Sheep, featured this track and, later in the year, it appeared on their debut album London 0 Hull 4 by which time they'd cracked the Top 3 with Happy Hour. Between them, they'd have one or two more hits...

7 SOLID INCHES OF SOUNDS FROM EPIC: SOUNDS (1986)

A showcase of Epic's finest rock n' roll.......

1. Change It - Stevie Ray Vaughan

A track from lates blues rock guitarist's 1986 album Soul To Soul.

2. Why Get Up? - The Fabulous Thunderbirds

If you're from Texas and can play the blues, then you've probably been in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. This was a then preview of a track on their album Tuff Enuff.

3. Physical Contact - Andrew Caine

Especially recorded for Sounds, apparently. Especially for recorded for soft-porn TV movie hell more like. Caine released an album called One in 1986 - named after the number of people who bought it.

4. Living After Dark - Terraplane

Another one especially recorded for Sounds. This one ended up as a B side to their single If That's What It Takes. Terraplane folded after two albums after falling out with Epic. However three-fifths of the band, including singer Danny Bowes, regrouped with huge success....as Thunder. Bad move, Epic.

SONIC SOUNDS: SOUNDS (1987)

All tracks exclusive to SOUNDS....

1. Down - Crazyhead

Being a garage rock band from the Midlands, it was inevitable that this lot would become associated with the Grebo scene alongside Pop Will Eat Itself, Ned's Atomic Dustbin et al, and so they were. Never hitting the heights of their peers, Crazyhead, who were signed to Food at Grebo's height, soldiered on for a decade before splitting in 2000. This track turned up as a B side to their biggest hit, Time Has Taken Its Toll On You, a #65 smash.

2. Grebo Guru - Pop Will Eat Itself

Talking of all things Grebo, this is the scene's quintessential band with their Grebo anthem. This track didn't stay exclusive for long, appearing on PWEI's debut Box Frenzy. The band maintained their cult following with a string of Top 40 hits until their split in 1996. Their 2001 anthology took its name from this very track - Gurus Of Grebo. They reformed in 2005.

3. The Myth Of Love (Vocal/Live Version) - Georgia Satellites

Georgia Satellites hit #2 in the US with Keep Your Hands To Yourself and scored a number of minor hits over here in the UK in the late 80s including a cover version of Hippy Hippy Shake from the movie Cocktail. This is an exclusive live take of a track from their eponymous debut.

4. Vegas Throat Stomp - The Jack Rubies

Well hyped but ultimately unsuccessful jangle pop/garage rock band formed in London. This, under the abbreviated name Vegas Throat, appeared on their 1988 album Fascinatin' Vacation.

NME: THE GLASTONBURY BROADCASTS (1999)

Note: As is pretty obvious, all these tracks were all performed live at Glastonbury. The year of the performance is shown for each track.

1. Caught By The Fuzz - Supergrass (1995)

This captures Supergrass in their initial punk pop pomp on the verge of big things. Already regarded as one of the country's brightest new bands, debut album I Should Coco had recently charted at #3 and spawned three hits, including this, Gaz's account of being arrested for marijuana possession as teenager, which peaked just outside the Top 40. Fresh from this performance, Supergrass decided to release the album's fourth single proper, a AA side pairing two album tracks together, the laid back, bluesy Time and some song you may have heard called Alright. The single got to #2 and pushed the album to #1 and half a million sales in the UK.

2. Rock N Roll Star - Oasis (1995)

The fastest selling debut single of all time, 6 classic singles including one #1, Glastonbury headliners and critical idolisation. It couldn't get any bigger than this....could it?

3. The Day We Caught The Train - Ocean Colour Scene (1997)

After a shaky start with their baggy flavoured debut in 1992, OCS' second album, the R&B/soul tinged Moseley Shoals helped soundtracked the mid 90s, this being their biggest hit peaking at #4 in 1996. This performance sees them gearing up for the release of their third album Marchin' Already in September '97.

4. Allotment - Reef (1996)

The inclusion of Naked on a high profile MiniDisc advert helped boost Reef's profile in 94/95 resulting in first album Replenish hitting the Top 20. Not many expected much more, but Reef re-emerged in 1996 with Place Your Hands, an old fashioned hands-in-the-air rock anthem which hit #6 paving their way to a #1 album with Glow. This performance paves the way for their resurgence, which came a few months later, this track missing out on the album and finding its way as a B Side to their single Consideration.

5. Alright - Cast (1997)

For a band who were never quite taken seriously by anybody they sold a lot of records - debut album All Change became Polydor's fastest selling debut album ever. 1997 saw the release of second album Mother Nature Calls, the title of which pretty much sums up Cast - an attempt to sound cosmic and at one with the universe, it just sounds like John Power needs a wee.

6. Eternal Life - Jeff Buckley (1995)

An epic and dramatic performance from the late Jeff Buckley, and one which not only raised the profile of Buckley but also switched more people on to his debut album Grace which was fast becoming a modern classic. Buckley's death in 1997 raised both performer and album to iconic status.

7. Just Like Heaven - The Cure (1990)

Already a classic in 1990, this was taken from their Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me album in 1987. Step forward please the comedian in the CD writing department. Add this track to your iTunes and you'll find the composer is listed as......."A pantomime dame and some other wankers". Lol Tolhurst was that you?

8. Sorted For Es & Wizz - Pulp (1998)

After a triumphant performance in 1995 when they became last minute replacements for The Stone Roses, Pulp returned in 1998 in a much darker place. Not only was just-released album This Is Hardcore a dark and challenging work but Jarvis Cocker's exclamation of "put me in a field...I'm gonna need some drugs" at the end of this track proves it wasn't much fun to be in Pulp in 1998.

9. Gravity Grave - The Verve (1993)

Pre 'The' and pre-Urban Hymns ubiquity, Verve were more indebted to shoegazing and space rock than Oasis. This is Verve and Mad Richard's most defining 9 minutes, the climax of Aschroft screaming wildly to the stage control staff "WE GOT ONE MORE MINUTE!" ONE MORE MINUTE" over a sea of bass and psychedelia is mesmeric. You can also get this version on their 1994 B Sides compilation No Come Down.

10. Chime - Orbital (1994)

Orbital's visually and sonically stunning performances helped a new breed of electronic bands - Underworld, Leftfield, The Prodigy amogst others - to be taken seriously as live acts. Their Glasto 94 performance has gone into legend as one of the best ever dance/techno - call it what you want - gigs. Chime was first released in 1990 and hit #17.

NME: SPRING OFFENSIVE (1999)

1. Popstar - Suede

One of many B-sides from Electricity, lead single from Suede's 4th, Head Music. The single hit #5 and was the band's last Top 10 hit.

2. Dreamer - Cast

Also on the commercial slide from their Britpop heyday, this was featured on their third album Magic Hour.

3. The Hexx - Pavement

One of the most influential indie bands of their time, this one's from their final album Terror Twilight. Like Suede and Cast, they have recently reformed.

4. Same Old Show - Basement Jaxx

From the first album Remedy, this samples Selecter's On My Radio and, more obscurely, Veda Simpson's Oooh Baby.

5. Dream Lottery - Regular Fries

"We hate the charts and the charts hate us" claimed Regular Fries when they split just 2 years after releasing their debut album Accept The Signal. A damn shame, but they were just too out there for the mainstream. They were right though, the album, which contained this track, peaked at #81.

6. Moaner - Underworld

A rare example of a track edited down for inclusion an album. In a case of the track being far better than the movie from which it came, this started off life as a 10 minute beast on the Batman & Robin soundtrack. It was cut by 3 minutes when it appeared on the album Beaucoup Fish and it's this version that appears here. The full length version can be found on their 1992-2002 compilation.

7. Small Children In The Background - Mogwai

There had to be a Mogwai track on here somewhere...this one's from the No Education=No Future (Fuck The Curfew) EP.

8. Robot New York - Add N To (X)

From Mute avant-garde techno band's album Avant Hard.

9. Bring A Man Down - Mishka

Actually, ignore what I said earlier about 3 Colours Red in a previous post. This dude signalled that the end for Creation was nigh. A vanity signing, Mishka was a Bermudan reggae singer and professional windsurfer. He managed one Top 40 hit on the back of Alan McGee's hype, delivered one album for Creation before the ship sank and vanished. He's still putting out albums..on Matthew McConaughey's label. All very odd.

10. Fame Thing - Ultrasound

Hyped to death post-Britpop, Ultrasound were the next big thing to end all next best things. Fronted by portly yet oddly glamorous lead singer Tiny (it was a joke), their huge and epic sound and outsider image meant their first singles and gigs were met with rapturous applause. Such early acclaim however was destroyed when they released their debut album, Everything Picture, a sprawling double album which both disappointed the critics and undersold. The band never recovered, and that was that. A decade later, they're making a comeback....watch this space?

11. Flame (Exclusive Acoustic Version) - Sebadoh

The first exclusive on this CD and it's exactly what it says on the tin, an acoustic version of Sebadoh's only brush with the mainstream, Flame, which reached #30 in 1999.

12. Download (Remix) - Super Furry Animals

SFA exclusively released the Llwybr Llaethog remix of Download on the Melody Maker Reading '98 CD which you can read about on this site. Bizarrely, the following year, yet another exclusive remix of the same track appeared on this CD. A nice surprise as it isn't billed as a remix on the sleeve itself apart from the credits which state the the track to be remixed by Kevin Ford and John Griffiths, who just so happen to be.....Llwybr Llaethog. It's a slightly dubbier version of the '98 mix. A great lesson in reading the small print and the credits. A massive hidden gem, and a must for all SFA fans.

13. The Spark That Bled - The Flaming Lips

A trailer for what was to become THE critics' favourite of 1999 The Soft Bulletin. This track was for a short while exclusive to this CD.

14. She's So Strange - Travis

When Travis' laddish rock n roll gave way to melancholy, with added Nigel Godrich on production duty, their second album The Man Who became unstoppable and sold over a million. This is taken from that very album.