NME: BRATPACK '98

In what must have been one of the final cassette giveaways ever, this contained 10 tracks from 1997.

1. Deadweight - Beck

Taken from the soundtrack to Danny Boyle's A Life Less Ordinary, Beck released this as a single which acted as a neat stopgap between the release of Odelay and Mutations. The track, which hit #23 on the UK chart, can now be found on the re-issued deluxe edition of Odelay.

2. Meeting In The Aisle - Radiohead

Haunting instrumental taken from the Karma Police single in the UK and No Surprises in the USA. Now available on the OK Computer deluxe edition.

3. Smack My Bitch Up (Edit) - The Prodigy

Probably the most controversial single of the decade, Kool Keith's infamous sample lead to various accusations of misogyny towards Liam Howlett. The X-rated video didn't help the cause despite it's ending being anything but misogynistic. Most level-headed people didn't read anything sinister into the actual words; it was just a brutal sample. The single, which included this edit of the Fat Of The Land original, hit #8.

4. A Thousand Trees - Stereophonics

It's no wonder Stereophonics' debut Word Gets Around became so huge the amount of times they're featured on these FreeEPs. This was one of that album's defining tracks hitting #20 0n single release.

5. Dirt (New Radio Edit) - Death In Vegas

Two edits exist of this Dead Elvis track. A 4:11 edit featured on the original 1996 single release and the 1997 Slayer Edit, slightly shorter at 3:53 and featured here, featured on the reissue. This fared 27 places better than the original but still only managed to hit #61. This version is also available on DIV's Milk It compilation.

6. I'm Just A Killer For Your Love - Blur

From Blur's eponymous fifth album, this one defined the band's new lo-fi sound.

7. The World's Still Open - Mansun

Epic moment from Mansun's stand-alone seventh EP, Closed For Business. Now available again on the 3CD deluxe reissue of Attack Of The Grey Lantern, Paul Draper reveals, in the sleevenotes, that this should have been the EP's lead single instead of Closed For Business itself. It didn't stop the EP hitting #10 becoming Mansun's second Top 10 hit.

8. Why Is A Frog Too? - Bentley Rhythm Ace

Another act heavily featured on late 90s FreeEPs, this is from BRA's (ho-ho) eponymous debut.

9. 20 - Travis

Early B-side from the band's second Independiente single, All I Want To Do Is Rock, which reached #39 on release. Ironically, Travis only hit it big when Travis stopped rocking...

10. Round The Universe - The Seahorses

Total coincidence of course that The Seahorses is an anagram of 'He Hates Roses'. This is from the one and only album released by John Squire's post-Stone Roses group. Only one more stand-alone was released after this in 1998 and the end was nigh.

Q LIVE FROM GLASTONBURY (2007)

Breaking from tradition with this one as it exceeds the Year 2000 FreeEPs timeframe by a good seven years but there's some genuine rarities on here so here are the cherry picked collector's highlights:

Rescue - Echo & The Bunnymen (Glastonbury 1997)

1997 was the year Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant brought back the Echo & The Bunnymen name after original Bunnyman Les Pattinson joined the ranks of their first reunion band Electrafixion. The reactivated group immediately hit the Top 10 with another enduring classic, Nothing Lasts Forever and the album Evergreen. Rescue was the band's second single and first Top 75 hit, charting at #62 in 1980 and. E&TB, minus Pattinson, are still going strong today.

Down By The Water - PJ Harvey (Glastonbury 1995)

Harvey's 1995 album To Bring You My Love was her first as a fully fledged solo artist, becoming visually more arresting and sonically more adventurous. The unsettling Down By The Water with the now legendary 'Big Fish Little Fish' refrain was the first taster from the album and hit #38 in the chart.

Holes - Mercury Rev (Glastonbury 2002)

Nobody, let alone the band themselves, expected cult, psyechedelic oddballs Mercury Rev to become a major concern; but that they did with 1998's Deserter's Songs, its lush, orchestra-laden tunes soundtracking the last two years of the 1990s. Ironic really, considering Holes' parting shot: "Bands, those funny little plans, that never work quite right".

Young Offender - Pet Shop Boys (Glastonbury 2000)

For PSB completists, of which there are many, this FreeEP is essential as it's the only place to legitimately find this version of Young Offender. The track originally appeared on their 1993 album Very and subsequently remixed by Jam & Spoon; the Trip-O-Matic Fairytale Mix originally appeared on their 1994 single Liberation and included on the limited Pop Art Mix compilation in 2003. Always ready to embrace remixers' interpretations of their own work and utilise them, the Jam & Spoon remix forms the basis of PSB's own live version of Young Offender. In fact, this was the second time they showed their respect for Jam & Spoon - the single version of Very's final single, Yesterday When I Was Mad, also utilised elements of J&S' remix of the track.

The Box - Orbital (Glastonbury 1999)

What Glastonbury compilation would be complete without an appearance from the brother Hartnoll? This version of the #11 hit and In Sides track is also available on their own compilation Live At Glastonbury 1994-2004.

For reference, the other tracks on this CD are: Mr Brightside - The Killers (2005), Matinee - Franz Ferdinand (2004), Everyday I Love You Less And Less - Kaiser Chiefs (2005), A Thousand Trees - Stereophonics (2002), Helicopter - Bloc Party (2005), There Goes The Fear - Doves (2003), Wires - Athlete (2005), Somewhere Only We Know - Keane (2005), Get Thy Bearings - Zero 7 featuring Mozez (2004)