illusionofjoy | OTR: B-Movie - The BBC Sessions (Reply)

Given the amount of song overlap on B-Movie's The BBC Sessions, (due to the existence of Remembrance Days and Forever Running) the layman may question whether or not it is an essential purchase. The answer, of course, is yes - this is an essential purchase if one wishes to possess everything available that B-movie ever recorded on compact disc. Furthermore, unlike annoying live in-concert albums where the music is marred by applause and other such cacophony which distracts from the music (suffice it to say, I expect to hear such things when I'm actually at a concert, not when I'm listening to an album at home), these radio session give the listener an opportunity to hear just how tight this band was in a live setting. Top it off with the fact that the liner notes of the disc contain the most complete biography of the band available - along with a thorough discography - and all that makes this an essential purchase for any fan of obscure post-punk and new wave.

If you DJ at an alternative music night, I'm putting you on notice: expose people to this band! Obviously, start off your audience with the ubiquitous "Nowhere Girl" (the version from 200 Cigarettes has become a retro radio staple), but from this album I highly recommend "All Fall Down," "Love Me," "The Great Divide" and "Arctic Summer."

Incidentally, those of you looking to complete your B-Movie collection will be unable to find Forever Running. For some reason, The Warner Group repackaged it as The Platinum Collection. The track listing is mostly intact from the original album, however, the cover art, along with the title is completely different.