Radio 1 Established 1967 CD

Radio 1 Established 1967 CD Radio 1 certainly isn’t short of detractors these days and all but the most vehement Moyles groupies would probably agree that its glory days are now a matter solely for historians. But out of the nostalgia whipped up by their 40th birthday celebrations came one fine idea that could only really have been pulled off with the aid of their unique clout (and, of course, the licence fee)–-40 of today’s biggest acts covering tracks from each of the station’s 40 years in existence, and building on the popular Live Lounge franchise in the process. The Raconteurs’ bash at infamous Peel favourite "Teenage Kicks" has gusto and a genuine southern twist, Lily Allen’s "Don’t Get Me Wrong" is sweet and suits her talk-to-the-hand nonchalance, Editors’ version of The Cure’s "Lullaby" is endearingly brooding, Foo Fighters’ "Band on the Run" is as effective and Foo Fighters-esque as you might expect and Maximo Park’s slick reworking of Justin Timberlake’s "Like I Love You", as strange a premise as that might sound (and thus key to this album’s appeal), just works. On the downside some contributions are inevitably pedestrian; Razorlight’s "Englishman in New York" is anaemic and unfeeling, The Street’s utterly misjudged "Your Song" is room-clearing karaoke playing to none of his strengths and what exactly is the point of The View covering The Libertines anyway!? But all in all it's a unique collection from a station still in a unique, if no longer important, position.

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