The British are coming!

It's no secret that I am a fan of British music. I may have mentioned one or two (or three or four) times that I spent a semester in London, where I was inundated with amazing new musical discoveries on an almost-daily basis. As a result, I have developed a soft spot for the combination of a great beat and an awesome accent, found in spades on Radio 1: Established 1967, a two disc set of covers of songs from each of the 40 years that the BBC's Radio 1 has been in existence. When I found out about this CD last summer, I knew I would have to get it -- based solely on the fact that the Kooks were covering Ace of Base's "All That She Wants" (more on that in a minute). Due to ridiculous import prices and a minimum wage salary, I had to wait several months before making my dream of owning this compilation a reality, but I was finally able to order a copy last month (from Amazon.co.uk, for a fairly reasonable £9, or a little over $18) and waited in giddy anticipation. Was it everything I dreamed and more? Yes and no. To be sure, there are some fantastic covers on these two discs. The aforementioned Kooks version of "All That She Wants" is certainly a highlight, the Brighton boys opening the song with sparse guitar and rim shots and ripping into a full band on the chorus, retreating again into guitar and tambourine for the other verses. It's enough to make you question the merits of the original (and knowing me, this is a huge concession - the talent of Ace of Base is clearly undeniable). Klaxons' take on Blackstreet's "No Diggity" is another aural treat. I dare you to listen to this song without cracking a smile when Jamie Reynolds starts to sing "Shorty get down, good Lord," or when the band reaches the transcendent bridge of "hey yo"s. I would have loved to have heard one of the band members tackle Dr. Dre's rap intro, but this track is so stellar as-is I am willing to let this minor oversight slide. Other highlights include The Gossip's cover of George Michael's "Careless Whisper," which handily trumps the fairly boring original by transforming it into a frenetic dance number. Mark Ronson's "You're All I Need To Get By" also improves on its original, by Mary J. Blige and Method Man, by staying faithful to the retro flavor of the original original by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, seamlessly interweaving the rap with the sung chorus. However, with the good unfortunately comes some bad. Sugababes' "Betcha By Golly, Wow," covering the Stylistics, comes to mind. And wow, this song is awful. It makes you wonder how it ever became a hit in the first place, let alone was covered by everyone from Prince to Mariah Carey. Also disappointing is the usually great Mika, with Armand Van Helden, who turns the Police's "Can't Stand Losing You" into unrecognizable, over-produced dreck, with enough synthesizer and distortion to make one nauseous. Overall, though, Radio 1 is a collection of inspired covers that will help you discover obscure tracks from decades past and give you a new appreciation for those you already know and love. There are even some American artists (Foo Fighters, the Raconteurs, etc) featured, should you start to long for the voices of your fellow countrymen. To paraphrase Blackstreet, you've got to bag it up.