- The Observer, Sunday 22 April 2007
Ninety years of Ella and 20 years of Napalm Death. Who knows where the time goes?
As the 30th anniversary of the Pistols' 'God Save the Queen' looms into view, spare a thought for those bands who laid the groundwork. Goodbye Nashville, Hello Camden Town (Sanctuary) is a pub rock collection, rounding up the spit and sawdust sounds of early Seventies acts such as Kilburn and the High Roads, Chilli Willi and the Red Hot Peppers and Dr Feelgood
A 100-track box set, Keeping the Faith (Sanctuary) recognises 40 years of northern soul through cuts such as the Show Stoppers' 'Ain't Nothing But a Houseparty'. And Stax - home to Otis Redding - marks its half century with the deluxe Stax 50 set (Universal).
Sneak previews
Crunk, Atlanta's raw hip hop sound has migrated to the Bay Area and turned into 'hyphy'; Hyphy Hitz (TVT) pulls together tracks from figures such as Keak da Sneak. House tunes from last month's Music Conference are brought together by David Piccioni on Miami 2007 (Azuli); most likely all bangin'.
In February, the Beautiful South announced their split; their BBC Sessions (Universal) features versions of most of their hits. Napalm Death see their classic Scum (Earache) rinsed down for its 20th anniversary, also, with 28 tracks and a DVD bonus disc.
Leonard Cohen's first three albums - Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs From a Room and Songs of Love and Hate - are reissued by Sony BMG. And what would have been Ella Fitzgerald's ninetieth is marked with a series of Verve reissues, a Forever Ella best-of (UCJ) and a tribute album, We All Love Ella, with contributions from Diana Krall and kd Lang
Salsa with everything
Three more labels in the spotlight: Gilles Peterson drops cuts from the likes of Tito Puente on the first of a new DJ Series from Fania, the home of salsa; Daniel Miller's Mute celebrates its early days with a four-CD box set starring Depeche Mode; and Trojan's anniversary vinyl re-releases continue with six classics including Barrington Levy's Englishman.
