Headliners: Perfect Soundtrack for my Lil’ Bro’s Stag Party
I was just about ready to burn some mixes for my little bro’s stag party this weekend when, as if timed to perfection, the new Headliners CD arrived through my letterbox.
It claims to offer the ultimate Festival line-up and in fairness if you attend any of the major festivals in the UK this summer you are likely to see, at least, three or four acts that appear on this collection. On disk one you have all your big players from the Anglo-American rock scene from Oasis to Muse to the Kings of Leon. While disk two features the likes of Calvin Harris, Faithless and Mylo.
How effective was Headliners in wetting my appetite for this year’s live music? Surprisingly so, considering my taste in music has mellowed to the extent Young Ryan would have mugged the manbag of Old Ryan without a second thought.
Due to the restrictions of record labels, you’ll never find the perfect compilation cd in the stores, full of all your favourite anthems. However this collection of tracks is as good as it gets and I know it will be a rip roaring success when I play it on repeat at my Bro’s drink-fueled stag party.
Of course, as any wise festival goer will know, the big bands that feature in this compilation are the eye candy that guarantees an enjoyable festival on the main stages. The real joy of live festival music is stumbling upon the next big thing on the minor stages. If you are looking for that sort of spiritual guidance, look else where.
As the festival season commences with Glastonbury next weekend, these are the sort of acts you expect to see but by the end of the summer, you may possibly have a whole different range of wants and needs.
In these modern times, given the availability of music online and the ability to create your own playlists quickly and effectively I am left wondering if there is really a demand for this Headliners CD. Well, lets face it, there will always be lazy folks out there and there will always be people who just want to listen to something without having to create it themselves. If you fall into either of these categories, then this compilation is for you!
At the end of the day, this isn’t high-brow folk music. This is the loud, brash sound of 2007 combined with some of the old festival classics, and despite my better judgement, I like it!
This compilation is available in the UK & USA on 18th June 2007.
Enjoy your festivals wisely people!! – Ryan
ROCK STAGE (Disk 1)
* 1.Same Jeans – with The View
* 2.On Call – with Kings of Leon
* 3.Standing In The Way Of Control – with Gossip
* 4.How To Save A Life – with The Fray
* 5.Starlight – with Muse
* 6.Our Velocity – with Maximo Park
* 7.Empire – with Kasabian
* 8.Hard To Beat – with Hard-Fi
* 9.Munich – with Editors
* 10.Motorcycle Emptiness – with Manic Street Preachers
* 11.Valerie – with The Zutons
* 12.Waterfall – with The Stone Roses
* 13.Killamangiro – with Babyshambles
* 14.Dakota – with Stereophonics
* 15.Do Or Die – with Super Furry Animals
* 16.In The Morning – with The Coral
* 17.Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager – with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
* 18.She’s Got You High – with Mumm-Ra
* 19.Closer – with Travis
* 20.Whatever – with Oasis
DANCE STAGE (Disk 2)
* 1.Stop Me – with Mark Ronson, Daniel Merriweather
* 2.Get Down – with Groove Armada
* 3.Acceptable In The 80s – with Calvin Harris
* 4.Drop The Pressure – with Mylo
* 5.Fit But You Know It – with The Streets
* 6.Insomnia – with Faithless
* 7.Afrika Shox – with Leftfield
* 8.Loaded – with Primal Scream
* 9.Krafty – with New Order
* 10.Wrote For Luck – with Happy Mondays
* 11.Aisha – with Death In Vegas
* 12.Ladyflash – with The Go! Team
* 13.Pacific State – with 808 State
* 14.Right Here Right Now – with Fatboy Slim
* 15.Girl On A Swing – with Candie Payne
* 16.Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – with Jeff Buckley
* 17.At The River – with Groove Armada
* 18.Heartbeats – with Jose Gonzalez
* 19.Futures – with Zero 7, Jose Gonzalez
* 20.Sun Rising – with Beloved