Reviews

In the early '80s, energised by hip hop and electro, New Order produced a string of acts for Factory under their short-lived studio moniker Be Music, the results of which were greeted with indifference on these shores. Quite why is hard to fathom since, as Twice As Nice attests, tracks like "Sakura" by Section 25 and "Motherland" by RFATP were taut, bewitching slices of robo-funk that still excite today. The other producers herein (Arthur Baker, Mark Kamins and Donald "Dojo" Johnson of A Certain Ratio) all had their moments, too.

In 1967, John Peel used to justify the frequent inclusion of Bee Gees tracks on his legendary Perfumed Garden show by saying, "If you're going to copy anyone it might as well be The Beatles." He was right, of course, and this excellent comp is testimony both to that assertion and the undeniable endurance of the Gibb brothers' early material. Gerry Marsden, Billy J Kramer, Marmalade, Status Quo and Paul Jones are just some of the acts who elect to don the red velvet cape of love in order to deliver appropriately idiosyncratic interpretations of those delightfully eccentric songs.

Five-disc box of demos, sessions and lost album

Unlikely comeback from Santa Cruz bohos

French techno star's second solo album

UK hip-hop hope's promising debut offering

Disappointing and mildly indulgent alter ego of Prefuse 73 mastermind

Groovy chunk of synthetic funk from two super-cool Canucks

Third solo LP from Posies co-founder

Law and Paltrow in CGI-heavy sci-fi adventure