Go Betweens

5CD compilation entitled: 'Songs From The 100 Best Australian Albums'. It is a companion to a new book written by John O'Donnell, Toby Creswell & Craig Mathieson. As the name suggests, the book counts down the 100 Best Aussie albums of the pop era with detailed exploration of why the albums were chosen. The compilation is a 5CD pack and will include many tracks which rarely clear for compilations including not one, but two Midnight Oil tracks. It also features Easybeats - Friday On My Mind, Daddy Cool - Eagle Rock, The Saints - I'm Stranded, John Farnham - You're The Voice, Crowded House - Better Be Home Soon, Powderfinger - These Days, The Presets - My People, and many more.

Ivy made an interesting move when they released the all-covers album Guestroom in fall 2002. It's an eclectic collection of songs – an intriguing but differing mix of genre and time. But Ivy makes things work brilliantly; smart songwriting with ever-changing moods has always marked Ivy's artsy, melodic measure. So basically, Guestroom is an added bonus for new and old fans alike.

The Wedding Present have been unanimously despised by the British music press following a brief honeymoon period in the mid-'80s. When they announced their desire to issue a single a month for a whole year, one particularly caustic Melody Maker journalist pointed out that she now had two low spots in her monthly cycle to endure. It must also be said that RCA were not too enamored of the projected release schedule when David Gedge first put his idea to them. For many, though – including discerning onlookers like long-standing friend and supporter John Peel – The Wedding Present's single-a-month blitz in 1992 was one of the highlights of that year. The band were at their peak: They'd just recorded their best record, Seamonsters, with Steve Albini, and they were beginning to stretch their sound beyond the coy romanticism of old. However, the real joy of the singles – good as they were – was Gedge's esoteric choices for B-sides, including the Go-Betweens' "Cattle and Cane," Altered Images' "Think That It Might" (Gedge was a huge fan of their overlooked Bite album), and the Monkees' "Pleasant Valley Sunday." Diverting, original, and great fun.