Now Sounds Cherry Red Records

MILLIONS LIKE US is the first-ever box set to properly document the Mod Revival scene of the late Seventies and Eighties. Across 100 tracks by all the key bands, the story of the Mod Revival is told, from its roots in Punk/New Wave through to its commercial heyday in 1979 with bands like Secret Affair and The Lambrettas and its resurrection in 1985 with The Untouchables and Makin Time.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a band emerged from the bitter end of the '60s, a group seeded by the ideals of the hippie/acid scene with feelers reaching into the spacy side of Krautrock, while germinating an aggressive sound all its own. Hawkwind's ability to forge their own path, yet remain open to incorporating new styles of music that grew up in their wake, is legendary, and never more apparent than on this double album. Originally released in 1996 and recorded live during the band's 1995 Alien 4 tour, this is not the sound of a 25-year-old band limping around stage lost in space and time, but a defiant celebration of everything Hawkwind had accomplished and were still set to do…

Curated by the band’s current label, Cherry Red Records, this three disc box set was released in 2008 to herald a complete overhaul of the band’s catalogue from 1976 to 1997. Cherry Red acquired the rights to these albums, and rolled out a reissue programme that saw each album get a dramatic upgrade in sound quality, accompanied by bonus discs of previously unreleased songs or live takes. However, while Hawkwind’s legacy is impressive, it’s fair to say that not every album is a winner, and certainly in the later years the albums suffered from a lot of filler, and leader Dave Brock tended to recycle and re-record older tracks and simply badge them with new titles. This set manages to filter out a lot of the weaker material, and concentrates on the tracks that define Hawkwind at their best…

As far as the more casual observer is concerned, the prog rock revival of the 80s was kicked off by Marillion and their ‘Market Square Heroes’ EP and subsequent hit album ‘Script for A Jester’s Tear’ in 1983. Marillion certainly flew the flag for prog’s unexpected commercial success during that decade, but the rumblings of a brilliant, but terminally unfashionable musical revival had actually begun much earlier.

As far as the more casual observer is concerned, the prog rock revival of the 80s was kicked off by Marillion and their ‘Market Square Heroes’ EP and subsequent hit album ‘Script for A Jester’s Tear’ in 1983. Marillion certainly flew the flag for prog’s unexpected commercial success during that decade, but the rumblings of a brilliant, but terminally unfashionable musical revival had actually begun much earlier.

The Allmusic review of this compilation's original release boasts a Four Star rating and they call it "An absolutely first-rate album…The sound is excellent… An essential record, even for non-fans of the group". And you simply can't argue with that. But hey, why stop there; ".The sounds are melodic yet raw, and very, very soul-oriented, with a lean and muscular edge to the playing and singing alike - overall, the music is reminiscent of The Band in its prime years, only smoother when they need to be, with some interesting touches, such as their brilliant covers of the Beatles' 'Let It Be' and Ray Charles' 'Yes Indeed'." Yes folks, it really is that good. For those only familiar with the Cate Brothers' big 1975 hit 'Union Man', this welcome reissue of the long unavailable 'Arkansas Soul Siblings' collection - now lovingly repackaged - will be akin to visiting a long lost friend.Once again, this Broadside reissue has been re-mastered by the revered Tim Turan - so it now not only looks better than ever, it sounds like never before, too! - Review from Amazon.com