The Beta Band

With 100 hit tracks spanning five discs, this budget set, which has a decided British lean, has no real discernible theme, but features plenty of rock and pop classics like Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street," Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman," Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle," Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat," and the Band's "The Weight," as well as British hits from the Buzzcocks, the Ruts, and the Waterboys.

An overlooked gem is rediscovered. A 1985 LP that went largely unnoticed on its release, Willie and the Poor Boys was an exercise in nostalgia for Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman and a bunch of his musical pals. The LP was put together by Wyman as a means of raising funds to help out The Faces founder Ronnie Lane, then suffering greatly from Multiple Sclerosis. A major benefit – the A.R.M.S. Concert – had been mounted in September 1983, and Willie and the Poor Boys was an outgrowth of that effort, employing many of the musicians involved in the original concert.

Django Django - Django Django (2012) {Because Music}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 481 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 160 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 346 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2012 Because Music / Ribbon Music | RBN 021
Rock / Alternative / Electronic / Indie

Three years after their double A-side single "Storm"/"Love's Dart" prompted claims that they were the saviors of the guitar band scene, London-based Edinburgh four-piece Django Django finally commit their quirky brand of intelligent art rock to a full-length album. While the group risked missing the boat with such a lengthy wait, the recent success of fellow avant-garde purveyors Everything Everything and Metronomy suggests their refusal to rush has worked in their favor. Indeed, with indie audiences now eschewing the usual ramshackle "meat and two veg" outfits in favor of something a little more stimulating, its timing couldn't have been better.