Levellers - Greatest Hits

(CD Album Review)

****

No new Models but an army of great tunes !

The Levellers have now been around for twenty fiver years and to celebrate the fact they have realised a best of collection, just to show the following they have had over that time twenty of the songs included were chart hits, most of them back when that really meant something. For the few people that are not familiar with them they are a Folk Rock band from Brighton with a strong political edge. The Levellers are bands that always talk to and about the people around them trying to stand up for the socialist or even anarchist way of life. Perhaps if you are of a different persuasion they could be seen as Crusties that should often be seen with a dog on a string.

It is a great collection of songs, from the opening track ‘Fifteen Years’ you get the stripped back sound they are fond of none of the over produced tunes that have been common for rock bands recently. The best of uses mostly the original versions of the songs and to be honest with songs like ‘Hope Street’ why re-record something that is pretty good in the first place. They have such a wide back catalogue there are a number of tunes I had forgotten about but it was nice to revisit them along with the more wide known ones such as ‘What a beautiful Day’ and ‘Just the One’ from their heyday of chart success about fifteen years ago. But the Levellers have never been about chasing chart positions and more write what they believe in.

I have never been too sure about greatest hits packages from any band it seems a bit Status Quo a Christmas doing it every year to me. A lot of the fans will have the songs anyway. For more casual fans I guess it is a way of having all the tracks from ‘One Way’ to the more recent ‘The Recruiting Sergeant’. The thing that gives it added value are the extras that a number of bands offer and The Levellers do not disappoint here with new versions of some of the songs featuring special guests. ‘Beautiful Day’ with Imelda May gives it a more floaty feel to the rabble rousing tune ‘Julie’ with Frank Turner a track that perhaps not all will now but after this everybody should.

CD 2 also offer some great collaborations at the end of the record with Bellowhead playing ‘Just The One’ which could almost be one of their tunes it works so well, a positive to both the original songwriters and the new Folk heroes who have shown their ability to rework a song many times. Billy Bragg offers a version of ‘Hope Street’ to bring it all to a close again a well chosen song to suit the artist. There is also a live version of ‘Exodus’ in fact my only criticism is it would have been nice to have a few more of these collaborations or alternative versions. Overall it is a perfect history of their well known tunes, if you have the songs already check out the extras if the band are new to you this is a perfect introduction to get you hooked.

Review by Jon Cooper