Brought to you in conjunction with Talksport (‘The UK's most popular commercial radio station'), this is Euro 2004 marketing in overdrive. I'm surprised there isn't a free Rooney mask within. Billed as ‘Football Songs For Football fans', all your usual favourites are here. Its virtually identical to erm...one that came out to accompany World Cup 2002, and will be probably located in the impulse buys section of Sainsbury's, next to a four pack of England Medals and a three pack of St George's emblazoned condoms.
An unimaginative track listing, which looks like someone was hanging round the Match Of The Day production office and managed to pick the music cue sheet out of the bin, gives us ‘All Together Now' by The Farm, Collapsed Lung's ‘Eat My Goal' and Fatboy Slim's ‘Right Here Right Now.' Probably the only imaginative part of this compilation was the decision to put ‘Roll With It' on instead of ‘Don't Look Back In Anger' by Oasis.
Add to this Toploader, Frankie Goes To Holywood, Bell & Spurling, and er, Aswad and we have a bewildering collection of ‘anthems'. Bewildering, as in who buys albums like this.
The blurb that accompanied this album says its an album of Fans Favourite Sing Alongs - and while I suppose you could to Doris Day's ‘What Ever Will Be (Que Sera Sera)' and the ‘Na Na, Na Na, Na Na Na Na' etc section of Andy Williams ‘Cant Take My Eyes Of You,' I haven't heard them belting out Republica's Ready To Go down the Stretford End lately (that's an end of Old Trafford to all you Surrey based Man U fans).
You've heard them all on the adverts, on the highlights and maybe, occasionally from the terrace (although where's ‘Seaside Aggro, Seaside Aggro, oh oh, oh oh'). They're in your head! You have to have them! Go out and buy this album! Just don't buy Sony's version. Or EMI's. Or Warners'.
Rating: 0.5/5 for the album, 1/5 for marketing savvy.
Release Date: 14th June 2004
Words By: Remy FV
