Various Artists - Whore - Various Artists Play Wire (1996)

Tribute albums with a variety of bands doing covers of old favourites. I've been thinking, what makes some good and some awful.

I've come to the conclusion that it's down to how emotionally attached you are to the original. If it's a tribute to one of your favourite bands, you'll be disappointed, but if it's a tribute to someone you quite like, performed by those you like more, you'll probably find more to like.

Examples of the latter include 1998's Sgt Pepper Knew My Father and 1991's Cohen tribute, I'm Your Fan - this, however, is firmly in the former category.

There's a simple test. Are there any songs on this album I'd choose to listen to in preference to the original? The answer is an emphatic "no".

There are some interesting takes - Lush do a fine, poppy version of Mannequin, Aminature a creditable A Serious Of Snakes, while Lee Ranaldo's Fragile, and My Bloody Valentine's Map Ref 41N 93W stand up well.

But there are also some horrific car crashes, as Resolution make It's A Boy interminably dull, Chris Connolly violates A Mutual Friend and Carl Marks destroys Eastern Standard.

As a novelty exercise, this will get an occasional outing, but if I want to hear these songs, I'm far more inclined to go stright to Wire albums.

Link to Mannequin by Lush

and Map Ref by My Bloody Valentine

3* - an interesting exercise, which never threatens the supremacy of the originals