Compilation: Can't Beat The Music Vol. 1
Released: 1992 – Columbia
Number of tracks: 18
Number one singles: None
Other top ten singles: 5
Best track: "The Globe" by Big Audio Dynamite II
Hidden gem: "Once Bitten Twice Shy" by The Angels
One last whip 'round the op shops for 2020 and I managed to find this first volume in the three-volume Can't Beat The Music series from 1992. Interestingly, unlike the long-running 100% Hits and Hit Machine serieseseseses, this one says Vol. 1 on the cover in anticipation of there being a follow-up. I found Volume 2 way back in July 2017, so this has been a long time coming!
There aren't any numero uno singles on this disc, probably due to some dreary song staying forever at number 1 (a certain lame-o 'bootscooting' song springs to mind), but it opens strongly with its best track "The Globe" and then its second-best track "Justified And Ancient" by The KLF feat. Tammy Wynette. "The Globe" was an ace follow-up to "Rush" and has a definite British 'rave' flavour, and it's the long album version that appears here, not the single edit.
As for "Justified And Ancient", when I was 14 I didn't fully appreciate how truly bonkers this was! I mean, I knew it was odd for a British rave/dance act recruiting country music legend Tammy Wynette (who was 49 at the time) to sing quaint and bizarre lyrics on a remade version of the song, but didn't give it too much more thought. I often wondered if Tammy wrote the lyrics that she sings ("They said 'Tammy, stand by the JAMs'" would tend to suggest she did, but she is not credited as one of the songwriters). You can kind of tell that she's probably thinking 'What the hell am I singing' when she gets to the line "All bound for Mu Mu land". But I think you'll agree, the pop world of 1992 was all the better off because she agreed to do it.
The tracks that follow this are good — Rozalla's house anthem "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" and "Mustang Sally" by The Commitments, a song that seemed to be everywhere in '92 (one of my school bands played it all the time) so I was surprised it only reached number 43 on the charts.
Between those two songs is one I had no recollection of, despite it charting at number 12: "Pride (In The Name Of Love) by Clivillés & Cole. I remembered that they did this U2 cover but when it started to play, I couldn't identify it. It's bleep-pop opening intro sounds cool though — sorry to say I had no recollection of it, and I was a fan of C+C Music Factory! Speaking of whom, there's a song by them on here — their fourth single which has a long title.
"One Word" by Baby Animals, my favourite song by them, still sounds good and probably gets a lot of airplay on Oz Rok™ FM stations today; it deserved to go top 10, which it didn't. None of Baby Animals' singles did, but this came the closest, at number 15.
Then we get to "Word Is Out" by Kylie Mole. Minogue, I mean. I like the piano house backing, reminiscent of Black Box's "Hold On" and "Open Your Eyes", and "Keep The Groovin'" (the Round 4 music in Streets Of Rage), but ho hum, it ain't one of her most memorable songs. But she's a prostitute in the music video, so there's that. This is followed by Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P.", which cleverly avoids saying "pussy" or "penis" in the lyrics — if this was released in 2020 those would be the only lyrics, such is the crudity and vulgarity which doth prevail these days.
The remaining tracks (George & Elton, Dannii, Farnsey, Dezzzzz'ree, New Skids On My Jocks) don't exactly light my lemon, although it's a pleasant surprise to see perv-pop gem "Crucified" by Army Of Lovers on here. It almost made the Australian top 50, so I wouldn't think many buyers of this album would have heard of it, but it's a worthy addition to this set.
Rating: 7/10
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