The Living End- From Here On In

This mid-career Greatest Hits was released in 2004. It contains most of the singles from their self-titled debut album (1997), Roll On (2000) and Modern Artillery (2003).

Unfortunately the only two songs which are exclusive to this CD are pretty poor efforts. I Can't Give You What I Haven't Got has an interesting version of a rock-ska rhythm, but the pre-chorus is awkwardly twee and the song doesn't gel together very well. It's a similar story for Bringing it All Back Home, which to me seems cliched and very awkwardly arranged.

However, the bonus disk features six covers, most of which are different enough from the original version to be considered a song in its own right. 10:15 Saturday Night puts a nice gritty edge to The Cure's classic. Prisoner on the Inside is a brilliant rockabilly version of the otherwise generic TV show theme song, and it works a treat. Unfortunately, Rip it Up ends up being a fairly generic rockabilly rendition of the rock'n'roll classic.

The highlight though is Tainted Love, which lends itself perfectly to this psychobilly version. A bonus treat is that this live recording (from Falls Festival) features a fantastic burp halfway through the first verse!

Favourite songs

Tainted Love, Prisoner on the Inside

Worthwhile?

Only because I'm a massive Living End fanboy!