Description:
A 20 band/20 song retrospective to celebrate a decade of the Fierce Panda label, which despite only going full time in 1999, has already released 33 albums and 150 singles, launching several well-known careers.
Which means?
The bands on here are mostly ones that made it quite big (Coldplay, Supergrass, Ash, Bluetones, Placebo) along with a few of slightly lesser fame (The Music, Polyphonic Spree, Six By Seven) and that are still up and coming (Keane, Winnebago Deal). There’s a mix of songs you’ll know (although possibly from later re-recordings and releases) such as ‘All You Good People’ (Embrace), ‘Take The Long Road And Walk It’ (The Music) and ‘This Is My Hollywood’ (3 Colours Red) with rare early cuts from bands that made a name later, such as ‘Cerebra’ (Hundred Reasons), ‘Punkboy’ (Ash) and Coldplay’s ‘Brothers & Sisters’ on yet another Fierce Panda compilation…
Is it much cop?
Yeah, it’s generally pretty good. I was never too keen on bands like The Bluetones or Supergrass even later, but everything here’s listenable, and it’s interesting to see how some bands developed from quite primitive sounds here to what became better known later.
How many good tracks?
To be honest, only perhaps half a dozen particularly stand out, which is perhaps a bit surprising given some big names here. Coldplay, Placebo, Bluetones and The Music already have a distinctive sound, but some of the big names are strangely quiet.
And the bad?
As I said, nothing’s actually so bad you need to skip it, but several bands are caught sounding rather amateur. That’s not such a bad thing to anyone interested in their development, but most bands were later to improve on these offerings.
Biggest disappointment?
There’ll always be the bands missed out (Twist, Llama Farmers, Bellatrix), and a few bands disappoint slightly compared to what came later, but when you remember these tracks were mostly early demos on a limited budget, it’s not too disappointing.
Verdict:
Since this is released as a mid-price sampler, it’s a pretty good way to check out were many bands we know today started, and who might be next to succeed them. A good celebration of ten years’ work, here’s to another.
(3½/5)

Release Date: 01 March 2004

Decade: Ten Years Of Fierce Panda