24 Hour Party People OST

Any musical history of the Madchester scene is by its nature selective – M People, unsurprisingly, didn’t make the cut for the 24 Hour Party People OST. The same goes for the Inspiral Carpets and even The Smiths.

This soundtrack is essentially a collage of the work of three bands – Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays – with a few house tunes and the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks and The Clash thrown in for good measure.

Not that we’re complaining, mind. Many of these eighteen songs stand the test of time beautifully. There are tiny gems (the Happy Mondays’ ‘Loose Fit’) and full-blown classics (Joy Division’s ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and the Sex Pistols’ ‘Anarchy In The UK’). Decades on, these tracks still stride out magnificently from the speakers, sounding powerful, gritty and impactful. Not to mention relevant.

Admittedly, some of the electronica dates less well. Marshall Jefferson and A Guy Called Gerald were influential pioneers of their time, but the cheesy, housey feel to their tracks bespeaks a genre long left behind with the baggy trousers. New Order’s ‘Temptation’ and ‘Blue Monday’ also seem a little less vintage than dated.

That said, the band’s new single featured here is excellent – a chunky, melodic slice of electro-pop with a gorgeous guitar strum chiming in for the intro. Their collaboration with Moby for a live version of ‘New Dawn Fades’ proves another highlight, coming across as trenchant, angsty and propulsive. Elsewhere, the sparse, sombre elegance of Joy Division’s ‘She’s Lost Control’ and the snazzy hook of the Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ also impress.

This is a great nostalgia trip for those who lived through and loved the music of the early Madchester scene. For those a mite younger, it’s a wonderful introduction to some inspired music.

Recommended.