Various: Howzat

Elly Roberts reviews

Various: HowzatDistributed by
Warner Music UK Ltd

• Cat.no: WSMCD222
• Released: October 2005
• Rating: 8/10
• Format: 2-CD set

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Cricket has never been my game, but this CD has bowled me over.

Following-on from the England Ashes victory, the wide-ranging tracks are theperfect companion for further celebrations. With the ‘Return Of The Urn’ comesthis fun-packed double disc. A rousing collection of anthems, old-skoolrock and new classics, this is definitely guaranteed to raise the roof atany party.

I still get stumped by the complicated laws of the game, but there’s nothingcomplicated about this excellent collection.

Consulting a cricket-mad friend, he recognised some of the songs, with therest down to more than a little artistic licence. Nevertheless, it’s astrong compilation to please both older and younger generations.

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Characteristically, it opens with cricket match anthem Jerusalem whichnormally rallies the troops into action as they take to the field. Otherfavourites around the grounds are God Save The Queen and the EnglandChant.

TV and radio make regular use of opening themes such as Soul Limboby Radio 4’s Test Match Special (recently picked by Boris Johnson MP as oneof his Desert Island Discs, and Channel 4 have adopted Mambo No.5 astheir intro-outro. We all know there’s a cricket reference on 10CC’s DreadlockHoliday… “I don’t like cricket, I love it”, which is used forSky’s presentation of Twenty 20 matches.

As the face of cricket is changing from a supporter’s angle, with crowdsbecoming more partisan and vocal , they’re bringing an new atmosphere tothe level of support, so the likes of The Farm’s All Together Now,Ian Dury’s Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick and Sherbet’s Howzatare making increasing inroads into the fans’ repertoire.

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If play soundtracks were ever needed then imagine Kevin Pietersen blastinga yorker to the slips using Aussie outfit Jet’s Are You Gonna Be My Girl?

Clubbers can also get rock overdoses courtesy The Killers’ awesome classicSomebody Told Me, Thin Lizzy’s The Boys are Back In Town, HouseOf Pain’s Jump Around and Slade’s Cum On Feel The Noize.

A great compilation whether you’re a cricket fan or not.

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The full list of tracks included are :

Disc 1:

1. BBC Symphony Orchestra – Jerusalem
2. 10cc – Dreadlock holiday
3. Lou Bega – Mambo No 5
4. The Farm – All Together Now
5. Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl
6. The Killers – Somebody Told Me
7. Hard Fi – Hard To Beat
8. The Ordinary Boys – Boys Will Be Boys
9. The Beat – Mirror In The Bathroom
10. Toots & The Maytalls – Pressure Drop
11. The Clash – Police & Thieves
12. Ian Dury & The Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
13. Eddie & The Hot Rods – Do Anything U Wanna Do
14. The Jam – That’s Entertainment
15. The Kinks – You Really Got Me
16. Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back In Town
17. Iggy Pop – Wild One
18. St George’s Brass Ensemble – England Chant
19. House Of Pain – Jump Around
20. Bad Manners – Can Can
21. Sherbet – Howzat

Disc 2:

1. London Theatre Orchestra – God Save The Queen
2. St George’s Brass Ensemble – The Ashes Medley
3. Booker T & The MGs – Soul Limbo
4. Piranah’s – Tom Hark
5. The Streets – Fit But You Know It
6. Stealers Wheel – Stuck In The Middle
7. Faces – Ooh La La
8. Elvis Costello & the Attractions – I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down
9. The Undertones – It’s Going To Happen
10. James – Sit Down
11. The Specials – Friday Night, Saturday Morning
12. Jean Knight – Mr Big Stuff
13. The Las – There She Goes
14. Smash Mouth – Walkin’ On The Sun
15. Underworld – Born Slippy
16. Prodigy – Firestarter
17. The Members – Sound Of The Suburbs
18. Sham 69 – If The Kids Are United
19. The Subways – Oh Yeah
20. Slade – Cum On Feel The Noise
21. Buster Bloodvessel – Come On England

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