IF you thought everything the Beatles have ever done is already on CD then you are sadly mistaken. Just when you had replaced enough of your nasty vinyl collection, EMI decide it's time to release their two most popular albums on the digital format. The 'Red' (1962-66) and the 'Blue' (67-70) albums were originally released to stop phoney compilations from creaming the market and Michael Jackson, who owns the rights, will be salivating over this release. Inspirational then and still stirring the creative juices of many a musician 30 years down the line, they are all here from Love Me Do to Yellow Submarine , Strawberry Fields to Across The Universe . There are a lot of people out there who don't have a Beatles album and many more who are fed up with the scratches the years have etched on their pride and joy. It all makes the future look pretty rosy for Apple. Meanwhile in a Belfast garage circa 1976, five young lads were sick to death of 70s pomp rock and decided to reinvent teen spirit from the bottom up. The Undertones summoned enough wit and energy to propel a single finger skyward at the world in general and the world of pop in particular. Teenage Kicks, My Perfect Cousin, You've Got My Number , were all anthems of a pop culture that was never punk but rode the wave of disrespect that broke the grip of the major labels. Five spotty boys wearing scruffy jumpers didn't look too good on the racks next to albums whose artwork budget alone would have produced their debut several times over. The age of the indie label had arrived. The shrill-voiced Feargal Sharkey sang of the adolescent experience with a positive energy that was scarce in the disaffected punk generation. After the band split, he developed a solo career of sorts, eventually becoming an A&R man for a record company that eats indies for breakfast. Funny how it works. Despite a few line-up changes, one band from the same era that hasn't split is The Cure. Lovable lead vocalist Robert Smith - 'Fat Bob' to his critics - has taken Gothic depression further than it ever wanted to go and a lot further than is healthy. Showrecorded at The Palace, Detroit on their 1992 'Wish' tour, contains all your singalong favourites including Lullaby , Just Like Heaven , In Between Days , Never Enough and more. Smoky, trance-inducing live sets are a Cure specialty and, like their previous effort Entreat , there's a Show video package too. This one sees the boys turning the set into a hollow and passionless routine. Maybe it's time for the boy from the suburbs to hang up his high-tops, go bald and get a real job.
