The Beautiful South - Live At The BBC (2011)

Having already released The BBC Sessions in 2007 and the Housemartins' Live at the BBC in 2006, Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway's love affair with the world-renowned broadcasting corporation continues with this extensive three-CD collection of performances cherry-picked from various studio sessions and live shows over the band's 18-year career. Live at the BBC's first disc shares 14 of the 27 tracks selected on their previous live compilation, including recordings from Radio 1's Mark Goodier (1989's "Song for Whoever," "You Keep It All In"), Simon Mayo (1994's "Good as Gold [Stupid as Mud]," their cover version of Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin'"), and Live Session (1998's "The Lure of the Sea," "Dumb") alongside three previously unreleased takes from Radio 2's Jonathan Ross (2004's "Perfect Ten," "You're The One That I Want") and Dermot O'Leary (2005's acoustic rendition of "One Last Love Song"). Fans who already own the bulk of the material shouldn't feel shortchanged, as the remaining two discs allow listeners to experience the band in its more preferred live-show element. The second CD features the entirety of the Blackburn King George's Hall leg of their 1992 spring tour, with original female vocalist Briana Corrigan's deceptively bittersweet vocals taking center stage on impassioned performances of their sole number one "A Little Time," "Bell-Bottomed Tear," and "Tonight I Fancy Myself," while Heaton showcases his hidden falsetto tendencies on a funky interpretation of the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancing." The final disc, which features a hodgepodge of songs from various '90s tours at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London Forum, and Fleadh Festival, concentrates on their material with "the lass from the glass," Jacqueline Abbott, including Top Ten single "Rotterdam," "Have Fun," and "The Table," ensuring that both of their successful chapters are covered. With such an extensive track list, it's a shame that apart from a solitary number from 2004's Golddiggas Headnodders & Pholk Songs, none of their four noughties albums are represented here, especially considering that several songs appear on all three discs. But while it might not be the most comprehensive career overview, it's still an essential record for the army of fans (apparently one in seven households own a Beautiful South record) who miss the band's unique brand of sardonic jazz-pop. © Jon O'Brien /TiVo