The Pictures - The Fantastic Sound Of The Pictures
[Illustrious Artists]

A compilation of rarities from a band I’ve never heard of, it seems one half of The Pictures (Davey Lane) is something of an Australian institution, an institution that never made it past the Pacific Ocean, so I’m off the hook.

The problem with rarities albums is that they will often only appeal to hardcore fans, generally being full of slightly dodgy tracks, cover versions and poor recordings. "The Fantastic sound of the Pictures" contains examples of all of those (a particular highlight is a cover of "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs that sounds like Primal Scream have replaced the band).

It’s a schizophrenic collection of songs, despite only spanning 5 years it sounds like a different band on each track, but I guess the rarities and b-sides of an artists are traditionally where they experiment and try something a little different.

The sleeve notes accompanying the album are a fantastic insight into the songs and the band (especially for someone who knows nothing about them), demonstrating a warm and down to earth attitude with comments like "We think it sucks to" and tales of financial woes, beer and recording session snacks.

As the band would be more than likely to admit the album is not a fantastic collection of songs, more a mix of rough and smooth, a disc of memories and stories, but if you’re a fan an invaluable and worthy addition to your collection.

Track Listing:

01. Run And Hide
02. When I Was A Boy
03. Don't You Wanna Know
04. You'll See
05. Skinny Ass Bop
06. I Dealt A Rollercoaster
07. Shouts Out To Ya!
08. Downhere From Here
09. You Don't Care Much
10. Heavy Daze
11. Oh Miss O
12. How Do You Feel
13. A Thousand Years
14. Maps
15. Little Brown Bottle
16. She Bought It All Back
17. See You Home Tonight
18. Silence
19. Handle With Care