Despite releasing a collection entitled Greatest Hits back in 1997 and a compilation, The Original Lo-Fi, five years later, this Echo Records set is the first
Babybird Best Of whose material will be familiar to more than a few hardcore fans. While the former was a U.S.-only release which cherry-picked the best tracks from frontman Stephen Jones' first five little-known lo-fi indie albums, (which the latter included all of alongside a bonus rarities disc), these 18 tracks focus almost entirely on the period from their 1996 commercial breakthrough up until their 2000 split. "You're Gorgeous," a twisted tale of a male photographer exploiting his models which has ironically since becoming a Valentine's Day staple, remains their signature tune, but with seven other Top 40 singles and a host of songs largely selected from 1996's
Ugly Beautiful, 1998's
There's Something Going On, and 2000's
Bugged, this 2004 retrospective proves there's more to them than the Brit-pop albatross hanging around their neck. "Back Together," famous for its record-breaking, never-ending kiss video, is a gorgeous string-soaked ballad which knocks
Coldplay and
Snow Patrol's attempts at emotive melancholy into a cocked hat, "The F-Word," now the theme tune to Gordon Ramsay's cookery show, is a snarling, punk-fueled anthem which sounds like
the Sex Pistols covering a nursery rhyme, while "Candy Girl" showcases Jones' trademark tongue-in-cheek lyrics and deadpan delivery against a backdrop of lilting jangly pop and some soaring layered harmonies. With Jones' prolific early career only represented by "Goodnight" and "In the Country," an over-reliance on original swan song
Bugged (eight of its ten tracks make the cut) and an unavoidable lack of material from their yet-to-be recorded post-comeback efforts,
Best of Babybird isn't the definitive collection the underrated band deserve, but it checks off most of the boxes for anyone wanting to enjoy the commercial peaks of one of Brit-pop's forgotten heroes. ~ Jon O'Brien