SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

Rolling Stones

I used to really hate the Rolling Stones, although that's mainly because as I was growing up, they were putting out some pretty poor, samey, middle-aged rock. On the bright side, at least now they can point at the Forty Licks album and say "See? We were quite good once". They must have done something right to get this song remixed by the Neptunes and Fatboy Slim, anyway. I've only heard the Neptunes remix and... well... I'm impressed. What originally sounded like the basis for Primal Scream's Moving On Up has been updated, but in a good way. Let me elaborate. When Stargate attacked Toploader's Dancing In The Moonlight, they added some stupid sound effects and even namechecked themselves with the line "Stargate... another surefire hit". Get stuffed, Stargate. What the Neptunes have done is to imagine what Mick Jagger and friends would've wanted the song to sound like if they recorded it today and then work from that. The end result is that good you wouldn't know it was a remix of a thirty-five year old song. You could certainly buy worse, read on for details...

RUBBERNECKIN'

Elvis Presley

Yes, he's still dead. I'm not sure, but I think rubbernecking is a term given to people who gawp at road accidents as they drive past. Seems rather apt, this is a road accident of a song - it's pretty horrific, but your attention will be drawn towards it. Think of one of his Las Vegas-era songs given almost exactly the same treatment as A Little Less Conversation and that's about it. All in all, very unexciting.

BABY BOY

Beyonce featuring Sean Paul

It may well be Beyonce's song, but someone else is wearing the trousers. This sounds just like a Sean Paul single that some female singer's wandered into by mistake - good news if you're reggae's biggest thing going at the moment, not so good if you're trying to carve out a solo career. Surely Beyonce Knowles doesn't need to resort to hanging on someone's coat-tails already in order to get a big hit? I'm not saying this is a bad song, but it does smack a bit of desperation.

YEH YEH YEH

Melanie C

I said at the time of her last album's release that this was the best song on the album. That ain't saying much though, as Reason is actually pretty dull. Despite that, this song's got a bit of get up and go about it and... well, there are worse things to listen to. The problem is, when it's listened to with the rest of the album it sounds bloomin' marvellous, but once it's taken out of its natural habitat and left to sink or swim in the murky waters of the Top 40 it'll start wishing it brought its water wings, because there's more than a hint of I've-heard-something-like-this-before about it. David Sneddon tried doing the pop-rock route and his effort plummeted out of the chart like a lemming with a lead parachute. The same fate awaits this single too, I fear.

DANCE COMMANDER

Electric Six

This band are a lot better than they really have any right to be. Who thought that Danger! High Voltage would be the start and end of their career? It was one of those songs that had been doing the rounds for a while and finally got a full release, so surely that'd be it then and anything that came after would just be outstaying its welcome. Of course Gay Bar was the follow-up - good move, putting out what's effectively a novelty record to keep people interested. If there was any sense in the world, then that would be the end of that and Electric Six would fade away fairly rapidly. There is no sense in the world, that's why this is a great single. Three minutes of barely controlled mayhem, just like the previous two singles. Do you know, there may be a future for this lot.

OBSTACLE 1

Interpol

The singer sounds a bit like Ian Curtis (before you ask, no, not as he is now), the tune sounds a bit like eighties guitar indie music and it really is better than I've made it sound. Sorry about that, Interpol.