Rock/Popular

Ocean Colour Scene: "Marchin' Already" (MCA)

Ocean Coliseum return with another unreconstructed rock relic, a precise, well-crafted artefact which is so darn authentic, it's almost better than the real thing. Which is just not good enough anymore. The 'Scene have taken this whole "genuine" schtick a little too far, to the point where they're in danger of being crushed to death by their own record collections.

It's okay to worship at the altar of rock 'n' roll, but OCS have turned it into a grisly human sacrifice to some nameless dadrock demon. They've crammed in so many influences from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, the whole thing has become a bit bloated. But what makes Marchin' Already really sound tired is that the Scene have discovered yet another retro rock band to rehash: themselves. Kevin Courtney.

Various Artists: "Trainspotting #2" (EMI)

Sorry, did I miss something here? Has Danny Boyle already made the sequel to Trainspotting, in which Renton is sent back from the future to save the world from the smack menace? Not at all. T-2 is the follow-up CD to the soundtrack-tastic original, and it features much the same line-up of artists doing pretty much the same kind of stuff. You've got Iggy Pop doing The Passenger, Underworld doing a different mix of Born Slippy, and Primal Scream doing Come Together. There's an operatic interlude courtesy the Habanera from Carmen, and some trusty old tunes like Bowie's Golden Years and Joy Division's Atmosphere. Some of the songs actually feature in the film, but others, which didn't make the final cut, are also included here. This somewhat spurious collection opens with Renton's famous "choose life" monologue, which should delight the trainspotters among you, but I think we've all overdosed on Irvine Welsh's urban tale at this stage. Kevin Courtney.

Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana. "All The King's Men."(Polygram). Scotty Moore once released an album titled The Guitar That Changed The World. No doubt, many of the guests on this tribute album to himself and Elvis Presley's original drummer, DJ Fontana, would agree. Scotty's deeply impulsive blues-country licks certainly influenced Keith Richards, who turns up here with The Band burning their way through Deuce and A Quarter. Even more focused a tribute is Unsung Heroes, written and performed by Ron Wood and Jeff Beck and recorded earlier this year in Wood's studio in Kildare. Scotty, Beck and Wood on guitars - Lord but the track should have been longer. The track and the album is dedicated to the late Bill Black, who played bass in Presley's original trio, and his old combo provide the album's highlight, the perfectly titled Goin' Back To Memphis. Rock 'n' roll to its roots. This is where it all started. But it sure is a pity their original singer couldn't make it for the reunion. Joe Jackson