Ace Schallplatten & CDs

Review: On his latest compilation for Ace, St Etienne's Bob Stanley has chosen to evoke memories of the summer of 1976, when Britain sweltered under a heatwave and those under the age of 16 felt like the school holidays went on forever. Stanley's vision is undoubtedly a nostalgic one, with many of his on-point musical selections seemingly coming with their own opaque, easy listening-tinged sepia hue (see Lynsey de Paul's 'Sugar Shuffle' and Jefferson Starship's hazy 'Miracles'). Highlights are plentiful, from the jammed-out Clavinet solos of Simon Park's 'Stoned Out' and the soul sweetness of Shuggie Otis's 'Inspiration Information', to the Bob James style jazz-funk of John Cameron's 'Liquid Sunshine', and the bubbly Brazilian bliss of Azymuth's 'Montreal City'.