SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: VARIOUS ARTISTS – HELP 30th ANNIVERSARY (7-INCH BOX SET)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
HELP – 30th ANNIVERSARY (7-INCH BOX SET)
WAR CHILD

War Child International is an independent non-government organization founded in 1993 by filmmakers Bill Leeson and David Wilson, as well as peace activist Willemijn Verloop. The organization works with various partners worldwide to ensure that children have access to protection, education, and psychosocial support. War Child’s work is rooted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. To raise money and awareness, a various artists compilation, Help, was released in 1995 featuring Oasis and a wide range of other artists.

Needless to say, the original album was a huge success, appealing to many different rock fans, and all the money went to support a very worthy cause. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Help, War Child has released a new box set, containing the whole album, spread out over 10 seven-inch singles, collected in a very decorative box. The album is also available in a variety of colours. It is a nice way to honour the album. Surprisingly, there are no bonus tracks in this collection. The three tracks on the original Help EP (with the track by The Smokin’ Mojo Filters being the featured track) would have been a nice addition to this box.

It is more about the packaging and format than new songs. For those who bought the original album, there are no surprises here. The album itself is very much of its time. Perhaps that is why, over 30 years, the album seems to have disappeared. Also, many of the songs recorded for Help have found their way onto catalogued releases by the respective artists who made them. However, there are clear highlights. Blur’s “Eine Kleine Lift Musik,” a fascinating instrumental, is well worth a listen, as well as their rivals, Oasis, with the opening track “Fade Away,” which appears here as an acoustic version. It is absolutely beautiful.

Other highlights include Sinéad O’Connor’s cover of “Ode To Billie Joe,” which must be heard. She turns the song into an epic melodrama, and Suede’s cover of “Shipbuilding.” However, the most famous track on the album is a cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” featuring McCartney, Paul Weller, and Noel Gallagher (known as The Smokin’ Mojo Filters). This is a dream supergroup, and while working together, they manage to rival The Beatles in terms of energy and performance. Weller’s vocals (with support from McCartney) are startling, and the song has an intense energy.

While some of the material has dated, the Help LP is still an important album. Not only because of the cause it aims to support, but it’s also strong proof, showing how musicians can come together to aid important causes. Bear in mind, this is 10 years on from Live Aid, and such projects were not as common as they had been in the late 1980s. The Help – 30th Anniversary (7” Box Set) is well worth revisiting and enjoying all over again. The money goes towards a brilliant cause, so there’s no reason not to.

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