From 1988, Boys Own were at the forefront of the seismic acid house revolution, throwing riotous parties sound tracked by Terry Farley and Andrew Weatherall, while producing their own irreverent fanzine, which gave way to the Boys Own record label which, when relaunched as Junior Boys Own, scored massive success with names like Underworld, Chemical Brothers and X-press 2. Farley and Steve Hall are marking Boys Own’s 20th anniversary with a CD/vinyl compilation featuring names like Bocca Juniors, DSK and Sunscreem alongside Boys Own remixes like Farley’s sublime take on Primal Scream’s ‘Loaded’ and epic early Weatherall reconstructions of singles by Happy Mondays, Jah Wobble [the earth-shaking ‘Bomba’] and James, plus roof-raising JBO landmarks. Each of the 24 tracks is an unadulterated classic which, with the ultra-cool presentation, could make for the dance collection of the year. They’re also bringing out the fanzines in a book.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Kris Needs