Paul Weller - Catch-Flame

Recorded live at the Alexandra Palace at the end of 2005, 'Catch-Flame' is a twenty-three track anthology spread over two discs and spanning the length of Paul Weller's solo career, with a few crowd pleasing Jam numbers thrown in to sweeten the deal. A frantic and too tightly packed first disc seldom hits the mark, with only the closing segue of Porcelain Gods into I Walk On Gilded Splinters hinting at the glories of a far more soulful second disc that really has room to breathe. It also houses the obvious highlights, not just because it contains some of the best songs from his solo albums (Wild Wood, You Do Something To Me, Broken Stones) but also That's Entertainment and a hint of Style Council, before ending on a high with a rousing sing-along of A Town Called Malice. [Paul Greenwood]