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19 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sadly not a patch on its 1995 predecessor, 28 Sep 2005
For those of you who remember and enjoyed the original Help! album back in 1995, I'm afraid you will likely be disappointed by its successor a decade later.That's not to say that this album is a dud. There are some enjoyable moments, and some of the leading lights of the current British music scene feature with exclusive tracks. However, the 1995 album was a triumph (without a doubt worth 5 stars on a review like this), with almost every contribution a killer. Sadly that is not the case with "Help: A Day In The Life". There are too many uninspiring and forgettable contributions, and this is a far less eclectic compilation than "Help!", focussing to a large extent on samey, guitar based bands; Mylo is the only representative of the electronica/dance genre. In comparison the original album featured KLF (One World Orchestra), Stereo MCs, Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, Portishead and Orbital among more central Britpop trailblazers such as Blur, Suede, Charlatans, Stone Roses, Radiohead and Oasis. That made for a wonderfully wide ranging spread of musical styles, although remaining very much a British (and Irish) sounding album. It is true to say that this album disappoints primarily in comparison to its illustrious predecessor. As a stand alone work, it is not too bad, hence the three stars I have awarded. Among the better tracks are those by Coldplay, Razorlight, Gorillaz (sounding more like Blur, really), Damian Rice, Tinariwen, Mylo, Elbow and Bloc Party - and maybe that's enough good stuff to justify a purchase. And of course it's all in the name of "charidee" - for anyone who is interested, they should check out the War Child website, which includes details of the charitable work they undertake, as well as offering a number of exclusive tracks from leading artists (released monthly to subscribers). Most excitingly, you can download the original Help album there. I advise you to do so and give it a few listens - that might help those other reviewers here realise what it takes to make a five star album.
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