04/02/2026
For this month’s regular volunteer album review, I tried Everything But The Girl’s 1996 Best Of. I knew the name but not the songs, and it turned out to be a varied, soulful, and surprisingly strong introduction to the band.
Everything But The Girl - The Best of (CD)
Everything But The Girl (aka EBTG) are guitarist/vocalist Ben Watt and lead vocalist Tracey Thorn. I knew of them but couldn’t honestly say I could name any of their songs prior to listening to this compilation from 1996. Track 1, Missing, is a very strong opener, probably the best song on the album. It is not really "my thing" as it has a modern dance beat (the first two tracks are Remixes) but the winning formula is a really good soulful vocal from Tracey. This was one of their biggest hits and I can see why. Track 2, Driving, is similar in concept but this time I found the backing was a bit too loud and there was too much of the dance element; also it was a bit too long (otherwise it was OK😃). I would like to hear the original; I think I would prefer that. Old Friends has a sparse arrangement and good backing vocals. This reminded me a bit of Prefab Sprout. I liked it. Track 4, One Place, is excellent; this girl can really sing. Tracey has been compared to Dusty Springfield, though there is only ever going to be one Dusty. Tracey admits that herself and underplays her own abilities. She is admired by her peers. Paul Weller, for one. I didn't know this but she was on The Style Council’s first album. Track 5 is a cover of the Danny Whitten song, I Don’t Want To Talk About It, covered most famously by Rod Stewart. It’s a good version with some classy guitar work and strings. Quick Diversionary Topic - The Best Cover Versions of All Time I think the best three covers are Jimi Hendrix’s version of All Along The Watchtower, which even Bob Dylan has acknowledged is better than his, Johnny Cash’s interpretation of Trent Reznor’s Hurt and Soft Cell's remake of Gloria Jones' Tainted Love. Any other suggestions? Back to EBTG. Love Is Strange is a duet so a bit of a change; pleasant but it didn't grab me. Next is The Only Living Boy In New York. This is a really good cover; up there with the original Simon and Garfunkel number. Their voices combine really well and it's excellent. Apron Strings didn’t stand out but it wasn’t bad. A simple song with another sparse arrangement. When All’s Well sounded a bit like The Smiths (nothing wrong with that they were around at the same time) and it is a more uptempo tune, what I would call a “foot tapper”. The horns on this are really good. Another Bridge is another winner. This has acoustic guitar and tasteful keyboards. Each And Every One has a cocktail jazz feel. It didn’t stand out to me; maybe a grower. Rollercoaster didn’t stand out either, but was pleasant. Next is another Remix version of Driving and I found the backing a bit too loud again (guess these type of songs are not aimed at my sensitive ears!). I got a bit of a Morcheeba vibe here. Not bad. The last two tracks are by Massive Attack featuring Tracey Thorn on vocals. I preferred the first one, Protection, which I believe is a “modern classic”. In conclusion this is a fine album with a variety of styles, excellent singing and good songwriting. I could do without some of the Remixes but well worth investigation. Possibly an album that would get better with repeated listens.
Rating *** ½
***** Masterpiece **** Good *** Average ** Poor * Waste of time
p.s. We also have a copy of Tracey Thorn's book “Bedsit Disco Queen”. A good read for pop fans of the 1980's onwards. There is a story involving Liam Gallagher that shows him in an unusual light! (Yes I have read it, honest😀)
