Track Listing

1. Flag Day Single Version
2. Happy Hour
3. Think For A Minute Album Version
4. Caravan Of Love
5. Five Get Over Excited
6. Me And The Farmer
7. Build
8. Song For Whoever Single Version
9. You Keep It All In
10. I'll Sail This Ship Alone Single Version
11. A Little Time
12. Old Red Eyes Is Back
13. 36D Full Version
14. Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud)
15. Everybody's Talkin'
16. Prettiest Eyes
17. One Last Love Song
18. Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) Single Edit
19. Don't Marry Her
20. Perfect 10
21. How Long's A Tear Take To Dry?
22. Just A Few Things That I Ain't

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2269 in Music
• Released on: 2007-11-12
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 77 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
You’ll hear talk of national treasures, and there’s no denying that erstwhile singer Paul Heaton is as quintessentially English as they come. Given his service to pop over the past 20 years, he’s fairly valuable too. But he’s certainly not the shiny sort, "bling" was just the sound a football made when it rebounded off rusting goalposts in the park when he started making records--his value is more akin to a warm mug of tea and a custard cream from the corner shop on a rainy afternoon. For a newer generation perhaps only familiar with the likes of The Beautiful South’s "Perfect 10" it’s worthwhile going back to the beginning to see why. The Housemartins (also the all singing--if not all dancing--apprenticeship for superstar DJ Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim) were a very fine singles band indeed, rushes of acoustic pop and Humberside barbershop harmonies with all the keenness that youth can afford. A virulent "Five Get Over Excited" and "Happy Hour", alongside peerless a capella cover "Caravan of Love", stand testament to an all too brief career. This is where the Beautiful South took up the reigns with a more mature, but no less catchy or vocally impressive, output, spinning timeless comforts like "You Keep It All In", "A Little Time" and "Old Red Eyes Is Back". Soup is the first time the work of the two bands has been collected onto one disc and while 22 tracks is never going to do justice to such an expansive back catalogue, it’s a splendid starting point. --James Berry

CD Description
This long overdue greatest hits compilation brings togetherthe work of songwriting superduo Paul Heaton and David Rotheray, and encompasses over twenty years of indie Brit pop quirkiness. Housemartins tracks range from breakthrough single'Happy Hour' to commercial hits 'Five Get Over Excited' and'Caravan Of Love.' Meanwhile the Beautiful South's selections provide an excellent overview of the band's unique brand of bittersweet pop, including classic tracks such as 'Rotterdam' and 'One Last Love Song.'

Customer Reviews

Now don't get me wrong - the music is fantastic...
... but this must be one of those unnecessary pre-Christmas releases that some 12-year old record company goon has dreamed up.
Both The Housemartins and The Beautiful South were quality bands, with a fantastic back catalogue which I urge you to discover. Cramming tracks from both bands onto one CD simply does not do either of them justice.
Take my advice: spend your money on two 'best of' CDs and discover these bands properly. You won't regret it!

Buy the other best off albums
The review for the Beautiful South's "Carry on up the Charts" album states that one in every four households owns that album, so why buy this one? Is it simply for the few addittional Housemartins's tracks? if so buy their best of compilation it is not only more comprehensive but cheaper.

Another pointless release!
I'm a big fan of the Beautiful South, but like the recent Rolling Stones and Led Zepp compilations this is another unneccessary release. Apart from the fact that I own everything on it as I have all the albums, even for the less committed there are already three BS compilations available and one excellent Housemartins compilation which covers their career much more comprehensively than does this release. Just to try and tempt people to shell out yet again for what they've already bought they've thrown in a DVD edition as well, but it won't be tempting me!
Once again 5 stars for the music and 2 for the album itself.