ROSKO: Get Out (Roundabout) - There's no messing about where this Stockport-based band are concerned. They tell it to you straight - "Get out of my life." And they say it with a Cast-like chorus which isn't too bad. But the other two tracks suggest they're trying a little too hard to be like The Jam. (5/10) JS

QUANNUM MCs AND SOULS OF MISCHIEF: The Extravaganza (Mo Wax) - Rapping with attitude over a minimalistic background of beats and bleeps. Lyrically, I couldn't make out much of it but the words I could understand seemed to be tainted with the all-too-common rap trait of boasting about oneself then bad-mouthing a few "suckers". True hip-hop stars write thought-provoking lyrics and deliver them with careful consideration. Also-rans like these substitute intelligence with aggression. (4/10) PB

ALBUMS

VARIOUS ARTISTS: Cream Ibiza; Arrivals - With a picture of a holiday jet on the cover, it's easy to spot that this is aimed at holidaymakers who want to learn the summer's dance tunes before they fly off to the Balearics. The album is compiled on behalf of Liverpool's most famous dance club but the tunes have a very commercial flavour. The artists include Pete Heller, Phats and Small, Shanks and Bigfoot, Armand Van Helden and the inescapable but excellent Fatboy Slim. Most of these Euro-friendly tracks have already received plenty of airplay and you would hear a good proportion of them if you tuned to Radio One or Rock FM for a couple of hours. But whether you buy this before or after a Mediterranean break, it's a strong selection of 1999's summer dance anthems. (7/10) PB SHED SEVEN: Going For Gold (Polydor) - The unfancied underdogs of '90s British guitar rock make a strong case for their defence with a greatest hits album. While never possessing the songwriting prowess of Suede or achieving the nationwide dominance of Oasis, Shed Seven have written more good singles than you may realise. From the mobile-phone selling Speakeasy through the Olympics-friendly title track to the downright funky new single Disco Down, Rick Witter and his Yorkshire pals include tracks here which have seeped into the mainstream arena without too many people noticing. Some see the moody poetry of Chasing Rainbows as their highest point but I prefer the brashness of On Standby or She Left Me On Friday. Shed Seven have weathered the storm and survived longer and stronger than their critics expected. (7/10) PB

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.