Is it just me, or are tracks 6 and 7 reversed on anyone else's copy of the CD?

Two distinctively different interpretations of Goldfrapp's icy electronic ballad that are worth having. The Plaid remix is a percolating, caffeinated treatment that has twinkling digital stars and pixelated comets zooming across a burbling analog arpeggio sea. And then there's the remix by Goldfrapp herself, which may offer a more pointed insight into the album version. Stripped down to bare components and ghostly operatics, augmented by a somber Mellotronic flute, this version can only be described as cold and haunting.

The original BBE version of "Seven Days And One Week" is one of those songs that you hear a couple of times and don't pay much attention to it. Then, days later when you least expect it, the simple echoing lead reappears in your head - and gets stuck there. Wally Lopez is clearly aware of this fact, and elects to leave the lead untouched. However, in the moments leading up to its inevitable appearance, he constructs a sexy, polyrhythmic backdrop of processed congas, claps and hi-hats. By the time you hear the echoing bleeps, you're ready for them. Then he adds in some gated chords, and the whole thing makes its own sauce. This track is a great addition to any progressive set!

This is a really awesome collection to own for any Steely Dan fan, because it shows you not only where they started, but where they were clearly going. Obviously you get stripped-down renditions of future classics such as "Parker's Band" and "Barrytown". "Caves of Altamira" has an additional verse and a different verse order, "Brooklyn" is practically ethereal (and sung here by Fagen) and "Charlie Freak" is much starker without the bouncy instrumentation that was added later. But you also get a number of gems that will leave you wondering why they never made it any farther than this collection, such as the sunny "You Go Where I Go", the kitschy "Soul Ram" (sung by the original vocalist of the band who also appears on several other tracks), the soul-bare "Take It Out On Me", and a sassy rendition of Lewis Carroll's "Mock Turtle Song". "Come Back Baby" could have easily sat alongside tracks by Average White Band or Player, and "Sun Mountain" will break your heart. (There's also my personal favorite why-didn't-this-ever-get-finished song, "Roaring Of The Lamb".)

If you have all the Steely Dan albums, and the Walter Becker and Donald Fagen solo works, you should definitely round out your collection with this double CD.

It's exactly what you'd think it was...a compilation of Christmas tunes, reinterpreted Miami bass-style. As much fun to play for people who have never heard of 69 Boyz or DJ Laz as it is to play for your friends who have more speakers than passenger room in their rides. And yes, there is MASSIVE low-frequency-freakin' on this disc. Standout cuts include DJ Laz's ice-melting "Frosty The Snowman" and The Big Classic's booty-shaking "Jingle Bass Rock".

If you get a kick (pardon unintentional pun) out of this, check out ACID X-MAS as well.

One of the sickest electro/breaks records ever conceived. "Pure Havoc" may be one of the most cruel things anyone could do to a crowd of excited partygoers, a no-nonsense boom boom bap beat blaster that stops and starts in all the right places before plowing into one of the MOST INTENSE DRUMROLLS EVER MADE. The only bad thing I could say about this track is that the drumroll is SO BAD ASS that it makes the rest of the track an anti-climax, so I would recommend having something equally nasty to cut in.

Flip the record, and HELLO! "Crystal Jelly", a sadistic, tweaked-out and freaked-out acid blast reinforced by well-placed Fat Boys samples. Omar Santana doesn't just make tracks...he makes WEAPONS, and this cut will blast out of the speakers and bash up the breakers.

The Tricked Out catalogue shows in no uncertain terms that Omar Santana is not to be played with. His gabber tracks are also killer, but I really wish he would do more "hard hop" beats....

This is an absolutely awesome track, with a nasty, undulating bassline and rhythmic bleeps and boops abounding. If you're a fan of James Holden or the Distinctive Records label, you should get this.

By the way, the opening line of dialogue in the breakdown can be found in the short story "Permission to Fail" by Aletha Jane Lindstrom (Google it). I think this helps clarify the track's title, but I'll leave you to figure out how for yourself.

Another DJ tool from That Kid Chris. The original mix of Black Jack is a kick and filter-assisted cut up of Steely Dan's "Do It Again" which makes a great opener (and also plays well with Icey-style breaks). Flip for a tribal flavor...

A raw, no-nonsense track consisting of a hard kick-and-clap pattern, a low acid wob, and a woman alternating between singing the track's name and "blowing" with her fiery "pipes". TKC proceeds to drop these elements in and out until he finally builds up to a rushing climax. Great for reminding the crowd that "in the beginning there was Jack, and Jack had a groove..."

One of the most perfect remixes ever crafted. Leftfield proved that they were destined for greatness (a fact which LEFTISM later proved) with this anthemic rework of "Intoxication". And on top of that, they turned in two different journeys! The Clubfield Mix is a solid dancefloor number with a pumping, flanged-out beat that drops into a bottomless bassline before assembling the track into its collective parts and moving your butt all over the place. However, the Dubfield Mix is practically a spiritual experience, opening with the exotic vocal wail and s l o w l y, subtly building with a little percussion, teasing female vocals ("just a little higher....that's good") and finally...POW. By the time you get to the pads and chords, you almost feel as if you've just emerged from a dark tunnel into a beautiful blue lagoon. And the record's only a third of the way over...