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The fifth release in DMC Records' Under the Influence series centers around singer/songwriter, author, and activist Bob Geldof. Having previously tapped into the sources of inspiration for Paul Weller, Ian Brown, Morrissey, and the Beautiful South's Paul Heaton, it seems only fitting that the former mouthpiece for the Boomtown Rats gets his turn to play DJ. Geldof describes his take on the collection as "the in-car comp that I'd play on some 80-minute journey and each track would make me happier in direct proportion to every inch traveled," and he's not far off the mark, as it's hard to keep from grinning at the sheer goofiness of Cliff Richard and the New York Dolls appearing on the same record. Geldof's own music has always been slippery. From R&B to pop to Van Morrison-inspired Celtic soul, his muse has always manifested itself best when he's playing the "Dylanesque" observer, so it's no surprise that the mix occasionally retreats into the lonely world of minstrels like John Prine, Leonard Cohen, and Kris Kristofferson -- the inclusion of Graham Parker's beautiful but miserable abortion lament "You Can't Be Too Strong" makes for a particularly dreary drive. While listening to the actual tracks that helped -- in part -- to create the artist is interesting, it's the liner notes that make this series so exceptional. When commenting on the Kinks' "Dead End Street," a dark observation on life in the mid-'60s, he notes, "We fondly imagine that it was all Austin Powers then." "It wasn't," he concludes. "It was sh*t for most of us." James Christopher Monger.

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