Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

A fascinating but chronologically confusing retrospective of 25 years of Greenbelt music, featuring well known and fondly remembered bands and singers who have graced the various stages at the various sites of Britain's pioneer Christian music festival. Chronologically contusing, because the trax are in no particular order (Liberation Suite .are followed by Eden Burning, for example), and there's little information given as to date of recordings: I wouldn't have minded more live cuts as well, but at least what live cuts there are. are excellent; Steve Taylor ("We Don't Need No Colour Code"), Why? (the positively manic 'Good For My Old Mother"), Martyn Joseph & Tom Robinson's definitive reading of "He Never Said", all hit the spot. Other artists featured: Fat And Frantic ("Last Night My Wife Hoovered My Head", that hasn't as far as I know been available on CD for most of this decade): Michael W Smith, Charlie Peacock, Runrig, Split Level, Mike Peters & The Alarm, All Star United, The River City People, Lies Damned Lies, Vigilantes Of Love, Tribe Of Dan, Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue, Ian Archer and Garth Hewitt & Ben Okafor. I don't doubt that there's lots more equally good stuff in the archives, so can we expect "GB 25 II"? Meanwhile, this is hog heaven for nostalgia freaks.

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