Aluminum Tunes

The music is excellent as expected but the item was not as advertised - sold as the Duophonic UHF label cardboard issue, but I received the standard Drag City US issue. I wouldn't have bought this if I'd known. Not a slur on Stereolab but this was not worth the outlay. But they have my cash so too late. Buy with caution.

Definitely one of their most solid collections and up there with ETK and DOTS AND LOOPS representing for me the most musically satisfying stage of their career.

I run out of superlatives to describe Stereolab. They are always brilliant. Even though "Aluminium Tunes", like "Switched On" and "Refried Ectoplasm", is a compilation of diverse recordings rather than a studio album, it sounds just as good as any regular album. Two albums in fact, as it consists of two CDs (one of which includes the whole of the previous mini-album "The Amorphous Body Study Centre", plus several other tracks). A real bargain.In my opinion, "Aluminium Tunes" comes from the period of Stereolab's maximum creativity and originality. These tunes are mellow, but still very catchy and interesting. I wouldn't say there is a duff track among them. There are nice covers of "One-Note Samba" and "Get Carter". I find myself playing these two CDs more frequently than some of Stereolab's other albums. A great addition to anyone's Stereolab collection.

Despite the 'no image available', this is the proper UK Aluminum Tunes and the slightly better version as it features the semi-classic Seeperbold. This was my introduction to the 'Lab and led to several years of intense joy plundering their back catalogue and everything since. This double CD contains at least a single-album's worth of great tracks, including the whole of the Amorphous Body Study Centre so don't worry if you haven't tracked that down yet, a nice Wagon Christ re-mix of Metronomic Underground, the inspired 'Get Carter' cover, the full version of New Ortophony which, if you've only heard the bit on MAQ is an incredibly pleasant surprise, a very worthwhile alternative You Used To Call Me Sadness, and several beautiful maverick ones, such as One Small Step and the Incredible He-Woman. There are a few turkeys on here as well but they are at least interesting turkeys, and at less than £[...] it really doesn't matter. Get this whether you're in to the 'Lab already or not.