I was reading a review of "Creation Records International Guardians of Rock and Roll 1983-1999" in Uncut magazine, and the review mentioned MBV's "You Made Me Realise" and "Soon" being on the compo. I couldn't believe it -- had I majorly screwed up and prepared an unwarranted spot in hell for Creation (DEC 1 comment above?)? Well, no. I don't know what they're selling in the UK, it wouldn't surprise me if the tracklisting is different but the version they're selling here has NO MBV tracks. Thus, that spot in the deepest depths of hell remains reserved, I just don't know who it's for. Whoever was in charge of the tracklisting, you suck. You suck worse than a farsighted eight dollar whore with two missing front teeth.

(later) I've come to the bottom of this, with help from news archives in nme.com (your web site rules, even if it does take forever to download). Alan McGee chose his favourite Creation tracks for the compilation. He chose THREE MBV tracks, "You Made Me Realise", "Soon" and "Sometimes". He chose only ONE Oasis track but three MBV tracks! These tracks did not appear on the compilation because they could not be cleared in time for the album's release. He even said (credit to nme) "(MBV) are a pivotal part of the Creation history, every bit as important as Oasis. They may not have sold as many records, but they have had an immense influence on so many bands. (The compilation) won't be complete without them". Also "I selected the three MBV tracks as I think they are probably my favourite Creation band ever". OK, so let's get this straight. MBV: notorious perfectionists/lazyitis sufferers, spent gargantuan amounts of Creation's money, leading to the main cause of McGee's near-breakdown, financial ruin and subsequent loss of indie status due to the partnership with corporate behemoth Sony. Oasis: notorious party animals/writers of mediocre Beatles homages, made back all the money that MBV lost a hundred fold, leading to McGee's considerable wealth. Which band would YOU favour? Sure, the fact he's financially secure means that he can be more objective and bear no grudges, but still, I gained a lot of respect for Alan McGee after reading those comments.

So whose fault is it for not clearing the tracks in time?

Someone collect my entries from today and December 1st and put them in the Oxford English Dictionary under "irony", because this is irony defined.

In part, at least, it's Kevin Shields' fault.

McGee claims that Kevin and Sony couldn't agree on compilation rights/royalties/what-have-you. Thus, Sony pulled the tracks.