VARIOUS ARTISTS
ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS: THE ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
UMC/VIRGIN EMI
★★★★
Julien Temple’s 1986 race riot drama Absolute Beginners is a well-intentioned mess, his attempts at going mainstream so muddled that it’s hidden the brilliance of its soundtrack for more than 30 years. While Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley deserve their reputation as the golden production duo of the 80s – Madness, Dexys, Julian Cope et al – it’s still hard not to feel sorry for them. They oversaw possibly the best British soundtrack of the decade, only to have it overlooked thanks to Temple failing to hold up his side of the deal.