Pitchfork

Like an indie rock NOW!, the ongoing UK series Under the Influence has been offering up all-star mixtapes from such artists as Morrissey, Paul Weller, and Super Furry Animals for the past few years. And while not always completely riveting, the latest addition features one of the more interesting packages in the series, with an eclectic mix of 15 tracks hand-picked by former Libertines co-founder Carl Barât. You know, the cute Libertine...

Originally released in the UK this past June, Barât's compilation has recently been given a U.S. release date of August 23, and features relatively obvious selections from UK punks the Clash ("Remote Control"), the Stranglers ("No More Heroes"), and the Jam ("Eton Rifles"), as well as a few surprises-- like Pulp's "Sorted For E's And Whiz", and Bob Dylan's Rueben Carter musing, "Hurricane". Influences:

01 "Dream a Little Dream" - The Mamas and the Papas
02 "Oh! You Pretty Things" - David Bowie
03 "Hurricane" - Bob Dylan
04 "The Universal" - Small Faces
05 "Son of a Gun" - Tha La's
06 "Sitting Up Straight" - Supergrass
07 "Personality Crisis" - New York Dolls
08 "Remote Control" - The Clash
09 "Eton Rifles" - The Jam
10 "No More Heores" - The Stranglers
11 "Too Much Too Young" - The Specials
12 "Bigmouth Strikes Again" - The Smiths
13 "Who's Got the Crack" - The Moldy Peaches
14 "Sorted For E's And Whiz" - Pulp
15 "Fit But You Know It" - The Streets

And with the Libertines now out of order, Barât has signed to Mercury records imprint Vertigo, and is currently assembling tracks for his solo debut-- leaving Vertigo Managing Director Greg Castell to gush: "Carl is one of the greatest talents in modern music. His contribution to the Libertines was fundamental to the band's success and we're delighted to have the opportunity of working closely with him."

According to the official Libertines site, which strangely keeps tabs on his post-band activity, the LP should see a release by the end of this year, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

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