Pitchfork

This year BBC Radio 1 turns 40, and to celebrate this ruby anniversary, the dominating force on the UK airwaves will release a 40-track compilation comprised entirely of covers-- one tune from each year of the station's existence-- performed by pretty much everybody on the current Radio 1 playlist.

The presumed highlights and suspected lowlights are too many to mention, but here's just a taste: Klaxons doing Blackstreet's "No Diggity"! The Gossip doing George Michael's "Careless Whisper"! Girls Aloud doing Wheatus' "Teenage Dirtbag"! Franz Ferdinand doing Bowie's "Sound and Vision"! The Streets doing Elton John's "Your Song"! Plus hot Editors on Cure, Raconteurs on Undertones, Lily on Chrissie, Maxïmo on Timberlake, Kylie on Roxy, and Hard-Fi on Britney action!

And then there's, like, Keane trying "Under Pressure" and Corinne Bailey Rae neutering the Raconteurs. And, God help us all, Mika.

According to Radio 1, the covers are in the process of being recorded, which means no release date yet, artists are subject to change, etc. But I mean, gee whiz guys, just look at this here tracklist.

BBC Radio 1 covers album:

01 Kaiser Chiefs: "Flowers in the Rain" [The Move; 1967]
02 The Fratellis: "All Along the Watchtower" [The Jimi Hendrix Experience; 1968]
03 Amy Winehouse: "Cupid" [Johnny Nash; 1969]
04 Robbie Williams: "Lola" [The Kinks; 1970]
05 The Streets: "Your Song" [Elton John; 1971]
06 Sugababes: "Betcha by Golly Wow" [The Stylistics; 1972]
07 The Feeling: "You're So Vain" [Carly Simon; 1973]
08 Foo Fighters: "Band on the Run" [Wings; 1974]
09 Kylie: "Love Is the Drug" [Roxy Music; 1975]
10 KT Tunstall: "Let's Stick Together" [Bryan Ferry; 1976]
11 Franz Ferdinand: "Sound and Vision" [David Bowie; 1977]
12 The Raconteurs: "Teenage Kicks" [The Undertones; 1978]
13 Mika: "Can't Stand Losing You" [The Police; 1979]
14 Kasabian: "Too Much Too Young" [The Specials; 1980]
15 Keane: "Under Pressure" [Queen & David Bowie; 1981]
16 McFly: "Town Called Malice" [The Jam; 1982]
17 James Morrison: "Come Back and Stay" [Paul Young; 1983]
18 The Gossip: "Careless Whisper" [George Michael; 1984]
19 The Pigeon Detectives: "The Power of Love" [Huey Lewis & the News; 1985]
20 Lily Allen: "Don't Get Me Wrong" [The Pretenders; 1986]
21 Stereophonics: "You Sexy Thing" [Hot Chocolate; 1987]
22 Mutya Buena: "Fast Car" [Tracy Chapman; 1988]
23 Editors: "Lullaby" [The Cure; 1989]
24 Razorlight: "Englishman in New York" [Sting; 1990]
25 Groove Armada: "Crazy for You" [Madonna; 1991]
26 Paolo Nutini: "It Must Be Love" [Madness; 1992]
27 The Kooks: "All That She Wants" [Ace of Base; 1993]
28 Mark Ronson: "You're All I Need to Get By" [Mary J. Blige; 1994]
29 Calvin Harris: "Stillness in Time" [Jamiroquai; 1995]
30 Klaxons: "No Diggity" [Blackstreet; 1996]
31 Just Jack: "Lovefool" [The Cardigans; 1997]
32 Natasha Bedingfield: "Ray of Light" [Madonna; 1998]
33 The Twang: "Drinking in L.A." [Bran Van 3000; 1999]
34 The Fray: "The Great Beyond" [R.E.M.; 2000]
35 Girls Aloud: "Teenage Dirtbag" [Wheatus; 2001]
36 Maxïmo Park: "Like I Love You" [Justin Timberlake; 2002]
37 The View: "Don't Look Back Into the Sun" [The Libertines; 2003]
38 Hard-Fi: "Toxic" [Britney Spears; 2004]
39 The Enemy: "Father & Son" [Yusuf & Ronan Keating; 2005]
40 Corinne Bailey Rae: "Steady, As She Goes" [The Raconteurs; 2006]