Just before momma spanked me, she muttered, "Variety is the spice of life, baby," as I took down my pants. I never really understood what she meant, until today.

Trainspotting #2 -- yes, the second soundtrack album from Trainspotting -- certainly has the variety thing goin' on. You get classic tracks from David Bowie and Iggy Pop ("Golden Years" and "The Passenger," respectively), there's a healthy dose of electronica tidbits like Underworld's "Dark And Long" and the omnipresent "Inner City Life" by Goldie, and some house and britpop tracks as well. Unfortunately, variety is not the only reason this reminds me of a spanking. Of the 15 tracks, my review-o-tron calculates that:

>6 of them suck ass in a big way

Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing (Baby Doc Remix)" is painfully bad, not to mention the utterly vacant appearances by Sleeper, Heaven 17, Fun Boy Three, Primal Scream and the Darren Price remix of Underworld's "Born Slippy/NUXX"; a massacre of a perfectly good original song. Do yourself a favor. If you must have it, wait for it to start showing up in the bargain/used bins for $4.99 or less. Take the good tracks (listed below) and put 'em on a mix tape, then sell it to your little brother or sister for ten bucks (don't forget to mention to him/her how cool it is).

The Good Tracks:
Iggy Pop: The Passenger
David Bowie: Golden Years
Leftfield: A Final Hit
Habanera (from "Carmen")
PF Project with Ewan McGregor: Choose Life

Honorable Mentions:
Underworld: Dark And Long
Joy Division: Atmosphere

-James P. Wisdom