Arctic Circles Vol.3 - Various Artists

Advantages: Easy Listening
Disadvantages: NONE

...I love the live lounge! I have to listen to it when ever possible so when they brought out a CD I just had to get it.. I first got hooked when I was at work and heard Jamie Cullum singing Frontin, it was so fantastic that I have had to listen ever since, for people who haven't listened to Jo Whiley on radio 1at lunchtime. She plays all your normal music in the charts but she also does the live lounge, this is were she invites bands and solo sings like the Arctic Monkeys and Lemar to cover other artists songs and their own with an acoustic live feel which makes your hair stand up on the back of your neck. The cover versions that the artists have done are brilliant! They have taken a song and made it their own, there are so many good artists on this album that I could sit here all day and waffle on about them. One of my favourites... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: The first CD.
Disadvantages: The second CD.

...As a fan of Radio 1's Live Lounge, I bought this double CD with fairly high expectations. Being a compilation album, I did expect it to be a bit hit-and-miss but also expected tracks to be on there that could be regulars in my playlists. Perhaps my personal tastes are too niche to appreciate the craft of some of the artists but I was still disappointed to find that even songs by artists I particularly like, such as The Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters, fell short of the mark and were soon wiped from my ipod in expense for the superior album versions or just wiped from my ipod altogether. I was especially disappointed with Snow Patrol's half-hearted 'Run', as they recorded a far stronger live version of the same track on their album 'Live and Acoustic at Park Ave.' Of course, there are highlights, namely The Coral's brilliant 'Dreaming... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Cant get these live performances anywhere else
Disadvantages: Some are terrible

...I had been anticipating this album for a long time ever since I heard it advertised on Radio 1 itself. To think we could purchase a whole load of different artists live performances on CD hadnt been heard of before. Simply brilliant idea, and a great way to beat the non-paying online downloaders. Some of the perfomances are simply brilliant. Bands such as Coldplay, Snow Patrol and Keane are even better live than on your regular CD perfomance. Though some are truly awful, bands such as Queens of the Stone Age and The Automatic simply bring this album back down to average. The best thing radio one have done is limit the small and frankly poor bands and kept the so called major bands who are alot better. Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and Razorlight's performances easily oust that of Dizzee Rascal, Editors and Jamie Cullum who I simply skip every... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful