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Critic's Review
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Super Furry Animals' entry in the ongoing celebrity mix series Under the Influence finds each member of the Welsh quintet contributing three songs for the far-ranging compilation. There's a great variety of styles and sounds here -- psychedelia from the Beach Boys (specifically Carl Wilson), electronica from Underworld, punk-pop from the Undertones, spacy funk from Sly Stone, melodic classic rock from Electric Light Orchestra, plenty of Welsh cult favorites like Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Meic Stevens -- and when it's all put together, it sounds uncannily like one of SFA's own albums. Almost too much so, in a way -- even if you're familiar with the majority of the artists here, it's still kind of a shock to hear how you can draw direct lines from the songs here to cuts in SFA's own catalog. Nevertheless, that's what makes it a good listen on its own terms, and for fans of the band wondering where its lush, otherworldly sound comes from, this will tell you exactly where. Plus, it gets extra points for having the first CD release of Dennis Wilson's solo cut "Lady" and for Pete Fowler's typically excellent cover artwork.
