Libertines

Whether the Libertines will be remembered as one of this millennium’s most influential bands is really up to who you ask. When they made their big splash in 2002, the British press were wetting themselves over the shambolic rock’n’roll romance a songwriting team like Pete Doherty and Carl Barât were offering during a time eager for guitars and modern day heroes. But to anyone outside of England, the Libs weren’t the next great rock act, they were a band destined to fail, which they did. What Time for Heroes does is point out the great music this band made but nothing more. Sadly, if you own the two albums and collected the singles there is little to savour here. All of the singles are represented, best of which is "Can’t Stand Me Now,” a spirited duet exposing the tensions between Doherty and Barât. Casual fans and those wondering why Doherty owns a page in the dailies will get the most from Time for Heroes, as besides the obvious material there are harder to find tracks like b-sides "May Day” and "The Delaney,” as well as one-off singles "What A Waster,” their debut, and "Don’t Look Back Into the Sun.” So, yes, they are one of the most influential bands of the millennium, but if you stand back and take stock in all of the bands the Libs influenced, you need to ask yourself: is producing bands like the View and the Kooks beneficial or detrimental for their legacy?