CD: Various artists, Babylon's Burning

The problem for anyone compiling a collection of punk's original glory years is simple: how do you make your selection stand out in a crowded CD rack? Clinton Heylin, the US rock critic who has assembled Babylon's Burning to accompany his mammoth punk history book of the same name, thinks he has the answer: wherever possible, he has avoided the "official" versions of songs, using demos and early live recordings as far as he can. So roughly two-thirds of the 91 songs here are in unfamiliar versions. The problem, though, is that the obsessive collectors are likely to have this material already, and those seeking a one-stop guide will be wondering why they've got four Sex Pistols demos and nothing from Never Mind the Bollocks. There are gems - especially on the first CD, which includes seven songs from the neglected Cleveland, Ohio, proto-punk scene - but any collection that can find room for three numbers by novelty act Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, but none for the Ramones or the Clash, is not doing its job properly.