Tibetan Freedom Concert; New York City, June 1997
This package is stuffed with top-line artists, and whoever chose the tracks knew what they were doing. With this kind of sprawl to deal with, track selection is like haiku: difficult, but evocative when done artfully. Radiohead does "Fake Plastic Trees," Rancid does Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come," Patti Smith gets "About a Boy," and the Beasties weigh in with "Root Down." And on and on the list goes, from Sonic Youth to Taj Mahal. Maybe you don't think you want a no-commitment introduction to Tibetan music. Actually, you do--and there's some here. A huge record of a huge show. Comes recommended.--Gavin McNett