Frank Turner - The Second Three Years Review

In June, singer-songwriter Frank Turner saw his album England Keep My Bones reach #12 in the UK Album Charts.

Since then, the punk-folk star has risen further, his ascent topped off by the announcement of a headline show at Wembley Arena in April 2012.

In 2008 (between second album Love Ire & Song and 2009's Poetry of the Deed), Turner released The First Three Years, a collection of material not included on his studio albums.

The compilation brought together early EPs, sessions and other collection contributions from Turner, plus a handful of previously unreleased material.

Today Frank Turner has released The Second Three Years, which gathers material from...well, the next stage of his career.

It manages to gather its tracklist from a broader number of sources, from single b-sides and artist tribute albums to a Live Lounge session and (naturally) material that hasn't been released anywhere else.

The worth of the collection largely depends on how much of Frank Turner's catalogue you already own.

Exclusing songs from singles, EPs or the Deluxe Edition of England Keep My Bones, the majority of what remains are covers, although done well.

Turner's punk roots shine through on these, with covers of the likes of NOFX and Bad Religion standing out on the collection.

A rough, emotional take on 'Build Me Up Buttercup' sits nicely alongside covers of Nirvana ('On A Plain') and album-closer 'Last Christmas' (taken from Turner's live show at Union Chapel)....full text Xtra Mile have officially released the tracklist for Frank Turner‘s The Second Three Years. If you’re not familiar with The First Free Years, it’s a collection of covers and b-sides and odds and ends that haven’t come on the albums proper. Pre-order it here. You definitely want to pre-order this one because not only will you receive the item well before it’s release date, but you’ll get a set of badges....full text