There is little reason to add yet another take on Gomez' Mercury winning debut, Bring it On. Enough accolades, acclaim and hoopla has come and gone, solidifying it as a benchmark in British music, a true pop record for those tired of pop. Instead, it's best to discuss this record as an accompaniment of that time in our lives, wherever it is we were, as in one way or another it was affecting. I was in high school, biding time between pimples and putdowns whilst discovering punk, hardcore, grunge and metal. But it found me, through a friend of a friend via a recommendation, and time hasn't changed its power. It is a timeless record, one for me that served as an introduction to blues for those unaware of its far-reaching influence.So ten years now, given the same record in the same packaging (minus a few new words about the band), there is little more to say. It is still loud, brash, rambunctious and immature at places, showcasing a band content singing about roughhousing around Manchester, because at the time, that was where their priorities lay. So with all collector editions/reissues, it is not the core product as such that requires further assessment, it is the bonus disc. What does it reveal about the project that was hidden away at first? Does it introduce the original product in a new light, or is it simply a rehashing of old material with poorer production values, b-sides and outtakes that never needed unearthing in the first place. With Bring it On's spare set of songs ten years on, the answer lies somewhere in the middle. The sixteen tracks on disc two do shine a brighter light on what Gomez was in 1998, and how this debut affected their songwriting capabilities, maturity and resolve and as a whole, it's welcome and worth buying, as it does tell a different story. However, the story is not all positive, as it exemplifies a petrified, young band at times diving into melodies they knew themselves were foreign. But within this adventure Gomez grew, and it is nice to learn more about that process along the way.The first eight tracks are BBC Radio One and Two sessions, showing Gomez at their most fragile through album tracks and loose acoustic covers, a scenario that relies on the vocals above all. ‘Whippin' Piccadilly', appearing twice on the disc is treated acoustically at first for this session and later in an oddly electronically fashion. The BBC session is restrained, almost frightening at times, as Ottewell, Gray and Olly Peacock compete with each other vocally, yelping at each other for prominence whilst revealing the stripped down core of the song. Still, acoustic or electronic, the album track is the best of all three, but both do explore the apprehension Gomez first embodied upon Bring it On's release. This was their first Radio One session, and it shows. They sound plainly afraid, shaken to their core. But the strength grows, as both ‘Brother Lead' and '78 Stone Wobble' are better. Ottewell's voice readjusts; proving the strength these songs had then, even when they were mere infants. The quintet follows the acoustic album tracks with two sparse covers, The Temptations' ‘The Way You Do The Things You Do' and the immortalized ‘Stagger Lee', which is a Mississippi John Hurt tune to my knowledge. Both are nice to hear, but inessential, as the band sticks to the formula of each, merely playing them through rather than experimenting with them to their house style.Moving on unveils the cream of this collection and the reason it is worth buying - unreleased studio tracks. One is awful (‘The Cowboy Song'), but the others are gems. ‘Flavors' and ‘Old School Shirt' are as good as anything on the long player, showcasing the band's capability blending dark horse blues, flowery pop and experimental jazz together, creating something that is equally accessible as it is challenging. In addition, there is one lengthy number; a bluesy romp akin to ‘Rie's Wagon' entitled ‘Pick Up The Pieces'. This song, maybe, explains why Gomez found success abroad after it dissipated post Mercury at home. For one they jam, and jam well. Licks are traded over eight minutes, splashing old rhythm and blues over plaintive indie-pop that keeps the core idea salient, despite several diversions. It's long, but interesting, two traits that often spar in the British pop oeuvre. But Gomez, as with each track of Bring it On, somehow pull off combining atypical elements with cordial pop, creating a different blend of things that do not blend well, and as usual, it's downright refreshing.If you have never heard Bring it On, go buy this right now. If you have gone to bed with this album, falling in and out of sleep during the peak of ‘Rie's Wagon', the bonus disc will both delight and confuse. It's far from perfect, but neither was Bring it On, let alone anything Gomez has ever written. It is dirty, punctured blues, illuminating a quintet that went to great lengths to find their sound in 1998, while understanding innately that they were onto something, even if it remained confusing as to what that was over time. No questions fully answered, but more information to think up more questions, definitely. 80%Gomez on MySpace