"Soup" is a compilation album released in November 2007 by The Housemartins and The Beautiful South on Mercury Records. Essentially a greatest hits collection for both bands, the album is divided into two parts. The first seven tracks are titled "The Housemartins Condensed," while the remaining fifteen tracks are branded as "The Cream of The Beautiful South." All twenty-two songs featured on the album were released as singles by the bands, and the tracklist runs chronologically, from 1985's "Flag Day" to 2003's "Just A Few Things That I Ain't." Additionally, a DVD containing the music videos for the bands' singles was released alongside the album.
The album reflects the evolution of two key members of The Housemartins—Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway—who went on to form The Beautiful South after The Housemartins disbanded in 1988. Consequently, The Beautiful South is often regarded as a continuation of The Housemartins. Both bands had already released multiple greatest hits compilations before Soup: The Housemartins had Now That's What I Call Quite Good (1988) and The Best of The Housemartins (2004), while The Beautiful South had Carry on up the Charts (1994) and Solid Bronze (2001).
The album's sleeve includes an introduction by Stuart Maconie, a long-time friend and fan of both bands, who also provides a brief history of their careers. The sleeve features artwork from both bands' releases over the years, along with the names of all the band members throughout the history of both groups.
The album received positive reviews, with BBC noting that the bands' contributions had often been "misunderstood and overlooked" by critics, but acknowledging their place as "some of the finest exponents of pop Britain has ever had." The Manchester Evening News praised their early work, describing them as a "jewel in our pop heritage."
Soup peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified platinum, indicating strong commercial success.
