(Polydor)
Not quite as well-annotated as one would hope, this is, nonetheless, a perfect companion for the 1983 Snap! collection (although it does duplicate a few tracks) - and yet another reminder that there's absolutely no explaining the musical taste of most Americans.
Huge in Britain during their 1977-1982 run, why, exactly, this melodic, sharp-suited, musically-gifted, mod-pop band never took off on these shores while artists such as Devo, The Knack, Blondie and, briefly, Nick Lowe, Squeeze and Ian Gomm cleaned up is anybody's wild guess.
A collection of album tracks and B-sides such as "Away From The Numbers," "Carnation," "Wasteland," "I Need You," "Saturday's Kids" and "Man In The Corner Shop"; the latest reissue of this powerful three-piece's work showcases a cocky cockney group of Small Faces, Beatles and Who fanatics who could've given the likes of Christopher Cross and Dan Hill a real fight on the charts - had radio programmers been a bit more adventurous back in the dark days of Styx, Air Supply, The Captain and Tennille, Lionel Richie and the Bee Gees.
