Xtc Go 2

Following Go 2, keyboardist Barry Andrews left XTC and, rather than finding a replacement keyboard player, the band opted to recruit another guitarist (who could also play keyboards), Dave Gregory. The album that followed the lineup change, Drums and Wires, marks a turning point for the band, with a more subdued set of songs that reflect an increasing songwriting proficiency…

XTC's first full album, White Music shows the band going full-throttle in true punk spirit. More dissonant than their latter period, the young band shines with directionless energy and a good sense of humor…

Death Disco is centered around some of the post-punk singles that are most translatable to the dancefloor. PiL's "Death Disco," drenched in dread-filled dub as much as loping disco, is an obvious and smart choice. The majority of what follows isn't nearly as claustrophobic and dense, so in that sense the disc's title isn't wholly indicative of its contents.

Original Hits: 70s is a decent six-disc set, highlighting 111 pop singles released in that decade. Along with the original versions of radio classics by Al Stewart, Blondie, the Knack, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Dr. Hook, are less-than-obvious inclusions by Peter Tosh, XTC, the Move, and Benny Hill!

No single box set–however sumptuously packaged, however comprehensively compiled–could hope to contain the bewildering, diverse array of musical styles and opinions that was brought together under the loose description "punk" between 1976 and 1979. There were so many fresh ideas and concepts–the final, irreversible emancipation of women in rock and the creation of an entirely new, non-R&B, guitar-based music form–contained within that one word, no compilation could hope to represent it fairly. 1-2-3-4 has a damn good try, though. Five CDs, featuring 100 tracks from the good, bad and downright ugly of punk.

No single box set–however sumptuously packaged, however comprehensively compiled–could hope to contain the bewildering, diverse array of musical styles and opinions that was brought together under the loose description "punk" between 1976 and 1979.

Marc Collin, the creator of Nouvelle Vague, never anticipated producing a fifth album for the project, originally envisioning it as a one-off tribute to post-punk through bossa nova. However, the unexpected success of their debut album, featuring unique covers of songs by XTC, Public Image Limited, Josef K, and Joy Division, propelled Nouvelle Vague into unforeseen popularity.