(4 / 5)
Four CDs, 59 tracks, detailed liner notes from their manager and the booklet has the relevant record sleeves, plus press clippings from the era.
Manchester punk band The Drones and everything they dropped between 1977 and 1999, on this very welcome set.
The band are still going today, albeit with one original member in the ranks, bassist Whispa.
The first disc here offers up their debut album, “Further Temptations”, the 13-track gem which Q magazine included in their 100 Most Important Punk Albums Of All Time list, in 2002. Is it? You decide….
There’s a 20-track round-up of non-LP singles, B-sides, demos and a previously unreleased four-track session for the BBC radio 1 legendary DJ John Peel. It’s worth the admission price, just for these four cracking tracks.
Penultimate disc is the band’s 1999 come-back studio album, “Sorted”, which was originally released as “Dirty Bastards”. Ohh, I say!
The last CD here is a 14-track live in concert recording from Japan in 1998. Cool it is too.
This label, Captain Oi” have issued some wonderful stuff lately and this is another ‘must hear’ if you are an old (or new) punk fan. I am of the maturer variety – without the safety pins and the dodgy hair…well, any hair, in fact!!!! Memories, memories…..
By Christopher Weston
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’
(3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’ (4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
