A really pivotal album from XTC – a set that still has the group able to deliver the kind of tight, catchy work that made their early singles so great – but one that also really has them expanding out into a group who really understand how to put together an album the right way too! It's that quality that really helped XTC not only outlast some of their British contemporaries, but also reach out to a wider audience with a well-crafted set like this – full of gems that include "Knuckle Down", "Fly On the Wall", "Down In The Cockpit", "All Of A Sudden", "Yacht Dance", "English Roundabout", "Snowman", "Jason & The Argonauts", "No Thugs In Our House", "Runaways", "Ball & Chain", and "Senses Working Overtime". CD

Features 31 tracks over 2 discs! CD

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Beautiful later work from XTC – a record that has the group really reveling in that new pastoral sensibility they unlocked with Mummer – on songs that are more slowed down than at their start, with great use of acoustic instrumentation too – all with this well-crafted sense of songwriting that almost seems to preface some of the work to come by groups like High Llamas or Cardinal! There's so many folks who are slavish to the early years of XTC that they often miss the beauty of a record like this – a really cohesive whole that's given some superb production by Todd Rundgren in one of his best 80s moments. Titles include "Dear God", "Dying", "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", "Big Day", "Another Satellite", "That's Really Super Supergirl", "The Meeting Place", "Summer's Cauldron", and "1000 Umbrellas". CD

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Beautiful later work from XTC – a record that has the group really reveling in that new pastoral sensibility they unlocked with Mummer – on songs that are more slowed down than at their start, with great use of acoustic instrumentation too – all with this well-crafted sense of songwriting that almost seems to preface some of the work to come by groups like High Llamas or Cardinal! There's so many folks who are slavish to the early years of XTC that they often miss the beauty of a record like this – a really cohesive whole that's given some superb production by Todd Rundgren in one of his best 80s moments. Titles include "Dear God", "Dying", "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul", "Big Day", "Another Satellite", "That's Really Super Supergirl", "The Meeting Place", "Summer's Cauldron", and "1000 Umbrellas". CD

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A much-needed look at the production genius of Martin Rushent – a UK studio genius who started out in punk, then really helped the scene find new sounds and styles as the 80s moved in! Rushent is sometimes confused with the other great Martin of the period – producer Martin Hannett – and although his style is a bit different, there is a similarity – as Rushent, like Hannett, is a bit of an outsider, and really takes a fresh approach to recording the news music of the moment – never trying to drape it in older styles from previous eras, which really allows some of the crispness of the younger acts to really shine through! As the 80s move in, Rushent also shows a great ear for some of the right electronic touches, yet never in a way that was overly commercial – a balance that really comes out strongly on the second half of the set. As with other entries in this great producer series from Ace, the notes are fantastic – really digging deep into each track, with a 19 title set list that includes "Autonomy" by The Buzzcocks, "Hard Times" by Human League, "Homicide" by 999, "Hold On" by Ian Gomm, "Kiss Me Deadly" by Generation X, "Get A Grip On Yourself" by The Stranglers, "Tonight" by Rachel Sweet, "Guitar Beat" by The Raybeats, "I Could Be Happy (Martin Rushent rmx)" by Altered Images, "A Way You'll Never Be (12" version)" by Leisure Process, "Working Girl" by The Members, "Beneath The Blue Sky" by The Go Gos, "Breakfast" by The Associates, "Steamhammer Sam" by Intaferon, "Je Suis Passee (7" version)" by Hard Corps, "The Big Sweep (club mix)" by Then Jericho, and "Are You Receiving Me" by XTC. CD

19 songs from Eddie & The Hot Rods, Nick Lowe, Wreckless Eric, The Motors, Tom Robinson Band, Kursaal Flyers, Squeeze, The Only Ones, XTC, The Boys, and more. CD

Includes tracks by The Buzzcocks, The Undertones, Joe Jackson, Squeeze, XTC, The Jags, Zones, Purple Hearts, The Revillos, The Distractions, and The Tourists. CD

Features tracks by Steve Hillage, Meat Loaf, the Rubinoos, XTC, Lords of the New Church, Jules Shear, Patti Smith, New York Dolls, Fanny, Rick Derringer, and Bourgeois Tagg. CD