Irish rock history is littered with hard luck stories, of bands who really should have made it but were denied by a philistine music industry and the cruel hand of fate. Most of the time it's self-pitying nonsense - but in the case of A House it actually happens to be true. Dave Couse and co. really did have it all, grace, style and a talent for sparky guitar pop that showed up most of their contemporaries as the bunch of chancers they were. Now, five years after they called it a day, comes this beautifully packaged retrospective - and happily, it's the perfect way to remember them. Released on the back of the adoption of 'Here Come The Good Times' as the official Irish World Cup song, its 19 tracks represent a neat summary of the band's entire career, with a bonus disc of rarities thrown in to keep diehard fans happy. Like the Irish team itself, it's hard not to dream about what might have been instead of celebrating what was actually achieved. But every underdog has its day - and this is undoubtedly theirs.

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