Before Edwyn Collins hit paydirt with 'A Girl Like You', he was the leader of Orange Juice, the most gloriously foppish band to come out of Scotland before Franz Ferdinand. The Glasgow School does a superb job of rounding up OJ's largely unavailable early catalogue, including their first four singles and the previously unreleased album Ostrich Churchyard. They weren't quite the finished article at this stage, and sometimes they sounded like the overly fey forerunners of the Smiths. The best of the material here, however, is truly wonderful, marrying blistering New Wave tunes with their eccentric singer's furiously arch vocals. As a musical snapshot of lovelorn adolescence, it's rarely been bettered either before or since. With Collins currently recovering from a brain haemorrhage, this frequently thrilling compilation is a timely reminder of just what a special talent he is.

Your Comments

No comments have been posted for this article yet. Be the first!