Lost Cherrees - In The Very Beginning [2CD Set] (2006)

It took forever, but finally the Lost Cherees are getting their due, not only from the anarcho-punk community that has always held them close to its heart, but from the wider world as well. The revitalized band's activities naturally play a part in the resurgence, but still it's an unexpected thrill to find more-or-less the original band's entire output reissued across a two-CD set, sensibly divided between the familiar LP and single material (disc one), and a mass of demos and live recordings that may not require too many repeated listens, but are great to have, regardless. Always one of the most tuneful bands in the anarcho-punk bag, with influences that apparently rage as far afield as Joy Division ("No Trouble") and Magazine ("Nothing New"), Lost Cherees debuted in 1983 with the EP No Fighting No War No Trouble No More, following through with two further EPs and the still-sense-shattering All Part of Growing Up album in 1984 -- engineered by none other than Mad Professor. All are reprised in their entirety, with the unreleased material then filling in the gaps amidships -- the band's first ever demos from 1982, their last ever live show from 1985, a handful of cuts from sundry compilation albums (including the brutal "Now Showing"), and even an unreleased Mad Professor dub of the album's "Escalation." The booklet's a little disappointing, rounding up a collection of song lyrics, when a full band history would certainly have been more welcome. But that is the only caveat surrounding this remarkable collection and this remarkable band.