Josef K

Released by the Marina label in 1998, Endless Soul is a serviceable overview of Josef K's brief career, taking the best songs from the band's lone album and several singles into consideration. There isn't exactly a great need for its existence, as there isn't much of a point in distilling such a limited output that can be swept up in whole through the purchase of two other excellent discs: Young and Stupid (a compilation of singles, stray tracks, and a BBC session) and The Only Fun in Town/Sorry for Laughing (which pairs the group's only official LP with its aborted sibling). If you spot a copy of Endless Soul in a used bin and want to hear what this spiky Scottish pop group was about, it's definitely a good way to spend some money. But know this: Odds are the disc found its way into the used bin because someone bought it, liked what they heard, picked up the two discs mentioned above as a result (which takes care of all the band's studio work), and sold the unnecessary disc back. The possession of the other two discs renders the possession of this particular one obsolete. Judged on its own, it gives a fair representation, but it loses big points for not including "Sorry for Laughing," one of Josef K's key moments. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide