Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Good (some might say poor) ol' Ned's Atomic Dustbin. The double-bassist act from Stourbridge, England (also home to Pop Will Eat Itself and the Wonder Stuff) either just couldn't cut it or had extraordinarily bad timing, depending on who you talk to. They hit the Brit music scene like a truck in 1990, only to get swept under the rug by the onset of Brit-pop -- another case of London and Manchester crushing any sort of Midlands rock uprising -- and were laughed off and forgotten with extraordinary speed. Which, as this collection shows, is too bad. This collection reveals a band whose early singles are never short of a good groove, lyrically battling between cynicism and dry wit, and, well, just damn fun to jump around to. With the glut of bands that England has spawned that are more concerned with sadness and bellybutton picking, it's a shame that these guys didn't take. It should be noted that the singles from the first album era (God Fodder) are not the same mixes that appeared on that album. These are mixes that were on the original Chapter 22 singles. A nice change, too, given that these mixes are rawer and are even more rousing. It's a great collection of a solid band that should have been given more credit. ~ Chris True, All Music Guide