Fifty tracks and nearly three and a quarter hours later, Transistor Blast is a boxed compilation extraordinaire. These four CD's of the best material recorded by XTC for the BBC over the past three decades leave you speechless marvelling at the sheer talent and class of this cult combo.

From their debut release in 1977, the 3D E.P., XTC have grown into one of the music industry's most revered and respected groups of musicians. Flirtations with the charts have been numerous if spasmodic, but over two decades Swindon's XTC have generated a lifetime's work of great pop tunes as highlighted by Transistor Blast.

Disc 1 and 2 are from various sessions recorded at the BBC Maida Vale Studios for the John Peel, Andy Kershaw and Kid Jensen (remember him?) shows. XTC's Colin Moulding (bassist/ vocalist/ songwriter) says about these sessions:

"Most of it is a blur to me now but the evidence on tape suggests these are spirited versions of the songs often surpassing their album originals, Life Begins At The Hop for instance played in a better temperament here, it's colliding guitar threesome is always a favourite with me. I like to think the little bits that turn me on in music turn other people on as well perhaps the low guitar registers on Roads Girdle The Globe played on the new boys' Fender Stratocaster (a man's guitar I was reliably informed). We knew the originals were in the bag and here was a chance to have some fun but the cry was always "I wish I'd have done that on the album" referring to some guitar lick or other that had previously escaped discovery."

Disc 3 is a hybrid made up of two separate performances, the first Sound & Sound in-concert simulcast on BBC 2 TV on 9 March 1978 and an in-concert recorded at The Paris Theatre on 17 January 1979. Disc 4 is the highlights from a concert at the Hammersmith Palais recorded on 22 December 1980. When reflecting about the BBC in-concerts XTC mastermind Andy Partridge (guitarist/ vocalist/ songwriter) says:

"Yes, this twenty years younger me, did sing with a P.A. busting seal bark. Yes, his songs were streams of mod au go go gibberish. And yes, his guitar playing did sound like Robby the robot strimming the shelves clean at Debenhams crockery department. But finally, and this is my revelation, I forgive him. He no longer embarrasses me. Neither him nor his skinny group of clockwork agent orange flavoured cohorts in musical crime. Hearing these sessions made me guffaw out loud at early XTC's friendly fire. The epileptic kick boxer bursts of Colin and Terry's rhythm section. Barry's gothic Liberace piano style, or his truly dangerous organ playing. Electrician from Edwards' funfair attempts to mend damaged saturnian dishwasher motor."

Two decades of high-quality songwriting by Partridge and Moulding created such classic songs as Making Plans For Nigel, Statue Of Liberty, Snowman, Life Begins At The Hop, Jason And The Argonauts, Dance Band and Scarecrow People -- all featured here, sounding as amazing and fresh as ever.

In case you're unsure about what this thing is that XTC create is, let me refer you to one of their songs: This Is Pop.