The Members were one of those punk bands that hit the public consciousness for a year or so, before vanishing back into the ether. Nevertheless, they had a couple of hit singles, and while I never saw them live, their songs give the impression that a Members gig would have been fun, rather than po-faced and earnest.
While their occasional gentle reggae/punk fusion makes for relatively easy listening at times, it's apparent in this 1995 compilation that there really aren't any massive undiscovered classics from the Member's back catalogue.
Opening with a limp but listenable instrumental (Handling The Big Jets), Sally is pleasant enough, while GLC is much more in-your-face and lively. Offshore Banking Business/Pennies In The Pound, their second hit still works really well, But there's not much of interest (nor anything that's awful) until their biggest hit Sound Of The Suburbs, which has stood the test of time as a punk anthem.
But after that there's a long run of forgettable songs, before the band's first single, Solitary Confinement, which hits the mark with a punk tale of alienation and loneliness, spoiled for me by the lame "buy yourself this record" joke in the middle. Of the rest, a live version of Chelsea Nightclub sounds good, and there's a decent version of Larry Wallis' Police Car to finish.
Sadly, a compilation of this length for a band with a small back catalogue like the Members does tend to expose the lack of depth n their repertoire, but the hits are still a fine listen, and the rest isn't awful.
3* - possibly a generous rating, but I do remember the singles fondly
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