Despite being from Brisbane, The Saints were among the first punk bands to make an impression in Britain and their three albums, from 1976-1978, remain benchmarks of garage-noise, with beautiful melodies battling bristling layers of fuzz. Every five years a new generation of young bands discovers The Saints, yet more unreleased out-takes are unearthed and EMI finds a way to sell the holy trinity of I'm Stranded, Eternally Yours and Prehistoric Sounds to us all over again. This four-CD set has, surely, to be the definitive Saints celebration with dozens of lost tracks and a 1977 London show. Subsequently, Chris Bailey held onto the Saints name to become a moderately successful alt-rock icon. His former partner, Ed Kuepper, pursues a more fascinating path encompassing jazz, blues, electronica and a pointedly named rock band called the Aints.

***** 5/5 stars

Review by Stewart Lee.