The Crooks - Just Released - The Anthology (2002)

Just Released: The Anthology by the Crooks consists of their 1980 album Just Released augmented by their single "Modern Boys" b/w "Bangin' My Head," both sides of which are rather more memorable than the LP's contents. Not that the LP is bad, just not quite as strong across 12 songs as the 45 was across two, a three-star album adjacent to a four-star single that owed more than a bit to the Jam. But the second disc is where the real value is, a never-released live recording from the Marquee Club in London. Most of the repertory is shared with that studio album, only it's about twice as good here, and that goes for the playing and the singing -- the whole disc is one of the most bracing live albums of its era and by itself would be worth what Castle is asking for this double-disc set. Listening to it, one wishes that the Soft Boys could've left behind a live document this good. The only peculiarity is that their set includes "Bangin' My Head," the B-side of their single, but not the A-side; still, there's not a false or wrong note here on a truly great and unique legacy.

Tracklist:
1.01 - The Crooks - All the Time In the World (3:03)
1.02 - The Crooks - Waiting for You (2:10)
1.03 - The Crooks - Let's Get Together (3:52)
1.04 - The Crooks - Sound of Today (2:48)
1.05 - The Crooks - Hold Me (2:37)
1.06 - The Crooks - 1,000 Faces (4:04)
1.07 - The Crooks - The Beat Goes On (2:50)
1.08 - The Crooks - You Don't Have to Tell Me (2:19)
1.09 - The Crooks - I'm In Love (3:25)
1.10 - The Crooks - Me and My Friends (3:04)
1.11 - The Crooks - I Don't Love You (2:37)
1.12 - The Crooks - Understanding (2:54)
1.13 - The Crooks - Modern Boys (2:50)
1.14 - The Crooks - Bangin' My Head (2:34)
2.15 - The Crooks - All the Time In the World (Live at The Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:20)
2.16 - The Crooks - Bangin' My Head (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (2:54)
2.17 - The Crooks - What's Goin' On (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:19)
2.18 - The Crooks - Let's Get Together (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:54)
2.19 - The Crooks - I'm In Love (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:35)
2.20 - The Crooks - My Town (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (2:14)
2.21 - The Crooks - In Trouble (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:20)
2.22 - The Crooks - Understanding (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:06)
2.23 - The Crooks - It Can Only Get Better (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (4:40)
2.24 - The Crooks - Waitin' for You (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (2:10)
2.25 - The Crooks - Hold Me (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (2:50)
2.26 - The Crooks - 1,000 Faces (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:46)
2.27 - The Crooks - The Beat Goes On (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (3:59)
2.28 - The Crooks - I Need You (Live at the Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (4:25)
2.29 - The Crooks - You Don't Have to Tell Me (Live At The Marquee Club, 1 March 1980) (2:42)