Singles and Rarities

The jewel in the crown of Captain Oi's 4-Skins reissue program, Singles & Rarities scoops up no less than 23 tracks drawn from throughout the band's brutally brief career, including a handful that rank among the 4-Skins' most incendiary offerings. The set opens with "Wonderful World" and "Chaos," the two songs they contributed to the Oi! The Album compilation shortly after they formed, and just before the Decca major offered them a deal on the condition that they changed their name to Skins 4. "1984" and "Sorry," later in the set, first appeared on another comp, Strength Thru Oi!, while the "One Law for Them" single still burns your ears like a sonic forest fire. On and on, then, through the backwaters of the 4-Skins' career, including a jolly romp through Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody" (from the Bollocks to Christmas collection) and Son of Oi!'s "On the Streets" and, from start to finish, the Skins don't put a boot out of place. All anthologies should be this astonishing.