As a rule, compilations featuring out-takes, B-sides, alternative versions and lost songs are inevitably inessential items; at best patchy and often just an excuse to line a record company's coffers while you - the fan - are heartlessly ripped off on the trail of jewels spilt by your favourite pop figures.
Not so with Mr.Paul Haig, though. LTM have already overseen three crucial Haig re-issues over the past twelve months or so and - despite being that self-confessed collection of B-sides, alternative versions and lost songs - "Then Again" is a veritable fourth essential item; its' contents every inch smart enough to proudly stand in line with its' predecessors.
Indeed, if you work on the old adage of judging a man by his B-sides and out-takes, then Paul Haig must (again) come up trumps, for few of these 15 tracks - spanning the period 1982 -1998 - would be overshadowed by much of the material offered by Haig's officially sanctioned studio albums.
"Then Again" kicks off with Haig's very first B-side, "Time" from 1982, and its' dark, synth-y cinematic sweep shows just how determined Haig was to move rapidly away from his guitar-obsessed past with cult heroes Josef K a mere 12 months after his old band imploded. Intrigingly, though, it's followed by the superb "Chance" from the same era, which is like a cleaner, airier take on JK'S disciplined funk, perhaps suggesting Paul's previous achievements were dearer to his heart than he was letting on.
Nonetheless, much of what follows finds Haig working with a hard-edged, primarily keyboard and sequencer-based sound, and a distinct commercial leaning was always kept in focus, whether Haig was employing nervy, squelchy funk a la Talking Heads ("Blue For You"),working up dramatic New Order-ish pop ("Change Of Heart") or topping and tailing sublime creations like "Reach The Top", which would be covered by the late Billy Mackenzie on The Associates' "Glamour Chase": itself an infamous 'lost' album.
Elsewhere, we get satisfying 12" remixes of favourite Haig singles "Love Eternal" and "The Only Truth", and the album also collects a number of notable collaborations under the same umbrella. To this end, there's the excellent "The Executioner" with Cabaret Voltaire, which - despite the cut-ups, samples and Kirk'n'Mallinder's customary hardline dancefloor credo - still manages to let more sunshine than usual into the Cabs' dusky, paranoid world. Equally unlikely, but perhaps less successful is Curtis Mantronik's overhaul of evergreen Haig staple "Heaven Help You Now", which is almost unbearably slick in this form, though still weirdly listenable.
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If anything, though, it's the album's final furlong that's the most exciting as this features two Haig collaborations from mischievous Edinburgh electro duo Finitribe's album "Sleazy Listening" from 1998. Of these, "The Shining" is a curious, but attractive early hours electro-scurry with whispered, malevolent vocals from Haig, but it's their audacious cover of Scott Walker's already majestically mysterious "The Electrician" that really scores. In all honesty, it doesn't quite scale the esoteric heights of the orignal, but with Haig's rich croon pitted against the dark thrum, starkly caressing strings and the ghostly suspension of the backing track it's still a terrific cover.
Just to emphasise how versatile Haig is, "Then Again" slopes off into the sunset with the amusing home-recorded "Psycho San Jose", which is equal parts Ennio Morricone, John Barry and post-punk energy and proves that even when producing curios Paul Haig has genius to spare.
So,while "Then Again" may be merely a collection of crumbs from under the master's table, its' quality still puts much of the competition to shame. An essential appendage to an already immaculately-attired back catalogue and no mistake.
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