ORANGE JUICE The Glasgow School Domino ****

In 1980, just as British post-punk descended to its gloomy, creative nadir, Orange Juice could not have looked or sounded more refreshing. All Roger McGuinn fringes and Gretsch guitars, they had looked to New York for inspiration and pioneered the New Pop sensibility with a gloriously raw, retro-eclectic concoction of punk, soul and disco.

Released on the legendary Scottish indie label Postcard, their first four singles were bona fide DIY classics: frenetic riffs, tender hooks and delicate melodies, all infused with the soulful tones and dry wit of iconic frontman Edwyn Collins. Songs such as Falling and Laughing, Moscow and Poor Old Soul had all the cool music hacks salivating, even if the mass-market remained sadly out of reach. An album, Ostrich Churchyard, was also recorded but shelved when the mighty Polydor came knocking; the rest is another story altogether. Postcard soon folded and too many of those early songs seemed lost to posterity (or magazines such as Record Collector).

Now, with newer Glasgow School graduates Franz Ferdinand and Sons & Daughters so clearly influenced by Orange Juice, Domino has picked up those inspirational Postcard recordings and compiled them on one essential CD. It's unjust that Edwyn Collins is still only widely known for his 1995 hit single, A Girl Like You; even given their ramshackle production quality, lost gems such as Simply Thrilled Honey and Blue Boy should still be setting the heather ablaze in 2005. www.dominorecordco.com

Johnnie Craig