The
Varukers re-formed in 1993, largely -- they say -- as a result of the fan mail that was still pouring in for them, more than half a decade after they split. A new single, the aptly titled
"Nothing's Changed," followed, and the band was soon working on their comeback LP,
Murder. But they were also aware that, for many people, their back catalog was a thing of legend, long deleted, hard to find, and fetching absurd prices on the collectors' market. While
Murder gestated, then, they set to work re-creating the ultimate
Varukers' best-of, re-recording 15 tracks from every corner of the archive -- and, unlike a lot of bands that take that same route, emerging with a collection that really did live up to its reputation. Wryly titled but wickedly executed,
Still Bollox But Still Here rounds up all the band's most crucial numbers -- the debut single
"Protest and Survive," follow-ups
"I Don't Wanna Be a Victim," "Die for Your Government," and
"Led to the Slaughter," "Bomb Blast" from the
Massacred Millions 12" -- it was a bruising litany, but a skillful one, sandpapering some of the rougher edges away from the original recordings, but replacing them with a competence and verve that time and inexperience had prohibited in the past. Of course, it is no substitute for the original recordings -- which themselves are now readily available on sundry CD compilations. But, as a snapshot of the
Varukers as they gathered strength for a second onslaught, and an assurance that they were still as great as ever,
Still Bollox But Still Here does its duty with room to spare. ~ Dave Thompson
