Reviewed by Peter Bate

Two years after Adam Again released their fourth and best album, 1992's 'Dig', I picked it up from Word's deletion list for a measly £2.99. Still one of my favourite listens, its throwaway price sums up the Californian five-piece's British impact. Fiercely loved by fans and critics, Gene Eugene's crew remained one of the Christian bands to stand shoulder to shoulder with their mainstream peers. But the frontman's bleak (and often brilliant) lyrics scared off many zealous evangelicals and his divorce from backing singer/dancer Riki Michele, who then continued in the group, may also have raised eyebrows. This 16-track compilation (named after the band's offbeat two-minute paean to the desensitized, Worldwide) draws  heavily from 'Dig' and the follow-up 'Perfecta'. Feedback-drenched funk, grunge, disco and rock shape Eugene's thick, drawled vocals - there's nothing stunted down here. The superb gut-stirring 'Stone' and 'River  On Fire' (the best song REM ever wrote) lie alongside older tracks like 'Homeboys' and 'You Can Fall in Love'. Adam Again haven't released a studio album for almost five years, but, on the strength of this, let's hope they've not given up the ghost just yet.

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