Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

The swansong from the recently disbanded hard rockers sees Guardian pulling together their best songs from the last five years for a retrospective farewell. The band has grown up, grown apart and moved on to more adult pursuits leaving us with music and memories (I interviewed them once in a lift!). Drawn from four albums it begins with straight ahead '80s influenced rock ("Dr Jones & The Kings of Rhythm") then Led Zep II! Influenced folky stomping experimentation ("The Way Home") and then Steve Taylor enters the scene and things get really interesting. Like the Newsboys, Guardian really hit their stride with their collaborations with Taylor. First with "Buzz" where suddenly they had a kick of '90s edge added to their sound. It was previously unreleased to the public onto the coda of bonus remix tracks. 'Smashes' succeeds in capturing the best recorded moments from Guardian as they join in the ranks of bands that came, saw and almost conquered! It'll be interesting to see what solo careers emerge. Guitarist Tony Palacios has already led the release of a solo instrumental album. If you're into rock 'n' roll and you never succumbed to their charms, this album contains everything you need to know.

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