by Nitsuh Abebe
This huge collection summarizes the early portion of the Wedding Present's career, the C-86 era of jangly, revved-up indie pop. The release compiles the band's first album and its first two singles (&Nobody's Twisting Your Arm& and &Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?&) -- 23-tracks' worth of the hyper pop the band is known for. Apart from the dark and majestic Seamonsters, George Best is easily the best possible introduction to the band's work; it's also a fine introduction to the entire C-86 scene that's had such an impact on British rock. It would be impossible to name the &standout& tracks, since the band's strength lies in the fact that every tune is so solid: it should suffice to mention &Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft,& &My Favourite Dress,& &Anyone Can Make a Mistake,& a cover of the Beatles' &Getting Better,& and a French version of &Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?& (the last two featuring Heavenly/Talulah Gosh singer Amelia Fletcher) -- then remember that nearly every song in the Wedding Present catalog is just as good as those that have been picked out as singles. This here is a definite classic.