BEST OF/20TH CENTURY

The Fixx: Cy Curnin (vocals); Jamie West-Oram (guitar); Rupert Greenalls (keyboards, synthesizer). Producers: Rupert Hine, Hugh Padgham, The Fixx. Compilation producer: Mike Ragogna. Recorded between May 28, 1983 and May 24, 1986. Includes linrer notes by Tony Sachs. Digitally remastered by Elliot Federman SAJE Sound). 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection comes very close to being a flawless singles collection of one of the most underrated mainstream new wave singles bands of the early '80s. Yes, the latter-day moderate hit "Driven Out" is entirely absent, but the true complaint is that "Stand or Fall" and "Red Skies" are included in live incarnations. This, of course, isn't the first Fixx collection to suffer from that problem -- the live "Stand or Fall" was also on the first Fixx compilation -- but it's still irksome. Still, it's easy to forgive that flaw when you look at the bulk of the disc, which includes the sublime "One Thing Leads to Another," "Saved by Zero," "The Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves," and the great "Secret Separation." Those five songs hold their own with many mainstream, new wave-tinged songs from their era, while "One Thing Leads to Another" virtually defines it. All this makes this edition of 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection recommended, even if that original version of "Stand or Fall" is missing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine