As one of the great "lost" bands of the Liverpool scene, it is surprising that it has taken so long for the Wild Swans early material to appear on CD for the first time. Thankfully it's been worth the wait. After the gloriously naive first single 'Revolutionary Spirit' the group recorded three Peel Sessions which make up the bulk of this two CD collection. Then came the disappointing split with guitarist Jeremy Kelly and keyboard player Gerard Quinn forming the Lotus Eaters whilst singer and ex-Teardrop Explodes member Paul Simpson formed Care with Ian Broudie making this a kind of family tree of Scouse indie-rockers. Certainly Simpson was no match for Coyle in the vocal stakes; sometimes his voice is embarrassing off-key (just listen to 'Opium' for the proof) yet what he lacks in range he makes up for in emotional impact; 'God Forbid', 'Now You're Perfect' and 'The Iron Bed' are spirited pop magic spells whose heart remains undiminished. The second CD covers some of their later material and is noteworthy for the way in which the band have eased back a little on the drama with Simpson now positioned somewhere between OMD's Andy McCluskey and his former writing partner Broudie. Pretty, Durutti Column-esque ditties like 'Northern England', and 'Crowning Glory' could have appeared on a Lotus Eaters album. Some inessential live tracks complete an otherwise superb package of polished gems.