The Complete Poly Styrene & X-Ray Spex

In preparation for the aural ecstacy of the new X-Ray Spex live CD and DVD of last years' Roundhouse gig I did some listening to Poly and the Spex this week and it made me wonder whether I actually have all of their songs? Impossible that I don't have them all, I know, but I wondered and pondered and then decided to ask *you*.

All right-thinking people must, of course, have 'Germfree Adolescents', that magnificent first flowering of X-Ray Spex before the band imploded. There was also a bootleg album, 'Live At The Roxy'. Both albums plus demos and John Peel sessions are on the 'Let's Submerge' double CD compilation. This completes the short life of the original Spex, with all those great singles and 'B' sides and, of course, 'Plastic Bag' (after which this blog is named). That reminds me - I need some day-glo socks again.

Poly then released her 'Translucence' album followed a few years later by the great 'Gods & Godesses' ep - why isn't this available on CD or download? A few more quiet years before 'Conscious Consumer' was released by a short-lived reformed X-Ray Spex, once again exploring themes of alienation and consumerism and including the brilliant punky-poptastic 'Party', one of my favourite Spex songs. A decade of silence followed before Poly released 'Flower Aeroplane', often referred to as 'new agey' and 'ambient' but I just hear great songs, some with the jazzy-calypso feel of some re-recorded songs from 'Translucence' and others with an Indian tinge from her time as a Krshna devotee.

And then last year Poly played two gigs as X-Ray Spex, firstly at the Love Music Hate Racism/Rock Against Racism gig at Victoria Park in the summer and then the great Roundhouse gig. This was followed by Poly's duet with Goldblade on 'City Of Christmas Ghosts', possibly the best Christmas single in the past decade (I love it).

But what else? Poly is sometimes reported to have arranged the chanting on Boy George's 'Bow Down Mister' which George still finishes his gigs with, a nice euphoric ending to his shows. She sang with Brian James on the rather drear 'Eye Witness'. And that, I think, is that. Unless you know differently? If you do, then I *need* to know.

What we really need is a box-set of all Poly's work, both solo and with the Spex. Cherry Red or Union Square or a label like that would make a great job of it, I'm sure.

The live album and DVD is released on 7 November, so there's not very long to wait. And the set includes one new song, 'Bloody War', to look forward to. We need more Poly.