REVIEWS

Best known for their 1988 single “Crash”— a classic slice of pure pop sweetness that reached No. 5 on the U.K. singles chart and made inroads on U.S. radio — The Primitives were more than simply a one-hit wonder. This comprehensive 5-disc, 118-track box, which compiles the band’s three RCA albums, their pre-major label indie recordings and a disc’s worth of BBC sessions (along with assorted bonus tracks and four previously unissued cuts), provides plenty of aural evidence.

Led by the sugary, alluring lead vocals of Tracy Tracy (born Tracy Cattell) and an instrumental attack fed by guitars that alternately jangled and buzzed, the band’s three albums proper have much to recommend. 1988’s Lovely includes “Crash,” as well as the fuzz-drenched, punky “Spacehead” (with its irresistible “sha-la-la-la-la” vocal hook) and the singles “Thru the Flowers,” “Out of Reach” and “Ocean Blue.” The super-distorted, fuzzed-out guitars on “Thru the Flowers” are a bit over the top; the pre-RCA version found on disc one of the box, titled “Thru the Flowers (New Version),” allows more of the tune’s innate sunniness to shine through.

Although it included several excellent tracks, 1989’s Pure was less successful commercially than its predecessor. “Secrets” is a boppy piece of ear candy, but only managed to reach No. 49 on the U.K. chart when released as a single; “Sick of It” fared somewhat better, rising to No. 24, but may have confused some record buyers as it featured more of a churning, Stone Roses-influenced sound. The snappy, ’60s-imbued “Way Behind Me” was The Primitives’ second most popular song in the U.S. (after “Crash”) and was included on some versions of Lovely as well as Pure.

The band’s swansong, 1992’s , was a commercial flop and The Primitives disbanded not long after: takes of the Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” Elvis Presley’s “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)” and a hyped up reading of the Stones’ “As Tears Go By” (which incorporates more than a little from “Crash”) are all quite fine, as is a live bash-up of the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”