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May 11, 2023 Web Exclusive By Ian Rushbury

Back in ye days of olde, bands would release albums or CDs which bolted together rare stuff, live tracks, and B-sides. Often these were paired with the obligatory “greatest hits” album as an enticement for hardcore fans to pony up for 19 tracks they already had, for the sake of the one that they didn’t. The 2023 model differs, in as much as record labels don’t even compile these tracks onto one record any more—they just repress them and stick them in a box. The good news is that you occasionally get a great collection of beautifully presented artifacts. The bad news is that you might have to sell a body part to fund the purchase.

The Singles – Volume 01, fortunately for all, is a collection of lovely things. Someone in The Strokes’ camp definitely has an eye for graphic design as all 10 7-inch singles in the box have superb sleeves. The designs seem rooted in the late’70s/early ’80s New Wave style, which is wholly appropriate. They’ve also taken another leaf from the golden age of the 45— the non-album B-side. You might be able to dial up their version of “Mercy, Mercy Me” (originally the flipside to “You Only Live Once”) anytime you like, courtesy of YouTube, but now you have the chance to hold it in your hands. You also get a bunch of other tunes which, up until now, were impossible to get as a new, physical thing.

There’s nothing unique to this collection. You get the band’s first 10 singles in faithfully reproduced packaging and that’s it. It’s an interesting sampler platter of their early albums and a nice collection of some interesting home recordings and live tracks and oddities. If you simply must have everything that bears The Strokes’ name, then here you go, just be prepared to put in a few hours of overtime to pay for it. If not, well there’s always YouTube… (www.thestrokes.com)

Author rating: 7/10