Originally a Northern Irish, London based quintet with an American singer, the band got together following the demise of Top 40 hitmakers and John Peel favourites The Undertones, their name inspired by the title of a song by another Derry outfit, Bam Bam & The Calling. Too late for Punk, too early for Grunge, That Petrol Emotion's output merged well-written melodic tunes with political statement. Sleeve artwork became informative newsletters. Singles and albums received rapturous reviews, gigs were sold-out joyous affairs. Later recordings bought in elements of hip-hop and Celtic folk. The band were always difficult to categorise and impossible to load onto a bandwagon, although no one could accuse the band of dabbling. As this collection shows, across the course of their ten years together, the quality of their songwriting never let up.

“Their music is in a constant, latently violent, state of flux, sometimes overloaded, sometimes taut and splintered: a different kind of tension. For That Petrol Emotion, pop music is certainly not enough...They want to burn, to beat out a music that redefines itself, extends the boundaries.” Sean O’Hagan, NME, 1986 The choice of the word 'burn' in Sean O'Hagan's piece for the NME is a common theme in articles about That Petrol Emotion. Words like 'incendiary' and 'subversive' were often bandied about, although that key phrase 'pop music' is equally if not more important.

And it has been said you can judge a band by their choice of cover versions - within these seven discs are the band's take on songs by Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu, War, Hamilton Bohannon, Can, Neil Young, The Beatles, The Membranes, Leonard Cohen and Iggy Pop. Perhaps the most extraordinary fact about That Petrol Emotion is no one has seen fit to compile all or some of their works - that is until now. With full co-operation from the band, this comprehensive 121 track 7 CD collection brings together all five of their studio albums plus a typically energy-packed live recording from May 1994. It celebrates a body of work that has stood the test of time and - all these years later - undoubtedly still deserves a wider audience.

TRACK LISTING

Disc One: Manic Pop Thrill (1985 - 86)
1. Fleshprint
2. Can't Stop
3. Lifeblood
4. Natural Kind Of Joy
5. It's A Good Thing
6. Circusville
7. Mouth Crazy
8. Tightlipped
9. A Million Miles Away
10. Lettuce
11. Cheapskate
12. Blindspot
13. Keen
14. Zig-Zag Wanderer
15. V2
16. The Deadbeat
17. Mine
18. Jesus Says
19. Non-Alignment Pact (Live At The Electric Ballroom, May 22nd 1986)

Disc Two: Babble (1987)
1. Swamp
2. Spin Cycle
3. For What It's Worth
4. Big Decision
5. Static 6. Split!
7. Belly Bugs
8. In The Playpen
9. Inside
10. Chester Burnette
11. Creeping To The Cross
12. Big Decision (Extended Version)
13. Soul Deep
14. Big Decision (Jet Fuel Mix)
15. Swamp (Extended Remix)
16. Creeping To The Cross (Shorter & Better)
17. Dance Your Ass Off
18. Swamp (Live, May 1987)
19. Me And Baby Brother (Live, May 1987)
20. Creeping To The Cross (Live, May 1987)
21. Genius Move
22. Party Games

Disc Three: End Of The Millennium Psychosis Blues (1988-89)
1. Sooner Or Later
2. Every Little Bit
3. Cellophane
4. Candy Love Satellite
5. Here It Is...Take It!
6. The Price Of My Soul
7. Groove Check
8. The Bottom Line
9. Tension
10. Tired Shattered Man
11. Goggle Box
12. Under The Sky
13. Think Of A Woman
14. Hot Head
15. Groove Check (10" Mix)
16. Chemicrazy
17. Under The Sky (Live)
18. Genius Move (Live)
19. Mother Sky (Live)

Disc Four: Chemicrazy (Part 1 - 1990)
1. Hey Venus
2. Blue To Black
3. Mess Of Words
4. Sensitize
5. Another Day
6. Gnaw Mark
7. Scum Surfin'
8. Compulsion
9. Tingle
10. Head Staggered
11. Abandon
12. Sweet Shiver Burn
13. Jewel
14. Abandon (Boy's Own Mix)
15. Fat Mouth Creed

Disc Five: Chemicrazy (Part 2 1990 - 91)
1. Chemicrazy (Revitalized)
2. Cinnamon Girl
3. Groove Check (Check This Groove Out)
4. Hey Venus (Mad Thatcher Disease Mix) [Long Version]
5. Light & Shade
6. Tingle (Hard Boppin' Mix)
7. Hey Bulldog (Live)
8. Head Staggered (Live At The Whiskey L.A.)
9. Scum Surfin' (Live At The Whiskey L.A.)
10. Everybody's Goin' Triple Bad Acid Yeah!
11. Stories Of The Street

Disc Six: Fireproof (1993)
1. Detonate My Dreams
2. Catch A Fire
3. Last Of The True Believers
4. Too Late Blues
5. 7th Wave
6. Infinite Thrill
7. Speed Of Light
8. Shangri-La
9. Heartbeat Mosaic
10. Metal Mystery
11. Everlasting Breath (Demo)
12. Last Of The True Believers (Alternative Version)
13. Detonate My Dreams (Alternative Version)
14. Blue To Black (Franz Treichler Remix)
15. Big Human Thing (Demo)
16. Fun Time
17. Little Big Man
18. Chrome

Disc Seven: Final Flame (Fire, Detonation & Sublime Chaos) (1994).
1. Catch A Fire (Live, May 1994)
2. Infinite Thrill (Live, May 1994)
3. Shangri-La (Live, May 1994)
4. Genius Move (Live, May 1994)
5. It's A Good Thing (Live, May 1994)
6. Hey Venus (Live, May 1994)
7. Sensitize (Live, May 1994)
8. Tingle (Live, May 1994)
9. Head Staggered (Live, May 1994)
10. Detonate My Dreams (Live, May 1994)
11. Mouth Crazy (Live, May 1994)
12. Big Decision (Live, May 1994)
13. Sweet Shiver Burn (Live, May 1994)
14. Abandon (Live, May 1994)
15. Chemicrazy (Live, May 1994)
16. Blue To Black (Live, May 1994)
17. Scum Surfin' (Live, May 1994)

Following the split of John O'Neil band's former band the Undertones, the guitarist and principal songwriter returned to his hometown of Derry and teamed up with friend and fellow guitarist Raymond Gorman (ex- Bam Bam And The Calling) the two formed first a new songwriting project and then a new band, playing a couple of gigs with a drum machine and Gorman's then-girlfriend as a singer. Another friend, drummer Ciaran McLaughlin (formerly with The Corner Boys), but who had also played a few Undertones gigs covering for an absent Billy Doherty) was the next member to join. In autumn 1984, the nascent That Petrol Emotion relocated to London, where the existing three members were joined by John's brother and former Undertones lead guitarist Damiel O'Neil who turned down an invitation to join Dexy's Midnight Runners in order to work with TPE). Seattle- born American singer Steve Mack (at the time, on a year out from his studies and working in a pizzeria ) completed the lineup. In 2020, comedian Paul Whitehouse revealed that he had unsuccessfully auditioned for the band during this period.

This, The band's second album and major label debut (released in 1987) broke into the UK Album Chart and won universal acclaim, being voted as one of the albums of the year by Rolling Strone Magazine critics, and receiving an A- 'grade' from Robert Christgau. In the UK, the single "Big Decision" charted at number 42. This would be the band's highest chart position for a single release.

TRACK LISTING

Swamp
Spin Cycle
For What It's Worth
Big Decision
Static
Split
Belly Bags
In The Playpen / Inside
Chester Burnette
Creeping To The Cross
Big Decision (Extended)
Swamp (Extended)
Creeping To The Cross (7 Inch)
Soul Deep (B- Side)
Dance Your Ass Off (B-Side)