One major component in an in-depth series of remastered releases overseen by founding member
Richard H. Kirk,
#8385 Collected Works 1983-1985 contains a core of
The Crackdown,
Micro-Phonies, Drinking Gasoline, and
The Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord. An additional disc compiles crucial 12" versions -- the format that allowed this era of
CV to truly thrive -- while another features unreleased material recorded during the same period. A pair of DVDs documents two 1984 gigs, recirculates the experimental film Gasoline in Your Eye (previously available on VHS only), and four videos. All the discs are standard foldout sleeves with individual artwork. There's a substantial book, 40 pages in length and heavy on images, with notes from
Kirk and an essay from
CV sleeve artist
Phil Barnes. Around the time of the release of this box -- available in CD and vinyl-with-CD editions -- the studio albums were also reissued separately. For serious listeners not content with the original vinyl and/or CD pressings, this excellent and thorough package is essential. ~ Andy Kellman