At their very best,
the Fixx were one of the great singles bands of the new wave era. They often don't get credit for it because they were a little out of step with the times. They certainly weren't as dark as the legions of critically acclaimed post-punk bands like
the Cure and
Gang of Four, nor were they as lightly quirky as many of the early-MTV one-hit wonders or as fashionable as the new romantics. Instead,
the Fixx picked up the album rock side of
David Bowie, which meant that they were briefly in step with the times in the early '80s but then could carry on in the years immediately following new wave since they were just slightly more traditional than their peers. In both their new wave and post-new wave incarnations,
the Fixx turned out a handful of terrific singles -- "Saved by Zero," "The Sign of Fire," "Are We Ourselves," "Secret Separation," and "One Thing Leads to Another," which sounds as startlingly fresh years after its recording as it did at the time. All of these songs are on the aptly titled
Ultimate Collection. In addition to the hits, the 17-track compilation contains a number of lesser-known singles and album tracks, and while they're not quite as good as the classic singles, they're still solid songs in the same vein, and anyone who believes that
the Fixx's five best singles are indeed classics should find plenty to enjoy here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine