The 2003 Flash and the Pan retrospective Hits Collection appears on the import-only Albert label. Its track listing is identical to the 1994 Epic release Collection, which had since fallen out of print. Obviously, "Hey St Peter" is here, as are the lesser (in America, anyway) singles "Yesterday's Gone" and "Down Among the Dead Men." Depending on your taste in new wave, these are the best tracks here, but Harry Vanda and George Young were professional songwriters, so there are also nuggets like "Media Man" and "Hey Jimmy," which sounds like Cake meeting Gary Wilson in a dark alley. Hits Collection will be essential for only the most ardent fan, if only because no one else will want to pay the steep import price. Another way to go would be the Renaissance reissue of the group's first two albums, Flash and the Pan/Lights in the Night. It includes most of their highlights, and will serve the casual listener well. [The EMI reissue maintains the Albert track list and adds a second disc of bonus material: (three remixes of "Waiting for a Train," two of "Walking in the Rain," and three mixes of "Hey St. Peter").] ~ Johnny Loftus, AMG

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