Among many compilations documenting their work throughout the years, Cabaret Voltaire's "The Living Legends" remains one of the absolute recommendations - collecting all official a- and b-sides, plus ltd edition material related to some of the official single releases here. It stands solid to the present day, where most later collections don't fully encompass, without attempt at juxtaposing their diverse but stylistically irreconcilable eras, focusing on the Rough Trade years alone and to great effect.

From 1978 through 1981, up to the departure of co-founding member Chris Watson, the Cabs produced some of the most intense music ever recorded. Even over twenty years later, the material compiled on this disc still sounds like nothing ever released before or since. Everything here is drawn from singles released during the group's shaky tenure with Rough Trade which ended in '82. It also features the entire contents of the Cabs' first 'Extended Play' release from October '78 (very hard to find up until then). All the tracks are arranged more or less chonologically so listeners can note the various evolutionary changes Kirk, Mallinder & Watson put forward through their music over those early years; from processed guitar/ambient/industrial noise ('The Set Up', 'Is That Me?') to experiments in dub, funk and minimal dance music ('Seconds Too Late', 'Silent Command'). Unlike their contemporaries, namely Throbbing Gristle (who were more into the noisy elements of industrial music), the Cabs were almost always looking into the more hypnotic and rhythmic qualities of the genre. Their musical influences like Eno and Can are noticeable--but just barely. The immediate years after punk saw an explosion of new sounds and ways of doing things and it seems for this group that there had to be some kind of relentless underlying pulse to keep the music together; this is now an element found in almost every kind of experimental music from VNV Nation to Merzbow. The 'Living Legends' release is highly recommended both for its historical importance and its innovative sonic sculptures. It's even compatible with the "Original Sound" compilation which adds LP cuts along with single cuts. A great addition to anyone's collection.