The making of
OX4

Here Andy explains the reasons behind the new box set:

Ever since the band split in 1996, there has been talk of releasing a ‘Best Of’. Creation would bring it up now and again and we’d say ‘Yes, we really should’, and nothing would happen. Then in 1998, we got around to meeting up over it. Mark invited us all round, it was the first time we’d all been in the same room since the split. We decided to go ahead and do it, try and get it out before the end of the century.

The ‘Best Of’ track selection was fairly easy. Some representative tracks from the first EPs, all the single A-sides, and an album track each off the first three albums (which was our spot to put our favourites in).

Pretty soon we were talking about a 3-CD version. We’d been toying with the idea of releasing a ‘Hatful Of Hollow’ type odds’n’sods album as early as 1993, between Going Blank Again and Carnival Of Light. We’d got a track listing together and made tapes, so it was an easy step to update that idea for a new box set.

As for the live CD, it just fitted. I’d like to do a “Best Of Live” album one day, but for this box, we agreed that a whole gig would be best, and Reading was us on peak form.

Shortly after we met up at Mark's, Dave Newton took the plans to Creation and came back with a catalogue number and release date (January 2000, the tenth anniversary of the first EP release). We met up again and divided out the work involved. Mark would mix the Reading set with Alan Moulder, Steve would compile the unreleased tracks, Loz would oversee the artwork and I would sort out the Website.

Then, before we could get our teeth into it all, Creation folded, and our release (along with many others) was left high and dry. Our contractual position suddenly became really complicated because the tapes were now owned by Sine (a division of Sony). So, with no money to spend on legal fees and no record company behind the release, we ran aground. But after some scouting around from Dave, for labels that might be interested, word got to Ignition that we were in search of a label, and by late 2000, they had reached agreement with us to release the Best of, Box Set, and also the original albums, all re-mastered and with their corresponding b-sides added as extra tracks.

Article courtesy of www.rideox4.com