One of Britain’s most under-rated songwriters, Nick Lowe chipped away at pub rock (with Brinsley Schwarz) before spearheading the purest application of punk rock principals at Stiff Records and maturing into a quietly acknowledged national treasure.

(What’s So Funny ’Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding opens proceedings with a trump card – it’s a belting beat song and paves the way superbly for his most commercial work, from the punky rocker So It Goes through the pop hits (Cruel To be Kind, I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass) to the folkish Marie Provost and the primal Cracking Up.

Over on disc two you get songs like The Beast In Me that others (his one-time father-in-law Johnny Cash) made famous and a wealth of latter material reflected on matters of the heart and mortality.