XTC have long been considered one of the most inventive pop bands to emerge from the punk/new wave explosion of the late ‘70s.

XTC have influenced a vast cross section of bands as diverse as Sarah McLachlan, The Futrueheads, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Blur, Hot Hot Heat, Mandy Moore who covered “Senses Working Overtime” on her Coverage album and especially Franz Ferdinand. Britain's Uncut magazine has noted how Franz Ferdinand is "flushed with the art house swagger of XTC..." and Amplifier magazine has gone so far as to write that “Franz Ferdinand couldn't have existed but for XTC."

Now released for the first time in the US, The Compact XTC collects all18 of XTC’s groundbreaking UK singles that aptly showcases not only the band's best tracks, but also their importance and influence on the current music scene.

Seasoned XTC fans will want this collection not just to have all their favorite tracks in one place but so as to finally obtain the elusive UK single "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" which is not available on any other CD. And for new consumers and fans of Franz Ferdinand this collection presents a one-stop shopping solution to obtaining XTC's most indispensable tracks.