From Culturedeluxe:

 

Before signing to Rough Trade and releasing the popular albums `Someone to Drive You Home` and `Couples`, The Long Blondes made their name with a quartet of single releases through various small labels.

 

`New Idols / Long Blonde` came first, released on hyper-limited edition bubblegum pink vinyl by Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation. Next came the original and best release of `Giddy Stratospheres`, the excellent but largely forgotten `Appropriation (By Any Other Name)` and shoutalong live favourite `Separated By Motorways`.

 

The rest is history, NME journalists voted them the best new band in the magazine`s 2006 poll and a room full of skinny, drainpipe-jeaned indie boys stared as Kate Jackson, dressed in her trademark neon-blue scarf and beret, filed through them to pick up the award for the band.

 

Alas, skinny, drainpipe-jeaned indie boys still rule ok as far as the magazine`s audience is concerned, and with two albums under their belt the band are still to make their mark properly.

 

Therefore, it`s the perfect time to glance back at those four releases (and two unreleased favourites of the time - `Autonomy Boy` and `Peterborough`) with the appropriately titled `Singles` album released on October 20th and featuring the following trips down the charity shops of memory lane.

 

Long Blondes - `Singles`

1. `New Idols`

2. `Long Blonde`

3. `Autonomy Boy`

4. `Giddy Stratospheres`

5. `Polly`

6. `Darts`

7. `Appropriation (By Any Other Name)`

8. `My Heart Is Out Of Bounds`

9. `Lust In The Movies`

10. `Separated By Motorways`

11. `Big Infatuation`

12. `Peterborough`

 

No `Christmas is Cancelled` (boo!) on there, but we can forgive the that I think!

 

So is this just basically a collection of pre-'Someone To Drive You Home' songs and singles from that album then?

Not at all - it's the four singles that were released before the band signed with Rough Trade. The songs that are on 'Someone to Drive You Home' were all re-recorded and these are the original versions. It was these releases that caused the big signing battle and their NME writers award so they're definitely worth getting hold of.

Ah thanks. :D I'll be looking out for them then!