Despite falling further and further out of love with the modern output of Wayne Hussey and friends, I still have affection for the early years, so approached this release with enthusiasm. Disc One is essentially the previously released Salad Daze, which comprised of BBC Sessions, with the addition of versions of "Blood Brother" and "And the Dance Goes On". The last nine songs on Disc Three have been released as No Snow, No Show For The Eskimo. In between there is live material from Reading Festival in 1987 and Wembley Arena 1988. As I never got round to buying Salad Daze or No Snow, No Show this all is new material to me.

For the most part the collected sessions from Janice Long, Liz Kershaw and Richard Skinner shows are slightly less polished versions of songs 'properly' recorded elsewhere. The rawness gives the songs new life, especially if you've already listened to them as often as I have. Free cover "Wishing Well" in particular is quick and dirty, which is just how I like it. Sometimes. Intriguingly Hussey, during "Blood Brother", dedicates his passion towards the fans, specifically the 'Eskimos' rather than Ian Astbury. I find the change rather jarring, but no doubt it was a thrill to the people involved. There are precious few rarities, but "Shelter From The Storm" makes a welcome appearance. It's never going to be my favourite Mission song, though the fact that I've heard it less than the other songs wins it points. "Deliverance" features slightly different lyrics from the recorded version. The piano version of "Butterfly On A Wheel (Richard Skinner 7/2/1990)" takes a wet song and makes it wetter. "Bird of Passage (Richard Skinner 7/2/1990)" always makes me smile, if only because I had a friend who convinced me that Bruce Springsteen had once done a cover of it. This acoustic version isn't my favourite version, but it's still a great song.

CD Two kicks off with the Reading Festival show, with the band firing on all cylinders. Like the session tracks on the first CD, this sees the band in rough and ready, yet thrilling, form. The way the guitars ring out during "And The Dance Goes On" is particularly beguiling. One highlight is "Wake", which is given a radical make over. The band – especially Wayne – is particularly hyperactive during "Bridges Burning". The guitar in "Child's Play" sounds particularly snake-like. It's in this song that Wayne sings himself raw in an effort to keep up with the music. Though enjoyable the Wembley Arena set doesn't offer any great surprises. The Mission weren't a band to reinvent songs. Of course when Hussey was to do this for his solo album Resurrection in 2000 the results were hideous, so perhaps it is for the best. "Tower Of Strength" seems to last forever. In a good way. The addition guitar noodling is welcome. "Crystal Ocean" brings this CD, though not the concert, to a close.

The live rendition of "Dream On" from Wembley Arena 1998 is more drawn out than the recorded version. It would have been interesting to have been there to see what the reaction of the crowd was. It sounds as if the band is slowly grinding to a halt, a halt that contains a slow and painful death. The screams of the crowd seem to imply they enjoyed the hysterical performance. Personally I'm rather glad to move onto a thunderous version of "Sacrilege". I love "Beyond The Pale" in most of its forms, including this one. I wonder where one can purchase a 'treacherous Bible' to learn of 'murder, hate and war'? Otherwise while the songs are enjoyable in these versions they aren't different enough from the album to warrant investigation, except by hard core fans.

It's unlikely you will listen to all three CDs chronologically, but I am doing so for the purposes of this review. At this point I'm on the 39th song by the time the Manchester Apollo gig starts. I'm beginning to think it might be nice to listen to someone else. At least "Wasteland" has an extended instrumental coda, before Wayne does his 'Heaven and hell…' bit. It marks the song out as a little different from the recorded version. It's a cosmetic change though. "Into The Blue" gets a new moody introduction, but once again it's a small change. Fans of the piano version of "Kingdom Come" will enjoy the rendition here, though the gaps between bits of singing seem to deliberately taunt the audience. Or at least give them cause to worry about the health of the band. These silences disappear as the song progresses. "Deliverance" has always been at home in the live setting, so it's fitting that this brings the CD to a close. Wayne is enjoying himself so much he allows himself a little giggle towards the end.

It is difficult to know who this collection is aimed at. Hard core fans will already own Salad Daze and No Snow, No Show, but might be relied upon to buy this for the Reading Festival and Wembley Arena shows. The casual fan would be better served by buying the proper albums, especially in their recently re-released forms. There is wealth of Mission material at the moment, including the re-released albums, five CDs worth of live material from the band's Shepherds Bush Empire gigs. Someone, somewhere has realised how big The Mission were – and presumably continue to be. It's just a pity that this recognition has gone hand-in-hand with Wayne's decision to end the band. On the other hand, having heard the band's last album, God Is A Bullet, perhaps it is for the best that we enjoy the glory days long gone.