The Best of Steve Diggle and Flag of Convenience – The Secret Public Years 1981–1989


The Best of Steve Diggle and Flag of Convenience – The Secret Public Years 1981–1989 is a CD compilation of Buzzcocks' Steve Diggle's first solo days and his subsequent band, Flag of Convenience, which compiles his post-Buzzcocks songs from 1981 to 1989, during the years Buzzcocks remained disbanded. It was released in 1994 in the UK on Anagram Records.

Critical reception

AllMusic wrote, "It's not that the first 13 tracks, from '81-'86, aren't of good quality -- they are. But it's the final eight songs that should have led-off here, in establishing Diggle as one of the most important and overlooked artists in all of Britain during the '80s."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Steve Diggle and credited to Flag of Convenience; except where indicated.
  1. "Shut Out the Light" – 2:54
  2. "50 Years of Comparative Wealth" – 3:45
  3. "Here Comes the Fire Brigade" – 3:56
  4. "Life on the Telephone" – 5:24
  5. "Picking Up on Audio Sound" – 3:24
  6. "Other Mans Sin" – 4:48
  7. "Men from the City" – 4:54
  8. "Who Is Innocent" – 3:54
  9. "Drift Away" – 3:49
  10. "Change" – 2:49
  11. "Longest Life" – 3:26
  12. "The Arrow Has Come" – 3:27
  13. "Keep on Pushing" – 4:10
  14. "Pictures in My Mind" – 2:42
  15. "Last Train to Safety" – 4:20
  16. "Exiles" – 3:04
  17. "Can't Stop the World" – 2:06
  18. "Shot Down with a Gun" – 4:16
  19. "Tragedy in Market Street" – 4:14
  20. "Tomorrow's Sunset" – 4:06
  21. "Life with the Lions" – 3:35
;Origin
  • Tracks 1–3 from 50 Years of Comparative Wealth EP, 1981.
  • Tracks 4–6 from "Life on the Telephone" single, 1982
  • Tracks 7–12 from The Big Secret, 1984
  • Track 13 from "New House" single, 1986
  • Track 14 from Northwest Skyline, 1987
  • Track 15 from "Last Train to Safety" EP, 1987
  • Tracks 16–19 from Exiles EP, 1988
  • Tracks 20–21 from "Tomorrow's Sunset" single, 1989

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album liner notes, except where noted.
;Musicians
;Technical
  • Steve Diggle – producer
  • Flag of Convenience – producer
  • Hugh Murphy – producer
  • Gary Hamer – producer
  • Martin Hannett – producer