By the 1980s these inventors of punk-rock as we know and love it were bone-tired and desperate, a bad combination. Despite four classic records and a cult movie, the band had generated only subpar sales and had only limited recognition outside the world of punk; they were ready to try something new. That led first to a slide into the crapper and then to their subsequent resurrection – a trajectory that is well-documented by these reissues.

End of the Century, the band's 1980 collaboration with Phil Spector, is easily their worst-ever record, and this CD offers nothing to redeem it. The album's tedious originals were steeped in resentment and reactionary politics, and with useless remakes and silly sequels, as well as Spector's mushy production, it was a rather deep pit to climb out of.

But, in fits and starts, they did manage to get back on track. It's particularly evident on the reissues of the two follow-ups, which are loaded with additional material that sheds a little light on what went wrong for them back in the day. Three outtakes on Pleasant Dreams – "Sleeping Troubles," "Stares in This Town, and "Kicks to Try" – are vastly superior to much of what made it onto the original. They are smarter and more adult ruminations than the band's standard, loony takes on alienation. The next disc, 1983's Joan Jett-ish Subterranean Jungle, is another step forward in a progression that culminated with 1984's solid Too Tough to Die.