'One of the greatest British songwriters of recent years is back in town...' Dave Thompson/Goldmine

Drawn from Martin Gordon's trio of solo releases (The Baboon in the Basement/2003, The Joy of More Hogwash/2004 and God's on His Lunchbreak/2005), How Am I Doing So Far? rounds up the work of the pop composer described as one of the greatest British songwriters of recent years. As you will know, if you've got your wits about you, because it's printed just above. His epicurean skills, honed to perfection in the musical kitchens of the great and good (as well as the dull and awful), have attracted gourmet music fans the world over, and even from as far away as France.

Driven to resume his solo career after working with other musicians for donkey's years, he's released one album every twelve months so far (the so-called Mammal Trilogy), and this year will see two releases, in the shape of this Best Of, to be followed by Part IV of the Trilogy. (IV means four, not as in 'I'V got a lovely bunch of coconuts';. He wanted to be a judge but didn't have the Latin). His is a creation of pop music for grown-ups. Recalling that pop was once NOT a nasty word but (whisper it quietly) an intelligent means of expression, he is bemused by the wholesale invasion of the territory of pop by cabaret dance groups and gangs of burglars. Other things which bemuse him are the ongoing, all-pervading idiocy of much of daily life; to paraphrase Frank Zappa, which he sometimes does, 'Rather than a carbon-based life form, humanity must be stupidity-based, there's much more of it about'

Featured on this compendium of aural delights are songs about Nigerian email scams, technology (he has missed the universal serial bus;, he rather unbelievably claims at one point), relationships with alien lovelies, Heaven run by the Germans, age as a cricketing metaphor, marital problems, xenophobia, instant fame and of course the title track, in which he wonders why despite his plethora of gold chains and mobile phones, nobody takes him seriously. Of course the protagonists are not necessarily the performers, it scarcely needs pointing out. Or perhaps it does, in which case you should investigate his book, The Illustrated and Annotated Companion Volume to God's on His Lunchbreak, which depicts the characters appearing in those tunes (available from the website).

Believing that a well-chosen cover says a lot about a man, he includes material from other writers on each outing, and covers here include The Captain of the Pinafore (Gilbert & Sullivan's naval romp), Every Little Thing by the Beatles and, of course, the immortal Love Power from Mel Brooks film the Producers. The release also includes previously unavailable material, tunes recorded at the time of Baboon and Hogwash, a remix and an original demo.

Supported, but not literally, by a small cast of superbly equipped musicians, bass player Gordon enlists Pelle Almgren on vocals and Chris Townson on drums. Townson was formerly a member of original teen outrage band John's Children and once stood in for an unavailable Keith Moon on a Who tour. Almgren is a Swedish rock star who tuned his back on fame and fortune in the mid-90s to become an estate agent. Guitar duties are shared between Andy Reimer (German, sausages) and Enrico Antico (Italy, omerta, stilettos).

Names which occur in Gordon's officially recommended list might include Gilbert and Sullivan, System Of A Down, Noel Coward, the Move, Frank Zappa and Todd Rundgren, all manifestations of pop wearing its finest clothing.

REVIEWS SO FAR....

I 94 Bar...........Quite simply, what ears were attached to human heads for, impeccably built from the foundation up, no chinks in the armor, instantly imprinted on the frontal lobe and, aside from Todd Rundgren, 10cc, and Robyn Hitchcock, the type of otherworldly, necromantic pop you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

All Music Guide.........Since finally breaking the 25 year semi-silence that followed the end of Radio Stars, Martin Gordon is clearly of the opinion that, if you have a successful formula, stick to it. And the fact that the only formula he adheres to is one of maniacal brilliance, all breakneck wordplay and punch-drunk powerpop, only confirms it. If there was such a genre, and we weren’t all such snobs, (God) would be the Modern Vaudeville album of the age, the natural successor to every Bonzos, Neil Innes and, yes, Radio Stars record you ever loved. But there isn’t and we are, so we’ll just remember this. If God really is on his lunchbreak, you know he has Martin Gordon in his i-Pod.

Popular 1, Spain.............Plagued with delicious references, irresistible pop-rock harmonies and an acute sense of British humour that is a genuine exception in the times we're living today. Martin Gordon and his band redefine the term 'pop music for grown ups' through a universe where multicoloured melodies, Monty Pythonian tales and sheer magic are the perfect passport for escape from the predictable.

Rolling Stone.................Clever pop that's every bit as twisted as the best of Robyn Hitchcock, yet rocks like Cheap Trick.