This collection celebrates the short but prolific musical career of Billy Mackenzie. It includes 4 of his best works - "Beyond The Sun" "Auchtermatic" "Transmission Impossible" and "Memory Place".

On 22nd January 1997, Billy MacKenzie (formally of TheAssociates) took his own life. He was 39 years old. He took an overdose of prescription drugs and died in a garden shed in the grounds of his father's home in Auchterhouse, Dundee.

It was the shed where he kept his beloved whippets - Billy was one of the leading trainers in the U.K. After discovering his son's body, Billy's father Jim burned the shed down. The police said there were no suspicious circumstances, and it later emerged that Billy had been suffering from depression, and had reacted badly to the death of his mother, Lily, the previous year. He left a note apologising to his family, but said nothing of a specific reason for his suicide.

The tragedy of Billy MacKenzie's death becomes even more apparent in light of a recent upturn in his career. After having spent the last ten years virtually a forgotten figure, he was planning a comeback. He'd recently signed to Nude Records, the label behind Suede, and was working on a new album, "Beyond The Sun". Billy mistrusted the music industry, believing it full of people who were manipulative and dishonest. But in Nude boss Saul Gaulpern, he had apparently found a sympathetic ear.

Billy died before "Beyond The Sun" was finished. It was left to Gaulpern to oversee its completion, and he commissioned suitably ornate piano, guitar and string-section overdubs to add colour to Billy's initial recordings.

For more information, visit this artist's webpage at indian.co.uk