WHITE Ladder catapulted David Gray from way wide on the fringes to slap bang in the middle of the mainstream. Pub and club gigs were swapped for stadiums, a little critical cred happily traded in for bona fide stardom.

Those that queue up in supermarkets to buy Gray's increasingly samey records may not realise he's been in this game for at least a decade.

This round-up of his first three albums serves as a reminder of the time he sounded fresh.

Intelligent songs of highs and lows delivered with guts and charm - it's no coincidence that the likes of Faster Sooner Now and Everytime are still staples of his live sets.

Much of this owes large debts to past masters like Dylan and Van Morrison, but even the Gray-phobic will find something of merit here.