Scatter – Lost Not Lost Volume II is a remastered and expanded 2026 version of no-man’s official bootleg Lost Songs CDR from 1999 (a release that partly led to the creation of the Burning Shed label in 2001).
Containing material recorded between 1991 and 1997, Tim Bowness and Steven Wilson are joined by guest appearances from Robert Fripp, Mel Collins, Theo Travis and Colin Edwin.
I am pleased that this collection is getting a wider release, as there are plenty of songs here that could have easily been included on no-man albums. The 2025 remaster is a subtle one (the tracks sounded great in their original form) but this is the definitive version of these wonderful 90s no-man tracks.
One of the most pleasing aspects of Scatter for me is that this is mostly no-man with the heavy beats, with plenty of trips to the darker, more twisted side of the band. This is particularly notable on the album opener, the mighty Gothgirl Killer (what a great title). With lyrics that drip with pure lust and a filthy, fuzzy bassline, this song would not appear in the soundtrack of a Richard Curtis rom-com.
“Rita Hayworth, love goddess,
slips into her favourite dress.
I look at you, you’re such a mess –
but that’s the way I like you.“
Gothgirl Killer is a jazz stained, funky pop piece, that captivates you with a wide-eyed stare and mascara running down its angry face. I’ll love you till you love me again.
All the Reasons dials down the intensity a little, with a measured groove and some delicious guitar lines. The song contains a classic, uplifting no-man chorus that invokes some of the blistering summer heat of Days In The Trees.
“In the end, there’s only us”
Samaritan Snare is film-noir no-man, with double bass and sax over scratched guitar and radio effect Bowness vocals on the verse, until the chorus goes wide-screen. I’m baffled as to how this stunning track did not make in onto a “regular” no-man album.
The Night Sky is a variation on the Speak track Night Sky, Sweet Earth, with more pace and reworked lyrics and re-worked arrangement. This is my favourite version of the song, and it features one a standout Bowness vocal performance.
As someone who for a while worked in Catford (South-East London), the brooding Catford Gun Supply reminds me of the close proximity of a gun-shop near to the Eros House housing office I worked in. This short wordless piece is a perfect palette cleanser for the pure-pop of the track that follows, Days Like These. I don’t think I have ever heard such a frothy, perfectly palatable pop song with such bitter and twisted lyrics. So very no-man!
“like visions of those bowie fakes
your evil parents love to hate.”
Days in the Trees – Bach proves that is impossible to have too many versions of this early no-man classic. Paradub takes elements of Painting Paradise and veers off in a more dub-like direction, whilst Hard Shoulder (a wonderful motorway pun of a title) is a Fripp filled exploration of Flowermouth‘s Soft Shoulders, and ends the trio of explorations of previously released material. The guitar lines weave effortlessly in and out of the bass and beats.
Love Among the White Trash is a distant cousin of both Sweetheart Raw and Beautiful And Cruel, but works particularly well as part of the Scatter compilation. A successful adoption for this wayward child of a song!
Amateurwahwah gives off Talk Talk vibes to me, on one of the most sparse arrangements on the album. The track started out as one of the band’s self-imposed one-hour experiments, where Tim and Steven set themselves an hour to write, record and complete pieces, although Amateurwahwah was eventually subject to some post production. Drug Me sees the appearance of the distorted bass as a lead-instrument. Again, this would not seem out of place on a no-man album, and Tim’s lyrics are brutal.
Pale as Angels is a painfully short dreamlike piece that is kicked into touch as the beats return on Coming Through Slaughter, possibly inspired by the 1976 Michael Ondaatje novel set in New Orleans with the same title? That could be utter bollocks, but I love the juxtaposition of the breakbeats and the heavy, distorted guitar lines that give the song a unique character.
Scatter ends with Best Boy Electric (Sing To Me), that Tim Bowness fans will know from the later fully developed piece on his Stupid Things That Mean The World album. This is a one minute no-man short piece that was created not long after Flowermouth, but not explored any further by the band. Just piano and vocals, the melody is perfectly intact and is unique to this collection, as it did not appear on the original Lost Songs CD-R back in 1999.
Scatter – Lost Not Lost Volume II works well as a “lost” no-man album in its own right, and will be loved by fans of the band, especially those who lean towards their more beat-driven and experimental side.
No longer lost, but finally found.
Buy Scatter on CD from Burning Shed
Buy Scatter in digital format from no-man’s Bandcamp page
Scatter Tracklist
Gothgirl Killer (1997)
All the Reasons (1994)
Samaritan Snare (1997)
The Night Sky (1994)
Catford Gun Supply (1997)
Days Like These (1994)
Days in the Trees – Bach (1991)
Paradub (1993)
Hard Shoulder (1994)
Love Among the White Trash (1993)
Amateurwahwah (1996)
Drug Me (1996)
Pale as Angels (1994)
Coming Through Slaughter (1994)
Best Boy Electric (Sing To Me) (1994)
Mr Kinski's Music Shack 
Leave a comment