The up-and-down career of Britain's XTC will be celebrated with a four-disc box set due for release in March.

The set, dubbed "A Coat Of Many Cupboards," was compiled with the participation of XTC's Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding and features 60 tracks spanning the group's time with Virgin (the group has since left the label), EMI/Virgin announced.

The set will include a booklet with Partridge and Moulding commenting on each track, plus an essay by XTC expert Harrison Sherwood.

Key for longstanding XTC fans is a handful of demos and rare recordings. Disc one, which covers the years 1977 to 1979, includes a demo of "Science Fiction",recorded for CBS records, before the group had signed to Virgin; a live version of "Spinning Top"; a Mutt Lange produced version of "This Is Pop"; a discarded recording of "Life Begins At The Hop"; a demo of "Making Plans For Nigel"; and the outtake "Sleepyheads."

Disc two covers 1979 through 1981 and includes a live version of "Meccanik Dancing"; an alternate take of "Reel By Real"; a rehearsal of "Generals And Majors"; a recording of Partridge as he writes "Senses Working Overtime"; and a version of "Ball And Chain" produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.

Disc three covers the period from 1981 to 1986 and includes a Langer/Winstanley production of "Punch And Judy"; the song "Fly On The Wall"; an Old Grey Whistle Test performance of "Yacht Dance"; the demo for "Grass"; and Dave Gregory's home demo for "Dear God."

Disc four runs from 1987 to 1992 and includes the B-side "Terrorism"; a writing-session tape for "Mayor Of Simpleton"; the demo for "The Ballad Of Peter Pumpkin Head"; and a BBC recording of "Books Are Burning."