OK, I'll fess up. When I bought this cheap on Ebay earlier this month, I thought I was buying their first Cherry Red album Degenerates.
I owned both that and this one on vinyl many moons ago, but Degenerates was always the one more played, so this is like a new album to me.
It's clear from the start that this debut is a far more experimental outing than later work. Fear opens the album, a sinister repetitive piece of dark political electronica, but it's the highlight of a first half where the vocals feel muted far too low in the electronic mix, lessening the impact of some atmospheric effects. The echoing vocals on Hunt make it interesting, but there's not much else. The second half of the album has more impact, From The Heart being bleak but compelling, and Locust more upbeat, but equally dark. 16 Hours offers a little more for the listener to enjoy while the final track on the original album Prelude makes a fitting, urgent sounding climax.
This CD reissue includes 2 EPs which predated this album - all feel more vibrant and 'in your face' than the darker more muted album, without too much that stands out for the right reasons, the title track of the 1978 Love Song EP being a horribly misogynist (ironically so?) almost offensive piece, while the 1979 Taking My Time EP is a bit more basic and brighter, the title track strong, and a much more lively version of 16 Hours.
There are additionally six tracks included which were recorded in 1981 for Piccadilly Radio, My One Request being the stand out of these.
I've found this a hard album to like. It feels as if atmosphere has triumphed over substance, and the low mix of the vocals is frustrating, in that they feel they ought to be listened to.
2* - a muddy mix and the unrelenting bleakness make the main album an difficult listen
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