I first bought this album on CD in 2000 and then acquired this LP from eBay about five years ago. When I won the auction I assumed this record would look every bit of its forty years of age but, to my surprise it is in near perfect condition.
The album opens with the bombastic "The Chant Has Begun" which features prominent tuned tom drums that you either love or loathe. Things rattle along until a strange atonal and squeaky sax solo cuts through in what is a bizarre twist for a single. This isn't my favourite Level 42 song but I guess it must have sounded suitably anthemic to the band when they recorded it.
The next rack, "Kansas City Milkman" is a live favourite and is rightly regarded as one of the band's best. I always found the title intriguing and both the melody and groove are absolutely brilliant. This could have been a single to my ears and is criminally underrated.
The next big track on here is single "Hot Water" which lays hook upon hook and melody upon melody. Irresistible stuff. When I was a youth at school this song was held in quite high regard by kids who didn't even really like the band. Phil's drumming on "True Believers" sounds amazing and has some great interplay with Mark's bass. "My Hero" isn't on the original LP so we move to "Kouyaté" which has a Latin flavour but is probably most notable for its total lack of bass guitar. This may not seem too remarkable an observation, but when you have become accustomed to the constant chug of Mark's slap bass on all the other tracks, its absence becomes quite striking. This is another good album but it still lacks the clinical songwriting and pop sheen of the records that would drive the band to commercial success and my attention. 3/5
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