This, I seem to remember is the bands first album with just Anne and JJ, with Gary having left the year before. Things kick off with "Galleons of Stone" which features a sample we will hear in at least one other track on the album. Interestingly writing credits for this track are are for JJ alone. Following this short introduction we are presented with music from the motion picture "Dragnet". Whilst this is a highly competent stab at the movie theme, it is hardly awe inspiring. Not even the remix issued the following year or the Arthur Baker 'hip hop' remix rescue the source material really. "Fin Du Temps" gives those "Yes" sampled drums an outing before we hear the short vocal piece "How Rapid?". The next real song of any note is "Opus for Four" which is great and only sounds dated by its Fairlight double bass sample. Next is an orchestral piece called "Debut" which is a beautifully arranged composition that demonstrates how talented Anne is before it delivers a cheeky finale. "E.F.L." is strewn with samples (OK, so how many of these tracks aren't) that builds into a rather lush ending featuring some great improvisation by Anne at the piano.
Side two starts with "Ode to Don Jose". I've seen people describe this track as "quirky" elsewhere on the internet, but that doesn't even begin to do it justice in my opinion. I find this song beautiful and almost moving. I especially like what I think are Roland D-50 patches mixed in with the Fairlight. Then we have an interlude featuring snippets of conversations and ambience from the recording of the orchestra for "Debut" before "Day at the Races" comes thundering along. I have always thought this song was quite funky and would have suited a more dance orientated approach to the mix. Having said that I love this track as it is.
"Counterpoint" is another piece for choir written by Anne. It is clear the band had been given the freedom to peruse whatever direction interested them and the eclectic mix of sounds means the album never gets boring. "Roundabout 727" features a more contemporary drum machine than the traditional Fairlight samples but frustratingly I can't pick out which one it is. "Ransom on the Sand" picks up the distinctive sample used on "Galleons of Stone" and "Day at the Races" and gives it a solo outing. "Roller 1" is a track that veers between the amusing Fairlight samples the band had employed for the previous four years and the newer sounds provided by the gear available in 1987.
"Nothing was Going to Stop Them, Anyway" is another one of Anne's short compositions for choir that segues into the wonderful "Crusoe". This is one of those more ambient tracks that can only be The Art of Noise. Four minutes of bliss. I'm not keen on the yodeling of Peter Rowan on "One Earth" - in fact I hate it. But this tracks does prove JJ and Anne were there long before "Deep Forest".
So despite the ending, I like this album and I can recommend the double CD edition with lots of additional tracks and precursors that reveal the origins of some of the tracks. I might even delve into the recent repressing in the hope it doesn't sound as bad as the last one. 3/5
