I received the CD of this album as a Christmas present in 1989 and I listened to it a lot; and I mean A LOT. Therefore I recognise that familiarity and rose tinted spectacles will cloud my judgement here.
Whilst this record represents a move back towards a 'band recording' the end result is much better than the last time Dave and Annie attempted such a thing. Unlike the horror show that is "Revenge", the compositions on this album are strong enough to withstand the antiquated rock production and the album is an unqualified success.
Things kick off with the title track which is a lively rock outing with more than enough keyboard overdubs to keep me interested. However, as a general comment, I would say that Annie doesn't need backing vocalists and they sound completely misplaced here. Next track "King and Queen of America" sounds like a calculated effort to appeal to the all important American market with its rasping brass arrangement and driving beat. Generally I'm not a fan of acoustic drums and they sound especially insipid on songs like this.
"(My My) Baby's Gonna Cry" ensures that the band's penchant for parenthesis continues and Dave even gets to sing. This song was released as a single in the USA and there is a nice remix that is more dance orientated. In my teenage years I was a little bit obsessed by "Don't Ask Me Why" and hearing it now, I understand why. This song and its execution are flawless. I still treasure my limited edition 12" bought all those years ago (for some reason I found CD singles really hard to come by in the late eighties and early nineties and I always ended up with the vinyl).
"Angel" is one of those haunting but strangely inspiring songs which sees Annie deliver an exquisite vocal. "Revival" made for an odd choice as a single as it didn't strike me as being especially catchy and it suffers from backing vocals that are too intrusive. "You Hurt Me (and I hate You)" is a nice song that delivers a stinging retort most of us have wanted to deliver from time to time. "Sylvia" is a vivid tale that was strong enough to make me wince a little when it played in my headphones on the walk to school all those years ago. Unfortunately "How Long?" is a little like album filler and doesn't quite cut the mustard for me.
The pinnacle of the album comes with the final song "When the Day Goes Down" which is nothing short of a masterpiece; I can't tell you how many times I have fast forwarded a cassette to get to this song. The atmospheric introduction gradually builds into a soaring anthem that I find strangely affecting. "All the people of this lonely world, have a piece of pain inside." 4/5
