On further inspection I saw another copy for the slightly lower price of £109.99 and a signed copy at an eye watering £199.99. Admittedly these records don't seem to be selling, but the mean price on Discogs where they do sell is still around £30.
I find these prices staggering as I bought my copy ten years ago for the princely sum of £7 - and that was overpriced. I can only assume that all of the original copies have now been squirrelled away in people's record collections and demand has exceeded supply. Even a reissue in 2021 doesn't seem to have dented demand for the original. I guess this is just a sign of how the popularity of vinyl has increased in recent years.
The demand for this vinyl is quite puzzling as the album has been largely dismissed by Andy McCluskey as "messed up" and it doesn't seem to win many plaudits from fans either. Personally, I recall hearing the lead single "Stand Above Me" being played on the radio prior to the album's release and I was impressed enough to buy the CD single. This track is clearly an attempt to repeat the formula used by the hit "Sailing on the Seven Seas" but it falls well short of that high watermark.
If we're honest we would have to say that most of the material on this album is pretty middling with few highs to be found. "Everyday", "Dollar Girl" and "Heaven Is" are all fairly good compositions but their execution is a bit confused. I'm not sure what possessed Andy to record a cover version of a Velvet Underground song and the faux rave of "Agnus Dei" is best forgotten. Yet, I like this album very much as it reminds me of the summer of 1993 and some good times in my life. Objectively this isn't one of the band's best, but it is special to me. Still not worth £130 though. 4/5
