After the Bright lights and Massive worldwide acclaimof the Crossing, an almost "Back to Basics" album, released at a time when the UK was but a stone's throw from Civil War, and transformation, Miners strikes, War in the Falklands, the closing of the steeltown's, The Shipyards, the wholesale decimation of a country by a ruthless (ultra) right wing political doctrine.

It is angry, it is dark, it is dense, there are no "sitting in the sun, watching the world go by" tunes on it, even the ballads (Girl With Grey Eyes and Just a Shadow are hard edged and dour.

A perfect Snapshot of that time in the mid 80's where 3 million people were out of work, the country was bleeding, and the beginning of the 20 years of us being "America's Lapdog", (the first track shows you the intent, all about Ronald Reagan and his thirst for glory and greed) all the way to the last, about people washed up, tossed to the side and left.

ANGRY, poignant, dark and at times too intense to listen to, but you will, and you will then find the beauty in this album.

For the darkness in it,and the fact it documents a bad time in UK history, that still haunts a lot of people.... 4 Stars

I still think of this album as the two sides of the original vinyl release. Side 1 is the best half-album Big Country ever released, with a much harder sound than The Crossing. Every track is a Big Country classic.

But side 2 (with the exception of Just A Shadow, another classic) isn't as good. Not particularly bad, just much more forgettable.