Last updated February 26, 1998
From Record Mirror, September 17, 1988
Side One is constructed in a classical mode, with three 'movements' blending into one, the songs building around orchestral arrangements which range from single, lingering notes to huge, crashing crescendos, with the delicate strum of an acoustic guitar in between. It's the sort of music in which the silences are as important as the notes themselves.
You know you're in for something uncompromising from the opening bars of "The Rainbow", which hardly kicks right into the chorus. Its intro is an ambient soundscape reminiscent of Eno, featuring almost subliminal sounds you can only hear on headphones. And then "Desire" builds into a frenzy of sub-metal guitars matching the emotion of the title. The most haunting track, "I Believe In You" (about heroin), even features the Choir of Chelmsford Cathedral; and the use of organ elsewhere often gives the songs a semi-religious feel.
It is almost impossible to fully describe the sound or feel of these songs - after all, how could you review a Mozart album ? Just listen, and decide.
**** (out of 5)
Betty Page