Businessmen And Ghosts - Working For A Nuclear Free City

Advantages: Just some good honest guitar pop
Disadvantages: None

...aggression and distortion behind the song. This means that it does lose some of the things that makes ‘Burn Baby Burn’ great as it tries too hard and gets a bit messy. It is still full of noisy guitars, and by no means a poor track, indeed it remains another get up and go number full of energy and bounce. ‘Submission’ remain one of the only weaker tracks on the album, but more due to the context of the five preceding tracks being outstanding that this being overtly bad. It plays up on some tricks, with a lot of distortion on the guitars and vocals, and is more suited to the sound of ‘Nu-Clear Sounds’ that makes it a little disappointing. After a slight dip down, ‘Someday’ turns out to be a beautiful acoustic number. The guitar work is very different to the loud anthems shown at times, but remains in an acoustic sense very good. The whole... Read review

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Advantages: A welcome return to form
Disadvantages: A little short

...the first and most successful (No. 2), and though one of their perennial favourites, I admit to finding this one of my less preferred Queen hits. Clever lyrics, crafty use of synth percussion, yes, and a brilliant track if you loved the Thompson Twins and the rest of the New Romantic mega-names - which I for one didn't. 'I Want To Break Free' (No. 3) was much better, with an impassioned vocal from Freddie which, though intended as an angry love song, was later adopted as a rallying anthem by freedom campaigners in developing countries, rather ironically in view of the Sun City controversy. The notorious drag video, however, was ample proof that the group didn't take the song too seriously. [Note - this album version is shorter than and inferior to the single version, as it excludes the majestic synth intro and part of the instrumental break... Read review

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Advantages: Reflecting distantly to 1977
Disadvantages: inconsistency - experimental edge is now lost

...Nu-clear sounds in the eyes of many was a major melt down, but to me, although it didn't live up to the heights and ambitious ambience of 1977, in a lighter way it reflected through some hazy mirror the emotionally stimulating concepts of 1977. This does mean to say the album is poor. I still listen to it regularly and I feel it has a lot to offer in terms of seamless, complexity that we need from time to time. Ash did release two songs from the album, numbskull also part of an EP and Jesus says. Neither of them kicked, and it was really suprising. I do however love the flowing spirtually enlightening low ebb. The album does however feel slightly too mixed. Unlike 1977, the concept and experimental style seems not to have worked as well second time round. The inclusion of Charlotte may have been capatilised better if Ash had looked to... Read review

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