There are echoes here of Pink Floyd and Captain Beefheart and maybe a premonition of Joy Division and all being played by a bunch of punk rockers! This was Howard Devoto's first LP after surprising everyone by leaving the Buzzcocks just as they were poised on the brink of great things. In retrospect, the Buzzcocks would never have been as sucessful as they were with Howard's more grating voice and if this was the music he wanted to make there would have been no easy compromise. There is certainly no sign of the Buzzcocks' frenetic guitarwork or fey lovesongs. Instead we have Devoto's distinctive rasp and a band that includes future members of Siouxsie's Banshees, Nick Cave's Bad Seeds and er... Swing Out Sister (!). The highlight is the magnificent "The Light Pours Out Of Me" - the album is essential for this track alone. Maybe not as commercial as The Correct Use of Soap but it's a hard call which is the better place to start listening to Magazine; which you must!
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