(Sire)
RECOMMENDED
This is a bit of a disappointment compared to the Saints' debut album, (I'm) Stranded, until you consider that none of the major punk bands really got it right the second time out. Some overreached, like the Clash with Give 'Em Enough Rope, and a few like the Sex Pistols didn't even try... but it was more frequent that the sophomore slump in the first wave of punk was just more of the same.
So it is with the Saints' second time around the block, a far more conscious punk rock effort than its predecessor. That doesn't mean that minor classics like "Know Your Product" and "This Perfect Day" don't offer plenty of fun and pleasure, just that they can't really stand up to the aggressive numbers on the first LP, the title track above all. The ballds fare better, "A Minor Aversion" a nearly worthy successor to "Messin' with the Kid," but they too tend to seem a bit like retreads, even if you'd never care if you hadn't heard the earlier material.
Part of the problem lies in the hardened, conventional hard rock production -- an ailment that also consumed Give 'Em Enough Rope. The Saints may be, as I recently argued, hardly a straightforward punk band... but the stark, stripped-down style of the great punk records suits them quite well and was really the primary context for good straight ahead rock & roll in the late '70s, assuming that you weren't aiming for a pub rock revival. Occasionally the songs seem to have a mild feel of evolution about them, in particular the coy "No, Your Product" and surprisingly emotive "Untitled." Overall, though, if you dug the Saints' first album or one of their compilations, this is a good addition to the collection, but it's not essential for a newcomer. Exactly the same as with the Clash's second album, only with sadly no "Stay Free" to tempt you ("Memories Are Made of This" is closest).
[SEE ALSO:]
(I'm) Stranded (1977)
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