Likely exercising the same controlling approach that he was notorious for, from his work with every act from
the New York Dolls to
XTC,
Todd Rundgren brought in legendary backup vocal duo
Flo & Eddie as well as a cellist, two horn players (including
NRBQ member
Donn Adams), and himself on keyboards. The end result is simply fantastic, fusing the post-punk charge of the first two albums (Ely still sounds great as always, from the first song on, while
Tim Butler acquits himself well on bass) with a new synth-based approach that works wonders.
Ashton's guitar often settles back in the mix a bit to allow
Rundgren's wall of sound to come together fully, often with great success. The title track is a great example of this, an inspirational anthem where
Ashton fully and appropriately lets go right at the end. The most well-known song is one that, for
the Furs, was their most atypical single to date: "Love My Way."
Butler's very
Bowie-like vocals and lyrics slyly celebrate and ponder the triumphant synth rock scene of the time, while
Rundgren's often quirky keyboards take the lead in place of
Ashton's guitar and
Flo & Eddie wordlessly vocalize at the end. "Goodbye" has a brisk, horn-driven punch underscoring
Butler's wickedly sour au revoir to a past love; "Sleep Comes Down" mixes
Tim Butler's lovely bassline and
Rundgren's piano; "President Gas" wryly takes a shot at
Reagan while avoiding obvious platitudes; and "Yes I Do" ends on an almost sweetly romantic note, even as the cello/drum-driven arrangement surges along. ~ Ned Raggett