Sacramento's oddly named (a moniker inspired by renegade inventor and pioneering electrical engineer ) took the side door to '80s hard rock success, sneaking up on the charts and into the bedrooms of none-the-wiser glam metal consumers with their rock-solid debut, -- itself titled after one of 's better-known experiments, and a fascinating case study in musical compromise if ever there were one. Essentially, the album was partitioned into two quite different halves, with side one predominantly tailored to seduce the aforementioned music fans via radio-friendly templates and therefore packed with mostly throwaway, cliche-ridden arena anthems like and the gloriously dumb boasting few surprises but plenty of testosterone. Yes, a few hints of 's substantial songwriting intelligence can be glimpsed within the gritty strut of and the bluesy balladry of but most of the band's more mature and accomplished songs are saved for 's revelatory side two. Here, lead guitarist really takes charge and establishes himself as the band's de facto difference maker, beginning with an epic of -like class and complexity in which was built upon a lopsided riff so irresistible that not even its finger-twisting complexity could keep it from becoming one of their most popular standards. This was followed by another pair of eventual fan favorites doubling as good examples of 's creative range, since the wintry drama of the piano-laced stood in stark contrast to the upbeat summer vibe of And finally, as though the aforementioned detours didn't proffer enough food for thought, even flirted with art rock on the odd rhythms and clever economy of before concluding with the desolate sobriety of closer Given all these qualities and contrasts, it's no wonder that stood out as one of the 1980s' most eclectic hard rock albums, and provided a formidable introduction to one of the era's most underrated American bands. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia