brought mass success and for the follow-up they offered . It was a self-deprecating title for a record that may have offered more of the same, at least on the surface, but was still nearly peerless as a record. The biggest difference with this record is that the band, through touring, has become heavier and harder, fitting right in with the heavy bands of the mid-'70s. The second notable difference is that may have been pressed for material, since there are several songs here that are just good generic rockers. But he and prove that what makes a great band great is how they treat generic material, and makes the whole of feel every bit as convincing as their first two records. For one, the record has a rawer edge than , which helps make the slight preponderance of predictable (but not bad) material easy to accept, since it all sounds so good. Then there's the fact that many of these eight songs still showcase at the top of his game, whether it's the storming opener or the rollicking Yes, this does pale in comparison with its predecessors, but most bands would give their left arm for a record that swaggers and hits as hard as . [The 1999 reissue adds a pair of bonus tracks: live versions of and ] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine