was a first in the sense that it debuted bassist , but it really is more of a final curtain to the band's early years. It would be the last produced by , the legendary Australian production team who also helmed hits by , and it was the last before became superstars. As such, it's perhaps the most overlooked of their '70s records, also because, frankly, it is the most uneven of them. Not that it's a bad record -- far from it, actually. There are a few genuine classics here, most notably and and there's a real appeal in how 's gutter poems of excess are reaching a mythic level; there's a real sense that he truly does believe that leads straight to hell on But overall, the record is just a bit too wobbly, one where the parts don't add up to a record as hard and addictive as before -- but there's still plenty worth hearing here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine