The group's U.K. debut long-player, containing -- in the custom of the time in England -- not one of their singles up to that point, including Apart from (which is, itself, heavily steeped in conventions out of 's repertory), everything here is a cover of traditional and material, and a bit on the dry side, as though the band was trying too hard to prove themselves. This is one of the more serious and dour -era albums, with none of the cheerfulness evident on the work of the Liverpool, Birmingham, or Manchester-based bands of the period -- the covers, in particular, seem rather joyless compared to rival versions by , et al. For adult orientation, is roughly on a par with ' debut LP (though that album is also more fun). The group would do better in the future in a less stiff and intense posture, but this is a strong debut. In 1998, was reissued in remastered form as part of 's 100th Anniversary series, and all of its tracks also appear on 's double-CD set as well. ~ Bruce Eder