US cover art UK cover art Release Date 1974 Information here comes from the All-Music Guide as well as the album. ALBUM RELEASES - CD Vertigo 11662 1974 LP Vertigo 2000

PERSONNEL Alexander Harvey -- Guitar, Vocal Zal Cleminson -- Guitar Cyrano -- Engineer Chris Glen -- Bass Hugh McKenna -- Keyboards Ted McKenna -- Drums Martin Rushent -- Engineer Vicky Silva -- Vocal

ALBUM TRACKS

1. Hot City Symphony-Part 1: Vambo .................... 5:02
2. Hot City Symphony-Part 2: Man in the Jar .................... 8:11
3. River of Love .................... 3:10
4. Long Hair Music .................... 4:36
5. Hey .................... ?
6. Sergeant Fury ....................3:26
7. Weights Made of Lead .................... 2:36
8. Money Honey/Impossible Dream .................... 2:06
9. Tomahawk Kid .................... 4:30
10. Anthem .................... 7:42

The album opens up with some heavy beating of the skins which leads us into Vambo, a number I'm sure you've all familiar with and part one of a piece titled The Hot City Symphony. This features an extremely bizarre music sequence between axe man Zal Cleminson and keyboard man Hugh McKennam (and) leads into Man in the Jar which opens up with a familiar tune, and leads into an Alex Harvey Marlon Brando cum Mickey Spillane type rap. The musical arrangement is neat and it features a nice solo from Zal.

River of Love features a heavy riff, laced with Spanish guitar which makes an odd combination. Gosh, I do believe it's a love song.

I do believe that Harvey's album was going to be called Can't Get Enough. Well I would take the track that closes side one and is called Long Hair Music as the title track. A good ol' rocker, this track would definitely make a nice single. And don't take the stylus off too quickly at the end. Sergeant Fury seemed to be a tailor made hit, yet it didn't even touch the charts as a single. It opens up with some trad-jazz type music which then leads into a Harvey riff. The band are solid and punchy while Harvey sings lyrics like, "I wanna be rich and famous" with insane credibility - you never know when to take this band seriously.

Weights Made of Lead has a basic train beat with a bizarre Cleminson lick over the top. Harvey sings the blues. To portray the full lunacy of this band, what more do you need than a medley of Money Honey and The Impossible Dream?

You find yourself writhing on the floor in mass confusion while the next track, Tomahawk Kid opens up quietly and leads into a rather heavy-orientated track where Harvey takes on the role of story teller. (What a versatile character.) The final track, appropriately titled Anthem, builds up to a thunderous climax featuring choirs and things like that.

This album has caught the full dynamics and insanity of the group, and everyone should have one installed in their homes. Then Alex may be able to achieve his impossible dream?"

Review courtesy a SAHB List contributor: Used here without permission.

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