Another album that is new to me. I loved it from the first opening seconds on Chivalry. It reminded me how brilliant albums use to be when they actually sounded like albums. 35-40 minutes is the perfect length. No ta to add ons and bonus tracks. Wonderfully wonky and unlike anything else around the time. You can hear the influences this had as post-punk grew up to become something a little more mature and socially aware.
I love their first single, a proper slice of messy punk pop. But I have never gotten along with their country-tinged later work, despite endless plays on the John Peel show. I was hoping this was a chance to change that, but I remain unmoved. The ‘looseness' of their earlier work is still there, but it sounds to me that they have sucked both post-punk and country dry, and this is what was left. And poor Hank must be turning in his grave at the karaoke-style closer.