The arc of time... It is true to say that Intimacy was actually a pre-Charisma creation. The band borrowed the money to make it on the back of some success in France with Breaking the Silence. They looked for a record company to release it demanding the sort of control rarely seen by bands in their dealings with labels. Still, they lucked out a bit with Charisma. Charisma was a small label. Mark still talks of dropping into the offices, above the Marquee in Wardour Street, to help put press copies of Peter Gabriel’s album into envelopes for a mailing. It gave them space. This collection shows how they were allowed to develop their sound and expand their songwriting. It gave them support. They were free to define their own direction. The Charisma years were key in fostering the creativity that has continued, in and out of the Opposition, to this day.