When this record came out, many critics placed it in the same category as bands like U2 and the Alarm. Well, yeah, the band was from the same part of the world, but they have as much to do with U2 as the Velvet Underground did: distantly related cousins. This is still one of my favorite albums. Each song is visceral and emotional. "Don't Bang the Drum" is intense and driving in a "Big Music" kind of way with Anto Thistlethwaite's saxophone, the pounding rhythm, and Mike Scott's constant yelping; "The Whole of the Moon" is one of the most heartfelt and direct anthems of all time (anchored down by Kurt Wallinger's piano and Anto's sax); "This is the Sea" literally overwhelms with the multitracked guitars and the, again, anthemic theme. This was an important album at the time of its release and remains so. It was more organic than bands like U2 (although "The Unforgettable Fire" and parts of "The Joshua Tree" come close thanks to the incredible production of Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno) or the Alarm (lyrically, and musically) and the directness of the message ("The Pan Within", "Spirit") read to an audience numbed by Duran Duran like no other band at the time. Unfortunately, Mike Scott, completely wrapped up in the spirituality hinted at by his lyrics, left the "Big Music" for the simplicity of more traditional musics (Irish) only to return in a different world, handicapped by over-production and the pressures of the music industry. This record has withstood the test of time and for those so let down by the overly corporate U2, this album still satisfies the spiritualness and honesty so ignored by virtually every band out there. This is one of the most important musical and spiritual documents of all time.