I got this CD back in '89 (when hair metal bands and NKOTB had a lock on the charts) and was thoroughly blown away. Smart songwriting, great hooks and some awesome harmonies dominate this release. It's hard to single out any one song as a high or low point as this is a very consistantly good CD. The thing that is baffling is that this album should have stormed the charts over here but it didn't even make a dent. It did go platinum in Canada but I think it just barely made gold status here (Gold hasn't really meant anything since the early eighties) if that. What makes that weirder is that everyone I played this to loved it right away (and alot of them were into the hair bands) and promptly asked "How come I've never heard of them?" As far as I know this album had little to no promotion here in the states which is too bad (subsequent albums got even less attention) as I think this would be regarded as a classic power pop album by now... It is to me. Sadly, with the lack of sales, this means that all their releases are out of print (although I think that this one is still available in Canada) which in turn means that finding their stuff may be a chore as I have never seen anything in the used bins (Probably easier in the big cities). But the reward from this album is worth the search. Their second, "One Sided Story", is only a half step behind "Love Junk". "The Downward Road" (Their third) while good, lacks the spark of the first two and can be a bit depressing in comparison but is still worth looking for. Never heard the last two so I can't comment on them. Now, start digging.

This is a fantastic album, but criminally underheard. In this day and age of uber melisma masquerading as soul it would be nice to hear another CD by this major (and majorly overlooked) talent.

A live document that proves, without a doubt, they had no business carrying on without their most important members.

Let me start off by saying that Kate is among my favorite female artists and has released some of the most daring and expressive material throughout her career. Sadly this doesn't have any. It seems like she's trying become more commercially accessable while still remaining Kate ("The Sensual World" was more daring). The songs are uninspired and the collaberations fall flat ("Why Should I Love You?" springs to mind). The only interesting track is "White Stripey Lie" where she plays a rather twisted guitar solo (pretty good for a pianist).

Kate is at her best when she takes risks and challenges her audience (I'm talking "The Dreaming" and "The Hounds Of Love"). The only challenge to "The Red Shoes" is how long it takes you to hit the eject button.

If this CD was released by someone like... Oh... Pat Benetar, it would be considered an artistic triumph. But as it is we don't expect much of her. We do have a right to expect more of Kate Bush... Much more.