EARTH SUN MOON

Love And Rockets: Daniel Ash (vocals, guitar, saxophone); David J (vocals, bass); Kevin Haskins (drums). All tracks have been digitally remastered. After the Sturm and Drang of EXPRESS, some might have expected the next Love and Rockets record-released barely a year later-to be the palate-cleansing equivalent of musical sherbet. More of a main course than a dessert, EARTH, SUN, MOON is every bit EXPRESS' true successor. The album is a melange of hooks galore, crunchy glam-guitar riffs, Byrds-like acoustic moments, and even the occasional flute solo. The delightfully loopy "No New Tale to Tell," a somewhat improbable cross between Nick Drake and Jethro Tull, proved a substantial Radio and MTV hit. From the Bolan-esque "The Mirror People" to the whimsical, almost British-dancehall bounce of "Lazy," EARTH shifts gears like a Formula One racer on Jolt. This is the sound of a band coming to terms with its sound. On the whole, EARTH is not as raucous as EXPRESS. But the album manages to be more experimental without even hinting at the largely electronic direction Love and Rockets would pursue on later albums.