Hot off a U.K. tour highlighted not only by riots, but also by the merciless on-stage slaying of Hüsker Dü at the American hardcore band's first ever British show, Nik Turner and Inner City Unit were poised to deliver the greatest album of their entire career. Instead they turned in one of the most disappointing records in the entire Hawkwind family tree, a disheveled, featureless, and melody-less gaggle of half-songs highlighted by two numbers ("Birdland" and "Forbidden Planet") but so hamstrung by the other eight that, even today, it's difficult to discern quite what they were trying to do. Later, it became apparent that difficulties with Demi Monde, the label set up by another former Hawkwind alumnus, Dave Anderson, played a part in the record's overall demeanor, but even that understanding cannot wipe away the disappointment. Indeed, if Turner and company hadn't bounced back with the superlative President's Tape, even fans would have trouble remembering them with affection today.
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