I love E.C., I love the Attractions, I love Nick Lowe, so I was SO excited when this came out, as it was so hot on the heels of King of America. I was actually disappointed with King of America (it has improved with age, like  a fine wine), so I saw this as an obvious attempt to return to the  fantastic form of his pre-Punch the Clock days. As I listened, I was so let  down. I thought this album was a noisy mess with weak songs. As time  passed, I thought perhaps I'd been subverted by my own high expectations,  so I bought the Ryko reissue and gave it another chance. Well, my opinion  hasn't changed. It's still a struggle to listen to this album, possibly  even more so as my ears have aged and the mid-range heavy production grates  more than ever. I hate to say it, but I'd rather listen to Goodbye Cruel  World than this album.