I've always been aware of guitar/bass tone and sound, and when I was in high school in the early 80's, punk actually had better sound than the metal coming from American bands. THE RAMONES Dee Dee's ripping bass to Steve Jones full throated guitar driving the aggressive SEX PISTOLS, punk got it right because they kept it simple. Check them out, you'll see/hear. DESIRE got it half right.

The mix between the band was great, with the right emphasis placed on each part so they stand out but still allow others to be properly heard. Unfortunately, Burk Price's guitar was so unintelligible from over-processing the rest of the album was degraded. From the opening "Crank It Up" I had to force my way through the album. Even when they tried "clean guitar" like the openings to "Cry at the Sky" and "Starchild", it was an over processed mess. The real tragedy though was they're really good. The music is fresh and original for the era, David Svach is a top-notch bass player who truly understands his role in a one guitar band. Teamed up with drummer Larry Sexton, they made some great moments and drove the band forward. The drum mix was great, a little too much room sound for my taste but great sound all round. "Broken Light" really shows him off.

As for vocals I'm torn and actually if I knew Fred Daniel's background I might be a little less critical, but his voice is neither great nor bad, and maybe more time could give him that extra umph he seems to be missing. DESIRE's "Cry at the Sky" is actually a pretty good album, but the guitar tone ruins the experience. For now though, I'm going to cut this short because there is an unreleased version with a different line-up, and maybe the mix is better. Stay tuned!