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James: Strip-mine (Blanco Y Negro LP/Cassette/CD)

Don Watson, New Musical Express, 1 October 1988

THE FIRST thing to say is that this is not the LP that James are capable of. By today's standards certainly it's excellent, but it's no match for The Pop Group's debut or Prayers On Fire by The Birthday Party or Hex Enduction Hour by The Fall. This is asking a lot from them, but after seeing live performances that match any one of those bands, I feel we have a right to. They seem content to glow rather than really burn.

Total word count of piece: 294

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