Yet, contrarily to what can be said of their utterly forgettable next two albums, Night Time was no sell-out. Many songs here still find their way into the band’s very heavy recent live performances without feeling out of place in the least. All told, i prefer the goth-slanted Killing Joke, and this has as good a slant as any of their albums. I must also consider on their level “Tabazan”, but even the coldwave-leaning “Europe” might be my favourite track by pre-metal KJ. Everyone likes this song, and the goth dance jam at the end of the album version is essential even though most fans of the song haven’t even heard it.

In general, the album wastes powerhouse drummer Paul Ferguson who isn’t given a lot to do, and everything feels neutered. and it would be even more definitive if it weren’t on the same album as the deserving classic “Love Like Blood”. That is not to say the album entirely sucks - despite the shift away from their metal/punk leanings, the new modern pop-influenced sound occasionally works.It was an international hit, reaching number 11 in the United Kingdom in its first week on 9 March, [1] number 8 in New Zealand [2] and number 50 in Sweden. It's odd because, well, other than the softer side to Coleman's voice (when he's not using his gravelly growl), none of the music here seems forced.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Vote up content that is on-topic, within the rules/guidelines, and will likely stay relevant long-term. The album finds the band caught between their earlier aggression and a calmer, more immediately accessible approach. Those who aren't cool with synths coming up-front in the Killing Joke mix might not be into this album, as might those who aren't into Jaz's off-beat philosophies and perspectives. Like almost any ‘80s pop (and KJ) album, the song structures on here are pretty basic, and you certainly shouldn’t come in expecting anything subversive on that front.Jaz Coleman’s vocals and synth are also another strong melodic front; very pleasing choruses especially. I did play a few songs from this album to my friend yesternight and she thought it was them, and I’m sure I would’ve needed a few minutes to realise myself if I hadn’t known what I was listening to in advance. By adding a little polish to their violent industrial post-punk racket, Killing Joke briefly became very popular in 1985, with “Love Like Blood” competing with the likes of Duran Duran and Madonna on the airwaves. All tracks are written by Killing Joke ( Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Geordie Walker, Paul Raven), except as noted Side one No. The tension between the two sides of Killing Joke struck a perfect balance on Night Time, and as a result, it is arguably the quartet's freshest album to date, with a warm, anthemic quality now supplementing the blasting, driving approach that made the band's name.

And I know Love Like Blood is KJ’s biggest hit but it does very little for me - it’s well produced but there’s not much of a song there and Coleman keeps singing the hook as “I love my butt”. The tracks are noticeably shorter and more concise than other efforts as well, but definitely more rock than pop to my ears. As mentioned from other reviews each one of the albums' songs are great and it really is a matter of personal taste, they all loosely stick to the same sound. It might be Killing Joke’s, but it’s not at all far removed from what you might expect by that description. But fast-forward 22 years, and this album sits proudly in my collection beside other excellent outcomes such as Brighter Than a Thousand Suns, Pandemonium, and Wilful Days, with all songs barring the afore-mentioned (i love that term) "Eighties" ranking amongst my favorite tracks from the band.There is the original 8 tracks from the album, plus another album's worth (9) of bonus/extra tracks which are a mix of B-Sides, different mixes of the album's original tracks and plain left out songs so it's pretty big value for especially for KJ fans! You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. The album tracks have all been remastered in 2007, and although the music definitely sounds like it was made in the 80's, as it was, it sounds great. The opening title track is an excellent slab of club music for vampires with great programmed drums and guitar work, catchy and slick yet with a dash of nastiness that shows what the record should have been.