After several exceptional (but commercially underappreciated) classic albums,
X
decided to change their approach on the fifth album, 1985's
Ain't Love Grand!
The most noticeable difference is in the production. Renown
heavy metal
producer
Michael Wagener
came on board (his credits included
Moetley Cruee
,
Dokken
, and
Great White
), replacing longtime
ally
Ray Manzarek
. As usual, the songwriting and performances shine, but the raw sound of their earlier work is noticeably absent -- instead of changing his approach for
Wagener
produced them as he would a
metal
band of the '80s, smoothing out the rough edges. Still, the band scored perhaps their biggest radio and
MTV
hit ever with
"Burning House of Love,"
and they composed other highlights like "What's Wrong with Me" and
"My Soul Cries Your Name"
(plus a cover of
Small Faces
' "All or Nothing.")
would also mark guitarist
Billy Zoom
's last album with
, retiring from the music biz entirely until a brief
reunion in the late '90s. Not exactly on par with the classics
Under the Big Black Sun
and
More Fun in the New World
still manages to offer a few
standards. ~ Greg Prato