I got this soon after it came out in about 1984. I can't remember quite why — I knew of Nelson and his part in Be Bop Deluxe, but without hearing their stuff — so I suspect it was a good review somewhere.
I remember liking it at first and wondering if it was going to grow on me even more. But it never did. Listening to it now, it sounds understated — particularly the vocals — and lacking in confidence. Nelson's voice is not similar to David Bowie's and the sound of the album reminds me a bit of Bowie's singles from Let's Dance, which was roughly contemporaneous with this. There's no question that I prefer this record to those Bowie songs, but I'm not surprised Bowie had the hits and Nelson didn't. Bowie didn't seem to be lacking in self-belief.
The record is like prog rock with a 1980s short haircut and some smart synths. It reminds me of Japan and the good bits of Ultravox, and of the meeting place between Talking Heads and Discipine-era King Crimson. Not at all bad, but it sounds like it could have been better if Nelson had realised how good it could be.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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