VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE

The "big mistake" BJH made with this album was leaving behind the trademark-sounds in order to go with the fashion of the 80s... it was a real success then but nowadays it cannot stand the test of time anymore with only 3 tracks I still like listening to: "Hold on", "Rebel woman" and the title-track ( featuring the lead guitar played by producer Pip Williams... NOT John Lees ).

Two female backing-vocalists should have added "Soul", sometimes they're rather taking it away ( "For your Love" is a nice song but far too kitschy the way it is here ) and Bias Boshell's artificial synth-strings in "I've got a Feeling" are just killing that song ( even worse with saxophone in the 12" - Version ) that elseway would have made a fair ballad.

"Say you'll stay" was "Life is for living revisited Volume 1 " ( Volume 2 is "Following me" on "Face to Face" ), nice but superfluous ( oh, no, not really... do you know the version by "The Silent Spring" on the Tribut- Sampler "Their Light still remains" ? Here it is a highlight ! )... "Inside my nightmare" was supposed to "rock" but it doesn't and "Sideshow" lost its moment now, though its lyrics are still actual.

Strange that BJH still sounded like a band here and because of its twin- character to "Ring of Changes" ( which featured one more song by John Lees like "Victims" feautures one more by Les Holroyd ) "Victims" still belongs to any BJH- collection, but for Prog-Lovers there's no more than 2 Stars left.

Rupert