MARTIN'S CAFE

When listening to MAGNA CARTA in general, I don't feel in the presence of some great well of emotion, but "Martin's Cafe" is a dispirited affair even by those standards, a weak agglomeration of light country pop that is miles away from the relative sophistication of "Lord of the Ages".

Apart from two outstanding tracks, "Tomorrow's Up for Sale", with its biting and timeless social commentary, and the surprisingly edgy acoustic blues of "I'm gonna take you down", everything here is virtually interchangeable and unappealing.

The mid 1970s were rife with this type of low rent sub FM tripe, but Martin's cafe's bill of fare brings new meaning to the concept of stodgy and bland British cuisine.