HIGH CLASS IN BORROWED SHOES

High Class In Borrowed Shoes, the second album from Canadian's Max Webster followed pretty much the template laid down on their debut. I.e. heavy rock with prog touches and strong melodies. It's an excellent follow up, equal at least to their debut and is widely regarded by many fans to be their finest hour.

Where it perhaps differs slightly from their eponymous debut is more of an emphasis on the melodies at the expense of some of the quirkiness that album displayed. The band at this stage, no doubt with a watchful eye on their fellow Canadian's Rush (whom they toured with), were hoping to replicate some of the sales they were starting to achieve. Thankfully this is not at the expense of their trademark intricate and clever arrangements though the occasional song such as Word To Word almost enters pop territory. There's plenty of great heavy rock though - the album opening title track is a killer as is America's Veins. Oh War! Is a strong slow rocker with a driving groove and Rain Child has a great hook making it another highlight. Like their debut they save the best until last. In Context Of The Moon is based around a powerful and simple riff but has much more up its sleeve as is twists and turns through a series of changes with plenty of clever touches to keep the prog fan happy.

Another excellent album from Max Webster then and probably the best place to start for those wanting to discover this highly talented and under appreciated band.