cThe songs are pretentious, over the top drivel, the singing overwrought, over emotive, and pompous, and the production is shrill, bombastic and self-indulgent. It might be tempting to simply dismiss this criticism given that this was released in the 1970's, after all, but such doesn't was. 1978 was indeed a superb year in music given such great albums by the likes of The Clash ("Give 'Em Enough Rope") Elvis Costello ("This Year's Model"), Patti Smith ("Easter"), The Ramones ("Road to Ruin"), Bruce Springsteen ("Darkness at the Edge of Town"), and others. An anomaly on an absolute nadir in popular culture. Maybe both.