2017 reissue on colored vinyl - This London exponent of "sweet, pretty country-acid house music"--formerly Alabama 3, until someone remembered the similarly named country-pop group--makes its hybrid work on this debut album. In fact, Exile on Coldharbour Lane sounds like the record U2 wanted Pop to be. Fronted by one Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love, A3 prove their seriousness about roots music with a mournful version of John Prine's "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness" while sprinkling the rest of the disc with blues harp and acoustic guitars. Dr. Love's schtick is a bit silly, but his commitment to saying something about the utopian rave culture's potential for waste is obvious in songs like "You Don't Dance to Techno Anymore"--in which a DJ watches a girl overdose in front of his booth. Vocalist Larry Love has a good mid- to deep-level voice, investing his often witty tales of life, music, and good lovin' with a husky world-weariness à la Lee Hazlewood. Equally notable is the Mountain of Love's harmonica work, which he interweaves through all the songs without overpowering the rest of the band or pointlessly showing off.
| A1 | Converted | 6:15 |
| A2 | Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness | 5:57 |
| A3 | Woke Up This Morning | 5:16 |
| B1 | U Don't Dans 2 Tekno | 3:37 |
| B2 | Bourgeoise Blues | 4:47 |
| B3 | Ain't Goin' To Goa | 3:55 |
| C1 | Mao Tse Tung Said | 5:16 |
| C2 | Hypo Full Of Love (The 12 Step Plan) | 6:25 |
| C3 | The Old Purple Tin (9% Of Pure Heaven) | 4:05 |
| D1 | The Night We Nearly Got Busted | 4:37 |
| D2 | Sister Rosetta | 6:43 |
| D3 | Peace In The Valley | 5:45 |
