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One can review this both as the product and for the artistic content and impact as a whole at the time.
This is the US pressing of PITD and curiously the main LP running order is changed, switching Long Hot Summer as the opening track and Up Against the Wall as last track of side 1 respectively. Both cracking songs, so the only significance I can think of is that the former was about the Stonewall Riots in NYC, so more culturally relevent to a US audience, whereas the latter references "Whitehall up against the wall". Marketing.
The US LP also gave its intended audience the treat of that 2nd compilation of non album singles and tracks, including some of their best songs, which weren't on the UK release. Which makes this item a collectible - never mind the raised fist stencil (which wasn't included as advertised).
On to the album itself. Quite a seminal album of its time and I read somewhere that the production technique was quite intensive, layering up guitars in an unusual way, for that kind of 'wall of sound' effect that preserves the raw power and atmosphere of a band at full throttle, while still benefiting from studio recording. Quite a trick in those days before computers and sampling wizardry - you could say it was all done manually, by comparison to today's standards. Whatever - the tedious work paid off. Listen to the record and it just roars, with maximum impact for the feeling and nature of the songs. Makes you almost want to man picket lines and burn tyres. It has to be remembered that these songs were largely a document of UK life in the late 70's, a time of social unrest, strikes, unemployment, creeping facism in politics, feminism, racism, ingrained cultural homophobia, street violence and a push back at stagnant rock and pop music that didn't reflect the lives and concerns of so many people, particularly the young and marginalised who yearned for change.
Best tracks? That's a hard one, as everyone will have favourites subjectively. The most memorable cuts perhaps being anthems like 'Up Against the Wall', 'Long Hot Summer', 'The Winter of '79', 'Man You Never Saw' and title track 'Power In To he Darkness' with its spoken parody evening news turning into a right wing politician's ridulous rant at all their hate figures. Less anthem, but still catchy rockers or bluesy numbers like 'You Gotta Survive', 'Grey Cortina' and 'Too Good To Be True' keep up the quality.
Some have referred to the companion compilation LP as TRB's Crown Jewels, which should never have been left off the UK version. Here we have great cuts of all-time fave (and more subversive than it at first seemed) '2-4-6-8 Motorway', the powerful and sardonic 'Glad To Be Gay', repurposed Dylan cover 'I Shall Be Released', 'Don't Take No For An Answer' (Robinson's riposte to a spat with Ray Davies!) and a maniacal punky 'I'm Alright Jack').
Power In the Darkness was the first and most coherent TRB album, as the timing and balance of eveyone and everything aligned in a way that never happened for them again.
In explanation, the original band line-up was both its core strength and fatal flaw. Strong because of Tom Robinson's urgent songwriting and eloquence, with instinctive guitar solos from Danny Kustow having a conversation with Mark Ambler's subtle keyboard flourishes. The whole anchored by Dolphin Taylor's powerhouse drumming to elevate the aggressive kickass anthems, or pull back for the quieter tracks as required.
Weakness? Well, there is none immediately evident on this album for what it is, except a few dated references in the lyrics.
The band - while supporting Robinson's stance and polemic on multiple issues, would rather have got on with evolving as a rock band (like The Clash or The Jam), instead of being pigeon-holed and facing an inevitable backlash for the overt political sloganeering, when it went out of fashion. With Robinson's figurehead status, this wasn't going to happen. Being the next big thing in music can be a curse. TRB quickly suffered media hype, pressure and expectations, before they were allowed to develop. Both Ambler and Taylor quit. Robinson was forced to come up with a follow-up too soon, and it further exposed personal chemistry faultlines, despite new members drafted in.
So it goes, but the album is strong enough, that when Robinson played it live in its entirety some 40 years later, tickets sold out almost instantly. "Should have been there, back in '79..."
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