One night, a few summers ago, I clicked onto youtube and for a goof, looked up the Power Station album and streamed it for nostalgia purposes and was reminded of how great this project turned out to be. This was released when I was quite young at the time and their cover of T. Rex's "Get it On(Bang a Gong)" was my reference point to this collection. I feel the players involved were an interesting combination of people featuring members of R&B/Disco sensation, Chic in Bernard Edwards(production, ghost instruments) and drummer Tony Thompson, along with the new wave/pop phenoms, Duran Duran affiliates, John and Andy Taylor, adding  vocalist Robert Palmer to round out the lineup, the makings of this band resulted in a unique blend of musical backgrounds.  Returning to it all these years later, it takes one back to the sound of the 80's with its crisp, clear and dominant, treble, mid-range mix, but the material is strikingly good and Bernard Edwards production talents are nothing short of rare innovation with a fine contemporary gloss. Especially on numbers like "Some Like It Hot", "Murderess", "Go to Zero" and "Communication", the drum sounds are one of the main points of interest here as well as Andy Taylor's guitar style; allowing plenty of room to shine, unlike his somewhat restrictive role in Duran Duran as their sound was far more synthesizer and percussion driven. This record also re-primed Robert Palmer's solo career afterwards as he re-emerged with his Riptide release, that also featured contributions from Edwards, Thompson and Andy Taylor, respectively. Another track that I've always loved and have continued adulation for, is their cover of the Isley Brothers' number, "Harvest for the World".  Featuring Andy and Robert trading off vocals on the verses while harmonizing on the tune's chorus, Taylor's dominant guitar riff is the song's signature hook with a workman-like percussion backing from Tony Thompson and the presence of additional keyboards adding an icy mood to the song's stately delivery.  

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The accompanying DVD to this 20th Anniversary edition is a short 30 minute overview of interview footage, in house studio clips and 3 videos of the singles that followed the album's release with Bang a Gong, Some Like it Hot and the lesser successful Communication. Watching the videos took me back in time and I had to chuckle at the memories that began coming back from my youth; at least from my perspective, the 80's were a strange time indeed! If you were a fan of this release, the 20th Anniversary edition is highly recommended as the audio disc also includes bonus material with single versions of the aforementioned songs, including an extended version of "Some Like it Hot" yielding a unique remix and there's also a track recorded with replacement singer, Michael Des Barres, (whom took over the frontman spot when Palmer declined to tour with the group), in the form of "Someday, Somehow, Someone's Gotta Pay" which is a solid enough number, despite Des Barres' limited time with the group. Although these musicians(with Palmer returning) would reunite and release an ill-fated follow-up album in "The Living Fear", some ten years later, the special, "one-off" quality outcome of this debut album remains an important and significant mark in 80's rock music. 

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Rating grade- A