I'm a huge Crush fan, and it will always have a special place in my heart as it's the album that got me into the band. Regardless of that though, I really do think it's a great album. Although I prefer HAND, Crush is the only album of this decade that sounds truly honest. It sound like a band simply making the music they want to make and not trying to create a surefire hit album (Bounce) or go for a harder, edgier sound (Bounce) or be ultra modern (HAND). It just sounds pure and honest and true to who they were at that point in time.

I certainly have issues with the song selection because the album really suffers towards the end.

The first seven songs are majestic, from the classic rockers of IML, Next 100 Years and Just Older, to the more laid back style of Two Story Town (my favourite from the album), the beatles-esque, Destination Anywhere style SIIS. Mystery Train stands out as one of the finest pieces of music Jon has ever created, and Thank You For Loving Me is so vastly underrated.

The later quarter loses direction though. Save The World is embarrassing, though Jon's vocals are superb. CC&TBQFM is fantastically original. Personally I think She's A Mystery is an absolutely beautiful song but is totally out of place on the album although taken on it's own merits it wonderful. I Got The Girl is fun but should never have made the album and One Wild Night is too raw and too under produced. The 2001 version is how this should have sounded.

So this is where it gets confusing for me. It's not a completely perfect or consistently quality album but I still rate it very highly. I love the sound of the album, as I said earlier I love the honesty of it (similar to DA in that way) and I think this really had potential to be their best album. This is the tracklist I have on my MP3 player and this for me would probably be their best album.

Garageland
It's My Life
You Can Sleep While I Dream
Say It Isn't So
Two Story Town
Next 100 Years
Mystery Train
The One That Got Away
Just Older
Captain Crash And The Beauty Queen From Mars
Real Life
Temptation
Hush