With 1989's MIND BOMB, while Matt Johnson's songs still address internal guilt, his lyrics here strive to place that guilt more firmly within the context of societal decay, in particular on "Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)". With the addition of Johnny Marr--who had just left the Smiths--on guitar and occasionally harmonica, the music is also fuller and more confident, even introducing Eastern rhythms to the palette, and finally displaying the muscle behind the previous album's punches. Highlights include "Kingdom of Rain", featuring Sinead O'Connor's distinctive vocals, and a lyrical continuation of the crumbling relationship begun on INFECTED's "Slow Train to Dawn". "The Beat(en) Generation", a suspiciously chipper and upbeat track augmented by Marr's trademarked guitar sound, makes no bones about its indictment of political manipulation, while "Gravitate to Me" features stuttering horns and a massive bass line, courtesy of James Eller. If you buy only one The The release, MIND BOMB ought to be it--true to its title, this album will stick in your head for a long time.

1986's INFECTED, the second official The The album, is the sound of main-man Matt Johnson really coming into his own. The record is a combination of the full-on flowering of Johnson's claustrophobic, paranoid loathing, a beat you can dance to, and lyrics that, while disturbing, are never delivered solely for sheer shock value. Collectors should note that a 1987 compilation of eight videos, one for each album track, contains slightly different versions of the songs. While metal scrapes in the background and a guitar skitters, the narrator of "Out of the Blue (Into the Fire)" attempts to reinforce his own self-worth by engaging in sex with a prostitute. "Sweet Bird of Truth", set to a thudding beat and jittering saxophone, chronicles the last moments of a military transport plane before it crashes. "Slow Train to Dawn" examines a relationship between a man and woman (a duet with Neneh Cherry), who, though unable to communicate, talk endlessly, while a horn section blares the night away. Also of note are the punchy album opener, "Infected", and "Twilight of a Champion", both of which suggest a more commercially conscious version of Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel, while setting their own, subversive course.