I came across Bleach's debut album Space for £2 (or $3 for those of you who are American), and being a fan of Bleach's Again, For the First Time, I viewed it as a good investment. However, the first thing to be noted about this album is that in 1996, Bleach were a different band, with only singer Davy Baysinger and guitarist Sam Bamhart still part of Bleach in 2004.

The album itself is quite good, as long as you're not expecting something quite like either of Bleach's most recent releases, and are prepared for a rawer sound. What is similar in the album are the prominent drums and catchy tunes, which Bleach are so well known for.

The opening three tracks are all solid rock and roll songs, notably "Perfect Family," a song about a couple growing up together and making the so called perfect family. My favorite song on the album is "Tea for Two," which starts at a really high tempo before slowing down into lyrics such as, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or a cup of tea for two." The album then moves into some slower songs, but typically of Bleach, most of them move into catchy rock choruses. Songs such as "Child of Sod," and "Crystals and Cash" have decent bass riffs as well as meaningful lyrics. Finally, the title track "Space" is a more chilled track to end the album on, with lyrics such as, "I don't want to be your priest, I just want to be your friend, I'm not here to laugh at you, or condemn."

Overall the album is reasonable, but I wouldn't pay the usual £10 ($15) for it. Still though, if you ever find it going cheap anywhere, then pick this hard to find release up and you might find yourself being quietly surprised.

JFH Reader Review: written by David Stevens, 3/12/04, for Jesusfreakhideout.com