The Box - The Pleasure And The Pain (1990)

A quintet of French-Canadians, the Box released their The Pleasure and the Pain set in 1989. Produced by Martin Rushent, best known for his work with the Human League, the band borrows liberally from contemporaries like U2 and the Call in creating a listenable albeit highly derivative album. Lead singer Jean Marc has a delivery that is very similar to the Call's Michael Been. It's not enough to rescue the banality of the lyrics. The words are heartfelt and Marc delivers them as such. However, they never do more than scratch the surface of the subject matter, like the paean to planet Earth on "Shine Blue Lady" or the common-man anthems "Now or Never," "Crying Out Loud for Love," and "One of Us." Meanwhile, the guitar work is Edge-light, particularly on the opening track, "Inside My Heart," where the playing mimics U2's "Bad."