If The Human Menagerie had established the florid reputation of the original lineup of Cockney Rebel then The Psychomodo cemented it to the full, with Alan Parsons and bandleader Steve Harley acting as co-producers. The quirky “Mr. Soft” was the hit from the album, while other standouts include the epic slow burn of “Cavaliers” and the closing “Tumbling Down,” both an unintentional foreshadowing of the band’s collapse soon after and a big descending dark ballad that ended up playing a key part in Todd Haynes’s glam fantasia Velvet Goldmine.

– Ned Raggett