Only Human

When released in 1980, Mark Gillespie's debut album, Only Human, was fêted as a very impressive debut. Trained as an architect, Gillespie's songs were well crafted constructions that looked to older monuments the likes of Hendrix, Dylan and solid rock, rather than the new wave. An element of Dire Straits crept through in the hard strut of Shake It, while the acoustic prism of Mercury harks back to simple elements that made the country-tinged rock of The Eagles socompelling. The athletic prowl of Long & Strong and the slow triumph of Suicide Sister really bite home, demonstrating that great songwriting never goes out of fashion.

For Gillespie fans the meat in the sandwich is the bonus disc of compilation tracks, October 1978 Black Tape sessions and early singles that track the development towards the finished Only Human LP. Among these there's a fantastic, organ-heavy version of SuicideSister and Savonarola. As with all Aztec releases the gatefold CD packaging is sumptuous and the sleevenotes informative – to the point of Gillespie detailing the construction ("Key of G, open tuning E") of his songs.