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Heaven 17: The Luxury Gap (Arista, LP)

Betsy Sherman, Boston Rock, 5 July 1983

THE LUXURY Gap, the long-awaited second album by Heaven 17, is the best album of 1983 thus far. Here is an album so alive it breathes. Its musical scope makes its illustrious predecessor, Penthouse and Pavement, seem almost primitive. Synthesizers still provide the snap, pulse, and shimmer, while the overall Heaven 17 sound has been enriched by a wider array of instrumentation, from John Wilson's funk guitar and Nick Plytas' piano, to a brass section wallop and even a full orchestral syrup.

Total word count of piece: 267

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