"You simply couldn’t ask for a better pop record by a rock and roller. There’s not a lot of songs on here I don’t like. I don’t even know what I could say about this one, other than it simply is a must-own record. But once you get past the never-ending hits on this one, there’s a depth to the lyrics that really rivals anyone writing out there. That creeps in after a few listens. How brilliant the words are on this record. I love when sad songs sound happy, and this is maybe the king of them all: “Born down in a dead man’s town/The first kick I took was when I hit the ground/End up like a dog that’s been beat too much, ‘till you spend half your life just a covering’ up, now."

"We came across the song 'Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal’ on a psychedelic compilation and fell in love with it. I just thought, “Who could write a chorus of, 'Strangely strange but oddly normal’, and make it a really catchy song?” The whole thing was sort of irrationally brilliant, and later we found out that one of them went off to Japan and tried to become a Zen priest. Of course, when we considered the history of literature in Ireland, with James Joyce and everyone, it started to all gel. And then we found out Joe Boyd was involved. They did the first one in one afternoon, because he didn’t think it would sell. We’re not sure which, who and when, but there was some exchange of personnel with the Incredible String Band at certain times"