‘Poignant’ may be an overused word. Poignant books, poignant movies, poignant moments. But nothing is as poignant as this album, its ability to pierce your soul, so directly, with its unrelenting simplicity and forthrightness. The whole of the album is a full, horrible, beautiful experience. A somber invective against a human world torn between faith and faithlessness, The Boatman’s Call is, indeed, a lyric masterpiece: ‘Out of sorrow entire worlds have been built; Out of longing great wonders have been willed; They’re only little tears, darling, let them spill; And lay your head upon my shoulder; Outside my window the world has gone to war; Are you the one that I’ve been waiting for?" (from ‘(Are You) The One I’ve Been Waiting For?’). It is, possibly, one of the finest albums ever recorded.