All Music Guide REVIEW: Recorded over the course of two nights in the winter of 1994, but not made available on CD until 2000, this has more in common with his early cassette-only releases than it does with his late-'90s albums BRIDE OF THE ASYLUM and SUNFIELD. That is to say, these are essentially solo acoustic performances featuring just his voice and guitar, rather than the full folk-rock arrangements heard on his later records. Still, the songs are definitely folk-rock, as opposed to folk, despite the lack of electricity and rhythm instruments. It's got that echoey, lonesome, one-man-in-a-deserted-room feeling that you get from late-'60s acid folkies such as Skip Spence and Dino Valenti, though Damien Youth is less anguished and neurotic than either of those legends. Despite the solitary ambience and his characteristically haunting British-sounding melodies, the record is warm and reassuring, bringing to mind a darker version of Simon & Garfunkel. Indeed, on some cuts, like "Coming Home," "Garden Minstrel's Soliliquey" [sic], and especially "Gypsy," that Simon & Garfunkel similarity becomes inescapable, although in the main the songs are not blatantly derivative. As usual, despite the calm exterior, there's more of a struggle going on than is immediately apparent, as you can hear in "The World Was Never My Friend," which recalls the melancholy odes to anxiety Tim Hardin sang in his early years. This is not recommended as highly as BRIDE OF THE ASYLUM and SUNFIELD, both because of its somewhat lo-fi (although hardly poor) sound, and the superiority of the material and varied arrangements on the later albums. However, if you've already been seduced by the odd-but-pleasing world of Damien Youth, chances are you'll find this an attractive listen as well. (3 stars) -- Richie Unterberger