Iconic 1985 album by UK electronic duo Stress, originally released on Stress member Alan Rider's Adventures in Reality label. Reached number one in the NME Electronic chart.

Limited edition of 500 copies. Recorded at IPS Studios, YB Studios, Terminal Kaleidoscope, and DNA Studios, London, England, 1985 and 1991. Remastered at The Cage studios, Coventry, England, 2012. Expanded edition with 7 bonus tracks from the same period 

REVIEW:

"In 1985, one of the worst years in pop music, Stress and Adventures In Reality goes plastic with a mini album. The title of which seems to mimic the atrocious Heaven 17's soul-synth atrocity "Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry". Stress obviously had chart ambitions, which is never a force for good in any medium.

They had also invested in better equipment, used a proper recording studio,which results in a harder EBM influenced sound, and do I sense a sampler? Thankfully there's no Orchestral Stabs,or any "Oh Yeah!"'s;but a few Reagan samples and the 'Bagpuss wakes up' harp glissando. Anyone one who samples from "Bagpuss" deserves a medal in my book. I never listened to anything Reagan had to say at the time,and on the evidence of these samples the bloke was a complete prick! They (the USA) would have done a lot better having Bagpuss as president, a puppet with a heart who could tell a mean yarn.(Also 'Bagpuss' had a soundtrack that rivals 'The Wicker Man' for weird dark folkiness.)
On the subject of 1985 being one of thee worst years in pop music;......we now know this not to be true.At the time it was,but little did we realise that every year from 1989 to 2016 would be worse. 1973 used to be cited as the worst, but this is total crap; it was jam packed with prime prog rock (not including Yes or ELP of course), 1974-76 were markedly worse; even Can were shite then!

This album is very 1985 sounding,with sophisticated sequencing, car skidding and speech samples, thudding drum machine kick drums, and an amusing attempt to sing like the bloke from Front 242.
As a francophone, the tune "Slaves To Beat" never fails to amuse me, and the French in general, because in French the word 'Beat' refers to a male sexual appendage; written 'Bite' its pronounced phonetically as 'Beet', aka Beat (titter titter)......how amusing eh kids?"

- Die or DIY

TRACKLIST:

01. The Big Wheel 03:42
02. Elizabeth Selwyn 05:06
03. Get The Most 05:10
04. Slaves To Beat 03:42
05. No Sane Alternative 05:33
06. The Price You Pay 05:17
07. The Prayer Clock 04:20
08. Tear it Down 07:13
09. Siege Economy 04:27
10. Under Bluer Skies 05:01
11. Non Verbal Clue 04:55
12. Another Rainy Day 03:45
13. Fist Comes Down 03:04