The Bolshoi - Friends (1986) [Reissue, 1999]

Album Review:

A best-of compilation from the Bolshoi appeared in 1999, but Friends is the real deal. Friends is the group's 1986 debut album, and it summarizes all of the band's strengths. Although not as goth-inflected as the Bolshoi's Giant EP, Friends is still very dark. Trevor Tanner's lyrics unflinchingly relate tales of hypocrisy in "A Way" and "Sunday Morning." In "A Way," a family tries to hide that they once forced their daughter to work as a prostitute: "Money's scarce/But family honor/Brings it home, brings it home/And down the shop, the tongues they snicker," Tanner sings with empathy. "Sunday Morning," like XTC's "Dear God," is a scathing attack on organized religion. However, Tanner's target isn't God; it's going to church. "I remember when I was young/Feeling sick on Sunday morning," Tanner reminisces. While it may seem blasphemous to some, "Sunday Morning" offers a realistic perspective; Tanner sounds like a bitter former altar boy, disillusioned by the façade of innocence of the people around him. Paul Clark's moody, nostalgic piano paints the images described by Tanner's words. "Romeo in Clover" and "Books on the Bonfire" revisit the glum, whirling guitars of the Bolshoi's past, echoing the Psychedelic Furs and Bauhaus. While Friends is far from a perfect record – the Bolshoi were too derivative to make anything that was flawless – it's certainly much sharper than 1987's uneven Lindy's Party or Away…Best of the Bolshoi, the latter featuring an emasculated version of "Sunday Morning." If Friends/Giant, the CD combining Friends with the Giant EP, isn't within reach, this is the Bolshoi LP to get. –by Michael Sutton, allmusic.com.


Album Details:

Artist: The Bolshoi
Album: Friends
Label: Beggars Banquet
Catalogue #: BBP 2022 CD
Matrix: D4480 BBP 2022 CD
UPC: 607618202224
Format: CD
Type: Album, Reissue
Country: U.K. (Made in England) (Manufactured in the U.K.)
Release Date: 1999
Original Release Date: 1986
Number of Discs: 1
Language: English
Time: 54:27
Rating: 4 stars (allmusic.com)
Genre: Pop/Rock
Styles: Goth Rock, New Wave, Alternative Rock


Tracklist:

01. Away - 4:55
02. Modern Man - 5:40
03. Someones Daughter - 3:56
04. Sunday Morning - 6:34
05. Looking For A Life - 4:46
06. Romeo In Clover (Call Girls) - 5:39
07. Books On The Bonfire - 4:59
08. Pardon Me - 4:38
09. Fat And Jealous - 4:11
10. Waspy - 5:16
11. A Funny Thing… - 3:53


Credits:

The Bolshoi:
Trevor Tanner - Vocals, Guitars
Nick Chown - Bass
Jan Kalicki - Drums
Paul Clark - Keyboards

Artwork By [Sleeve By] - Cream Group, The
Lyrics By - Tanner
Music By - Bolshoi, The
Photography - Alan King, Royston
Producer, Engineer - Mick Glossop
Technician [Assisted By] - Andy Warwick , Damien Askeo-Brown* , Noel Haris* , Richard Whaley

Recorded at Townhouse Three.
Mixed at Good Earth, except track A1 at The Garden Master Rock.
Originally released on LP in 1986.


Lineage:

SilverCD -> EAC (Test & Copy Image & Create CUE Sheet > Uncompressed / Secure Mode / Offset Corrected / WAV 1411 Kbit/s / 44100 Hz / 16 Bits / 2 Channels) -> FLAC frontend -> FLAC (compression level 8) -> AvaxHome


Extra info:

- Cuesheet files included (WAV & FLAC).
- EAC extraction LOG file included.
- Codec used for lossless compression: libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
- Samplerate: 44100 Hz Stereo / Bitrate: 16 bits.
- MD5 checksum included.
- Full artwork, 300 dpi, jpg format in highest quality.
- All tracks accurately ripped.