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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pop music for goths in the 80s., 30 Jan 2003
Friends was part of the seemingly permanent soundtrack to my teens, so perhaps this is not as objective a review as it could be. The Bolshoi were often associated with all things goth- perhaps as they were on Beggars Banquet (home of Bauhaus), had spikey hair & had songs you could throw shapes to? I always thought of them alongside bands like The Church, Comsat Angels, The Chameleons & Echo and the Bunnymen. The whole goth tag was dull and pretentious- anyone who's had the misfortune to hear The Bolshoi's live take on Billie Jean on the Books on the Bonfire single will hear the audience- an example of the typical Mish/Sisters fan living in their introverted world where they think they are individual or stars. Really...Here at this budget price we get 1986's Friends album at a bargain price- sad we don't get any b-sides or tracks like the reworked Away- the catchy Away2 (though I spose that's what 2nd hand record shops are for?). Most of the album has dated quite well, all things considered- Trevor Tanner's vocals were always much more soulful than Peter Murphy (whom he was often compared to)- an example of this is found on the gorgeous Pardon Me, or the anti-religious diatribe of single Sunday Morning (which has a very Bowie feel also). There are a few duds- Books on the Bonfire is as bombastic as nonsense like Play Dead and The Mighty Lemon Drops, Romeo in Clover is fairly banal & Modern Man sounds like the missing link between A Flock of Seagulls and Jesus Jones (which might be a good thing, late at night, rationality remodelled by hedonism...). BUt for the most part this is a great collection- Fat & Jealous sounding like a demented cousin of Bowie's Fashion, Waspy sounding like Love & Rockets covering a track from Burning from the Inside & Looking for a Life to Lose a more poppy take on the world previously charted by The Bunnymen on Heaven Up Here and The Sound on In the Lions Mouth. The songs sound huge, The Bolshoi had clear stadium ambitions- it just didn't work out that way- Someone's Daughter and classic anthem Away show more ability in this department than the stale material Echo & the Bunnymen offered with their mediocre eponymous album the following year. Friends is certainly a product of its age, but who can say no to a kind of classic at such a bargain price? The Bolshoi would follow this up with the great Lindy's Party album- a release that I think is up there with such 80s albums as The Affectionate Punch, Don't Stand Me Down & anything by The Triffids. Forget drivel like The Mission, The Nephilim & The Sisters- which is all dated nonsense for the most part & enjoy this: pop music for goths in the 80s!
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~ The Bolshoi
~ The Bolshoi
~ Gene Loves Jezebel
~ Red Lorry Yellow Lorry
~ Gene Loves Jezebel
