Friends [Import]

The Bolshoi | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Beggar's Banquet
• ASIN: B00003INIZ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,170 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Lost Album, March 10, 2004

By 

SandmanVI (Glen Allen, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friends (Audio CD)

Here's one the great cult bands of the 80's that many so-called experts missed. That's unfortunate because The Bolshoi made some excellent songs and they sounded like no one else without resorting to gimmicks. Led by guitarist/vocalist Trevor Tanner, they crafted dark, edgy music that often attacked the injustices of mainstream society.

The main single was the dramatic "A Way" (you'll notice that it is misspelled by Amazon as "Away"). This may have been the best alt hit released in 1986. It tells the tale of a beautiful, manipulative girl who uses her wiles to charm her way into the graces of the upper crust, the conformist & wealthy in-crowd. She fails to see that such false behavior ultimately will turn on itself and leave her alone now that she has alienated those who would have truly cared about her.

"Sunday Morning" is a knock on the hypocrisy of the church. It is a lovely piano ballad that chronicles the singer's decision to leave religion behind in his youth. It features the line, "Standing in line with a dirty mind... clean it up on Sunday morning. I don't wanna do it anymore." "Looking for a Life to Lose" (also misspelled on Amazon) peers into the minds of bitter, jaded adults who often pour their negative outlook directly into the minds of their children, never giving the young a chance at happiness; given Tanner's undeniable anger, sarcasm and bitterness, it seems this is autobiographical and that he wishes he'd had a better chance when he was young. "Books on the Bonfire" looks at the dangerous moments in history where books have been burned and reminds that this could and is happening again. Tanner says, "We put all the books on the bonfire. 2,000 years in a flame. I run like a horse in a fairground - rewind me and play me again." You get the feel that he is also implying that by dumbing-down the education system we are doing this metaphorically already. "Someone's Daughter" and "Modern Man" are standout tracks as well.

I would give this release a 5-star rating except that this particular version does not give you the 6-song `Giants' EP. The version I own has those 6 songs tacked on to the beginning - I guess that is out of print. Those songs showcase Bolshoi in their earlier even bleaker mood. If you can find it, "Happy Boy", "Giants" and "Fly" are all strong efforts.

All in all this is a great album that any fan of post-punk would appreciate.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Long Lost Friends....., July 6, 2004

By 

Anthony L. Orant "organgrinder" (Palos Hills, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Friends (Audio CD)

I won't rehash what's already been said. I will say that it never ceases to amaze me that this band didn't become huge. Edgier than the Psychedelic Furs (and much better musicians as well), they should have been bigger than the Furs or the Cure combined. I saw them live in Chicago back in the day, and they were every bit as good as their records. A regrettable loss for those of us that knew them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten Gem of 80's Alternative, March 10, 2004

By 

SandmanVI (Glen Allen, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friends (Audio CD)

OK, I already have written a review of the import version so I'll just paste that same review at the end of my comments here. Also since Amazon gives us no detail about this it's hard to tell exactly what this is.

HOWEVER, this appears to be the domestic release of The Bolshoi's 'Friends'. If so, this is the one that you want. The domestic CD included the 'Giants' EP and is a better value than the import version.

I gave the import 4 stars due to the lack of these extra songs. Attached hereafter is my review of the import:

Here's one the great cult bands of the 80's that many so-called experts missed. That's unfortunate because The Bolshoi made some excellent songs and they sounded like no one else without resorting to gimmicks. Led by guitarist/vocalist Trevor Tanner, they crafted dark, edgy music that often attacked the injustices of mainstream society.

The main single was the dramatic "A Way" (you'll notice that it is misspelled by Amazon as "Away"). This may have been the best alt hit released in 1986. It tells the tale of a beautiful, manipulative girl who uses her wiles to charm her way into the graces of the upper crust, the conformist & wealthy in-crowd. She fails to see that such false behavior ultimately will turn on itself and leave her alone now that she has alienated those who would have truly cared about her.

"Sunday Morning" is a knock on the hypocrisy of the church. It is a lovely piano ballad that chronicles the singer's decision to leave religion behind in his youth. It features the line, "Standing in line with a dirty mind... clean it up on Sunday morning. I don't wanna do it anymore." "Looking for a Life to Lose" (also misspelled on Amazon) peers into the minds of bitter, jaded adults who often pour their negative outlook directly into the minds of their children, never giving the young a chance at happiness; given Tanner's undeniable anger, sarcasm and bitterness, it seems this is autobiographical and that he wishes he'd had a better chance when he was young. "Books on the Bonfire" looks at the dangerous moments in history where books have been burned and reminds that this could and is happening again. Tanner says, "We put all the books on the bonfire. 2,000 years in a flame. I run like a horse in a fairground - rewind me and play me again." You get the feel that he is also implying that by dumbing-down the education system we are doing this metaphorically already. "Someone's Daughter" and "Modern Man" are standout tracks as well.

I would give this release a 5-star rating except that this particular version does not give you the 6-song `Giants' EP. The version I own has those 6 songs tacked on to the beginning - I guess that is out of print. Those songs showcase Bolshoi in their earlier even bleaker mood. If you can find it, "Happy Boy", "Giants" and "Fly" are all strong efforts.

All in all this is a great album that any fan of post-punk would appreciate.