Search - The Bolshoi :: Friends

Excellent Lost Album

SandmanVI | Glen Allen, VA United States | 03/10/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Long Lost Friends.....

Anthony L. Orant | Palos Hills, Illinois USA | 07/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

These guys still rock

Annette D | Palm Springs, CA | 04/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I taped a couple of Bolshoi songs from KROQ in the 80's, and a couple of their music videos from MTV, but never actually owned a Bolshoi album so decided to order this CD. Really glad I did. It's actually amazing how well the sounds hold up ten years or so later, these guys must have been way ahead of their time or something. Awesome album. I also did a search on the members and the keyboard player is now editor of electronicmusic.com. Way cool."