I'll admit it, I knew nothing of the Russian Bolshoi Ballet Company prior to hearing of the British band The Bolshoi. I also didn't know there was a Memphis, Egypt until I heard The Mekons' song either, amazing what you can learn from rock and roll. The Bolshoi (band) were a minor sensation at our high school radio station and especially big in my immediate group of friends. In the mid 1980's few labels were hotter than I.R.S. Records as it was home to R.E.M. The Bolshoi's debut Friends was on I.R.S. Records and that was the only thing we needed to know.
Of course not everything on I.R.S. was 'gold' but it was enough of a signifier of quality to us and The Bolshoi had the chops to back up their label's prestige. The opening track "Away" had a cooly sinister guitar line and a great chorus. The video was also cool and this was when MTV actually played videos, so you could see the menacing Trevor Tanner often on 120 Minutes. I'm not sure why but the video version omitted the verse about having a baby and it being painful yet, worth it. Being young, thin, sarcastic teenagers, we were also drawn to "Fat And Jealous". A friend of mine used to be in a band called Sunday Morning Chameleon, the name referred to those people who led less than vituous lives but put on their best clothes and faked it for morning mass. Twenty plus years prior, The Bolshoi were mining similar territory in "Sunday Morning". I seem to recall my band in high school covering (or attempting to) this song, or maybe we just borrowed portions of it for one of our own songs. I remember being underwhelmed by the follow up and the group split up not long after that. A quick check found that lead singer/guitarist Trevor Tanner still records and performs these days, which is cool but a full Bolshoi reunion would be cool to see. Hell, they could tour with Gene Loves Jezebel do a string of dates here in the States.
If I can find the time, you might get a regular post early next week but no Crucial Music due to the food holiday, break out your eating pants. Have a great weekend, enjoy the music.
Ken! How did I miss this great post? I was a huge fan of this record when it came out. Sadly, I didn't know a single other person who knew who they were (but that's what I got for growing up in Iowa).
Posted by: Stacee | Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 03:59 PM