Honor Among Thieves (The Brandos album)

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Honor Among Thieves
Studio album by
the Brandos
Released1987
GenreRock
LabelRelativity[1]
ProducerDave Kincaid
The Brandos chronology
Honor Among Thieves
(1987) 		Gunfire at Midnight
(1992)

Honor Among Thieves is the debut album by the American band the Brandos, released in 1987.[2][3] The first single was "Gettysburg", which was a minor hit on radio and MTV.[4][5][6]

The album peaked at No. 108 on the Billboard 200.[7] The band supported the album with a North American tour that included stints opening for INXS, the Georgia Satellites, and the Cars.[8][9][10] Honor Among Thieves won a New York Music Award for the best independent debut of 1987.[11]

Production[edit]

Most of the album's songs were written by singer Dave Kincaid, who also produced.[12][13] He strove to make the songs sound similar to each other.[6] Kincaid's slide guitar playing was influenced by his love of the Allman Brothers Band's At Fillmore East.[14]

Honor Among Thieves was mixed at Power Station, in New York.[15] "Strychnine" and "Walking on the Water" are covers of songs by, respectively, the Sonics and Creedence Clearwater Revival.[16] "A Matter of Survival" is about domestic abuse.[17] "Nothing to Lose" describes the possibility of death by murder.[18]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Chicago Tribune[20]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[21]

Newsday deemed the title track "a threatening tune with an interesting hook and some chords borrowed from that Tom Petty-Stevie Nicks classic, 'Stop Dragging My Heart Around'."[22] The New York Times determined that the Brandos "make sturdy, grim-spirited guitar-based rock in the mold of Creedence Clearwater Revival."[12] The Chicago Tribune labeled the album "tough, muscular, guitar-oriented rock 'n' roll with a kind of haunted-souls feeling to the vocals and guitar lines."[20]

The Washington Post wrote that "this New York quartet has studiously fashioned its Americana-drenched sound and image."[4] The Boston Globe called Honor Among Thieves "an impressively rootsy album."[5] The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that "the music is quirkily original: Big, punchy song ... that for the most part achieve their elaborate ambitions."[21] Trouser Press opined that "though too much of the band's material lacks real distinction, Honor Among Thieves is a generally impressive debut."[13] The Oregonian listed the album among the 10 best of 1987.[23]

AllMusic wrote that "the Brandos play with great verve on this strong set of compositions."[19]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Gettysburg" 
2."A Matter of Survival" 
3."Nothing to Fear" 
4."Honor Among Thieves" 
5."Strychnine" 
6."Hard Luck Runner" 
7."In My Dreams" 
8."Walking on the Water" 
9."Come Home" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ Thompson, Dave (April 2, 2019). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin.
  2. ^ "The Brandos Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Browne, David (Nov 19, 1987). "The Brandos: Real Contenders". Rolling Stone. No. 513. p. 20.
  4. ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (18 Sep 1987). "Brandos: Americana". The Washington Post. p. N25.
  5. ^ a b Morse, Steve (27 Sep 1987). "Growing Number of 'Indies' Offer More Adventure on Vinyl". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 103.
  6. ^ a b Popson, Tom (11 Dec 1987). "The Brandos: An Eerie Time at Gettysburg". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  7. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2010). Top Pop Albums (7th ed.). Record Research Inc. p. 102.
  8. ^ Erskine, Evelyn (23 Nov 1987). "INXS slow to ignite Ottawa fans with soulful music". Ottawa Citizen. p. D8.
  9. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (December 11, 1987). "Brandos mesh sounds of both coasts". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 89.
  10. ^ Heim, Chris (13 Dec 1987). "'Big Mo' Eludes Cars in Drive Down Rock Road". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  11. ^ Williams, Stephen (11 Apr 1988). "New York Music Adds To Awards Overload". Part II. Newsday. p. 7.
  12. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (4 Sep 1987). "Pop and Jazz Guide". The New York Times. p. C17.
  13. ^ a b "Brandos". Trouser Press. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  14. ^ Miller, Michael L. (January 29, 1988). "No-Nonsense, Compatible Brandos Reaping Rewards". The State. Columbia. p. 7B.
  15. ^ Stout, Gene (June 6, 1987). "Former Allies Musicians Connect with Relativity". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C7.
  16. ^ MacDonald, Patrick (August 28, 1987). "Seattle Rocker's Search for New Allies Has Paid Off with the Brandos". Tempo. The Seattle Times. p. 6.
  17. ^ Bourke, Brian G. (October 7, 1987). "Band Takes Independent Route to Popularity". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. E8.
  18. ^ Oermann, Robert K. (February 18, 1988). "There's a 'buzz' going around about The Brandos". USA Today.
  19. ^ a b "The Brandos Honor Among Thieves". AllMusic.
  20. ^ a b "Modern Monkee Music and Other 'Indie' Ventures". Friday. Chicago Tribune. 9 Oct 1987. p. 1.
  21. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (27 Sep 1987). "The Brandos Honor Among Thieves". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. J4.
  22. ^ Williams, Stephen (26 Aug 1987). "Ruffner Oozes the Blues". Part II. Newsday. p. 10.
  23. ^ Tomlinson, Stuart (December 13, 1987). "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree: 10 Albums to Get You Started". The Oregonian. p. B17.
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