Honor Among Thieves (The Brandos album)
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| Honor Among Thieves | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | Relativity[1] | |||
| Producer | Dave Kincaid | |||
| The Brandos chronology | ||||
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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]
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
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| 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]