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Album Details

• Artist: Various Artists
• Album: Friends and Lovers: Songs of Bread
• Label: Badman Recording
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2005-09-20

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Husker Du's monumental cover of "Eight Miles High", which at the time was both a jarring counterpoint to the typically cynical and sarcastic hardcore cover as well as one of the most visceral examples of the old cliche that it is the "singer not the song." The original tune, a trippy ode to drugs and, well, tripping, was here recast as a vehicle for such an outburst of rage and catharsis that even today you listen to it and feel like you are invading Bob Mould's privacy. Since then, covers and tribute records of covers have steadily gotten more reverent, less demeaning, which, while refreshing-punk's idea that anything before it was soulless and corporate was one that was run into the ground fast and seemed hollow when subsequent waves of punk sucked. This collection of classics by soft-rock giants Bread is most reverent; taken together, the songs all sound like one tribute band's effort. From Jose Rouse ("it don't matter to me") through Cake's "the guitar man" and right on down to Eric Shea and Bart Davenport ("the goodbye girl") the vibe created is note for note worship. And it actually works. Bread, despite all the changes that came after them, were not as lame as legend pegged them to be. Sincerity has its merits, and while Bread were no Neil Young, they were no America either.
This is a nice, respectful reminder that they are worth a second look.

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