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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]

Honor Among Thieves
Studio album by The Brandos
Released	1987
Genre	Rock
Label	Relativity[1]
Producer	Dave Kincaid
The Brandos chronology
Honor Among Thieves (1987) Gunfire at Midnight (1992)

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

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

Professional ratings

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 songs ... 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]

AllMusic wrote that "the Brandos play with great verve on this strong set of compositions."[19] The Oregonian listed the album among the 10 best of 1987.[23]

Track listing

References

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