Friends and Lovers (Bernard Butler album)
| Friends and Lovers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 October 1999 | |||
| Recorded | RAK studios | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 50:13 | |||
| Label | Creation | |||
| Producer | Bernard Butler | |||
| Bernard Butler chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Friends and Lovers | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Dayton Daily News | B-[2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| NME | 6/10[4] |
| The Phoenix |  [5] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | [6] |
| PopMatters |   [7] |
| Q | [8] |
| Sunday Herald | [9] |
| The Times | [10] |
Friends and Lovers is the second and to date, most recent album from English singer-songwriter and musician Bernard Butler released in 1999.
Background
The album is a lot different from his debut, displaying a more upbeat and pop-rock sound. Butler trimmed away the soft rock elements from People Move On, which used a lot of string instrumentation. Instead, Friends and Lovers sees Butler bring the guitar to the forefront of the musical output. Butler has described the record as: "More direct, more concise, no strings."[11] The album was recorded in London and Chipping Norton, and mixed in New York by Andy Wallace.[12]
David Simutis of Phoenix New Times concurred that the record is an upbeat affair. He wrote that "the main emotion captured on Friends & Lovers is happiness. From the up-tempo power chords, organ and handclaps of 'I'd Do It Again If I Could,' to the bouncing beat and guitar textures of 'What Happened to Me,' it's a powerful record of hope."[13]
Singles released from the album were "Friends and Lovers" and "You Must Go On". "You Must Go On" charted at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart.[14] The album had a delayed release on Columbia Records in the US the following year 1 February 2000.[15] The only US single release from the album, "I'd Do It Again If I Could" followed shortly after.[16]
Reception
Some critics saw it as a step forward from his debut. Sarah Zupko of PopMatters wrote: "Friends and Lovers is more anthemic and self-assured than People Move On, as though Butler has been steadily gaining confidence in himself as a frontman."[7] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic felt that Butler has greater focus on this record, however felt that the music needed "a larger-than-life personality, a vocalist on the level of Brett Anderson."[1]
Jay Hedblade of the Chicago Tribune had a more mixed sentiment, saying: "Bernard Butler offers more textured, palatable rock cast in a classic mode. Like his debut, People Move On, Butler demonstrates he's adept at building gorgeous mile-high melodies that hit all the right buttons, yet as agreeable as it is, there's still a nagging feeling that something's missing." Although he did say the album had "brilliant moments", he concluded by saying: "elsewhere Butler spends too much time waxing poetic without the verbal dexterity to hold up the grand nature of the tunes."[17]
The album was not a commercial success, this was mainly due to the breakup of Creation Records shortly before Butler was due to embark on a UK tour. As a result, the tour was cancelled and he was unable to fully complete his promotional duties for the album.[18] The album charted at number 43 on the UK Albums Chart.[14]
Track listing
All songs written by Bernard Butler.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Friends and Lovers" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "I'd Do It Again If I Could" | 3:26 |
| 3. | "Cocoon" | 4:17 |
| 4. | "Smile" | 4:02 |
| 5. | "You Must Go On" | 3:25 |
| 6. | "No Easy Way Out" | 4:26 |
| 7. | "Everyone I Know Is Falling Apart" | 4:18 |
| 8. | "What Happened To Me" | 3:18 |
| 9. | "Let's Go Away" | 4:03 |
| 10. | "Precious" | 3:54 |
| 11. | "Has Your Mind Got Away?" (feat. Neil Halstead) | 8:12 |
| 12. | "You'll Feel It When You're Mine" | 2:31 |
| 13. | "70 Miles" (bonus track on Japanese editions) | 4:23 |
References
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Friends and Lovers review". AllMusic.
- ^ Kizirnis, Kathi (18 February 2000). "Recordings in Brief". Dayton Daily News. Cox Enterprises. Retrieved 24 June 2013 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Sweeting, Adam (22 October 1999). "CD Releases". The Guardian. p. B17.
- ^ Segal, Victoria (19 October 1999). "Friends And Lovers - He might have the last laugh, after all..." NME. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ Laban, Linda (3 February 2000). "Off The Record - Friends And Lovers". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
- ^ Masley, Ed (11 February 2000). "New Discs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 118. Retrieved 5 February 2017 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ a b Zupko, Sarah. "Bernard Butler: Friends and Lovers". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012.
- ^ Maconie, Stuart (December 1999). "He's found his niche and he's sticking to it". Q (159). Archived from the original on 23 January 2000. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ Virtue, Graeme (24 October 1999). "Friends And Lovers - Bernard Butler (Creation)". Sunday Herald. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018 – via HighBeam Research.
- ^ Cowan, Amber (23 October 1999). "New album releases". The Times. p. 11.
- ^ "The Butler Did It (Nearly)". NME. 18 January 1999. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "The Butler Done It". NME. 6 June 1999. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ Simutis, David (3 February 2000). "Coming Up". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
- ^ a b "Artist Chart History: Bernard Butler". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. 61 (647): 33. 20 December 1999. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- ^ "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. 112 (8): 24. 19 February 2000. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
- ^ Hedblabe, Jay (5 March 2000). "Bernard Butler Friends & Lovers (Columbia)". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ "Butler to abandon stage for baize?". NME. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
External links
- Friends and Lovers at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)