Friend or Foe?

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Friend or Foe?
Blackmail studio album

Publication
(s)

May 26, 2003

Label (s) WEA Records

Format (s)

CD, LP

Genre (s)

Alternative rock , indie rock

Title (number)

11

running time

42:42

occupation
  • Carlos Ebelhauser
  • Mario Matthias

production

Kurt Ebelhauser

chronology
The Light of the Son Is the Son of the Light (EP)
(2002) 		Friend or Foe? Foe (EP)
(2003)

Friend or Foe? is the fourth studio album by the Koblenz band Blackmail . It was recorded at tonstudio-45 in Lahnstein and released on May 26, 2003 by the WEA Records label. In 2004 the album was also released in Japan, here by the Imperial Records label .

The album can be viewed as a unit together with the EP Foe, which was released shortly afterwards . This is also suggested by the title of the album Friend or Foe? on. While the album contains the song Friend , Foe can be found on the EP.

Track list

German edition:
  1. Airdrop - 3:02
  2. Evon - 4:50
  3. It Could Be Yours - 2:53
  4. On the tightrope - 3:47
  5. Sunday Sister - 3:03
  6. Fast Summer - 3:33
  7. Leave - 3:24
  8. Nobody's Home (In My Home I'm Alone) - 2:22
  9. Dive - 2:50
  10. All Mine - 3:22
  11. Friend - 9:36
 Japanese edition:
  1. Airdrop - 3:04
  2. Evon - 4:50
  3. It Could Be Yours - 2:57
  4. On the tightrope - 3:47
  5. Foe - 3:18
  6. Sunday Sister - 3:02
  7. Fast Summer - 3:33
  8. Leave - 3:24
  9. Nobody's Home (In My Home I'm Alone) - 2:22
  10. Dive - 2:51
  11. All Mine - 3:22
  12. Friend - 9:35
  13. Love Like Blood - 4:38
  14. Arcese - 3:31

Track information

Two tracks on the album have a counterpart on the EP Foe . The EP's title Foe is a different version of Friend . Both have very similar stanzas, but the choruses are completely different from each other both lyrically and musically. Both songs also have different solo parts. Fast Summer has an extended solo in common with the track Slow Summer from the EP, which was played on a pedal steel guitar .

The bonus titles Foe and Arcese of the Japanese album version can also be found on the EP Foe . The third bonus track Love Like Blood is a cover version that is originally from the band Killing Joke and can be found on the album Night Time .

Artwork

The artwork also corresponds to the EP Foe . The cover of the album shows a mainly black and white portrait that is strongly reminiscent of well-known depictions of Jesus Christ . This association is reinforced by the fact that the cover of the EP shows a similarly created picture of a woman with a baby in her arms. This representation is very similar to the Sistine Madonna by Raphael .

Publications

album

A limited edition was released with the same playlist but different packaging. This edition was sold in a cardboard slipcase that offers additional space for the EP Foe , which was released shortly afterwards . A sticker was also included. After the success of the album in Japan, which was initially only available as an import, a version with three bonus tracks was released for the Japanese market.

single

Shortly before the album was released, the song It Could Be Yours was released as a single and a music video was produced for it. The single contains the following titles:

  1. It Could Be Yours (Bontempi version) - 3:01
  2. Dare Defender - 2:52
  3. Carmine - 4:47
  4. It Could Be Yours (radio edit) - 2:52

reception

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Friend or Foe?
  DE 56 06/09/2003 (1 week)

The album received very positive reviews. Stefan Friedrich from laut.de awarded the highest rating of five stars and wrote: "One great song chases the next, and even if a lot seems a bit more rock than its predecessor, the almost perfect pop song shimmers through everywhere." He also stated: "If Blackmail were American, they would sell millions of records, go on tour with the Queens Of The Stone Age and look up the Billboard charts from pretty high up."

Daniel Gerhardt wrote on Plattentests.de that after their "..." Yes "-word to Pop ..." on Bliss, Please "... one step back [took] to get at least two steps forward." In his opinion, this album lasted "... as full as nothing has done in the city of unlimited guitar possibilities since" Science Fiction ". An earthquake that bursts the Richter scale." Both the editors and readers rated Friend or Foe? with 8 out of 10 points.

The album was listed at number 140 on the list of 150 records for the eternity by Visions magazine .

occupation

In addition to the band, some guest musicians were also involved in the recordings for the album.

tape

  • Aydo Abay: Singing
  • Kurt Ebelhäuser: guitar, keyboard, Moog synthesizer , samples
  • Carlos Ebelhäuser: Bass
  • Mario Matthias: drums

Guest musician

  • Michael Elzer: Electronic organ, piano, orchestral samples
  • Marcel von der Weiden: keyboard, strings, mellotron , electronic organ, piano
  • Jürgen Schmidt: Pedal steel guitar

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Information about the album on Discogs.com
  2. ↑ a b Information on the Japanese edition at musik-sammler.de
  3. ↑ Information on the Limited Edition at musik-sammler.de
  4. ↑ Information about the single at musik-sammler.de
  5. ↑ Chart position in Germany on officialcharts.de
  6. ↑ a b review on laut.de.
  7. ↑ a b review on Plattentests.de
  8. ↑ Visions of September 2005, issue 150, page 117