Shed C86

 

The Bridge - What Does It Take To Make You Love Me? [FST 122 DEU 2016 24-Bit FLAC]

Here is the last of the two compilations featuring all those unreleased tracks by lost eighties indie-popsters, The Bridge. There was a time when I would have lapped up this stuff and these guys certainly deserved a worthy career in music - I would have been raving about them in 1986, I didn't, therefore I am raving about them in 2021.

The opening salvo of Summertime has indie hit single written all over it and I can only guess that the band split before it was considered for a proper release (these are all demos), or the band were hoping for a major deal rather than release it themselves. This album takes its title from the opening line and all the tracks here follow a similar vein - jangly guitars, prominent bass, washy synths and catchy choruses - a bit like Aztec Camera meets The Railway Children with a bit of Prefab. All those bands were contemporaries rather than influences and I'd bet there are one or two A&R men who would have snapped them up.

All these tracks were mastered for vinyl from the original demo cassettes, recorded at the band's own studio, lovingly referred to as 'The Shed'. Summertime, Break It, The Easy Life and Wanting do it for me - pick your favourite.

A1 Summertime

A2 The Easy Life

A3 A Lucky Day

A4 Break It

A5 Be Careful

A6 Cattle Cries

B1 Bring Me Down

B2 Wanting

B3 Have You Ever Seen Joanna?

B4 All Her Selfish Ways

B5 Take On The Town

B6 Heavenly

C1 Pray For Me

D1 Slipping Away