Todor Zhivkov to 1988, Bulgaria won an unprecedented 153 Olympic medals and numerous European and world competitions in sports as diverse as volleyball, rhythmic gymnastics and wrestling. Dissent was punished under Zhivkov's rule. The CSS was a feared tool of control, and overt opposition largely stayed underground until the late 1980s. In 1978, the Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated in London by an agent who stabbed him with an umbrella tip which implanted a very small ricin ball. According to former KGB general Oleg Kalugin, this was requested by Zhivkov and either performed by the KGB or it assisted the CSS;
London with the Lights On like we've been waiting a long time for this first album and in no way does it disappoint. A little En Vogue here, a lot of Salt-n-Pepa there, it is a witty, confident, exceptional debut." "The Independent's" Simon Price also received the album well, saying "The south London trio's effortlessly assured debut combines classic 1960s soul, streetparty reggae, upfront electro-pop, cackling Night Bus backchat and shameless sexual innuendo. And there is nothing not to love about it." However, Price's colleague Andy Gill gave the album one star, explaining that "London with the Lights On" "is pretty thin fare" and that