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The Boomtown Rats - The Fine Art Of Surfacing A49 8-track tape
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish rock band that scored a series of UK hits between 1977 and 1980 and were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.
All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. Formed under the name "The Nightlife Thugs," the group agreed on the name change to the "Boomtown Rats" after a gang that Geldof read about in Woody Guthrie's autobiography, Bound for Glory. They became a notable band, but one whose accomplishments were overshadowed by the charity work of frontman Bob Geldof, a former journalist with the NME magazine.
The group moved to London in October 1976, and became associated with the punk rock movement. Signing a recording contract with Ensign Records, they released their debut single, "Looking After No.1", in August 1977. It was the first of nine straight singles to make the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart. Their debut album, The Boomtown Rats, was released in September 1977, on Ensign in the UK and on Mercury Records in the United States, and featured another single, "Mary of the 4th Form". As music journalist, Martin C. Strong noted, "Geldof's moody charisma helped to give the band a distinct identity".
The Rats' second album, A Tonic for the Troops, appeared in June 1978 in the UK. It featured three hit singles, "Like Clockwork", "She's So Modern" and "Rat Trap". A Tonic for the Troops was released in the U.S. on Columbia in February 1979, with two tracks from The Boomtown Rats substituted for tracks on the UK version. Mutt Lange produced "Rat Trap", which became the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK, and the first of any description by an Irish band to top the official chart used by the BBC. (The Bachelors had topped the Record Retailer chart in 1964 with "Diane", but only reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart). In addition, "Rat Trap" was also the first new wave song to claim the number one spot.
In 1979, "I Don't Like Mondays", was released. This was written in response to a school shooting in California by Brenda Ann Spencer, and also reached #1 in the UK. It was a worldwide hit, with the glaring exception being the United States. Fears of lawsuits and charges of bad taste kept radio stations there from playing the record. The unofficial boycott was frontpage news in Variety Magazine, the only time the Boomtown Rats earned such prominent coverage. However, it was included in The Fine Art of Surfacing, the band's third album, and subsequently became the band's only U.S. Billboard Hot 100 entry. The album also contained "Diamond Smiles" and their next Top 10 hit in the UK, "Someone's Looking at You". Geldof and Fingers became the visual and musical focus of the group: Geldof with his articulate, caustic wit - which made him the delight of television talk show presenters and the bitter enemy of music journalists - and Fingers with the striped pyjamas he wore onstage.
In 1980 "Banana Republic" was released, which was their last Top 10 hit, and in the following year The Boomtown Rats next studio album Mondo Bongo was issued. "Banana Republic" savaged their native Ireland, the "septic isle screaming in a suffering sea", according to the Guinness Rockopedia.
The Fine Art of Surfacing was The Boomtown Rats' third album and contained the hit-single releases, "I Don't Like Mondays", "Diamond Smiles" and "Someone's Looking At You." "I Don't Like Mondays" b/w "It's All the Rage" was released in June 1979, and hit #1 in late July in the UK in the same year (the song refers to Brenda Ann Spencer's killing spree on Monday, January 29, 1979 in San Diego, California).
The Fine Art of Surfacing is critically acclaimed as the best album the Boomtown Rats ever released, as well as one of the greatest albums of 1979. The album came at a time where the Boomtown Rats were flying high in Great Britain, at their peak, success-wise.
Following the release of their very successful LP, A Tonic For The Troops, in 1978, the Boomtown Rats embarked upon a tour around England that became a hit and was called the "third best live rock gig" by Billboard behind only Queen and ELO[citation needed].
Bob Geldof also went around America leading up to The Fine Art of Surfacing, drumming up publicity for the band in the States. During this time the Rats learned much about both American life and breaking into the American music market. This is a recurring theme on the album, sometimes taking a serious approach in looking at American society, in songs like "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Diamond Smiles," while other times looking at it in a downright silly and mocking manner in songs like "Nothing Happened Today" and "Having My Picture Taken," the LP takes aim at 1979 life in classic punk style.
Musically, however, this album is, for the most part, quite a departure from the Rats' punk influences that came across so clearly in their debut LP and Tonic for the Troops. The Rats display many styles in this album from a wide range of influences.
In 2005, this album was re-released (it had previously been released but fell out of print quickly), digitally remastered by Bob Geldof and Pete Briquette with bonus tracks that delve more deeply into the Rats' musical influences.
Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fine_Art_of_Surfacing
A49
Comes with foil splice, pads and a 7-day money back guarantee.
All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland. Formed under the name "The Nightlife Thugs," the group agreed on the name change to the "Boomtown Rats" after a gang that Geldof read about in Woody Guthrie's autobiography, Bound for Glory. They became a notable band, but one whose accomplishments were overshadowed by the charity work of frontman Bob Geldof, a former journalist with the NME magazine.
The group moved to London in October 1976, and became associated with the punk rock movement. Signing a recording contract with Ensign Records, they released their debut single, "Looking After No.1", in August 1977. It was the first of nine straight singles to make the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart. Their debut album, The Boomtown Rats, was released in September 1977, on Ensign in the UK and on Mercury Records in the United States, and featured another single, "Mary of the 4th Form". As music journalist, Martin C. Strong noted, "Geldof's moody charisma helped to give the band a distinct identity".
The Rats' second album, A Tonic for the Troops, appeared in June 1978 in the UK. It featured three hit singles, "Like Clockwork", "She's So Modern" and "Rat Trap". A Tonic for the Troops was released in the U.S. on Columbia in February 1979, with two tracks from The Boomtown Rats substituted for tracks on the UK version. Mutt Lange produced "Rat Trap", which became the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK, and the first of any description by an Irish band to top the official chart used by the BBC. (The Bachelors had topped the Record Retailer chart in 1964 with "Diane", but only reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart). In addition, "Rat Trap" was also the first new wave song to claim the number one spot.
In 1979, "I Don't Like Mondays", was released. This was written in response to a school shooting in California by Brenda Ann Spencer, and also reached #1 in the UK. It was a worldwide hit, with the glaring exception being the United States. Fears of lawsuits and charges of bad taste kept radio stations there from playing the record. The unofficial boycott was frontpage news in Variety Magazine, the only time the Boomtown Rats earned such prominent coverage. However, it was included in The Fine Art of Surfacing, the band's third album, and subsequently became the band's only U.S. Billboard Hot 100 entry. The album also contained "Diamond Smiles" and their next Top 10 hit in the UK, "Someone's Looking at You". Geldof and Fingers became the visual and musical focus of the group: Geldof with his articulate, caustic wit - which made him the delight of television talk show presenters and the bitter enemy of music journalists - and Fingers with the striped pyjamas he wore onstage.
In 1980 "Banana Republic" was released, which was their last Top 10 hit, and in the following year The Boomtown Rats next studio album Mondo Bongo was issued. "Banana Republic" savaged their native Ireland, the "septic isle screaming in a suffering sea", according to the Guinness Rockopedia.
The Fine Art of Surfacing was The Boomtown Rats' third album and contained the hit-single releases, "I Don't Like Mondays", "Diamond Smiles" and "Someone's Looking At You." "I Don't Like Mondays" b/w "It's All the Rage" was released in June 1979, and hit #1 in late July in the UK in the same year (the song refers to Brenda Ann Spencer's killing spree on Monday, January 29, 1979 in San Diego, California).
The Fine Art of Surfacing is critically acclaimed as the best album the Boomtown Rats ever released, as well as one of the greatest albums of 1979. The album came at a time where the Boomtown Rats were flying high in Great Britain, at their peak, success-wise.
Following the release of their very successful LP, A Tonic For The Troops, in 1978, the Boomtown Rats embarked upon a tour around England that became a hit and was called the "third best live rock gig" by Billboard behind only Queen and ELO[citation needed].
Bob Geldof also went around America leading up to The Fine Art of Surfacing, drumming up publicity for the band in the States. During this time the Rats learned much about both American life and breaking into the American music market. This is a recurring theme on the album, sometimes taking a serious approach in looking at American society, in songs like "I Don't Like Mondays" and "Diamond Smiles," while other times looking at it in a downright silly and mocking manner in songs like "Nothing Happened Today" and "Having My Picture Taken," the LP takes aim at 1979 life in classic punk style.
Musically, however, this album is, for the most part, quite a departure from the Rats' punk influences that came across so clearly in their debut LP and Tonic for the Troops. The Rats display many styles in this album from a wide range of influences.
In 2005, this album was re-released (it had previously been released but fell out of print quickly), digitally remastered by Bob Geldof and Pete Briquette with bonus tracks that delve more deeply into the Rats' musical influences.
Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fine_Art_of_Surfacing
A49
Comes with foil splice, pads and a 7-day money back guarantee.
