The Boomtown Rats
Encyclopedia
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock
band that had a series of Irish and UK hits
between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof
.
, 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, "Lookin' 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
". Music journalist
Martin C. Strong
commented, "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 single
s, "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 carried out 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 the suffering sea".
left the group. According to Bob Geldof's autobiography, Is That It?, Cott had grown disillusioned with the band's growing laziness in the studio and their greater reggae emphasis, in addition to being bullied by the rest of the band for his dissention. He resigned the day before the end of their 1981 world tour, only hours after the rest of the band had decided to sack him for refusing to join the rest of the band and road crew for a drink to celebrate Simon Crowe
's birthday.
Cott had a short-lived solo career, releasing two UK singles, "The Ballad of the Lone Ranger" and "Pioneers" and the 1984 Canadian single "Alphabet Town".
, being released in February 1982. The first single was "Never In A Million Years" which did not sell well, whilst the follow-up "House on Fire" made number 24 in the UK Singles Chart.
By 1984, they were touring universities after becoming unable to fund the "guarantee" required to book mainstream concert halls, having fallen victim to a demand from Inland Revenue
for unpaid tax.
In January 1985, the band's sixth and final album In the Long Grass
was released, although delayed by the band's involvement with Band Aid
(on which they all played); and, the band performed at Live Aid
's charity performance. Two singles, "Tonight" and "Drag Me Down" reached the lower rungs of the UK Singles Chart, whilst "A Hold Of Me" failed to chart.
's earlier song "Hold Back The Rain", where Geldof's friend Simon Le Bon
pleaded with an unnamed band member to cease dabbling with narcotics.
. However, both Crowe and Fingers refused to rejoin the Boomtown Rats full time, preferring to pursue their own band, Gung Ho
.
The band's final performance came at Self Aid
, a 1986 concert featuring many Irish rock stars, to raise awareness of unemployment in Ireland. Their penultimate performance, "Joey's On the Street Again", was 12 minutes long with an extended bridge
, during which time Geldof ran amongst the crowd. Following this performance, Geldof addressed the crowd, saying, "It's been a great ten years; rest in peace". The band then performed "Looking After No.1".
Following the band's break-up, Geldof launched a solo career with Pete Briquette
continuing to work alongside him. Garry Roberts co-wrote songs for Kirsty McColl before going to work first in insurance, and then in boiler maintenance.
After Gung Ho split, Fingers became a highly successful music producer in Japan, as well as being part of the Japanese band Greengate. Simon Crowe is in the West Country-based Celtic
instrumental
band Jiggerypipery
and has also run a clock making business.
In 2005 the band's albums were all remastered and re-released and a 'Best Of
' compilation
was released, along with two DVDs. Briquette mixed the live DVD and Francesco Cameli mixed the extra tracks for the re-release of the Boomtown Rats albums at Sphere Studios in London.
, The Hollies
and Lieutenant Pigeon
. Darren Beale played lead guitar, whilst saxophone player Andy Hamilton, who had toured and recorded with The Boomtown Rats, including at Live Aid, played as a guest at some gigs.
Both Cott and Fingers were invited to rejoin the band when circumstances allow. Cott attended the Boomtown Rats' second gig
(at The 100 Club
on Oxford Street
, London). Fingers meanwhile works for the Fuji Rock Festival
in Japan, but plans to join the band on stage when he is in the UK.
On 21 June 2009, Geldof, Roberts, and Briquette got together in Dublin to play "Dave", at the wake for the Boomtown Rats' backing saxophonist
Dave McHale, who had died of cancer. "Dave" was a song Geldof wrote for McHale in 1983, after McHale's girlfriend died from a heroin overdose.
On 20 September 2011, Gerry Cott guested with Geldof, Briquette and the rest of Geldof's band at The Cadogan Hall, London. They played three Boomtown Rats songs together prior to the encores. Cott returned to the stage for the final encore playing on two Geldof solo songs.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band that had a series of Irish and UK hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
.
Biography
All six members were originally from Dún LaoghaireDún Laoghaire
Dún Laoghaire or Dún Laoire , sometimes anglicised as "Dunleary" , is a suburban seaside town in County Dublin, Ireland, about twelve kilometres south of Dublin city centre. It is the county town of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County and a major port of entry from Great Britain...
, 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
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
's autobiography, Bound for Glory
Bound for Glory (book)
Bound for Glory is the partially fictionalized autobiography of folk singer and songwriter Woody Guthrie. The book describes Guthrie's childhood, his travels across the United States as a hobo on the railroad, and towards the end his beginning to get recognition as a singer...
. 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
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine.
The group moved to London in October 1976, and became associated with the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
movement. Signing a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Ensign Records
Ensign Records
Ensign Records was started in 1976 by Nigel Grainge, as an independent Phonogram subsidiary.-History:Grainge had been the head of A&R at Phonogram in London for the previous two years and directly signed Thin Lizzy, 10cc, The Steve Miller Band, and a worldwide license for the successful All...
, they released their debut single, "Lookin' After No. 1
Lookin' After No. 1
"Lookin' After No. 1" is the first single by The Boomtown Rats. It appears on their eponymous debut album The Boomtown Rats. The single was released in August 1977 after the band had performed a five date tour supporting Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Lookin' After No...
", in August 1977. It was the first of nine straight singles to make the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. Their debut album, The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats (album)
The Boomtown Rats was The Boomtown Rats' first album and included the Rat's first hit single, "Lookin' After No. 1", as well as the subsequent single, "Mary of the 4th Form".-Track listing:All songs were written by Bob Geldof.# "Lookin' After No...
, was released in September 1977, on Ensign
Ensign Records
Ensign Records was started in 1976 by Nigel Grainge, as an independent Phonogram subsidiary.-History:Grainge had been the head of A&R at Phonogram in London for the previous two years and directly signed Thin Lizzy, 10cc, The Steve Miller Band, and a worldwide license for the successful All...
in the UK and on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in the United States, and featured another single, "Mary of the 4th Form
Mary of the 4th Form
"Mary of the 4th Form" is the second single by The Boomtown Rats. It was the first song taken from the band's first album The Boomtown Rats but the single version is different from that on the album and 19 seconds longer. On French and Dutch releases of the single, the punkier, rock'n'roll song "Do...
". Music journalist
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...
Martin C. Strong
Martin C. Strong
Martin C. Strong is a researcher and compiler of music discographies.His books include The Great Rock Discography, The Essential Rock Discography, The Great Metal Discography, The Great Psychedelic, The Great Alternative and Lights, Camera, Soundtracks...
commented, "Geldof's moody charisma helped to give the band a distinct identity".
The Rats' second album, A Tonic for the Troops
A Tonic for the Troops
A Tonic for the Troops was The Boomtown Rats' second album and included the hit singles "She's So Modern", "Like Clockwork" and "Rat Trap".The album featured dark themes in an often upbeat, pop-punk style...
, appeared in June 1978 in the UK. It featured three hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
s, "Like Clockwork
Like Clockwork
"Like Clockwork" is a single by The Boomtown Rats. It was the band's first to break the top ten in the British charts reaching number 6. Described as simple, cool,...
", "She's So Modern
She's So Modern
"She's So Modern" is a single by The Boomtown Rats. It was the first song taken from the band's second album A Tonic for the Troops whose title comes from a line in this song: Charlie ain't no nazi, she just likes to wear her leather boots, 'cos it's exciting for the veterans and it's a tonic for...
" and "Rat Trap
Rat Trap
"Rat Trap" was a single by The Boomtown Rats which reached #1 in the UK singles chart for two weeks in November 1978, the first single by a punk or new wave act to do so...
". A Tonic for the Troops was released in the U.S. on Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
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
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. (The Bachelors
The Bachelors
The Bachelors are a popular music group, originating from Dublin, Ireland.-Career:The founding members of the group were Conleth Cluskey , Declan Cluskey , and John Stokes...
had topped the Record Retailer
Record Retailer
Record Retailer was a trade newspaper for the UK record industry. It was founded in August 1959 as a monthly newspaper covering both labels and dealers. Its founding editor was Roy Parker...
chart in 1964 with "Diane
Diane (song)
Diane is a song by Erno Rapee and Lew Pollack originally written as a theme song for the 1927 classic silent movie Seventh Heaven. In 1928, The Nat Shilkret Orchestra had a hit with the song....
", but only reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart). In addition, "Rat Trap" was also the first new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
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 carried out by Brenda Ann Spencer
Brenda Ann Spencer
Brenda Ann Spencer is a convicted American murderer who carried out a shooting spree from her home in San Diego, California, on January 29, 1979. During the shooting spree, she killed two people and injured nine others at Cleveland Elementary School, which was located across the street from her home...
, 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 Fine Art of Surfacing
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 band's third album, and subsequently became the band's only U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
entry. The album also contained "Diamond Smiles
Diamond Smiles
"Diamond Smiles" was the second single from The Boomtown Rats' album The Fine Art of Surfacing. It was the follow-up to their vastly successful single "I Don't Like Mondays" and also peaked at a respectable Number 13 in the UK Charts...
" and their next Top 10 hit in the UK, "Someone's Looking at You
Someone's Looking at You
"Someone's Looking at You" was the third and final single from the The Boomtown Rats' album The Fine Art of Surfacing. It peaked at number two on the Irish charts and number 4 in the UK. It is an organ-based song that paints a humid picture of 1984-style government surveillance and has been...
". 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
Pajamas
Pajamas, also spelled pyjamas , can refer to several related types of clothing. The original paijama are loose, lightweight trousers fitted with drawstring waistbands and worn in South and West Asia by both sexes...
he wore onstage.
In 1980 "Banana Republic
Banana Republic (Boomtown Rats song)
"Banana Republic" was the first single from The Boomtown Rats' album Mondo Bongo. It peaked at number three in the UK charts and was the band's last major commercial success. Breaking from the band's previous new wave sound the song opens with a ska-reggae hook . However the song itself is a more...
" was released, which was their last Top 10 hit, and in the following year the Boomtown Rats' next studio album Mondo Bongo
Mondo Bongo
Mondo Bongo was The Boomtown Rats fourth album and included the hit singles: "Banana Republic", which had reached No. 3 in the UK charts in November 1980 and "The Elephants Graveyard " which made No...
was issued. "Banana Republic" savaged their native Ireland, the "septic isle screaming in the suffering sea".
Cott's departure
At this point, guitarist Gerry CottGerry Cott
Gerry Cott was a guitarist and songwriter with the Irish new wave band, The Boomtown Rats.He started playing flamenco guitar when he was 11 years old....
left the group. According to Bob Geldof's autobiography, Is That It?, Cott had grown disillusioned with the band's growing laziness in the studio and their greater reggae emphasis, in addition to being bullied by the rest of the band for his dissention. He resigned the day before the end of their 1981 world tour, only hours after the rest of the band had decided to sack him for refusing to join the rest of the band and road crew for a drink to celebrate Simon Crowe
Simon Crowe
Simon Crowe was the drummer for the Irish new wave bandThe Boomtown Rats.The original name of the Boomtown Rats was the "Nightlife Thugs". The name Boomtown Rats was taken from a novel entitled Bound for Glory by Woody Guthrie.The Boomtown Rats had eighteen hit singles in the UK, including "Rat...
's birthday.
Cott had a short-lived solo career, releasing two UK singles, "The Ballad of the Lone Ranger" and "Pioneers" and the 1984 Canadian single "Alphabet Town".
V Deep
They continued as a quintet with the band's fifth album, V DeepV Deep (album)
V Deep was The Boomtown Rats' fifth album and the first to be released after guitarist Gerry Cott left the group. It includes the hits "House on Fire" and "Up All Night"-Name:The name of the album is pronounced "five deep", not "vee deep"...
, being released in February 1982. The first single was "Never In A Million Years" which did not sell well, whilst the follow-up "House on Fire" made number 24 in the UK Singles Chart.
By 1984, they were touring universities after becoming unable to fund the "guarantee" required to book mainstream concert halls, having fallen victim to a demand from Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue
The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation tax, petroleum revenue tax and stamp duty...
for unpaid tax.
In January 1985, the band's sixth and final album In the Long Grass
In the Long Grass
In the Long Grass is the last studio album by The Boomtown Rats, released in 1984 in the U.K. and 1985 in the U.S.-Track listing:All songs written by Bob Geldof except where indicated.# Dave# Over and Over# Drag Me Down# A Hold of Me...
was released, although delayed by the band's involvement with Band Aid
Band Aid (band)
Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...
(on which they all played); and, the band performed at Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
's charity performance. Two singles, "Tonight" and "Drag Me Down" reached the lower rungs of the UK Singles Chart, whilst "A Hold Of Me" failed to chart.
"Dave" became "Rain" in the U.S.
"Dave" was re-recorded as "Rain" for the U.S. market. The song was about the band's saxophone player and schooldays friend Dr David McHale (died 2009), who had suffered a breakdown after his girlfriend was found dead in a public toilet next to an empty heroin bag. The 'Rain' metaphor in the altered lyrics name-checked Duran DuranDuran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
's earlier song "Hold Back The Rain", where Geldof's friend Simon Le Bon
Simon Le Bon
Simon John Charles Le Bon is an English musician, best known as the lead singer, lyricist and musician of the band Duran Duran and its offshoot, Arcadia.-Early life:...
pleaded with an unnamed band member to cease dabbling with narcotics.
Boomtown Rats split
After this, the band was mothballed whilst Geldof wound up his affairs with the Band Aid Trust, during which time he succeeded in getting them a one-album deal with Vertigo RecordsVertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...
. However, both Crowe and Fingers refused to rejoin the Boomtown Rats full time, preferring to pursue their own band, Gung Ho
Gung~Ho (band)
This band was formed by the former members of The Boomtown Rats, Simon Crowe and Johnnie Fingers.They wrote an album in 1987 called 10, but the record company went bust just as the album was to be released. However, a few copies made it through to the general public in the UK....
.
The band's final performance came at Self Aid
Self Aid
Self Aid was a benefit concert held in Dublin, Ireland on 17 May 1986. The concert performances were primarily by Irish musicians, although Elvis Costello and Chris Rea were designated "honorary Irishmen" for the day; the event was promoted by Jim Aiken...
, a 1986 concert featuring many Irish rock stars, to raise awareness of unemployment in Ireland. Their penultimate performance, "Joey's On the Street Again", was 12 minutes long with an extended bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
, during which time Geldof ran amongst the crowd. Following this performance, Geldof addressed the crowd, saying, "It's been a great ten years; rest in peace". The band then performed "Looking After No.1".
Following the band's break-up, Geldof launched a solo career with Pete Briquette
Pete Briquette
Pete Briquette is the stage name of Patrick Cusack . His pseudonym refers to the fact that he hails from the Irish countryside; peat briquettes are a type of refined turf burned in fires instead of coal.-Boomtown Rats:He was the bass guitarist, backing vocalist, occasional songwriter, and sometime...
continuing to work alongside him. Garry Roberts co-wrote songs for Kirsty McColl before going to work first in insurance, and then in boiler maintenance.
After Gung Ho split, Fingers became a highly successful music producer in Japan, as well as being part of the Japanese band Greengate. Simon Crowe is in the West Country-based Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
band Jiggerypipery
Jiggerypipery
Jiggerypipery are a folk band, based in Dartmoor, Devon, England. As well as being played on national radio, they have released two albums....
and has also run a clock making business.
In 2005 the band's albums were all remastered and re-released and a 'Best Of
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
' compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
was released, along with two DVDs. Briquette mixed the live DVD and Francesco Cameli mixed the extra tracks for the re-release of the Boomtown Rats albums at Sphere Studios in London.
The Rats
In 2008 Roberts and Crowe re-formed as 'The Rats', playing their favourite Boomtown Rats songs. The band was fronted by Peter Barton, who has a long history, stretching from the 1980s, of latterly fronting former famous acts, including The AnimalsThe Animals
The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...
, The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
and Lieutenant Pigeon
Lieutenant Pigeon
Lieutenant Pigeon was a British novelty popular music group, originating from Coventry.-Career:Lieutenant Pigeon was a British musical group popular in the early 1970s. A spin-off from an experimental music band Stavely Makepeace, it was fronted by Rob Woodward and managed by David Whitehouse....
. Darren Beale played lead guitar, whilst saxophone player Andy Hamilton, who had toured and recorded with The Boomtown Rats, including at Live Aid, played as a guest at some gigs.
Both Cott and Fingers were invited to rejoin the band when circumstances allow. Cott attended the Boomtown Rats' second gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
(at The 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
on Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
, London). Fingers meanwhile works for the Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival
Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...
in Japan, but plans to join the band on stage when he is in the UK.
On 21 June 2009, Geldof, Roberts, and Briquette got together in Dublin to play "Dave", at the wake for the Boomtown Rats' backing saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Dave McHale, who had died of cancer. "Dave" was a song Geldof wrote for McHale in 1983, after McHale's girlfriend died from a heroin overdose.
On 20 September 2011, Gerry Cott guested with Geldof, Briquette and the rest of Geldof's band at The Cadogan Hall, London. They played three Boomtown Rats songs together prior to the encores. Cott returned to the stage for the final encore playing on two Geldof solo songs.
Studio Albums
- The Boomtown RatsThe Boomtown Rats (album)The Boomtown Rats was The Boomtown Rats' first album and included the Rat's first hit single, "Lookin' After No. 1", as well as the subsequent single, "Mary of the 4th Form".-Track listing:All songs were written by Bob Geldof.# "Lookin' After No...
(1977) - A Tonic for the TroopsA Tonic for the TroopsA Tonic for the Troops was The Boomtown Rats' second album and included the hit singles "She's So Modern", "Like Clockwork" and "Rat Trap".The album featured dark themes in an often upbeat, pop-punk style...
(1978) - The Fine Art of SurfacingThe Fine Art of SurfacingThe 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...
(1979)
- Mondo BongoMondo BongoMondo Bongo was The Boomtown Rats fourth album and included the hit singles: "Banana Republic", which had reached No. 3 in the UK charts in November 1980 and "The Elephants Graveyard " which made No...
(1980) - V DeepV Deep (album)V Deep was The Boomtown Rats' fifth album and the first to be released after guitarist Gerry Cott left the group. It includes the hits "House on Fire" and "Up All Night"-Name:The name of the album is pronounced "five deep", not "vee deep"...
(1982) - In the Long GrassIn the Long GrassIn the Long Grass is the last studio album by The Boomtown Rats, released in 1984 in the U.K. and 1985 in the U.S.-Track listing:All songs written by Bob Geldof except where indicated.# Dave# Over and Over# Drag Me Down# A Hold of Me...
(1984)
UK Top 40 Singles
- "Lookin' After No. 1Lookin' After No. 1"Lookin' After No. 1" is the first single by The Boomtown Rats. It appears on their eponymous debut album The Boomtown Rats. The single was released in August 1977 after the band had performed a five date tour supporting Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Lookin' After No...
" (1977) #11 - "Mary of the 4th FormMary of the 4th Form"Mary of the 4th Form" is the second single by The Boomtown Rats. It was the first song taken from the band's first album The Boomtown Rats but the single version is different from that on the album and 19 seconds longer. On French and Dutch releases of the single, the punkier, rock'n'roll song "Do...
" (1977) #15 - "She's So ModernShe's So Modern"She's So Modern" is a single by The Boomtown Rats. It was the first song taken from the band's second album A Tonic for the Troops whose title comes from a line in this song: Charlie ain't no nazi, she just likes to wear her leather boots, 'cos it's exciting for the veterans and it's a tonic for...
" (1978) #12 - "Like ClockworkLike Clockwork"Like Clockwork" is a single by The Boomtown Rats. It was the band's first to break the top ten in the British charts reaching number 6. Described as simple, cool,...
" (1978) #6
- "Rat TrapRat Trap"Rat Trap" was a single by The Boomtown Rats which reached #1 in the UK singles chart for two weeks in November 1978, the first single by a punk or new wave act to do so...
" (1978) #1 - "I Don't Like Mondays" (1979) #1
- "Diamond SmilesDiamond Smiles"Diamond Smiles" was the second single from The Boomtown Rats' album The Fine Art of Surfacing. It was the follow-up to their vastly successful single "I Don't Like Mondays" and also peaked at a respectable Number 13 in the UK Charts...
" (1979) #13 - "Someone's Looking at YouSomeone's Looking at You"Someone's Looking at You" was the third and final single from the The Boomtown Rats' album The Fine Art of Surfacing. It peaked at number two on the Irish charts and number 4 in the UK. It is an organ-based song that paints a humid picture of 1984-style government surveillance and has been...
" (1980) #4
- "Banana Republic" (1980) #3
- "The Elephant's Graveyard (Guilty)" (1981) #26
- "House on Fire" (1982) #24
- "I Don't Like Mondays"
(1994) #38
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
- List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
- List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
- List of New Wave bands and artists
- List of musicians in the first wave of punk music
- List of Peel sessions
- List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
- Music of IrelandMusic of IrelandIrish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
- List of Irish people