The Boomtown Rats Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
By the time In the Long Grass was released, Bob Geldof's sights were set on more important issues, like the "Do They Know It's Christmas" project and the monumental Live Aid concert that came to fruition in 1985. All of the intensity and raw ardor that he and the rest of the band established on past albums is nowhere to be found on In the Long Grass, with "Drag Me Down" peaking at a measly number 50 on the U.K. charts, the album's best effort. Geldof's material comes off like hurried-up poetry haphazardly put to music, and without the flamboyancy of Johnny Fingers' piano playing, the songs seem empty and uninspiring. "Tonight" teases with a glimmer of hope because of its lyrical appeal, but tracks such as "Up & Down" and "Hard Times" bring the band down to a level of averageness that is unfamiliar, especially when compared to the genius of A Tonic for the Troops or the eccentricities of The Fine Art of Surfacing. Although the Boomtown Rats began to show signs that they were losing their flair on the V Deep album, it is much easier to forgive the shortcomings of In the Long Grass when looking back at Geldof's Herculean attempts at curbing world hunger that soon followed. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their fourth album, the Boomtown Rats submitted to ambitiousness, with singer Bob Geldof attempting to assume the mantle of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones, while the band tried to keep up with musical fashions in Britain. The combination led to such oddities as a ska-beat rewrite of the Stones' "Under My Thumb" and a couple of side-opening mambos. The band was at its best when it returned to the pop music that was its core on such songs as the Buddy Holly-ish "Don't Talk to Me" and especially the danceable "Up All Night," but they were buried on the second side of an uneven collection that made the Rats' sense of direction seem uncertain. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'The Fine Art of Surfacing'
Release Date 1/1/1979
Tracks 11
Label Columbia
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Chock-full of new wave charisma and tamed by Bob Geldof's upfront wit, The Fine Art of Surfacing is novel in both its lyrical flair and modern pounce. Made famous by the colorful history of "I Don't Like Mondays," a true story about a 13-year-old girl who shot 11 people without showing any remorse, The Fine Art of Surfacing switches gears from this song's well-crafted harshness to the hectic pace of tracks such as "Nice N' Neat" and "Sleep," among others. "Diamond Smiles" jaunts along on a hiccup-like rhythm, while "Keep It Up" is downright frantic. "Someone's Looking at You" basks in a certain type of smug paranoia, and songs like "Having My Picture Taken" and "Nothing Happened Today" are beautifully lit up by Geldof's wide-eyed dramatics and explicit vocal swings. Sharing the same sort of stylishness as A Tonic for the Troops, The Fine Art of Surfacing bursts with florid pop genius, which in turn kept the Boomtown Rats from sounding like other new wave bands that existed at the time. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Anyone who heard the Boomtown Rats' debut single, "Lookin' After No. 1," with its rapid drum beat, slashing guitars, and aggressive singing about impatience with the dole queue, would think of the group as a particularly tight, standard punk rock band on the London scene in 1977. The Rats' debut album also featured the leering "Mary of the Fourth Form," their second single, but the rest of the album revealed more traditional rock influences. "Joey's on the Street Again" sounded like the sort of street opera Bruce Springsteen was aiming for on The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. "I Can Make It If You Can" was the sort of ballad the Rolling Stones favored in the mid-'70s. Overall, there were enough power chords and snotty sentiments to justify the punk tag, but it was already clear that the Rats aspired to the mainstream. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
