Saturday, February 19, 2005

Rats Albums in the US/UK Charts

Today saw the re-entry of the Best of in the UK charts at number 46. None of the re-releases made the official top 200, despite all making a good showing on the Amazon Hot 100. Though of course they all did chart on their original release.

UK ALBUMS

BOOMTOWN RATS
  • Date: 17/09/1977
  • Run: 53-31-*18*-23-23-19-27-41-46-49-58 (11 wks)


TONIC FOR THE TROOPS

  • Date: 08/07/1978 -
  • Run: 21- *8*-10-8-12-16-17-24-24-30-34-38-42-0-40-43-24-16-13-14-12- 9-10-12-13-13- 11-17-13-22-21-33-44-37-41-59-68-0-71
  • (37 weeks)
  • Re-entry: 18/08/1979
  • Run: 70-57-47-54-56-70-0-70 (7 wks)
  • Total # of weeks: 44 (Top 10: 5, Top 20: 18 Top 40: 30)

THE FINE ART OF SURFACING

  • Date: 03/11/1979
  • Run: *7*-9-14-22-28-27-28-32-32-35-30-28-35-34-28-22-26-24-30-38-50-70-62-66-68-66
  • (26 wks)

MONDO BONGO

  • Date: 24/01/1981 -
  • Run: 9-11- *6*-11-31-58-74 (7/2-1c wks) US:#116/8


V DEEP

  • Date: 03/04/1982 -
  • Run: 65-66-70-*63*-95 (5 wks)


LOUDMOUTH - THE BEST OF

  • Date: 09/07/1994 -
  • Run: *10*-21-42 (3/1 wks)

BEST OF

  • Date: 08-05-2004
  • Run *44*-59
  • (2 wks)
  • Re-entry: 19-02-2005
  • Run 46
  • (1 wk)

US ALBUMS

TONIC FOR THE TROOPS
  • Date: 03/03/1979 -
  • Run: 128-118-116-120-116-115-113-*112*-122-129-135-155-156
  • (13 wks)
THE FINE ART OF SURFACING
  • Date: 01/12/1979 -
  • Run: 132-124-113-113-113-108-130-126-124-130-110-*103*-103-104-162-177
  • (16 wks)
MONDO BONGO
  • Date: 21/02/1981
  • Run: 168-152-137-126-*116*-116-141-181
  • (8 wks)
IN THE LONG GRASS
  • Date: 25/05/1985 -
  • Run: 194-189-189-*188*
  • (4 wks)

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Geldof on Parkinson - ITV

Great Interview! Full transcript here.... http://www.bobgeldof.info/Articles/parkinson.html

Rat Trap was very good! Far better than Brits. More rock 'n' roll (no orchestra).
Diamond smiles was abridged (the Barbara Cartland & the low voltage noise verses were not there, but seemed a better song without the over fussy keyboards and a shortened wind up.

But how can a man with four daughters get away with hair like that? I only have a mum, sisters, a wife and a 7-month old daughter and they won't accept me having the odd grey hair! (to be fair, my daughter just wants to pull all my hair out!)

Monday, February 07, 2005

On Film 1976-1986 - Someone's Looking At You DVD




1. Looking After No.1
2. She's So Modern
3. Like Clockwork
4. Rat Trap
5. I Don't Like Mondays
6. Diamond Smiles
7. Someone's Looking At You
8. Banana Republic
9. The Elephant's Garveyard
10. Never In A Million Years
11. House On Fire
12. Dave
13. Tonight
14. Drag Me Down
15. A Hold Of Me



One Night Like This - Live from the Hammersmith Apollo:


1. Intro
2. The Elephant's Graveyard
3. Charmed Lives
4. Lucky
5. Neon Heart
6. Someone's Looking At You
7. Dave
8. A Hold Of Me
9. I Don't Like Mondays
10. Talk In Code
11. Rat Trap
12. Drag Me Down
13. Looking After No.1
14. Credits

The Music Machine - 1977
Looking After No.1 - 1977
Mary Of The 4th Form - TOTP 1977
News Flash - 1980
Arnold Layne - 6.55 Special 1982
Do They Know Its Xmas - The Tube 1985
Keep It Up - Live
Like Clockwork - Live
Joey's On The Street Again - Self Aid 1986

Dwnload-only Single - Rat Trap: Live At The Dominion Theatre 1985

The Boomtown Rats embrace the digital age with their debut download-only single.

Available at all good download stores near you!

iTunes and http://www.hmvdigital.com/

Fingers Speaks!


http://www.metro.co.uk/metro/interviews/interview.html?in_page_id=8&in _interview_id=1016



Johnny Fingers

by James Ellis, February 7th, 2005

Famous for wearing his pyjamas on stage, Johnnie Fingers was keyboard player in Irish rock band, The Boomtown Rats. Formed in 1975 the Rats - whose lead singer was Sir Bob Geldof - were together for a decade. After they disbanded Fingers moved to Japan where he works as a DJ and A&R for a dance label. All six Rats albums are re-released on Monday.



Does listening to old Boomtown Rats albums bring back good or bad memories?
I haven't heard any of them for years. I have no idea, but a friend of mine who works for Universal sent me a DVD of Live Aid. It was quite fun, actually. I was surprised. It sounded quite good.



Despite your commercial success, the Rats seemed to be critically underrated. Would you agree with that analysis?
Never thought about it. Didn't care. I think, as a live band, we were the best that was around because we had a lot more experience than the new age punk bands. Most of them had only played three or four gigs - ten at the max. But we'd actually played for about a year and a half before, or something like 150 gigs, and so we were very full on.


You were incredibly tight for a band at that time and very good at playing your instruments.
Yeah. Because we were very energetic, people used to say: 'Take a load of speed and go see the Rats.' I remember our sound guy saying: 'A lot of people at the back are on speed.'


What was the drug de jour for the band at the time?
We used to smoke dope, like everyone else. I wasn't a drinker really.


So you guys were really laid back at the front while they were all speeding at the back?
We thought we were laid back.


What was your best memory of life in the band?
I have loads of different memories. The most obvious are of myself and Bob touring America together, doing promotional trips. The rest is a blur - touring, playing live, recording. We had a funny, strange lifestyle - doing a 30-day promotional trip across the States or two weeks across Europe.



Why was it just you and Bob doing those promotional trips across America? Did the rest of the band not fancy coming along?
Because Bob is very good at interviews, and I was the visual look of the band, it was the obvious thing to do. You can't bring the whole band out on a promotional trip.


Some of the themes - the loneliness of being in a big city as described in Rat Trap - may have been similar to the London punk themes.
Maybe lyrically, yes, but musically, no. It was quite different.


You were famous for wearing your pyjamas. How did that visual look come about? It came about because I wanted to be recognised more than anything and a band that was very visual had the same kind of kink like Boy George had when he appeared on the scene.


Did you ever feel left out of the London scene when you first moved over from Ireland?
We weren't part of the London scene at all. We came over when the punk thing had just hit big and we were in this kind of hippy house in Surrey. It was owned by Virgin Records, although we didn't sign with them. Henry VIII had built it for his mistresses and it was a strange place. Living there we felt quite separate from the rest of London. The first band we went on tour with was the Ramones, who didn't feel part of the London scene either. In fact they quite hated it.


Whose idea was it to rip up the poster of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on Top Of The Pops?
Mine. I think I put a hanger on my head on the next programme and people used to come to the gigs with hangers on their heads thinking that was quite relevant and important.


Do you still see any other members of the band?
When I go over for business in London I will probably go and see Gerry [Cott, Rats guitarist].


Is Bob the saint he's made out to be?
Certainly not. I don't think anyone believes that for a minute.


What do you think about him getting a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Brits this year?
Good for him.


How much money would they have to throw at the Rats to get them back on tour again?
It wouldn't be to do with money really. It sounds like a cliché but it's to do with whether we'd all like to play together again. It would have to be the right moment and everyone would feel right about it.


Could you see it happening at all or is it a definite no-no?
I don't think it's a definite no-no.


Would you get the pyjamas back out if you did do the tour?
That's where the money would come in. I often think when I see bands like The Beach Boys and they don't wear those stripy shirts that I feel ripped off.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Geldof gets his Brit!

Geldof collected his Outstanding Contribution to Music award tonight. Sadly, his performance was a little wanting. It was like a cabaret act with all the strings and horns. And he wore a suit! Came across as a pretty cool guy though. Pete Briquette played and was thanked between songs. Really good to do that.

I heard Rat Trap in HMV the other day and it sounded great, but at the Brits it wasn't. Mondays sounded dull and lifeless as well. The audience looked underwhelmed as well, given the sparkling performances from Franz Fredinand, Scissors Sisters and Green Day earlier on. OK, I don't expect Geldof to be like he was 25 years ago, but the songs lacked any sense of excitement. Geldof looked a bit bored by them. If I were say 16 and never heard of the Boomtown Rats, the performances wouldn't have made me want to find out much more about them.

He got quarter of an hour and two songs (no one else got that time). Jools Holland gave him the award, and lots of oldies praised him (Bono, Sting, Annie Lennox, Pete T, Elton...). Even his acceptance of the award was unusually modest!

Not the first Brit for Geldof either, he picked up a special award in 1985 along with Midge Ure for teh Band Aid single.

Past winners

2004 Duran Duran
2003 Tom Jones
2002 Sting
2001 U2
2000 Spice Girls
1999 Eurythmics
1998 Fleetwood Mac
1997 Bee Gees
1996 David Bowie
1995 Elton John
1994 Van Morrison
1993 Rod Stewart
1992 Freddie Mercury
1991 Status Quo
1990 Queen
1989 Cliff Richard
1988 The Who
1987 Eric Clapton
1986 Wham & Elton John
1985 The Police
1984 George Martin
1983 The Beatles
1982 John Lennon
1977 L.G. Wood/The Beatles (Joint )