Geldof Live - London - POSTPONED

This show has been postponed.

Bob Geldog (sic)

http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16444375&method=full&site id=64736&headline=bobby-geldog--name_page.html

BOB GELDOG
Boomtown Rat trains pups
By Raymond Hainey

GERRY COTT found fame as a guitarist with Bob Geldof's punk band Boomtown Rats - now he's teamed up with another Bobby in a bid for big-screen success.

Gerry added: "I shared a twin room with Bobby in a hotel near the castle so we only had to walk a few hundred yards to work.
"It was a dream job - if I live to be 90, I'll look back on it as a very special period.'

Is That It?

Perhaps the only book that tells the story of the Boomtown Rats, from their beginnings through to post In The Long Grass. The first edition of this book ends post-Live Aid. Available again in paperback.

Paperback 448 pages
Publisher: Pan
Language: English
ISBN: 0330442929

Great Songs of Indifference - Geldof Solo Anthology 1986 - 2001

Great Songs of Indifference - The Anthology 1986 - 2001 Mercury/Universal 983 376-8

The more or less complete solo recordings of Bob Geldof to date. There are a handful of tracks that are only available on the singles (see Solo Discography) , the most notable omission being Crazy, but this covers the four albums with a smattering of b-sides, previously unreleased tracks, and a version of Sunny Afternoon that only previously appeared on the Ruby Trax compilation. For reference, I have included the original UK/US catalogue number.

As for the albums themselves, maybe I should dig them all out and have a proper listen to them before passing opinion, but it is generally acknowledged that Sex, Age & Death is the most critically acclaimed, and Vegetarians of Love the most commercially successful reaching number 21 in the UK album charts in August 1990 (none of the others charted in the UK).

Deep in the Heart of Nowhere (November 1986) MERCURY 830 607-2/ATLANTIC 7567-81687-1

1. This Is The World Calling
2. In The Pouring Rain
3. August Was A Heavy Month
4. Love Like A Rocket
5. I Cry Too
6. When I Was Young
7. This Heartless Heart
8. The Beat Of The Night
9. Truly True Blue CD only
10. Pulled Apart By Horses CD only
11. Words From Heaven
12. Good Boys In The Wrong CD only
13. Night Turns To Day
14. Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere
15. Dig A Ditch previously unreleased
16. Friends For Life Love or Something b-side
17. Life Is The Hardest Thing previously unreleased
18. August Was A Heavy Month - Instrumental previously unreleased

NOTE : On it's original release as an LP and a CD, there were three tracks that only appeared on CD.

The Vegetarians of Love (August 13, 1990) MERCURY 846 250-2/ATLANTIC 7 82041-2

1. Gospel Song
2. Love Or Something
3. The Great Song Of Indifference
4. Thinking Voyager 2 Type Things
5. Big Romantic Stuff
6. Crucified Me
7. Chains Of Pain
8. Rose At Night
9. No Small Wonder
10. Walking Back To Happiness
11. Let It Go
12. End Of The World
13. Out Of Order Love or Something b-side
14. Hotel 75 The Great Song Of Indifference b-side
15. One Of The Girls Love or Something b-side
16. The Original Miss Jesus from US Sex, Age & Death KOK-CD-8415
17. Vegetarians Of Love A Gospel Song b-side
18. Sunny Afternoon from Ruby Trax - The NME'S Roaring Forty (November 1992) NME40CD/NME40MC
19. La Chanson De L'indifference from MERCURY 1385

The Happy Club (April 20, 1993) Vertigo 512 896-1/Polydor 314 519 132-2

1. Room 19 (Sha La La La Lee)
2. Attitude Chicken
3. The Soft Soil
4. A Hole To Fill
5. Song Of The Emergent Nationalist
6. My Hippy Angel
7. The Happy Club
8. Down On Me
9. Too Late God
10. Roads Of Germany (After BD)
11. Sex Thing
12. House At The Top Of The World
13. Shine On previously unreleased
14. Huge Birdless Silence Room 19 (Sha La La La Lee) b-side
15. Maybe Heaven My Hippy Angel b-side

NOTE :Yeah, Definitely which is not here, appeared on the US release (and as a one track promo single). A Hole To Fill on the US release is an alternative version with different lyrics. The US release has a very different running order.

Sex, Age & Death (May 1, 2002) EAGLE EAGCD187/KOCH KOK-CD-8415

1. One For Me
2. $6,000,000 Loser
3. Pale White Girls
4. New Routine
5. Mudslide
6. Mind In Pocket
7. My Birthday Suit
8. Scream In Vain
9. Inside Your Head
10. 10.15
11. Summer Day (London '95) previously unreleased
12. Sighs And Whispers previously unreleased
13. Voodoo Child previously unreleased
14. Two Dogs previously unreleased
15. Harvest Moon previously unreleased
16. Summer Night (London '95) previously unreleased
17. Pale White Girls (French Mix) previously unreleased
18. Cool Blue Easy from US Sex, Age & Death KOK-CD-8415
19. Pity The Poor Drifters previously unreleased

NOTE : Cool Blue Easy and The Original Miss Jesus both appeared on the Koch US release.

This demo also accompanied the release. This is a UK 10-track promotional only CD on Mercury Records packaged in custom card sleeve.

s.a.d too (Cat#GSOI 1)

1. Summer Day (London '95) previously unreleased
2. Sighs And Whispers previously unreleased
3. Voodoo Child previously unreleased
4. Two Dogs previously unreleased
5. Harvest Moon previously unreleased
6. Summer Night (London '95) previously unreleased
7. Pale White Girls (French Mix) previously unreleased
8. Cool Blue Easy from US Sex, Age & Death KOK-CD-8415
9. The Original Miss Jesus from US Sex, Age & Death KOK-CD-8415
10. Pity The Poor Drifters previously unreleased

Crowded World

I know very little of this, but Mataya Clifford recorded this with Geldof and it was released on Black Magic Records

Artist: Mataya Clifford
Release date: 06/09/2005
Genre: Reggae
Label: Black Magic Records

Gerry Cott Speaks Out!

http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/publications/alcoholalert/alert200501/al200501_p12.html

Gerry Cott was a founder member, with Bob Geldof, of the Boomtown Rats. He gave up the life of a pop star and almost accidentally fell into a career as an animal behaviourist and animal filming consultant. His clients including 20th Century Fox, Disney, BBC, ITV, CH4 and many international advertising brands. He lives with his wife, Cathy, and their children in a Surrey village.
A comfortable, pleasant life you might think but the idyll was shattered by the noise coming from the local pub which is right next to the Cotts house. It is easy to think of the problem of alcohol-related nuisance being an urban phenomenon and it may be that the majority of trouble is experienced in inner cities but increasingly the by-products of the binge drinking culture are being felt in the countryside.
Gerry Cott was led into the field of alcohol policy by the particular difficulties he was facing in his home. In the process he was led to conclusions about the problems posed by the industry to society in general.
“Tony Blair says binge drinking is the new British Disease”. “Wrong Tony”, says Cott! “Government sponsored corporate greed from Big Alcohol is the new British Disease – Binge drinking is just a symptom of that disease. Think again Tony, before you destroy the country!”

Rats sue Geldof

Bob Geldof is to face a legal challenge from four former members of the Boomtown Rats who claim he owes them unpaid royalties.

The dispute came to light in a statement issued by Gerry Cott, who quit the band in 1981, John Moylett, the pyjama-clad pianist who performed under the name Johnny Fingers, Simon Crowe, and Garrick Roberts.

"We jointly confirm that with the utmost regret we are pressing ahead with our claims against Bob Geldof and others for our rightful entitlement to a proper share of recording, publishing and merchandising income," the statement said.

''We have retained the London solicitor Angel and Co to act on our behalf and anticipate that proceedings will have to be issued shortly. We have no further comment at this stage."

The four musicians have listed their grievances in letters to the Performing Right Society (PRS), which collects licence fees for the public performance and broadcast of music, and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS), which collects and distributes royalties.

They have also asked for financial information from Universal Music, who released re-mastered versions of the Boomtown Rats' six albums in February.

Geldof is credited as the sole writer on many of the songs. However, the other band members claim that their input into the records has not been recognised. They also claim it was agreed that all band members should benefit from record sales. Under this arrangement, the principal writer (or writers) receive half the proceeds from individual songs while the remaining 50 per cent is shared amongst the rest.

Rats are 26th in People's Choice Top 100 Irish albums...

What an injustice!

http://www.hotpress.com/top100albums/

The Boomtown Rats
Tonic For the Troops
(26/100 The People's Choice)
(Mulligan)

E O'Connor, hotpress.com:

"My older brother got A Tonic For The Troops free with a hotpress subscription back in 1978 and we just played it like crazy. This was the sound of Ireland and the world as we knew it in ‘78. I still play it today – the songs are great and it brings back memories of a simpler time. Walk, don’t walk, Talk, don’t talk!"

Ja Walsh, hotpress.com:

"When you’re young, innocent and naive, you have to look to your elders to see what’s really going on, and in 1978, A Tonic For The Troops was it. For a wet-behind-the-ears pre-teen (even before the term existed!) these songs were all classics. Every word was learnt off and every copybook was adorned with a picture to represent each song. But best of all was that, in singing these songs, you could say things that you would never get away with in normal conversation. God bless Sir Bob and the Rats for this gem. For a record of its time, it's now timeless."

Live At Hammersmith Odeon, 1978 DVD

Though this has been released in a variety of guises on VHS down the years (mono/stereo with a variety of covers and titles) now it is finally released on DVD. It differs from the original VHS video, in the visual mixing, but the original concert is pretty much intact, and that's what matters.

The one thing that strikes you is how good the Rats were live at that time. In many cases, the live versions are better than the studio versions. She's Gonna Do You In and Kicks are just stupendous live.

Essentially this concert is Tonic for the Troops live. It's a shame the Surfacing tour was never recorded for posterity.

Reminise on Pete Briquette's Wilco Johnson impressions, and how cool Gerry Cott was. Fag hanging out the side of his mouth while he reels off a fantastic guitar solo. And as for Geldof's red trousers. Was that a sock in his pocket or was he just pleased to see the cameras? His flies even burst open at one point; there wasn't much room in there.

A rare chance to see the Boomtown Rats at what was more or less their peak. Cherish it!

Tracklist:

1. Blind Date
2. I Never Loved Eva Braun
3. Me And Howard Hughes
4. She's Gonna Do You In
5. Rat Trap
6. Kicks
7. Joey's On The Street Again
8. She's So Modern
9. Don't Believe What You Read
10. Like Clockwork
11. Do The Rat
12. Looking After No.1

'Neon Heart' - bonus audio track
'Living On An Island' - bonus audio track
'Mary Of The Fourth Form' - bonus audio track
Promo videos for Pale White Girls and One For Me from Bob Geldof's solo album Sex, Age And Death

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)

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!)

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.

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 )