New short Geldof docu. including some early Rats stuff--(New Link)

Scottie · Loudmouth

New short Geldof docu. including some early Rats stuff--(New Link)

Ian D · House on Fire

RE: New short Geldof docu. including some early Rats stuff

Scottie · Loudmouth

It seems to work for some people, not others. It just opens ypur media player, does not take you to a website.. Try another media player? Where are you Ian? It may not be released overseas until the album is out

-- Edited by Scottie on Saturday 5th of March 2011 02:49:33 PM

junkyard_smile · The Elephant's Graveyard

Some great footage on there.

Particularly interesting were Bob's comments that Blowfish and Systematic are what the Boomtown Rats would have sounded like today if they had continued. As my two favourite songs on the cd I'd love a whole album of this harsher sound.

Also as someone not keen on Bob's falsetto voice it's good to hear that Briquette didn't like it either...but then the ladies love it so what do we mere blokes know!

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Link won't open for me either. It might be a good idea for Geldof to follow up this album quickly ,say in a years time with more songs like Blow Fish and Systematic. There's such a range of songs in the new album it is neither one thing or the other.

I just can't get into the song Blow. I tried to listen to it again at the weekend after a few weeks without hearing it just to see if I felt different and I still don't like it.

Bob was playing the old Dr Feelgood song Back In The Night in Berlin and this is the Geldof I'd prefer to stuff like Blow and Dazzled By You.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Sunday 6th of March 2011 02:28:53 PM

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

junkyard_smile wrote:
Particularly interesting were Bob's comments that Blowfish and Systematic are what the Boomtown Rats would have sounded like today if they had continued.

Link not working for me either.

They are the best songs on the album, but this is nonsense. They are the songs that Rats fans would have like them to have been doing rather than Another Piece of Sh!t and Charmed Lives back in the early 1980s. If anything there would have been more bongos and fiddles the way things were going and they'd be sounding like fcuking Mumford & Sons by now.

Anyway I thought he didn't want to talk about the past anymore....

"Stop talking about The Boomtown Rats because guess what? It was 30 years ago." - Geldof

-- Edited by ArrGee on Sunday 6th of March 2011 07:30:13 PM

junkyard_smile · The Elephant's Graveyard

ArrGee wrote:

Anyway I thought he didn't want to talk about the past anymore....

"Stop talking about The Boomtown Rats because guess what? It was 30 years ago." - Geldof

He's clearly changed his mind since then as he spent a big part the Whispering Bob Harris show talking about I Never Loved Eva Braun and of the Rats playing a gig with Captain Beefheart on harmonica. Geldof contradicting himself...never!

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

junkyard_smile wrote:
He's clearly changed his mind since then as he spent a big part the Whispering Bob Harris show talking about I Never Loved Eva Braun and of the Rats playing a gig with Captain Beefheart on harmonica. Geldof contradicting himself...never!

I know he really wants to play as The Boomtown Rats again. He's just fcuked off that someone else is doing it! smile

noelindublin · Loudmouth

When Geldof was in Berlin on Tuesday doing his showcase he told the story of the various reactions to the release of Banana Republic, and from the numerous interviews he does he seems to mention them on a pretty regular basis.

Only for the Boomtown Rats Geldof would not be in the public limelight but equally, sometimes famous people don't want reminding of things they've done years ago and the constant references to the past when they'd prefer to live in the present.

The juxtaposition of Whispering Bob and Loudmouth Bob must be interesting. Thought Bob Harris didn't like punk- he was a bit offended by the New York Dolls doing Jet Boy calling them a charicature of rock n roll. I'll check it on the Iplayer.

If Geldof really wants to play as The Boomtown Rats whats stopping him?

-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 7th of March 2011 02:48:40 PM

noelindublin · Loudmouth

ArrGee wrote:

junkyard_smile wrote:
Particularly interesting were Bob's comments that Blowfish and Systematic are what the Boomtown Rats would have sounded like today if they had continued.
Link not working for me either.

They are the best songs on the album, but this is nonsense. They are the songs that Rats fans would have like them to have been doing rather than Another Piece of Sh!t and Charmed Lives back in the early 1980s. If anything there would have been more bongos and fiddles the way things were going and they'd be sounding like fcuking Mumford & Sons by now.

Anyway I thought he didn't want to talk about the past anymore....

"Stop talking about The Boomtown Rats because guess what? It was 30 years ago." - Geldof

-- Edited by ArrGee on Sunday 6th of March 2011 07:30:13 PM

Heard that Mumford and Son album and it was rubbish. Talk about lame.!

do the rat · Never In A Million Years

Great documentary,thanks for the link. aww

Scottie · Loudmouth

RE: New short Geldof docu. including some early Rats stuff--(New Link)

Scottie · Loudmouth

It has also now been embedded in to the official website, at the end of the news section on
www.bobgelof.com

-- Edited by Scottie on Saturday 12th of March 2011 12:01:05 PM

-- Edited by Scottie on Saturday 12th of March 2011 04:59:07 PM

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

noelindublin wrote:
If Geldof really wants to play as The Boomtown Rats what's stopping him?

Pride. He still thinks his solo work is worthwhile. Err, it ain't.

However, I do respect his misguided opinion. Better that than living in the past. It would be very easy for him to tour playing only the Rats songs, but at least he gives it a go playing his solo work.

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

Scottie wrote:
It has also now been embedded in to the website, at the end of the news section

What website? Not this one.

PS Please note this forum is wholly independent of any Rats/Geldof site and will remain so until either give me a big bag of cash! smile

junkyard_smile · The Elephant's Graveyard

ArrGee wrote:

Pride. He still thinks his solo work is worthwhile. Err, it ain't.

However, I do respect his misguided opinion. Better that than living in the past. It would be very easy for him to tour playing only the Rats songs, but at least he gives it a go playing his solo work.

I love the stuff he did with the Rats and while no individual song in his solo work touches the heights of Mondays or Rat Trap, it is for the main part, a very worthwhile body of work and as albums Veggies and SAD gives any of the Rats albums a run for their money - just as well we don't all like the same things.

Geldof's problem is getting people into the theatres in the first place. Once they are there his set of 70% odd solo stuff more often than not brings a standing ovation so he must be doing something right.

Your comments on living in the past are sadly very pertinent to the current Rats line-up.

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

junkyard_smile wrote:

Geldof's problem is getting people into the theatres in the first place. Once they are there his set of 70% odd solo stuff more often than not brings a standing ovation so he must be doing something right.

Your comments on living in the past are sadly very pertinent to the current Rats line-up.

I think it is far better that he try and fail rather than not try at all. His latest album has four good tracks and IMHO is his best.

I would rather go and see the Rats do the old stuff than Geldof do his new stuff. But ahead of either, I'd rather go and see a new band doing good new stuff.

I admire Geldof for continuing to make his solo records, it's just that they are not my cup of tea.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

ArrGee wrote:

noelindublin wrote:
If Geldof really wants to play as The Boomtown Rats what's stopping him?
Pride. He still thinks his solo work is worthwhile. Err, it ain't.

However, I do respect his misguided opinion. Better that than living in the past. It would be very easy for him to tour playing only the Rats songs, but at least he gives it a go playing his solo work.

That's a very harsh judgement ArrGee. I'm far from a sycophant but for me Geldof has written about thirty really good songs which I could list if so inclined. How anybody could dismiss A Rose At Night or Voyager Two or In The Pouring Rain just off the top of my head as "not worthwhile" is a bit strange.

Not to see some continuing thread through his Rats and solo career - what I mean is a continuation of his personality again seems a bit cold hearted and too ready to dismiss.No point in telling you Hotel 75 or Dig A Ditch or Talk Me Up are much better than a lot of the weaker Rats stuff {Charmed Lives,Another Piece Of Red}.

To compound the confusion I think this album is weak with only four or five tracks which I like. Sometimes it can be the subject matter of the song which puts me off as much as the music. However Bob explaining the recording and the songs on Compose
has made me a bit more sympathetic. Was amused by his comments that Pete Briquette was dismayed by Geldofs adoptation of a falsetto voice on Blow- Pete begging Bob not to go in that direction! Now Blow might bring a smile to my face the next time I hear it.

I suppose all I'm saying is give Bob a chance.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Sunday 13th of March 2011 03:19:37 PM

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

noelindublin wrote:
I suppose all I'm saying is give Bob a chance.

I have given him five chances, but I don't think his solo work is that good. Some people disagree, but he has a very narrow appeal these days. I do admire him for not taking the easy option, but it's not music I like. The latest album is the best by a distance but I'd still rather listen to V Deep, I can skip Charmed Lives if need be.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

For some reason I just can't listen to Morrissey nowadays and I did quite like The Smiths in the old days. Maybe its the same syndrome we suffer from!I'm sure Moz has written lots of good songs in the last twenty years but I just couldn't be bothered to find out.

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

noelindublin wrote:
For some reason I just can't listen to Morrissey nowadays and I did quite like The Smiths in the old days. Maybe its the same syndrome we suffer from!I'm sure Moz has written lots of good songs in the last twenty years but I just couldn't be bothered to find out.

It's not just Geldof. Jarvis C0cker's solo work isn't a patch on his Pulp work, though Relaxed Muscle is. Julian Cope has an impressive solo repetoire yet I don't think he ever recaptured the brilliance of The Teardrop Explodes. Jack White's other work does not match The White Stripes. Strangely though Black Grape's first album does stand comparison with the Happy Monday's Pills 'n' Thrills, and the first pair of Gorillaz album do compare with Blur. But neither are solo albums. Can you truly say Beady Eye comes anywhere near a bad Oasis album?

Only example I can think of when a solo artist is better is Bowie and Tin Machine (OMG!). But Bowie came first.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

ArrGee wrote:

noelindublin wrote:
For some reason I just can't listen to Morrissey nowadays and I did quite like The Smiths in the old days. Maybe its the same syndrome we suffer from!I'm sure Moz has written lots of good songs in the last twenty years but I just couldn't be bothered to find out.
It's not just Geldof. Jarvis C0cker's solo work isn't a patch on his Pulp work, though Relaxed Muscle is. Julian Cope has an impressive solo repetoire yet I don't think he ever recaptured the brilliance of The Teardrop Explodes. Jack White's other work does not match The White Stripes. Strangely though Black Grape's first album does stand comparison with the Happy Monday's Pills 'n' Thrills, and the first pair of Gorillaz album do compare with Blur. But neither are solo albums. Can you truly say Beady Eye comes anywhere near a bad Oasis album?

Only example I can think of when a solo artist is better is Bowie and Tin Machine (OMG!). But Bowie came first.

I think Ian Brown's solo material is better or at least as good as the Stone Roses- he certainly hasn't rested on his laurels- his off key singing and heavy Manc accent strangely add to his appeal for me but he may be an exception to the going solo thing.

Not sure what you think of the Lou Reed solo albums in comparison to The Velvet Underground. I haven't heard all Reed's solo work but there is enough good songs there to keep his reputation ticking over.

No offence meant but Oasis is one band I've never really liked so haven't a clue about Beady Eye.

Another culprit is this is Tom Verlaine of Television. His solo efforts, or what I've heard of them were pretty disappointing in comparison with the two brilliant Television albums.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Tuesday 15th of March 2011 01:54:26 PM

Laibach · Someone's Looking At You

I've never been a fan of Dire Straits but I love Mark Knopflers solo albums, he draws on lots of different styles particularly Irish folk and his lyrics are fantastic, love his voice too.

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

noelindublin wrote:

Not sure what you think of the Lou Reed solo albums in comparison to The Velvet Underground. I haven't heard all Reed's solo work but there is enough good songs there to keep his reputation ticking over.

Heresy! But then again, Transformer is one of the greatest albums ever, so you have a point, however I often think of it as a Bowie LP, looking at the cover and the RCA label. Can't think of anything else Lou Reed ever did.

To me, The Stone Roses were a one hit LP wonder, although it was a hell of a hit! I gave up on them, John Squire and Ian Brown after Second Coming. How very dare they wait so long and produce something so mediocre. Then again it was only 5 years, somewhat better than the Geldof 9 between albums.

junkyard_smile · The Elephant's Graveyard

If you fancy checking out anymore of Lou Reed's solo output I'd recommend Berlin (a superb bleak concept album, which was the non commercial follow up to Transformer) and New York. SAD sounds a bit like a party in comparison.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Has anyone heard of Skip Spence? He was the lead singer of American psychdelic outfit Moby Grape who had a few hits in the late sixties.

Spence consumed loads of lsd and was comitted to a mental institution after trying to kill fellow Moby Grape members with an axe.I'm paraphrasing the story but Spence secretly recorded an album called Oar in Belleview Psychiatric Hospital New York around 1970 which has become an underground classic, written in deep despair.

Loads of info on Skip Spence and Oar album on the Internet and its heartbreaking as Spence died virtually unknown in the mid nineties. Oar is a masterpiece and the circumstances in which it was written make it even more compelling.

I only discoverd Moby Grape after hearing Omaha their biggest hit on a psychadelic compilation a few years ago. I think I have a thing for acid casualties in rock, like Syd Barrett and Peter Perrett who did all sorts of drugs and somehow is still alive.