New Italian date announced

Scottie · Loudmouth

New Italian date announced

Joke · The Dutch One

Italy loves Bob and his solo band. So do I smile

Here are some of my pictures of the gig last month: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.867899099890352.1073741834.100000108094900&type=1&l=779939dc23

-- Edited by Joke on Wednesday 25th of June 2014 07:41:24 AM

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

Joke wrote:
Italy loves Bob and his solo band. So do I
Here are some of my pictures of the gig last month: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.867899099890352.1073741834.100000108094900&type=1&l=779939dc23

Forty five Italians did, but they may have changed their minds I suspect that outside the UK and Ireland, Geldof is a better known name than the Boomtown Rats, hence he appears solo.

Scruffy, doleful and not sexy enough for the Italians according to the Guardian. I couldn't possibly comment!

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jul/24/arts.italy

Geldof is admired in Italy as a figurehead for humanitarian causes but his scruffy appearance and doleful brand of rock music is not a natural fit in a country where fans like their rock stars to be sexy and upbeat.

Joke · The Dutch One

ArrGee wrote:
Forty five Italians did, but they may have changed their minds

I'm referring to the last gig in Italy, where several thousand people turned up to see him. I was there as a witness :)

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Joke wrote:
ArrGee wrote:
Forty five Italians did, but they may have changed their minds
I'm referring to the last gig in Italy, where several thousand people turned up to see him. I was there as a witness :)

Yes but wasn't it a free gig- The Festival of Indigenous Peoples? - Would they have paid good money to see him? Somehow I doubt it. It was listed as 'free' anyhow. It was much more likely the crowd was into a festival which happened to have Bob Geldof on the bill. Of course this does not mean that those there did not have a good time or were not entertained. Bob might have made a few converts.

I don't think unless you speak English(with certain exceptions, see below) as a first language you will really get Geldof's music. I can't imagine any, say, Italian or Spanish rock star that I would be into if he or she was singing in Italian or Spanish. Unless I had a degree in that language and really understood the culture.

In the case of language Northern Europeans are an exception ie Germans, Dutch, Scandanavians who have excellent English-but I can't really see how thousand would be into Geldofs music where the lyrics are so important. It's a lot more complicated that having some 'nice tunes'. Or just being a well known campaigner or 'celebrity'.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Wednesday 25th of June 2014 01:57:57 PM

Mark L · Loudmouth

Totally agree with Noel above. The only other thing I'd say is never quite sure why The Rats weren't 'got' by America where the English language would be no issue.

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

Mark L wrote:
... never quite sure why The Rats weren't 'got' by America where the English language would be no issue.

They ain't smart enough? (only kidding)

Apart from Elvis Costello and The Clash (latterly) I can't think of any other of the Punk/New Wave acts who made much impact. Mondays and Surfacing were definitely aimed at the US, but due to a combination of factors it just didn't make the expected impact. I think the first couple of records are the best as they are all about where the Rats are from rather than where they were going. If that makes any sense at all!

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Mark L wrote:
Totally agree with Noel above. The only other thing I'd say is never quite sure why The Rats weren't 'got' by America where the English language would be no issue.

One of the reasons is that pre MTV there was no real mass exposure. Bands could be popular in one part of America and not known at all in another. We seem to forget this, ie the vast size of America and also the local politics that goes on in radio stations. Some stations played disco, some aor, some country, some metal or hard rock. It's hard to know what was the 'typical American music fan'.

Geldof went to the student/college stations 'cos he knew they at least would be more open to playing 'alternative' type music, and would be favourable to what was coming out of Britain in the late seventies. Bob famously lambasted the dj's'pluggers of American radio, not endearing himself to the locals, describing them as those 'with the ponytails and coke spoons'. I think he is still waiting for his invite back. smile

Re Bobs music: again could he sell out indoor halls in his own right in Milan or Turin or Madrid or Barcelona? if anything his 'musical temperment' is very Northern European ie melancholic and prone to self examination and rumination. He may have some fans in non English speaking countries, but unfortunately not enough to sustain a career playing live. He, to his credit, does a lot of free gigs and is willing to travel just to play, often for the fun of it.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

ArrGee wrote:
Mark L wrote:
... never quite sure why The Rats weren't 'got' by America where the English language would be no issue.

I think the first couple of records are the best as they are all about where the Rats are from rather than where they were going.

I know where you are coming from. smile smile

Wasn't Looking After No 1 about where they were going? And Can't Stop- certainly a statement of 'ambition'. I honestly find all the albums pretty even- i very much doubt I would be on this forum if I only was into the first,second or third album and had not heard the rest. Mondo Bongo, V Deep and In The Long Grass really cemented my love for the Rats music, and I was a little older to really appreciate them, so emotionally I was closer to them than the debut or even Tonic.

On the other hand people will always have favourites and it's different for everyone.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

noelindublin wrote:
Mark L wrote:
Totally agree with Noel above. The only other thing I'd say is never quite sure why The Rats weren't 'got' by America where the English language would be no issue.
One of the reasons is that pre MTV there was no real mass exposure. Bands could be popular in one part of America and not known at all in another. We seem to forget this, ie the vast size of America and also the local politics that goes on in radio stations. Some stations played disco, some aor, some country, some metal or hard rock. It's hard to know what was the 'typical American music fan'.
Geldof went to the student/college stations 'cos he knew they at least would be more open to playing 'alternative' type music, and would be favourable to what was coming out of Britain in the late seventies. Bob famously lambasted the dj's'pluggers of American radio, not endearing himself to the locals, describing them as those 'with the ponytails and coke spoons'. I think he is still waiting for his invite back.
Re Bobs music: again could he sell out indoor halls in his own right in Milan or Turin or Madrid or Barcelona? if anything his 'musical temperment' is very Northern European ie melancholic and prone to self examination and rumination. He may have some fans in non English speaking countries, but unfortunately not enough to sustain a career playing live. He, to his credit, does a lot of free gigs and is willing to travel just to play, often for the fun of it.

Bush did well in America in the nineties, while here the were a nonentity. Joe Jackson I think, did well in America too. How did Pulp do in the US? Can't really see Jarvis and Co playing the LA Bowl, though I can see them do Las Vagas for a laugh smile

Pulp were/are as English as 'gin in teacups' to quote Pete Doherty. So too were XTC. Blur's Magic America was dripping in an irony I'm not sure the Americans got. Most likely it ended up on heavy rotation on MTV. smile

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

noelindublin wrote:
Bush did well in America in the nineties, while here the were a nonentity. Joe Jackson I think, did well in America too. How did Pulp do in the US? Can't really see Jarvis and Co playing the LA Bowl, though I can see them do Las Vagas for a laugh
Pulp were/are as English as 'gin in teacups' to quote Pete Doherty. So too were XTC. Blur's Magic America was dripping in an irony I'm not sure the Americans got. Most likely it ended up on heavy rotation on MTV.

Pulp made little impact in US, though they did play Radio City Music Hall http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/pop-life/pulp-make-triumphant-u-s-return-at-radio-city-music-hall-20120411

Blur had some success with Song 2, but despite the anecdotal evidence Oasis were pretty big in the US shifting four million copies of Morning Glory.

Mark L · Loudmouth

Rat Trap and the Five Lamps district, the domestic discontent, strikes, 70s austerity etc all spoke volumes about Dublin particularly and much of the UK and the rest of Eire, but the US traffic lights sequence also had one eye on American audiences together with mutual urban characteristics of the 70s like high rise blocks, Italian cafés, factories etc without being too obvious.

I'd say Rat Trap was not just where they'd come from, but the green shoots of where they wanted to go next.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Mark L wrote:
Rat Trap and the Five Lamps district, the domestic discontent, strikes, 70s austerity etc all spoke volumes about Dublin particularly and much of the UK and the rest of Eire, but the US traffic lights sequence also had one eye on American audiences together with mutual urban characteristics of the 70s like high rise blocks, Italian cafés, factories etc without being too obvious.
I'd say Rat Trap was not just where they'd come from, but the green shoots of where they wanted to go next.

Not sure if there are any bandS who don't want to succeed in the USA?When the Rats first got together in Gary Roberts kitchen could they really have imagined what they were letting themselves in for?

We kinda take the success for granted but Geldof rightly said that when they appeared on the late Late Show in Ireland in 1977 he was totally unsure if they would ever get on tv again.

Scottie · Loudmouth

Great video of Bob and the Ramblers singing Indifference. Love Alan and the Italian accordionist doing their jigging. Wait for it to load.

(changed link. This is better ) https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10152646370301189&id=72562536188

-- Edited by Scottie on Monday 28th of July 2014 10:59:25 PM

junkyard_smile · The Elephant's Graveyard

Great to see Vince back on stage and also Bob getting all the volunteers up on stage to thank them.

Its a fairly chaotic version of Indifference jumping from the english to italian verses but everyone seems to be having a great time.

The comments on Modena City Ramblers facebook page are all positive, though one post suggests Bob's solo band aren't as good as the Ramblers live... has Italy become a parallel universe to the Rats forum? smile