Not sure. Hope it means some totally new stuff. The 4 off the EP last year they surely won't claim are unheard of? 

I know what you mean although I do think Back to Boomtown was a very good track and which the missus thinks has a similar sax breakout to Tina Turner's Simply the Best.

I told her she had a point,  not least because that's often the safest option.

Mark L wrote:

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I know what you mean although I do think Back to Boomtown was a very good track and which the missus thinks has a similar sax breakout to Tina Turner's Simply the Best.

I told her she had a point,  not least because that's often the safest option.

---

 Sorry Mark I  just don't get Back To Boomtown at all. Geldof's How To Compose... had about 6 good/decent tracks that I could listen to- not so with Ratlife.

I think my current fav Rats song is Walking Down Town- there is just so much going on in that track. Bob at his most sneering,and cynical. Great subtle melodies, great backing vocals and a  real alienated, urban dread landscape created that seems like the real Boomtown Rats sound and attitude.

Ratlife was like being given shandy when you wanted a whisky.

noelindublin wrote:

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Ratlife was like being given shandy when you wanted a whisky.

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 It wasn't even coca-cola!  More like one of those insipid herbal teas.  Bad form for an Irish man spelling whiskey incorrectly (unless you meant Scotch). 

He will be talking about it in half an hour on Lorraine. It is all the Rats albums boxset plus new EP. Similar to what he did with his own stuff. A few extras probably.

He didn't mention it on Lorraine. 

If this is the format it's taking,  I hope there are some worthwhile extras on it, like new-to-cd tracks such as Europe Looked Ugly and Man at the Top. They could also throw in the single edits of House on Fire and SLAY and the US version of Drag me Down. I'm not looking for yet another version of Up All Night or Banana Republic. 

ArrGee wrote:

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noelindublin wrote:

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Ratlife was like being given shandy when you wanted a whisky.

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 It wasn't even coca-cola!  More like one of those insipid herbal teas.  Bad form for an Irish man spelling whiskey incorrectly (unless you meant Scotch). 

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Ratlife is to music what Mrs Browns Boys is to comedy. 

Mark L wrote:

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Simon hints at new songs being released in the Nottingham Post before the Splendour gig:

With the Boomtown Rats playing again, it seems like that there may be some new material on the horizon.

 

"We recorded a few tracks last year but I can't see us adding much to that this year because we're so busy.

 

"When we play Splendour we'll be coming from Guildford up to Nottingham then on to Scotland the following day"

 

 

 

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 Simon was interviewed for a monthly guide to Guildford (available in the best hotels!). The interviewer asked about new music and Simon did not rule it out, just said that the fans wanted the well known songs but that, quote, 'Making new music is always fun...'

I figure it like this. Geldof is a songwriter and he is always writing songs. Unless he has decided to stop writing songs he will eventually have enough to make a new album. He might consider some 'Rats songs' and some more suited to his solo 'career'.

Enough good and bad things have happened in his life over the last few years to eventually come out as songs. Might take a few years but which is more likely- a Rats album or another Bob solo album? 

Ideally a couple of good new songs might be tried out at the live gigs with the vast majority the tried and trusted hits. The fact that lots of people turn up at the gigs means they have already bought into the Rats sound and world view a  long time ago. Bob patronisesfans a bit by thinking they are  conservative and not open to new stuff. Hardly the thing you'd expect form a punk pioneer. If Geldof was confident about his songwriting would he be so 'reluctant' to just keep playing the old hits over and over.

The live gigs are fantastic.Maybe with Bob everything is slow but we'll get there eventually.

noelindublin wrote:

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 a Rats album or another Bob solo album? 

... with Bob everything is slow but we'll get there eventually.

 

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Personally, I don't think the Rats are capable of making anything to match what they did in the 1970s, so I'd prefer any new material to be under the guise of Geldof as it would be easier to disregard.

Back in the 1960s bands turned out a couple of albums a year.  Between 1963 and 1969, The Beatles recorded twelve LPs, one of them a double LP.  And if you chuck in the non-album A-side and B-sides, you'd have another couple of LPs.  Geldof manages to do one album every eight years, which is longer than The Beatles were recording! 

• Please Please Me 1963
• With the Beatles 1963
• A Hard Day's Night 1964
• Beatles for Sale 1964
• Help! 1965
• Rubber Soul 1965
• Revolver 1966
• Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1967
• The Beatles 1968
• Yellow Submarine 1969 (OK, only half an LP)
• Abbey Road 1969
• Let It Be 1970 (Recorded before Abbey Road in 1969)

I don't think they can match their 70s output either but then V Deep didn't and that only came out 30 months after Surfacing. Wouldn't it be great to talk in terms of the Rats' 7th studio album and if they can raise the game just slightly from the promising Back to Boomtown single,  it will at least match up to some of their 80s output,  although still fall short of ITLG. 

Or am I being overly optimistic with all this fabulous weather about? 

Hear hear - I think it's a real grower and cleverly references Billy from Rat Trap days with the present. Simon does a fantastic job on this track and is as good on it as anything he did on Surfacing. Lots of clever, catchy inserts which he is master at. I read somewhere he tries to introduce these to add interest. It works.

It may be heresy to say it on this board, but I actually think Geldof's band plays the Rats songs better than the Boomtown Rats live, at least from a musical point of view. The Rats live are more visual, more energetic and louder, which is also great but I think this helps mask that they aren't as tight musically. If you're looking for details and nuances in the background of the songs the solo versions are pretty impressive.

As for new material, Geldof previously said Systematic Six Pack and Blowfish were the sound of how the Rats would have developed if they'd still been together. If he is capable of writing 10 or so tracks of this quality without a time limit, just as and when they come, then a new album would be great. The Ratlife ep, instead appears to have been written to meet record company deadlines as genre exercises without any lyrical inspiration - would not want to see an album along those lines. But even if the band are capable of writing modern day equivalents of Rat Trap, Mondays etc I think Geldof's right that sales would be minimal.

Joke wrote:

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junkyard_smile wrote:

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It may be heresy to say it on this board, but I actually think Geldof's band plays the Rats songs better than the Boomtown Rats live, at least from a musical point of view. The Rats live are more visual, more energetic and louder, which is also great but I think this helps mask that they aren't as tight musically. If you're looking for details and nuances in the background of the songs the solo versions are pretty impressive. 

---

Finally, someone on this forum who agrees with me on the subject 

Which does not mean that I don't love seeing and hearing Bob play with the Rats. If all goes to plan, 4 more gigs to go this year!

The only "better" musician in Geldof's band would arguably be Johnny Turnbull on guitar, and Geldof not playing guitar with the Rats is a bonus. You can discount the fiddler.  There aren't many better drummers than Simon Crowe. Plus Pete Briquette and  Alan Dunn are in Geldof's band as well.   The Rats play the songs as they should be heard.  The only songs that might be better are Diamond Smiles and When The Night Comes, neither of which I care that much for, and Mondays is identical.  But the songs that matter like Joey, Mary and Rat Trap are all far better performed by the Rats.

ArrGee wrote:

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Joke wrote:

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junkyard_smile wrote:

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It may be heresy to say it on this board, but I actually think Geldof's band plays the Rats songs better than the Boomtown Rats live, at least from a musical point of view. The Rats live are more visual, more energetic and louder, which is also great but I think this helps mask that they aren't as tight musically. If you're looking for details and nuances in the background of the songs the solo versions are pretty impressive. 

---

Finally, someone on this forum who agrees with me on the subject 

Which does not mean that I don't love seeing and hearing Bob play with the Rats. If all goes to plan, 4 more gigs to go this year!

The only "better" musician in Geldof's band would arguably be Johnny Turnbull on guitar, and Geldof not playing guitar with the Rats is a bonus. You can discount the fiddler.  There aren't many better drummers than Simon Crowe. Plus Pete Briquette and  Alan Dunn are in Geldof's band as well.   The Rats play the songs as they should be heard.  The only songs that might be better are Diamond Smiles and When The Night Comes, neither of which I care that much for, and Mondays is identical.  But the songs that matter like Joey, Mary and Rat Trap are all far better performed by the Rats.

 I forgot to write it earlier, but Barton's Rats were doing better versions than Geldof's band circa 2008.  Shame my 100 Club recording wasn't up to scratch, but if you put the performance that night up against any Geldof solo effort, it was far superior. 

Anyway, I love heretics, gives me a good opportunity to argue

ArrGee wrote:

The only "better" musician in Geldof's band would arguably be Johnny Turnbull on guitar. You can discount the fiddler.  The only songs that might be better are Diamond Smiles and When The Night Comes, neither of which I care that much for.

 Don't think there's much of an argument about Turnbull being more proficient than Roberts or Beale. Cott in his prime might have been an interesting duel.

I reckon you're discounting Bob Loveday a little too easily...you don't get to play with Van Morrison and particularly the Penguin Cafe Orchestra without been a pretty decent musician, though that's only relevant if you like the fiddle. Personal taste, for example When The Night Comes is always among the highlights of live gigs for me.

I just get the impression that the Rats are at times trying too hard to create the energy and excitement of the past and slightly overlook the musicianship...that said I can't wait until they are back in Newcastle again. 

junkyard_smile wrote:

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 Don't think there's much of an argument about Turnbull being more proficient than Roberts or Beale. Cott in his prime might have been an interesting duel.

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 I'm not sure that Gerry Cott was that good a rock guitarist.  I suspect working with Mutt Lange brought the best out of him as he was well directed, but Tony Visconti didn't think much of him.  Then again, Visconti didn't think much of any of the Rats as musicians bar Simon Crowe.   I have never heard Cott doing his solo material live.  His last album sounded like it benefited from a fair amount of studio technology.   Anyway, I can't really comment too much, I'm not half as good as any of them.

ArrGee1991 wrote:

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junkyard_smile wrote:

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I reckon you're discounting Bob Loveday a little too easily...you don't get to play with Van Morrison and particularly the Penguin Cafe Orchestra without been a pretty decent musician, though that's only relevant if you like the fiddle. 

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 It wasn't a slight on him, but given the lack of fiddle on the Rats songs, I don't think his contribution should be considered.  With Rat Trap and Joey the scratchy fiddling isn't a patch on the full blown sax.

---

 I think Bob L.'s mandolin parts are what make When the Night Comes sound better in the BG solo set. 

Speaking as someone who struggled with the triangle at school, I can't really comment on their various proficiencies, but agree entirely with the point that the Rats play the songs as they were first heard and probably intended to be heard.

There's probably always going to be some virtuoso who could play them better even than any of Geldof's cohorts, but do we really want technical brilliance to stand and admire? I don't.

I want to see and hear the authentic energetic versions, warts and all, not a sanitised error free rendition which doesn't have the same level of passion or indeed personal attachment. Geldof himself alludes many times to the power of the band. That's their strength and, for me at least, increased appeal.

Also agree When the Night Comes is not one I'd choose over some other predominantly earlier tracks, good song that it is. I want the electric guitars, and if the decline in sales from 1980 is any guide then I guess I'm not alone.

Chac'un a son gout and all that.

Whether attempts to recreate that power on new material would be credible, even to a hard core fan, is an entirely different matter. I'd settle for strong melody and great lyrics with some of the renowned and aforementioned intricacies thrown in for interest. With all due respect, who is going to take snarling, angry defiance or songs about schoolgirls from a 'vintage' band seriously? This, for me, is why the vast majority of bands that truly resonate with youth tends to fall from favour, and why I find bands such as U2 mundane and almost born 'mainstream'. Realise there are exceptions, such as the Stones, but I've never been tempted to see them as I wasn't there for the prime, and wouldn't be interested in anything they've recorded since the 70s.

For all those reasons, sales and interest in a new Rats album would be negligible, but that's not to say they're not capable of a decent offering if they pitch it right. Geldof is spot on with comments that in many respects "nothing's changed" which is why songs like Someone's Looking could be relevant nowadays, or Don't Believe What You Read. Forget 'street' songs or Looking After No 1, and definitely forget experimental sounds that stray from band's natural guitar based sounds and strengths. Just concentrate on good choons and smart lyrics.

What I'd really like to hear is the views of someone who wasn't around in the heyday, such as Bigbosscentral, for a truly objective view.

Derek The Dane wrote:

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I like Rat Life and Mrs Browns Boys.

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 There's only one way to decide, FIGHT!!!

PS you also like spurs.....  Nuff said

ArrGee wrote:

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 The trouble with you is you never write anything I can argue against.

  

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 I think Another Piece of Red is good social commentary and not a bad song

No splinters in Noel's arse I would venture

noelindublin wrote:

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The Boomtown Rats basically sold out all their tour dates last autumn, and most likely will do so again this autumn. Bob Geldof solo band couldn't get arrested in most of these cities. 'Nuff said.

Bob commenting on Guildford said that he had played there before but the audience was not very involved and it was a bit flat. He forgot to say that that's general how a lot of solo stuff goes down. A lot if it is 'worthy', politically overwraugh, and highly personal-generally not the stuff to get the masses into a frenzy.

The idea that Geldof's solo band play the Rats songs better than the Rats is utter tripe. I want an 'authentic experience', not some ersatz, second hand thing played by fat blokes with fiddles and ponytails. Some of us value the Rats and won't be satisfied with anything less when it comes to live Rats music. The Boomtown Rats p*** over anything Geldof's solo band could do, and they have the crowds to prove it. The music is popular for a reason.

 

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 Go man go. Well put Noel. I take it the one's that think the solo band is better playing rats song Never heard the rats live B4. Well I hope that's the case

Mark L wrote:

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I think it could have been put better. In fact, the use of the word 'fat' is loaded with intentional negativity and reads,  to me anyway,  like a forceful angry slur on Vincent,  who's not been well.

Whatever your view of the music and the various relativities, shame on you Noel. 

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 I agree, you are way out of line here Noel. Let's not judge people on the way they look. I always thought Bob's fans were more decent than that. 

manatthetop wrote:

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noelindublin wrote:

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The Boomtown Rats p*** over anything Geldof's solo band could do, and they have the crowds to prove it. The music is popular for a reason.

 

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 Go man go. Well put Noel. I take it the one's that think the solo band is better playing rats song Never heard the rats live B4. Well I hope that's the case

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 Noel: One Direction are popular and have the crowds to prove it - that doesn't make them better than Geldof or the Rats in my book.

Man ATT: For the record, the best band live for me will always be the original 70s/80s Boomtown Rats complete with a live brass section, and I'm one of those that does think the solo band plays some tracks better than the current version of the Rats.  

But if either the Rats or Geldof are live in my neck of the woods I'll be there enjoying both as I imagine most people on the forum would be. We're here because we're probably all a little bit too fixated with the band for our own good :) We're all on the same side...this isn't some Rats v Clash troll fest. And thank goodness we do disagree at times as we wouldn't have a lot to say on here otherwise. "It's the freedom of ideas that keeps man civilised"

I agree with elements of what many have said above, having seen Geldof solo, the Rats in their heyday, the Roberts/Crowe version and the current arrangement.

However, the vast majority of Noel's 'fat blokes with a fiddle' post is so vitriolic, it made me wonder if a stranger with a grudge had logged on instead. It was not so long ago that Noel was effectively opining that posters wondering if the Festivals would go ahead in the wake of Peaches' passing were prematurely insensitive and he seemed to piously claim he and others never let the thought enter their heads. Especially in the light of Bob L's heart attack, such a shift in sensibilities is astonishing.

Geldof is the common denominator so I saw them even when the Crowe/Roberts incarnation was doing the rounds, as he mostly wrote the songs. Let's just enjoy what's on offer, even if the best of the best was the '76 to '86 arrangement for most.

Many however discovered Geldof after this. To describe talented musicians (a triangle/recorder is about as far as I got at school too) as 'fat blokes with fiddles' is a disrespect to them and to the fans who delight in Bob and the BobKats, dare I say it, more than any of the other combinations they may have experienced.

Freedom of ideas is a good thing but the theory it keeps man civilised is blown out of the water by Noel in this post.

Well, you all know which I prefer and it will never change, so I will just shut up. Seen both many times now. Irene/Scottie

Mark L wrote:

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I agree with elements of what many have said above, having seen Geldof solo, the Rats in their heyday, the Roberts/Crowe version and the current arrangement.

However, the vast majority of Noel's 'fat blokes with a fiddle' post is so vitriolic, it made me wonder if a stranger with a grudge had logged on instead. It was not so long ago that Noel was effectively opining that posters wondering if the Festivals would go ahead in the wake of Peaches' passing were prematurely insensitive and he seemed to piously claim he and others never let the thought enter their heads. Especially in the light of Bob L's heart attack, such a shift in sensibilities is astonishing.

Geldof is the common denominator so I saw them even when the Crowe/Roberts incarnation was doing the rounds, as he mostly wrote the songs. Let's just enjoy what's on offer, even if the best of the best was the '76 to '86 arrangement for most.

Many however discovered Geldof after this. To describe talented musicians (a triangle/recorder is about as far as I got at school too) as 'fat blokes with fiddles' is a disrespect to them and to the fans who delight in Bob and the BobKats, dare I say it, more than any of the other combinations they may have experienced.

Freedom of ideas is a good thing but the theory it keeps man civilised is blown out of the water by Noel in this post.

 

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 ok I admit that description was a bit unfair and a bit too casual. Before the Rats had reformed I went to see Geldof solo at Islington Town Hall. It was the first time I has seen Geldof and his band in years. While the band was perfectly adequate in covering the songs as a Rats fanatic I knew that the only real way I would ever feel satisfied is if the Rats were to reform.I doubt I was the only one there who felt that way-the audience seemed a very tame crowd of chinstrokers. lots of polite applause and no real way of knowing what it all meant-not like a Rats gig at all!

Maybe it's a bit like a junkie chasing some elusive, long forgotten high. You get hints and see glimpses but are always left feeling a bit excluded and nothing but the real thing will ever make you feel satisfied. That's how I felt about the whole Geldof/Rats thing.The Rats meant so much to me growing up that maybe anybody trying to cover for them would be seem, consciously or unconsciously as some sort of 'imposters'. Geldof even said fairly recently that he would not pay to see someone covering the Stones songs, if the real band way available.He somehow knew about 'authentic experiences' despite the music world being full of perfectly adequate replacement players, who get highly paid for their skills.

I've got nothing personal  against any of Bobs solo band. I have bought all their records, and seen them play 5 or 6 times over the years. Sometimes rock music is cruel, try reading any of the rock papers for a  start. Most people who go to a Geldof solo gig probably know little or nothing about his backing band and who's to know what  thought's they have about what they see on stage, or how pc their descriptions might be. 

daggerrat wrote:

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I must admit i think that the Rats are a class apart but we all need to take on board that we basically love the same thing.

The Boomtown Rats created something that i for one do not think will ever be matched let alone beaten

There may well have been a few wrong words used in earlier posts but i genuinely think that everybody is speaking from the heart.

Long live the Rats , lets enjoy it while its here

Martin

 

  

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 Hear.hear In the words of Geldof Don't believe what you read

Mark L wrote:

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I agree with elements of what many have said above, having seen Geldof solo, the Rats in their heyday, the Roberts/Crowe version and the current arrangement.

However, the vast majority of Noel's 'fat blokes with a fiddle' post is so vitriolic, it made me wonder if a stranger with a grudge had logged on instead. It was not so long ago that Noel was effectively opining that posters wondering if the Festivals would go ahead in the wake of Peaches' passing were prematurely insensitive and he seemed to piously claim he and others never let the thought enter their heads. Especially in the light of Bob L's heart attack, such a shift in sensibilities is astonishing.

Geldof is the common denominator so I saw them even when the Crowe/Roberts incarnation was doing the rounds, as he mostly wrote the songs. Let's just enjoy what's on offer, even if the best of the best was the '76 to '86 arrangement for most.

Many however discovered Geldof after this. To describe talented musicians (a triangle/recorder is about as far as I got at school too) as 'fat blokes with fiddles' is a disrespect to them and to the fans who delight in Bob and the BobKats, dare I say it, more than any of the other combinations they may have experienced.

Freedom of ideas is a good thing but the theory it keeps man civilised is blown out of the water by Noel in this post.

 

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 Face facts Mark Geldof would never have made it on his own.  I am not that silly to think that he would.This band was a unit and a tight one at that

Mark L wrote:

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I don't know whether he would have made it on his own without the 10 yrs from '76 to '86,  but probably not. I can't see a new solo act hitting the charts with World Calling in '86 / Indifference in '90 without the Rats/Band Aid history, although Vegetarians was a good album in its own right. However,  I'm not sure why you're suggesting  my position is that he would have done so. My point was not to show disrespect to those that take a different view. And certainly not to dismiss those that make music that others prefer as 'fat blokes with fiddles' right after a cardiac episode. 

You can surely deduce what I prefer from 'even if the best of the best was the '76 to '86 arrangement'. I didn't mean Showaddywaddy...!

 

 

 

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 Agree with you on one thing here. Vegetarians was and still is a great wee album

There's a lot there I agree with Junkyard, yet ultimately it's hard to know. Certainly,  Simon and Johnnie and Gerry struggled despite some fair material after the Rats. I do think Geldof is the common denominator like I said. 

manatthetop wrote:

 Geldof did have 5 other band guys in his solo band.  Did he have hits the way he did with the rats  well if you call two  solo singles a hit at 26 and 15 then fair play to you. You all keep going on about Geldof being the main man. Was it not Gerry that pointed out that Geldof did not take likely to the others writing songs. look at the stones Beatles and many more which opened up the song writing to keep a band alive Get real Bob would never in a million years would have made it without the other 5 rats. I  rest my case And by the way Geldof was not the only one behind band aid. But forgot that guy didn't keep going on about it

 He didn't have the hits because he'd used his best ones on the Rats first three albums. Nearly all bands hit their prime in their 20s, a few continue into their 30s but usually with diminishing returns in terms of lyrical inspiration, musical ideas and sales...they are no longer considered cool by a new generation of the record buying public. Had he started off in 1976 with 5 other musicians and a similar set of songs/the same songs as on the first album and a similar image I maintain he would have still been successful.

Your point about Geldof's views on other members of the Rats writing songs emphasizes how much he was the main man...there were 5 of them against 1 of him, if they had better quality material than him they would have simply over-ruled him/out voted him. After all, wasn't the band aid song loosely based on a Geldof song the other Rats had rejected, and subsequently improved upon by Midge Ure.

As for going on about it (Band Aid), then yes Geldof does, he's a brilliant self publicist - for both him and the band. Another reason why I think he would have made it with or without the Rats. But thankfully we'll never know because we've got the Rats. 

Mark L wrote:

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Definitely should enjoy it while it lasts. In the Birmingham Post, this:

'However, fans shouldn't anticipate that we will go on endlessly rolling like the Stones, putting out new material and expecting the faithful to lap it up just as eagerly as the old.

 

I don't need to do it and I wouldn't do it unless I really enjoyed myself.

 

I was very surprised at the reaction last year to the band coming back. All the gigs sold out, the reviews were fantastic.

 

It was a re-evaluation of the songs that we had and they turned out to be really good, though I say so myself.

 

You go and see The Stones and you want Honky Tonk Woman, Jumpin Jack Flash, Brown Sugar. You dont want to hear Mick saying here is one off our new album.

 

People say it must have been great, You were rock stars and doing stadiums.

 

Yeah but it wasnt that enjoyable, you know? It becomes a job. The first time you go on telly you cant believe it, then you do 59 tellies and you are indifferent.

 

If the Rats went on and on, that would happen. But it is not going on and on.

 

While we are enjoying it, while the band is rocking like it is then absolutely.'

 

 

-- Edited by Mark L on Wednesday 30th of July 2014 11:17:28 PM

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 Not sure how long it's going to last either.In some ways the reunion has gone like a dream. Selling out autumn 2013 and most likely doing the same for part 2 autumn 2014, sandwiched between very successful festival appearances. Apart from more international dates I'm not sure what else there is 'to prove'.

One of my favourite bits of advise is to 'leave the party while it's in full swing'. Easier said and done. I've seen Geldof and the Rats in the full throes of mass adoration, something I'd never thought I'd see, at various of the live dates I've attended.

The must have done pretty well for themselves financially as well. Bob may not have needed the money but the others may not have been in so rarefied a position.

Geldof seems in his element in front of a crowd, and the Rats crowd is always much livelier than his solo band. I'm just guessing but maybe it more likely that they will  just scale back appearances, maybe doing a few shows here and there over the next few years.

That Birmingham Post interview was even before June's Cheltenham gig so Geldof has been on some big stages in the meantime.I suppose it all comes down to whether he or the Rats are really enjoying it.

In my heart of hearts. I still believe that no why would Geldof had made it on his own at the start not a chance He could of had 8 other guys It still would not have made any differents. The reason as to why it work was because they are a unit. It was the rest of the rats who in my opinion made Geldof who he is without them he would be a wee nobody just like me.us. you ( See what I did there) Ha ha ha ha ha   

Mark L wrote:

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Hope I'm not being thick, but I don't know what you did there...?

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 I'm goanna be like me ha ha ha ( Live Looking after No1)

Some good points Arrgee. But the Bono think is a joke don't like this guy Now don't get me wrong some good stuff done by this band but i feel a very overrated group

I own everything the Boomtown Rats put out and nothing U2 ever put out. I don't even think one of their singles appears on any of the many compilation albums I own. 

Since both groups hail from the same part of Eire,  I sometimes find this odd. 

I'm sorry I just dislike U2 and Bono. There are few pop/rock groups that fall into this category but Simple Minds are another one,  The Cure a third. 

Some great wee bands to come out of Ireland. The saw doctors. Thin Lizzy The under tones ,Stiff little Fingers The thrills Horse lips 

manatthetop wrote:

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Some great wee bands to come out of Ireland. The saw doctors. Thin Lizzy The under tones ,Stiff little Fingers The thrills Horse lips 

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 Not forgetting Boyzone, Westlife and B*Witched...

And of course the most Irish of them all, The Pogues hailing from the 33rd County  [if you consider New York and Boston to be the 34th and 35th respectively)

PS The 33rd County are the only ones to have won an All Ireland and taken it off the island, but to be fair highly unlikely to win another ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1901_All-Ireland_Senior_Hurling_Championship_Final

Rats aside. One of my all time fav songs. Don't give up by Peter Gabriel

Undoubtedly,  Ireland has produced some exceptional bands but none more so than the Rats.

I just wonder what's the matter with me that U2 go right over my head. 

Mark L wrote:

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I own everything the Boomtown Rats put out and nothing U2 ever put out. I don't even think one of their singles appears on any of the many compilation albums I own. 

Since both groups hail from the same part of Eire,  I sometimes find this odd. 

I'm sorry I just dislike U2 and Bono. There are few pop/rock groups that fall into this category but Simple Minds are another one,  The Cure a third. 

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U2 started all this ***** nonsense about being from Ireland. Like the James Joyce industry/celtice mysticism twaddle. Good for ripping off tourists who buy into the myth.Walk down any of Dublin's mean streets and you might be forgiven for wanting to get away pretty quckly. More chance of being mugged by some junkie as you will of talking about poetry over a pint of guinness.

I have never bought a U2 record in my life. I find their music overblown, pompous, and as someone once said 'music for bricklayers'- apologies to all bricklayers reading this

Both band may come from the same city(no, Dun laoghaaire is a separate borough and town) but that is where the  'similarity' ends. Bono just irritates me while Geldof is endlessly fascinating, if sometimes perplexing.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 11th of August 2014 02:09:04 PM

-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 11th of August 2014 02:22:50 PM

Jules wrote:

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I'm the only U2 fan in the village?

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 Well there's always the U2 forum, or most likely they have several forums. Probably thousands of fans on line at the same time.

noelindublin wrote:

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Mark L wrote:

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I own everything the Boomtown Rats put out and nothing U2 ever put out. I don't even think one of their singles appears on any of the many compilation albums I own. 

Since both groups hail from the same part of Eire,  I sometimes find this odd. 

I'm sorry I just dislike U2 and Bono. There are few pop/rock groups that fall into this category but Simple Minds are another one,  The Cure a third. 

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U2 started all this ***** nonsense about being from Ireland. Like the James Joyce industry/celtice mysticism twaddle. Good for ripping off tourists who buy into the myth.Walk down any of Dublin's mean streets and you might be forgiven for wanting to get away pretty quckly. More chance of being mugged by some junkie as you will of talking about poetry over a pint of guinness.

I have never bought a U2 record in my life. I find their music overblown, pompous, and as someone once said 'music for bricklayers'- apologies to all bricklayers reading this

Both band may come from the same city(no, Dun laoghaaire is a separate borough and town) but that is where the  'similarity' ends. Bono just irritates me while Geldof is endlessly fascinating, if sometimes perplexing.

-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 11th of August 2014 02:09:04 PM

-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 11th of August 2014 02:22:50 PM

-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 11th of August 2014 02:32:47 PM

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 Couldn't agree with you more......except for 'buying into the myth' and 'nonsense about being from Ireland'. They are,  aren't they?

Jules wrote:

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I'm the only U2 fan in the village?

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If it helps, I think Achtung Baby is a great album...and was a fairly brave move for a band that up until then had such a very defined sound. 

This thread has gone all over the place. Whats all this gotta do with punk rock? Err....nothing!