Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits
Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits is the fifth greatest hits album by Irish band The Boomtown Rats. It was released by Virgin EMI on 9 September 2013. The album was announced in June 2013 along with news of the band's UK and Ireland tour. Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits is the first album to be released since The Boomtown Rats reunited and the band's first greatest hits album since 2003's The Best of The Boomtown Rats. The album contains fourteen of the group's singles, as well as two new tracks, "The Boomtown Rats" and "Back To Boomtown". The digital version of the album features two additional songs. Following its release, Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits debuted at number thirty-five on the Irish Albums Chart.
| Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 9 September 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–2013 | |||
| Genre | New wave, rock | |||
| Length | 1:13:55 | |||
| Label | Virgin EMI | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Boomtown Rats chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and development
In January 2013, it was announced that The Boomtown Rats, minus guitarist Gerry Cott and pianist Johnnie Fingers, had reformed following their split in 1986.[1] The Guardian's Tim Jonze reported that the band would play a set at the Isle of Wight Festival, marking the first time they had played together since the split.[1] The band's lead-singer Bob Geldof stated "Playing again with the Rats and doing those great songs again will be exciting afresh. We were an amazing band and I just feel it's the right time to re-Rat, to go back to Boomtown for a visit."[1] In June 2013, it was announced that the band would be embarking on a UK and Ireland tour supported by a new "Best of" album called Back To Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits.[2]
Tom Eames from Digital Spy revealed that the album would include fourteen of the band's singles as well as two new tracks.[2] The digital version of the album features two additional songs, "House On Fire" and "Drag Me Down".[3] During an interview with Zoë Ball on BBC Radio 2, Geldof explained that the record company had asked him to pen some new tracks and he wrote four in total; "The Boomtown Rats", "Back to Boomtown", "Ratified" and "Rat Life".[4] The first two songs feature on Back To Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits.[2] Geldof told Ball that the band would bring out the songs before the tour. He also confirmed that there would not be an album of new material as he did not think anyone would be interested.[4]
The album's artwork was created by Kieran Fitzpatrick, with the art and design of the album handled by Oink Creative.[5] The tracks were mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Geoff Pesche, with the exception of "The Boomtown Rats" and "Back To Boomtown", which were mastered at Metropolis Studios by Tony Cousins.[5] Although originally scheduled to be released on 5 August 2013, Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits was released in the UK on 9 September 2013.[3][6]
Reception
Terry Staunton from Record Collector gave the album three stars and commented "Thankfully, this compilation finds room for some of the band's more inspired album tracks, such as the curious Hitler tiff 'I Never Loved Eva Braun' and the archly witty 'Me And Howard Hughes'".[7] Q magazine's Simon Price awarded the album four out of five stars.[8] Price dismissed the album's artwork, calling it "unpromising" and likening it to "a cheap James Herbert paperback".[8] He also called the new tracks "dreadful", but praised the rest of the album.[8]
During the week ending 12 September 2013, Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits debuted at number 35 on the Irish Albums Chart.[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Boomtown Rats" | Pete Briquette | 5:11 | |
| 2. | "Mary of the 4th Form" | Geldof | Briquette | 3:48 |
| 3. | "(I Never Loved) Eva Braun" | Geldof | Robert John "Mutt" Lange | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Neon Heart" | Geldof | Lange | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Like Clockwork" |
| Lange | 3:44 |
| 6. | "She's So Modern" |
| Lange | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Lookin' After No. 1" | Geldof | Lange | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Someone's Looking at You" | Geldof | Lange | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Me and Howard Hughes" | Geldof | Lange | 3:12 |
| 10. | "Joey's On the Streets Again" | Geldof | Lange | 5:29 |
| 11. | "I Don't Like Mondays" | Geldof | Phil Wainman | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Having My Picture Taken" |
| Lange | 3:20 |
| 13. | "Banana Republic" |
| Tony Visconti | 3:24 |
| 14. | "Diamond Smiles" | Geldof | Lange | 3:51 |
| 15. | "Rat Trap" | Geldof | Lange | 4:56 |
| 16. | "Back To Boomtown" | Geldof | Briquette | 4:54 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Boomtown Rats" |
| Briquette | 5:11 |
| 2. | "Mary Of The 4th Form" | Geldof | Briquette | 3:48 |
| 3. | "(I Never Loved) Eva Braun" | Geldof | Lange | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Neon Heart" | Geldof | Lange | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Like Clockwork" |
| Lange | 3:44 |
| 6. | "She's So Modern" |
| Lange | 2:59 |
| 7. | "Lookin' After No. 1" | Geldof | Lange | 3:08 |
| 8. | "Someone's Looking At You" | Geldof | Lange | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Me and Howard Hughes" | Geldof | Lange | 3:12 |
| 10. | "Joey's On the Streets Again" | Geldof | Lange | 5:29 |
| 11. | "I Don't Like Mondays" | Geldof | Wainman | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Having My Picture Taken" |
| Lange | 3:20 |
| 13. | "Banana Republic" |
| Visconti | 3:24 |
| 14. | "House on Fire" | Geldof | Visconti | 4:45 |
| 15. | "Diamond Smiles" | Geldof | Lange | 3:51 |
| 16. | "Drag Me Down" | Geldof | Peter Walsh | 4:08 |
| 17. | "Rat Trap" | Geldof | Lange | 4:56 |
| 18. | "Back To Boomtown" | Geldof | Briquette | 4:54 |
References
- Jonze, Tim (28 January 2013). "Boomtown Rats re-form for Isle of Wight festival". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- Eames, Tom (17 June 2013). "Boomtown Rats announce new 'Classic' album, UK and Ireland tour". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- "Boomtown Rats New Hits Collection And UK Winter 2013 Tour". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- "Sir Bob Geldof joins Zoe Ball for Breakfast!". BBC. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- Back to Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits (Compact Disc liner notes). The Boomtown Rats. Virgin EMI. 2013. p. 10.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "Back To Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits CD". Universal Music Group. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- Staunton, Terry (September 2013). "The Boomtown Rats – Back To Boomtown: Classicratshits". Record Collector. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- Price, Simon (September 2013). "Q Reviews – Reissues". Q magazine. Bauer Media Group (9): 112.
- "Top 100 Individual Artist Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. September 2013. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- "Back To Boomtown: Classic Rats Hits". iTunes Store. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 37, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- "Chart log UK: New entries update 21.09.2013 (wk37)". zobbel.de. Retrieved 22 September 2013.