Boomtown Rats - Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1978

Description

The Boomtown Rats were founded in Ireland in 1975. They moved to London in 1976 and came to the forefront of New Wave music. Their debut single, "Looking After No.1," reached No.11 on the UK singles chart and began a sequence of 10 Top 40 UK hits, including their two No.1's "Rat Trap" and "I Don't Like Mondays."

This show was filmed at London's Hammersmith Odeon in the summer of 1978. It includes the hit singles "Looking After No.1," "She's So Modern," "Like Clockwork" and "Rat Trap," which later that year would become the first New Wave No.1 hit, along with other Rats favorites such as "(I Never Loved) Eva Braun" and "Joey's On The Streets Again." Also included is the audience participation number "Do The Rat," which was a popular feature of early Rats gigs.

Track Listing:
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

Bonus Material:
3 Audio only tracks from the show, remixed in 5.1 Surround Sound:
Neon Heart
Living On An Island
Mary Of The Fourth Form

Customer Reviews:

Rave Review!.......2006-07-21

I truly enjoyed this! The Rats have always been a great favorite of mine, and it is amazing to have this released for the first time (and, no, it has never been released before . . . the previous reviewer may have been thinking of a USA Network special called "Live at Musikladen" which was a concert from the Musikladen in Germany - Frankfort, I believe).

For as awesome as the music was and still is, I did find the graphics during Me and Howard Hughes a little distracting. But kudos to Geldof and Fingers for the sound. It was well-balanced, for the most part. The bass did get lost here and there, but considering how loud they always played live, I can only imagine this show was no exception ~ so, they probably had to REALLY adjust the sound! Excellent collection of music and memories. Highly recommend if you are a fan!

Pretty Darn Good.......2006-03-31

Although the sticker on the dvd describes it as a never before released concert by the Boomtown Rats, I believe this was actually available in the late 70's/early 80's under the name "A Tonic for the Troops" (i.e. the name of their 2nd album). I watched it back then on our Betamax player!

This is a great show. The sound quality is good for such and old concert. The enthusiasm of the band comes through wonderfully. Makes me wish I had lived in England back then. The mix of tracks is a nice representation of the Rats 1st and 2nd albums. Plus, you get to hear the rare "Doing the Rat", which I have never managed to find on vinyl.

The only reason I don't give the dvd a 5 star rating is because of the extras. There are three extra audio tracks, which are accompanied by sort of artsy, slow motion, re-cut video of the concert. Why didn't we simply get to see the actual footage from these extra songs? There are also two solo, studio videos by Bob Geldoff. I think they must have been made some time after he went out on his own. I found them depressing, after seeing his younger, more energetic stage performance with the Rats.

All in all however, a very nice piece of post-punk, new wave pop.

not good.. would not purchase again........2005-09-10

perhaps this dvd is just not my cup of tea.. did not like at all.

The Rats at their best!.......2005-04-11

In 1979, I saw this show on German Television and I was hooked. What a great live band and this concert shows The Boomtown Rats at their best. I've been looking for this particular show for over 25 years. Thank You for finally putting this out!!!!! BRILLIANT!!!!! Every Boomtown Rats fan should own this!!!!

Yes, Yes, Yes! .......2005-03-25

A must have for Rats fans. And anybody who just likes good, solid, "brilliant" rock and roll should take a look also. Some of the camera work is cheesy and dated, but this is the Rats in their prime. Geldof proves he belongs in the same showmanship pantheon as Ray Davies and Mick Jagger. The sound quality is phenomenal. Crank up the volume.

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