Bob Geldof & the Boomtown Rats - Great Songs Of Indifference : The Best Of Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats

Brings me back to when . . .

Worth the money. How refreshing to hear the Rats on disc-- timeless beats and themes. September 2, 2005

Indifferently Inadequate Selection of a Great Band

The Boomtown Rats and Bob Geldof went from peppy youthful exuberance to downtrodden world on their shoulders rock stars in a fairly short amount of time. This collection chronicles that voyage, including Sir Bob's three solo albums prior to this disc. Frankly, his work post Rats isn't all that astounding, it seemed he needed them more than he cared to admit. Any of his solo tracks could have been replaced by The Rats' "Dave," "Never In A Million Years," "Joey's On The Street Again" or "Up All Night." But I guess since a 1987 ten track "Greatest Hits" (long gone out of print) had most of those, I figure CBS thought they needed to lure in those of us that still had that CD into making a fresh purchase of old material.

Either way, if you have no other Boomtown Rats discs, this is a good primer. It has the controversial ballad "I Don't Like Mondays," the Springsteenish "Rat Trap," the Irish Reggae of "Banana Republic" and two hall of fame rockers with "Mary Of The Fourth Form" and "She's So Modern." Maybe we'll get all the original discs reissued someday (included a properly mastered "Mondo Bongo"!) with some of the great B-sides. Till then, this will do. October 16, 2003

BOB GELDOF ( A MAN OF INDIFFERENCE )

AFTER A SPAN OF TWENTY ONE YEARS. I LIVED THE MEMORIES AGAIN.
BOB WAS FABULOUS AT THE PARK WEST SHOW HERE IN CHICAGO.09/24/02 AND I HAD AN ENJOYABLE MEETING TOGETHER WITH BOB AFTERWARDS.THIS CD COLLECTION (SONGS OF INDIFFERNCE)IS A MAGNIFICENT CD FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH MR.GELDOF. OR IS A GREAT ENJOYMENT FOR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE BOBS MANY TALENTS. HE HAS BEEN AN ENORMOUS INSPIRATION GLOBALLY. NOT JUST AS A MUSICIAN,BUT AS A COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING WHO CARES FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHER HUMAN LIFE. BOB GELDOF (SONGS OF INDIFFERENCE)
A 16 TRACK CD COLLECTION OF GREAT MUSIC BY THE MASTER HIMSELF.***** October 19, 2002

Geldof and Boomtown recollections...

First exposed to Bob Geldof in Pink Floyd the Wall, I hunted a record store for something he'd attributed his many facets of talent. Immediately the record store clerk (yes, in the 80's it WAS a record store!) showed me the collections of Boomtown Rats. I wandered off with the Fine Art of Surfacing.

Days later, I returned for more of the cassettes. I made it a point to have their entire collection. At the time, it was exactly what I needed, something very different from the mainstream fodder that cluttered the airways. "I Don't Like Mondays" had minimal play at any station (I've never seen the video to this day) and no one was willing to listen to the great difference these lads from Ireland were creating.

I feel their music was highly underrated. When Bob Geldof went off on his own, a friend ended up with Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere before I laid my hands on it. I went through 3 copies of the cassette. Only last year (2001) had I acquired the CD from a gentleman in Ireland selling it on EBay!

The collection on Great Song Of Indifference are a good taste of what the Boomtown Rats were about, plus a strong helping of Bob Geldof on his own. I have strong admiration for Bob Geldof after reading his autobiography Is That It, which features his strong sense of word and flow. If you're looking for a different sound that only these people could make from the 80's, this is for you. June 16, 2002

bad song selection

How can any best of collection not include Joey's on the Street Again? ALSO, combining Boomtown Rats with Bob Geldof's solo material is incongruous. If you want a sample and have no other options, buy this. Otherwise, keep searching... April 30, 2002

More reviews at Amazon.com ...