There existed a weird difference between punk groups from the UK and acts stationed in the States. Of course, the musical landscape must have been drastically different in the western portion of the Atlantic to have allowed for the Sex Pistols to hit the top of the charts. And even if the Ramones should have had that success, there was something that limited the band – which is pretty curious considering the group was endlessly more marketable than it’s dirty Brit counter parts. What eventually happened in the States, though, was that a few folks figured out that if one were to repackage, rename and slightly alter punk, it’d be a pretty successful endeavor – thus new wave.
While that term was levied by some players who actually mattered, for the most part it was a media construct serving to offer up an alternative to the alternative, one that would sit well with mom and dad who weren’t threatened by skinny ties and matching suits. That was all familiar.
What cropped up in England – and its associated territories at least – was that some acts came upon this confluence of nasty punk styled aggression with an eye towards more traditional pop stylings. It’s interesting to hear one off singles that still maintain ties to act's entire catalogs while adding '77 style to it all. The Undertones and its hit “Teenage Kicks” are a decent example of an otherwise poppy sounding band racking up a punker chart toper. Either way, there were a number of acts working in this mode. The Boomtown Rats were one of them.
Fronted by writer turned miscreant Bob Geldof, the group sported a split personality of sorts. The acerbic singer was capacious of unloosing nasty yowls, but the next moment he might be attempting to croon a bit accompanied by an engorged ensemble and its sax player. The Allmusic review of the group’s first disc references good ole Bruce Springsteen when figuring "Joey's on the Street Again." Even with that slight (that should be perceived as a negative critique) there were a few golden moments over the course of the 1977 release.
Best know, the first two tracks off of Boomtown Rats are also the most punk inflected. Rowdy “Lookin' After No.1” opens the entire disc with chorded simplicity. It’s at once reminiscent of the Stiff Little Fingers, the group’s countrymen, but Geldof is able to shove in a good bit of melodicism alongside the quick step pacing. Ensuring supreme popness, there’s even some “ohhhs” and “ahhhs” during the chorus. What makes this punkier than it would be otherwise is the concerted effort of the song’s lyrics to be wrapped up in self. And if nothing else, punk is full of itself. Geldof’s writing features that prominently.
The following track, “Mary Of The 4th Form,” could have been an outtake from the Damned’s first sessions. It’s not a bummer, but after the album opener, there’s not too much in the next eight tracks that’s gonna be able to replicate the tension roused during the first three minutes of the disc. Decent if not great – but that opener’s worth exploration.