Who's idea was this?
eveoflove | North York, Ontario Canada | 03/19/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Made in EU in 2005, Serial# 982-677-3, Playing Time 56:29
Most of lyrics enclosed...
If you're like me, you've been waiting to "retire" your vinyl pressing of this as soon as a CD version was made available.
Like all 6 re-releases of their albums, the remastering job is excellent! If you're reading this, you probably don't need a description of the genre of music (and talent) included.
Instead, I'll focus this somewhat brief review on the differences in content between the North American vinyl pressing and this CD issue:
a) "Joey's On The Streets Again" has been edited from a 5:52 track to a 5:30 version.
b) the running order has been drastically changed!
c) there are 4 tracks that remained in demo-only format (tracks 10 to 13)
d) track 14 (Barefootin', composed by Robert Parker) was recorded live in Dublin, and is significantly different than the live version originally released on the "Lookin' After No. 1" single
e) track 15 (Mary of the 4th form) is actually LONGER in this single version that the album version.
Fortunately, and unlike many of the other re-releases, no track has been omitted."
Glad I added it to my collection
K. Neuheimer | Allentown, PA United States | 04/01/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A fan of the Boomtown Rats for over 25 years, I've been anticipating the release of their remastered debut title since it was announced months ago. The price tag was a bit high, but I took the chance, placed the order and was not disappointed.
The sound quality is unbelievably good. In fact, I don't believe that any of the previous releases of Rats material (at least in the US) sound this good. It is both dynamic and clear.
The bonus tracks were a real plus for me as well. There is a great version of Barefootin and a couple of others. The single version of Mary of the Fourth Form was tacked on at the end - the sequence is kind of awkward since the previous track is a live encore performance that fades out and seemingly brings a great close to the set. (A minor complaint, but the only one I could find.)
Again, the remastering alone is worth the investment for any true fan of the Rats. Now I have to decide which other remastered release I will order next."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1