Long before Sir Bob and Live Aid there was a band called The Boomtown Rats fronted by a scrawny, Jagger-lipped, mouthy upstart called Bob Geldof along with Pete Briquette on bass, Simon Crowe on drums, Garry Roberts on guitar, Johnny Fingers on piano and Gerry Cott on guitar. The Boomtown Rats, “the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world… from Dún Laoghaire!”, as Bob Geldof indisputably proclaims at the top of every live Rats gig, celebrate an extraordinary rock ‘n roll birthday this year with the release of The First 50 Years: Songs Of Boomtown Glory, which will be available on the Universal Music Recordings label on 19th September, shortly before the band hits the road for their Happy Birthday Boomtown Tour.

In its gatefold sleeve, The First 50 Years – Songs Of Boomtown Glory is a one-stop shop of the band’s words and melodies. It is the very best of the Boomtown Rats, all tracks were selected by an online fan poll and the band themselves, from their first single, Lookin’ After No 1, to their most recent eponymous anthem. Released to coincide with their 50th anniversary tour, The First 50 Years – Songs Of Boomtown Glory is a fabulous celebration of one of the most singular, unmistakeable, literally world-changing rock bands ever. Definitely the greatest Rock’n’Roll band In The World…(from Dun Laoghaire!).

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