Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap (Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1978)

Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap (Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1978)
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Filmed at London's legendary Hammersmith Odeon (now Apollo) in the summer of 1978, this concert film captures The Boomtown Rats just as they were breaking into the big league. Their second album "A Tonic For The Troops" had been released to great acclaim and considerable success but "Rat Trap", the first New Wave No.1, although played at this concert, had yet to be released as a single.
The show was filmed on one of two sell-out nights at the Odeon and is a brilliant snapshot of the Rats at this point in their career, the band are tight and energetic, the songs are strong and Geldof is revelling in his new found stardom as New Wave's ultimate frontman. To quote a fan interviewed at the start of the film it's "just generally brilliant music".
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#BoomtownRats #RatTrap

[@Unfunny_Username_389]

bloody hell they were good live - i never knew; this is really faithful to the single

[@JupiterThunder]

The sax player could have made a bit more effort.

[@ambroseslade1]

I was at this gig at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon 9th July 1978 - The rats were on top of their game that night !.

[@VincentRE79]

I guess it must have been one of the gigs you don't forget?

[@ianharvey992]

What a great performance of a classic, maybe a bit underappreciated song. Thanks for posting this, never seen it before.

[@gaveller]

What a brilliant song, Ireland's own Born To Run!

[@sirtrevor10]

Remarkable work on the bass.✅

[@Chrisamusic1]

What with the recent reissue of the Boomtown Rats best work, I thought it high time to offer up some appreciation. Bob's sterling work for Africa has paradoxically clouded his musical achievements, to a level where his whole musical credibility is based around that single song. (IDLM). A great song of course, but there have been so many other excellent songs from Mr G. The record shows that despite being a martyr to self-effacement, Bob Geldof was a fine songwriter and a superb frontman of a great rock/pop band. For two years - 1978-1980, The Rats were the top pop band in the UK. And that was in the days when record sales really were significant! Riding into town on the back of the New Wave movement, the Rats first hit the charts with 'Mary Of The 4th form', a punky abrasive tune that was the lead-off single from their highly anticipated debut album. That eponymously named first album was a class offering featuring incendiary, cleverly structured - and yet still fundamentally pop - songs, such as 'Mary Of The 4th Form', 'Looking After No.1' and the seminal 'Joey', a tune that still ranks among my personal top 10 fav songs to this day. Then came their best-compiled work. 'Tonic For The Troops' was actually the first album I ever bought. An album loaded with excellent tracks, many of which were hit singles. The pick of the bunch was Bob's 'Born To Run' pastiche (juxtapositioned to the mean late 70's streets of Dublin) 'Rat Trap'. A great song, with a dynamic, mature structure/arrangement that puts the infantile contributions of today's chart hogging pop/rockers to total and absolute shame. I still recall Bob's TOTP appearance when it hit number one… miming that fab sax hook with a silver candelabra! A seasoned Dublin pub band (they spent a few years doing covers), the Rats' musical merits shine all through these two recordings. The dynamics of the twin guitars, the unorthodox and quirky song arrangements, the cute harmonies, solid, catchy melodies and Johnny Fingers' lovely "icing sugar" piano swirls. Live, they were brilliant (if you could ever manage to get a ticket to see them that is), an incendiary stage act, with great musicians fronted by a crazy 6’5 tall punky Dubliner, with a penchant for falling off speaker stacks, playing dead… then jumping up to sing the next verse! The Rats had two solid years of critical and chart acclaim. Producing a half decent third album, before the New Romantics and their synths finally pushed them and their ilk aside. They produced the odd decent single later, but by that time no-one was really listening. I dug out 'Tonic' again recently and still found it to be an uplifting vibrant record, with the sound of real musicians, warts 'n' all, playing great pop songs, all dirtied up on good old 2" analogue tape (yes, you can really hear it on this record). So, yeah, Bob was/is more than a 'saint', he was a proper pop star. A f*****g inspiration, and appreciation for such is long overdue. Cheers Bob!

[@mikebarton]

Bang on!

[@angusmeigh5141]

By the way it is hard to understand why all of his hard work to help the poor and starving natives of Africa has made him so extremely hated amongst liberals, leftists and anarchists! The very people who champion the cause of impoverished Third World people! That is why I had it with the left many years ago!

[@TMthe33rd]

Well said...

[@wlewisiii]

@@angusmeigh5141 Dude put down the crack pipe and back away.

[@SamuraiRecords7]

So much sax appeal in one song love this

[@cafedeltransit]

One of the best records ever made,it changes alway the way through.They don't make um like this anymore...Epic song

[@Chrisamusic1]

I agree, but you need to go to the inspirational source for more - Mr Bruce Springsteen has a whole bag of these kinda songs.

[@NickLangleyMusic]

I'd forgotten what a great band they were!

[@wlewisiii]

holy crap this the best capture of them then I've ever seen THANK YOU!!!!

[@stillages1]

So many great memories with this song, me and my fave cousin loved this

[@brandonross400]

Rat Trap is kind of a mix of Springsteen 1973 Greetings from Asbury Park NJ and 1975 Born to Run, replete with saxes and '50's motif ending.

[@vinzenzkert7902]

Have the DVD from that Concert. Totally mindblowing!!!

[@gogoyubari366]

Love the sax.

[@davidchipps]

ONE OF OUR GREATEST CONTEMPORARY LYRISTS LIVING OUTSIDE CURT COBAIN. THE COMPOSITION IS FLAT OUT AMAZING TOO. TAKES MICK JAGGER TO A NEW LEVEL. I WISH I GREW UP DURING THIS TIME INSTEAD OF THE AGE OF SWEET, EURYTHMICS, & MARILYN MANSON WHEN AMERICAN SCHOOLS STOPPED TEACHING AND MADE YOU PAY MORE FOR THE EDUCATION YOU EARNED.

[@holomatrix]

To be fair to Bob he's playing well here, actually I dunno if I've ever seen him play better, holy shit, he's absolutely killing it!

[@mariojorgecaeiro]

Great band kickin' ass

[@moggiee1]

Never knew they were this good live

[@grahamwood6402]

Absolutely brilliant

[@alcoholidaysUK]

I never expected that to be performed as well live, or as true to the single. New found respect to Bob and the Rats

[@mikebarton]

Massive clip!

[@Scorpiatrix]

I saw them on this tour in Denver, Colorado, along with The Fabulous Poodles.

[@MrBenabrown]

This is superb.

[@nualareid4979]

Happy birthday Bob..

[@andrewbluebells2370]

i remember this getting played at the Youth Club Disco in Aberdeen, i was doing a wee bit of pogoing!!! 😎😎😎, i was 14 yrs old

[@redjohn201]

Reminds me of Springsteen, Backstreets, Jungleland etc...a great rock opera with a story.

[@MrSpartyhawk]

Good observation. St. Bob and company are clearly ripping off Springsteen.

[@alcoholidaysUK]

Michael Considine “ripping off” is perhaps unfair - every musical endeavour is usually influenced by something else. Saying the Boomtown Rats are ripping off Springsteen is like saying the Beatles were ripping off Smokey Robinson or the Everly Brothers. Brilliant things are born from the brilliance of ones elders.

[@jamiericci-martinez6691]

Awesome!

[@kevanwilliams1546]

Seen in the 70s Colston hall Bristol fucking fantastic (tonic for the troops)

[@hjeriz]

so epic !

[@Kwales66]

Respect

[@KevinRichardsterminator]

awesome

[@Corstopitum]

I always thought they were crap live especially bob but this is spot on . There’s some crap live performances later especially Bob.

[@TMthe33rd]

I like this song more than I Don't Like Monday

[@timmiller1954]

Those tight pants left nothing to the imagination!

[@paddytaggart]

Awsum!!!!

[@Teleausencia]

Well, Pinky was a real cool guy before his mental breakdown!

[@tuffgonggbUNCTION]

DON'T FEK WiV BOB.... SOULJAHZ ROCKERZ

[@edwardscott4562]

I'm told the support was called Protex, I remember the wives were complaining about the really noisy bass!!

[@mouloudo]

2 years before he became Pink :D

[@brengf]

sounds similar to Thin Lizzie

[@homersimpson8561]

27 years before he reunited the Floyd.

[@tedman1]

So was I with two heavily pregnant women and a good friend. Do you recall the support band?

[@adrianleppard1257]

Almost 'Springsteenesque'

[@Bohemianroots]

Of course, they were Irish too!

[@Roger_Ramjet]

Not just Irish... dubs!

[@Bohemianroots]

@@Roger_Ramjet Hi, I am from the Czech republic and I visited my Irish friends there in 1979. They living in Dublin till today.

[@Skygod12000]

Was this the gig that ended up with polystyrene balls being hosed over the audience?

[@BestUserNameUK]

Ballymun flats.

[@bramblebop1904]

Jesus, this dude didn't used have a fat nose! Looked like Kirsten Stewart in previous life...

[@Mr75044]

When lyrics ment something... And the kids knew it. The media said punk was crap...& every body hated it. But they kept getting no 1s.... GOD SAVE THE QUEEN GOT THAT DID YA... BB FUCKING C....