On the 35th anniversary of the original release of Alternative Chartbusters these two classic albums are to be given a special edition deluxe release on both 2CD & vinyl by Fire Records. Both albums have been digitally re-mastered to the highest quality (personally overseen by Dangerfield) and feature sleeve notes by Dave Henderson of Mojo along with song listing notes by Dangerfield. The albums also come with bonus CDs featuring previously unreleased material including home demos, available via download card on the LP. The Boys self-titled debut album, produced by Dangerfield & Steel, was released in September 1977 and entered the UK charts the following week. In the intervening years, the history of punk rock has been written and re-written and a whole heap of bands have been sidelined. The Boys debut album, re-mastered here some 35 years later still sounds as fresh and immediate as it did back then and it also includes two classic punk rock singles in I Don't Care and First Time (the latter, along with The Undertones 'Teenage Kicks', the ultimate punk anthem of teenage romance and adolescent angst). The album ('The Boys') was filled with the pop punk gems, the kind of immediate salvos that would elevate Buzzcocks into the charts. Along with the Sex Pistols, Clash and the Damned, The Boys were part of the first wave of the mid-1970 s UK punk explosion. Armed with an arsenal of killer Steel/Dangerfield songs The Boys became the first UK punk band to sign an album deal in January 1977 and subsequently released two albums, their self-titled debut and the follow-up Alternative Chartbusters in quick succession. Highly regarded by the music press and their contemporaries, yet somehow criminally ignored by a wider punk audience, unable to grasp their heritage of vintage rock n roll that went back to Chuck Berry courtesy of The Beatles. Their well-crafted songs, together with Steel and Dangerfield s layered harmonies, even led to them being described as The Beatles of Punk .
D**N
Five Stars
Two great discs
A**T
Five Stars
Classic
I**Y
Five Stars
takes me straight back to 70's and a great period in music.....
N**L
Five Stars
Fantastic purchase ... If you love punk music !
G**T
Great debut from one of the punk originals
One of the UK's first punk bands The Boys never had the commercial success of the likes of the Clash ot Pistols but time has been very kind to them cos their songs sound as fresh as ever. From opener Sick on you originally recorded by band member Cas steels first band the Hollywood Brats this is a punk classic and many other songs follow in that punk/rock and roll vein, their singing was always much more melodic than that of the other bands around that time. some great songs on here, The first 2 singles I Don't care and First Time should have been hits, First Time is one of the best punk songs up there surely with Teenage Kicks Guitarts/singer Matt Dangerfield has done a great job of remastering and theres an extra CD of various songs in demo, or the single versions and a great booklet telling you the story of this band. Definitly an album that stands up well with time.
M**N
A foundation of punk.
This album I bought from an old electrical shop that sold a few records. The only punk album there, on NEMS records, was this one, the self titled album by The Boys. Wow! What a successful punt! I'd never heard of them, but when I got it home that freezing cold Saturday tea time....I was blown away! An astounding album. No hyperbole...It entered my top 6 albums of all time then, and is still there to this day. It joined Punishment of Luxury's Laughing Academy, Buzzcocks' Another Music... The Clash's s/t, 999's Separates and The Depressions' s/t. It pastes anything Pistols! It is a chocolate box of many flavours of true punk. It has style, energy, relevance to a youth then and now, pace variation, power...you name it,it has it if you name virtues and not negatives...It is faultless.Musicianship flawless. Composition. Perfect. Their follow up went a bit downhill but is still a gem, and the one after that was more middle of the road rock, but every former punk from the first and second wave, up to the present day ought to have all three in his collection. The debut, though, is very special to me, and hopefully you will share my love of it. This CD has bonus stuff, which is well worth a listen, but the original album is where the cream is. The Boys. Sadly overlooked and deserving of more. Get this album, and blast No Money, Tumble With Me, Cop Cars and Box Number out till the amp blows
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