In typical Boomtown fashion, we’ve actually picked the wrong month for this but our new Mayor announced a few weeks ago that throughout September, we’d celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the release of The Rats’ landmark album – The Fine Art of Surfacing.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a cornucopia of TFAOS-related posts and inviting all Citizens of Boomtown to share your memories, souvenirs and recollections of this brilliant album.
Released on 9th October 1979, The Fine Art of Surfacing was The Boomtown Rat’s masterpiece, reaching number 7 in the UK charts and staying there for two weeks. The first single off the album was the globally successful classic I Don't Like Mondays, which reached Number 1 in the UK, Ireland, Australia and South Africa and was a solid top-ten hit in many other countries, becoming the sixth best-selling single of 1979. The backstory to the song is well known – when a US school-girl was asked why she’d gone on a shooting spree, she answered “I Don’t Like Mondays”. According to Bob Geldof in his autobiography Is that it?, he hadn’t wanted the song to be about the school-girl, but about psychosis. He wanted her to be seen as a victim not a heroine.
Most of the album was produced by Mutt Lange who had worked with The Rats on their earlier albums, but Mondays had been produced by Phil Wainman. Initially, the song had been given the Rats’ trademark New Wave guitar treatment but was to emerge from the recording sessions as the incredible piano and strings-laced ‘psycho-drama’ that’s still recognised the world over.
The Fine Art of Surfacing is arguably the Rats at their finest, an album that when played from start to finish, remains as strong today as it did when I first heard it back in the day. It’s high on energy and with the usual brand of sharply insightful lyrics from Bob, together with song-writing contributions from bassist Pete Briquette, guitarist Gerry Cott and keyboard maestro, Jonnie Fingers. Mondays was followed up with the hit singles Diamond Smiles, which reached number 13 in the UK and Someone’s Looking at You, which reached number 4. As well as the singles, the album is packed with a succession of powerful songs including Windchill Factor (Minus Zero) and what is possibly the finest combination of words and music that The Rats ever produced, the glorious When the Night Comes.
When the Night Comes was released as the B-side of Someone’s Looking at You but would have been a hit in its own right. The other B-sides were It’s All the Rage, the B-side of Mondays and an early track that the band had been playing live in 1978 and Late Last Night, a scary hallucinogenic song about nightmares and our darkest fears.
As Bob wrote in Is that it?, most of the songs for The Fine Art of Surfacing had been written in a newly purchased house in Clapham, “the first place which ever seemed like home to me”, but despite being more content than he’d ever been, “..most of the songs on the album were brutally honest about myself and my preoccupations and touched on the bleaker side of life”. The album’s title was taken from an article in New Scientist on psychology, “It seemed apt to someone who had for most of his life felt like he was slowly sinking.”
The Fine Art of Surfacing was a massive global hit, awarded a gold disc in the UK, and went platinum in Canada. The world tour was a huge success. Opening the tour in Liverpool, Bob “…looked at the kids wearing pyjamas in imitation of Fingers and black-and-white check jackets in imitation of me” and thought “This may never happen to you again”. When introducing the words to Wind Chill Factor in Tales of Boomtown Glory, Bob describes the success of the album: “We were at ‘the top’. We were. We were actually at the toppest of the tops of Mount Pop. It’s what we wanted. What we’d worked for….” With music like this, that success was well-deserved.
When did you last play The Fine Art of Surfacing all the way through….go on, you know you want to….!
If you went to the gigs, bought the record or remember listening to those hit singles, post on Citizens of Boomtown and share your memories, recollections and anecdotes of what you were doing in 1979 and 1980. Share photos of your treasured tickets stubs from the tour or photos of the gig or with the band. What are your favourite tracks from the album? We want to know what you think about this brilliant record.
I’m really enjoying reading everyone else’s experiences
when I recall my own, I can think of you all and picture yours too. 😄
Fine Art for a 14-year-old was just amazing on the back of the first two albums
Took the day off School to buy & play it over and over that day (maybe I could claim the rats for my lack of education? )
Playing the LP so much after a few weeks having to put a 2p coin on the automatic arm so the needle would stop the jumps
I remember saying to my mates you must buy the album from Woolworth or our local independent record shop as they only count in the official chart positions as the other shop doesn't get recognised? Still unsure where I heard that statement which I am sure was wrong but that was how serious I thought the Rats were to me to get them up the charts.
For me not a bad song on the album it went from strength to strength all great singles, but the last four songs just done it for me
Live gigs define them and for me it was the Glasgow Apollo in the stalls. How lucky were we to have a band that gave it all from start to finish.
The band were lucky to have such a character like Geldof but how lucky was Geldof to have a band like them.
Pete I think covered most miles on stage and with Gerry / Gary in between them giving it some welly with Jonnie and Simon with his voice and drums making them the Boomtown Rats. "That concludes episode 3. We will return.
Any 1 in here remember the little "joy" radios? Wer about 4 inches tall & cream & brown in colour? Dat was "MY" radio, which I took 2 bed every ni so I could listen 2 radio Luxemburg. Monday's was the "power play" which meant it got played every hour, on the hour. Dave fanning's radio show started at midnight till 1 .50 ..wen the fine art was released he played the whole album on his show eagerly listened 2 on my "joy" radio.. Dave always gave the rats good exposure , mind you dat was b4 he met & fell in love wit Bono...yep, the FAOS was & is a very fine album
Hooked as I was after ATFTT I used to read Melody Maker and watch for news of forthcoming tours and releases. I remember buying other music mags when I thought the album would be reviewed so as the have the full range of opinions….good ones only I hoped. I mean, who couldn’t love this band? Oh yeah…..most of the music press!. They sit in a scrap book in the loft back in the UK….I’ll try and find it when next back.
I loved Someone’s Looking at You and remember buying the piano sheet music for it so I could play the bass line…….the hours I thought I was PB! (He’ll never contact the Mayor again 🤪😂😂!). My other memory from the time was Bobs chequered jacket, as published by Jules earlier today. Is was so cool.
I loved Nice n Neat, thought Keep it up was a great live track and like Suss am not the greatest of WTNC. I know its meant to be the final part of the trilogy but felt like the band thought they ought to put that type of song on the album (much prefer Joey and RT). I listened to the album from start to finish last week and loved it. So often I pick tracks and it was great to listen to it as the whole thing. The joy of albums, where you normally just let it play through.
I applied for 3 nights at the Hammersmith Odeon and to my utter surprise got all 3 nights. Those were the days of cheques (no cards!) and a Stamped Addressed Envelope!! I stayed with some relations of my Mum’s in Croydon (Suss!) and made my way there for 2 of the 3 nights. Memories…… Loved Protex the support band (something for next week), remember Paula (Y) appearing just before the band started and sitting with a mate in the row in front of me. She headed to the front when they came on. And the energy of the band and size of the show. It was the Rats at their peak and they just rocked. An abiding memory is they were much better on the second night that the first….nerves?
3rd night? Well it was a funny time in the UK then and this slightly nervous (then) 17 year old had to run when back in Croydon to avoid getting a kicking! It wasn’t even as if it was ‘punk’ then, just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To be honest 2 nights on the bounce was enough (something I still believe in with any band……..though lets see what the tour dates look like in the future!!) and so when my hosts needed a babysitter for the last night I duly obliged. Probably as much about running the gauntlet of (then) Croydon on a Saturday night than anything else!!
I chatted to Protex outside the Hammersmith, who were such great gys. And they were good live I thought. Loved all 4 singles but none of them impacted on the charts. Find out more next week!
It was a great time. The Band were everywhere with 3 great singles from the album and a front man who you either loved or hated. No middle ground with Bob. I was surprised to see the FAOS only made number 7, there must have been some big albums around then.
Great memories and pics/links from @Councillor Jules . My increasingly hazy recollections of the period are my frenzied excitement and anticipation, and even pride, from around July/August as Mondays dominated the airwaves (in UK at least), and most likely scrutinising every word of fortnightly Smash Hits for release details. I was never cool enough for Sounds or Melody Maker, let alone NME.
I'm pretty certain it was Our Price in North End, Croydon where I bought the album, probably after a quick scout round all the other outlets (those were the days!) to see who had best price. Clearly Virgin, Woolworths, WHS, Boots and a few independents (HMV wasn't there by 79) couldn't match Our Price. I'm guessing it would have been around £3.75 at that time. I did cheekily blag the poster attached below from my favourite independent shortly afterwards though, set to adorn various bedroom walls for the following years.
I recall being impressed immediately by Someone's Looking at You and Diamond Smiles, surprised by the elongated Mondays, nonplussed by the laughter loop after Sleep, and instantly hooked by Having My Picture Taken. Wind Chill Factor was definitely a grower, although to this day I never took to Keep it Up and Nice n Neat with same fervour as tracks from previous album. Nothing Happened Today was another strong track (wasn't expecting the Harry Hooper section at all!). I listened repeatedly (didn't we all) and really wanted to like When the Night Comes more, but it didn't have the rawness of Rat Trap so dropped points there, for me anyway. Great lyrics though. All in all I felt, and still do, that Side A outstripped Side B.
Being only just 15 at time of release, in suburbia, and fresh into 4th form (no Mary in my class sadly), I never seriously considered trying to get to the tour. I knew London venues invariably sold out quickly, I had no bank account or cheque book, and back then there wasn't transport so late into night so I was always wary of being stuck overnight. My hard earned paper round cash also didn't stretch too far. Weekly wage was £3.50 (including Sunday!) so one album alone needing more than that didn't leave too much spare most weeks. What spare I did have was also being ploughed into watching football (£1.80 admission for U16 plus 20p for the programme that year I do vividly recall) or other albums. FAOS was followed very quickly by One Step Beyond and Setting Sons so definitely no gig money left for me late 79.
The paper round did give me first sight of all the magazines though so I amassed a fair collection of band posters and interviews in that period (since transferred to the lovely @Tango at a very fair price 😁 in the interests of posterity after my family threatened to skip the lot when I go). There also exists a picture of me summer 1979 with 'home made' iron on I Don't Like Mondays t-shirt (in the fashion of the single cover with I Don't Like across and Mondays down - saved money on an O at least). Due to the 'home made' haircut I was also sporting this picture will never be publicised. In my credit though was wearing bell bottoms waaaay before BG was 😊.
In summary, very happy days with the band at top of the tree (or Mount Pop as Bob put it) and an album that had some tremendous songs. For me not quite so appealing as Tonic for the Troops and slightly too 'clean' in sound. I always preferred the guitar emphasis on first two, but certainly wasn't put off by subtle change in direction. And that has been true ever since......
I hope you like the photos I found. Here’s a review:
https://www.classicrockreview.com/2014/12/1979-boomtown-rats-fine-art-surfacing/