Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 254 - The Boomtown Rats

 The Fine Art of Surfacing - The Boomtown Rats

Ensign Records (UK)

Mulligan Records (Ireland)

Columbia Records (USA)

Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange

Released 9th October 1979

UK Chart #7

US Chart #103

A1 Someone's Looking At You    
A2 Diamond Smiles    
A3 Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)    
A4 Having My Picture Taken    
A5 Sleep (Fingers' Lullaby)    
B1 I Don't Like Mondays    
B2 Nothing Happened Today    
B3 Keep It Up    
B4 Nice 'N' Neat    
B5 When The Night Comes

 Personnel
Bob Geldof – vocals, saxophone
Pete Briquette – bass, vocals
Gerry Cott – guitar
Johnnie Fingers – keyboards, vocals
Simon Crowe – drums, vocals
Garry Roberts – guitar, vocals

Singles From The Fine Art of Surfacing

 

I Don't Like Mondays / It's All The Rage 

July 1979

UK Chart #1 (4 Weeks)

Diamond Smiles / Late Last Night

December 1979

UK Chart #13

 

Someone's Looking At You / When The Night Comes 

February 1980

UK Chart #4

 

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Happy Birthday

Johnnie Fingers

Keyboards 1975-1986

The Boomtown Rats third studio album The Fine Art of Surfacing that was released in 1979 contained three hit singles, one of them, I Don't Like Mondays, their second UK #1 in a row following Rat Trap. Personally I think those singles were three of the best and probably the last of the good ones as what followed with the singles from Mondo Bongo (Banana Republic and Elephant's Graveyard) I didn't like at all. I know people who do like them and that's fine, for me they just didn't appeal as much as many of the singles that had already been released.

Likewise when it came to the albums, I thought the first three were really impressive (especially the Debut) but the last three (Mondo Bongo, V Deep and In The Long Grass) I was quite disappointed by.

The Boomtown Rats

Top 10

10. Don't Believe What You Read.

09. She's So Modern.

08. Like Clockwork.

07. Lookin' After Number One.

06. I Can Make It If You Can.

05. I Don't Like Mondays.

04. Joey's On The Street Again.

03. Someone's Looking At You.

02. Diamond Smiles.

01. Rat Trap.

 

 Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!