Customer Reviews

Anthology

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the greatest under-appreciated Pop/Rock acts in history, City Boy first caught my attention circa 1977 with "She's Got Style" -- a "lost classic" if there ever was such a thing -- off the "Young Men Gone West" LP. Their sole U.K. Top 10 single hit "5.7.0.5." and its parent album "Book Early" ('78) were also worn out by the time I got through with them, while their later work ("The Day the Earth..." + "Heads Are Rolling") never found much favour with me due to me being otherwise occupied at the time (Punk/New Wave).

Recently, however, I had the opportunity to check all of CB's recorded work out more thoroughly and was pleasantly surprised by how well it has held up compared to much of the more generally celebrated popular music from that late '70s/early '80s era; solid musicianship, some of the tightest harmonies you're ever likely to hear, very well written songs + nearly always, ummm, "interesting" lyrics a la early Sparks -- these, duly, were CB's main strengths.

Musically, and for those who like to do that, it's tough to categorize this band. But for better or for worse, I would say at several different times they sound a little like such overall unsimilar acts as Queen, 10cc, around '80-era Rollers and the aforementioned mid-'70s Sparks -- which should say something about their overall diversity. Their first two LP's are a tad too "proggy" for my taste, but nearly always (again) "interesting" nonetheless.

Which brings us to this "Best Of" anthology-type-of-thing here. Although, as ALWAYS in such cases, I miss more than a couple of old faves ("Mr.Shoes", "Summer in the Schoolyard", Goodbye Lorelei"), it is indeed an exceptionally well compiled collection. But the biggest beef -- and that is also exactly what keeps this one from getting my full, flawless, 5 star rating -- is the sloppy packaging, the clumsy spelling mistakes and the highly inaccurate sleevenotes ("The Day The Earth Caught Fire" a U.K. Top 10 hit?! I don't think so). And althought the overall sound and (re?)mastering is good, it quite frankly escapes me why the the ending of "Mr.Shoes" -- which, lest we forget, is omitted from this collection -- is included as the beginning of "Heads Are Rolling", the next track behind it on the "H.A.R" album!! Evidently -- and in spite of managing to make this much-needed compilation sound good -- the people behind it weren't able enough to make it also sound RIGHT.

But for some people these may be just minor flaws and the main issue here is to finally have a (mostly) fine representation of City Boy available on CD. And for that we should just be grateful. As good place as any to start your exploration of this great, yet mostly unknown, band. Enjoy!

This is possibly the WORST compilation I have ever purchased. As a long time City Boy fan I am disgusted by the exclusions of such classics as "Mr. Shoes", "Summer in the Schoolyard", "Moving in Circles", "Machines", "Cigarrettes", "Mama's Boy", "The Man Who Ate His Car" just to name a few!!!!! The liner notes are completely wrong from the albums the songs came from to the personell on each album. I wonder if the band even knows about this release. The cover isn't even new. It's the "Young Men Gone west" artwork. Don't waste your money on this poor excuse for a City Boy "Anthology".....you can't call this poor representation of one of the greatest bands to come out of the '70's an anthology. Call it a ripoff!!!

City Boy... have you ever heard of them? If you have, you've been fortunate enough to hear some of the most inventive, wonderfully crafted, inspired music on the market. If not, this is a good place to start.

This multi-talented group began in the early 70's and eventually broke up in the early 80's but they left a legacy of music that stands the test of time and will be enjoyed by fans of all ages.

I have to admit I'd have included several alternative songs - but when you're faced with putting together a comprehensive collection, everyone has their own opinions. I just think it's great a compilation is out on the market.

If you like this album, make it a point to try the albums that make up the Anthology. They're economically priced as 2-on-1 CDs and are well worth the money. Enjoy!

Finally...the music of one of the most exciting bands of the history of rock is out now on cd! And it's brilliant! More than 20 years of waiting, because I sold all of my old records, my Christmas-holiday became a memorable one..The morning starts with 5-7-0-5 and the day ends with Bed...and all the alltime favorites passes by. My goodness, the sound is very much of today and the singing is from a different planet. I've seen City Boy live in Amsterdam in the early eighties and I hope they will be soon on stage again and than it's time to book early!!

A great underated band, this selection could have been better, but as a taster its ok. It does give a new listener an idea of how good they were.

Uno de mis grupos favoritos de todos los tiempos y también uno de los más desconocidos para el gran público. Brillantes, majestuosos, comerciales y rockeros por igual, voces encantadoras (tres solistas en la banda nada menos), grandes músicos. Esto es una recopilación, pero puede servirte de introducción, si no los conoces aún, para después introducirte en cualquiera de sus fabulosos álbumes. Cualquier reticencia al principio será despejada, créeme; además detrás de casi todos sus álbumes está la batuta de uno de los grandes productores del rock, Robert Mutt Lange. ¿A qué recuerda su música? Mete en una cocktelera a Queen, ELO, Glam Rock, gotitas de AOR. Eso y mucho más es City Boy ... una joyita perdida del rock, del rock para gourmets.

There is (generally) a reason why bands do not get famous... they were simply not that good to begin with!

I saw City Boy warm up for UFO, it was not a good pairing. I did not care for them and teh UFO crowd did not give them a warm welcome.

5-7-0-5 did get a decent amount of airplay (at least where I grew up in Chicago) in the 1970's. The song was okay.

I bought this purely for the nostalgic aspect of being able to hear a song from my youth. I do not care for the other songs.

If City Boy was a favorite of yours then you were definelty in the minority. During their heyday, I did not see a lot of black rock concert t-shirts with "City Boy" on them!