Customer Reviews

City Baby Attacked By Rats

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

 

 

Their 1982 sophomore album, and my personal favorite. Classic punk, among the best of the early 80s. Upbeat and hardedged enough to be classified as hardcore, but tempered with a strong dose of good old Ramones-ish pop, neither sloppy nor too polished. Sort of seems like "good time" party music compared to the dark and serious stuff that was coming from the bourgeoning peace punk movement that was dominant in the British scene at the time. I seem to remember the next album, City Baby's Revenge, was their most popular. But I never understood why. These songs are catchier, and the production is better. Both great albums, but I had to pick one, this would be it.

Impressive punk band.. Best of the late seventies/early eigthies. Can't help listening over and over.

I agree that this is probably G.B.H.'s finest hour: a nice mix of speedy british punk in the vein of DISCHARGE, THE EXPLOITED and even MOTORHEAD. But be warned: this 1998 edition is NOT the original 1982 mix. The snare drum sounds annoyingly louder than usual and, in some songs, the Bass guitar completely disappears! A case in point: the song "The Prayer of the Realist", one of this album's highlights, had a bass break in the middle and on this version it's totally gone!!! All you hear is some guitar feedback and the drums. [...]. The bonus songs (taken from their "Leather, Bristles, etc." EP) have luckily remained untouched.
I bought this CD back in 1998 and was truly disappointed by this horrendous mix. Whoever though of this should be hanged. Apparently, the Captain OI! label re-released the album, remastered AND with the original mix untouched, so if you're getting this classic hardcore album, get the OI! version.
Besides, the thirty-something price tag on this version is almost insulting and DEFINITELY not worth it.

For this version I give the album only 3 stars (for the atrocious mix) and 5 stars for the ORIGINAL album, which is truly a gem in the annals of punk!

YOU NEED THAT FIX AND FAST???THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED.GOOD STOMPING COLLECTION FROM WAY YEARS BACK.ALSO THEY PUT EXTRA GREAT SONGS ON THE CD THAT WERE ON DIFFERENT RECORDS. LOVE THOSE BIG WOMEN.

well its been a while since i listened to this album! i gave a listen and thought to myself that why cant ther be more solid punk albums like this today. from the opening riff of time bomb until the closeing of boston babies this is one of the best punk albums of all time. to compare it to other music it is like g.b.hs rubber soul(beatles.) it is a strong album full of good songs .for any one into a album concept and not just another hit song this is for you long before there was green day and the way of the hit single there was g.b.h. a strong band that rocked and made sence to anyone that liked there music sharp and straightand to the point(best listened when you want to stage dive or slam dance until you cant breath).a must buy so do so!

No punk cd collection should be without this album. There are several classics on it including I Am The Hunted, Sick Boy, No Surviviors, and of course City Baby Attacked by Rats. The sound is classic British punk and Collin has one of the best distinctive voices in the genre. This band gets total respect from me because they are still around making music without selling out to a major label.

I don't have this edition of the CD. I have the one that also has City Baby's Revenge on it.It is called Attack And Revenge By City Baby's-Definitve G.B.H. Collection. I got it back in 90 and it was put out by Clay/Roadrunner. If you can find it on Ebay or in a store get that version of it,because it's a better deal.

Yes, this is a stone cold classic, no question. The issue I have with this particular release of CBABR is the digital mix. All the songs are 'clean' and some songs like "Bellend Bop" sound equally as good as the original vinyl mix. BUT... there are some glaring inconsistencies in songs like "Prayer Of The Realist", where they've almost completely mixed away the bass guitar! And this is not an issue of playing with your equalizer to offset the oversight. They mixed the bass so low that you will not be able to punch it up. The entire frequency is gone! This really bugs me, because the bass in this particular song is the driving force and a truly influential bass line is this style of music! Get the digital sure, but don't get it to replace your vinyl.