Customer Reviews

Fine Art of Surfacing

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Made in EU in 2005, Serial# 982-677-5, Playing Time 53:03

Most of lyrics enclosed...

If you're like me, you've been waiting to "retire" your vinyl pressing of this as soon as a CD version was made available.

Like all 6 re-releases of their albums, the remastering job is excellent! If you're reading this, you probably don't need a description of the genre of music (and talent) included.

Instead, I'll focus this somewhat brief review on the differences in content between the North American vinyl pressing and this CD issue:

a) "When The Night Comes" has been edited from a 4:58 track to a 4:44 version.
b) track 11 ("Episode #3") is now in its proper logical position (i.e. at the end) and has been restored to its full length glory (it was at the end of side 1 on the vinyl)
c) track 12 ("Real Different") was originally released on the "Rat Tracks" EP
d) track 13 ("How Do You Do?") was originally released on the 1992 CD edition of "A Tonic For The Troops"
e) track 14 is a "real" bonus track!
f) track 15 (the live version of "Nothing Happened Today") is a different recording than released on the "Rat Tracks" EP

In my opinion, THE best re-issue of the 6...

Thankfully, this 1 re-release, out of 6, has an unperverted track order...but the price is still ridiculous, so check with the new/used dealers in the top right instead of Amazon...

Anyway, I'm writing this review to note, for the less informed, to correct/make notes on the other reviews which are incorrect in their claims about original versions of the albums/sources of tracks:

"Real Different" was ORIGINALLY released as the B-side to Elephant's Graveyard in 1981, about 6 months before the release of Rat Tracks.
Rat Tracks, much like the Rolling Stones' Flowers "album" was a fabricated release made by North American record companies, outside the band's control. The same sort of treatment most bands used to get (and sometimes still do) when their music crosses the oceans to reach North America. A stupid, but very common, activity on the part of North American record companies.

"How Do You Do?" was ORIGINALLY released as the B-side to "Like Clockwork" in 1978.

Not intending to pick fights or criticize, mind you, I'm simply obsessive about the original placement of non-album tracks.

When reviewing an album of *great music*, it's troubling to have to talk about something as apparently trivial as AUDIO QUALITY and SOUND DYNAMICS. Most record labels no longer care about it, so why should the fans? The sad fact is that most albums are now being remastered to sound good only on FM radio and ipods. If you dare to listen on headphones (as a previous reviewer discovered) you'll be shocked at how bad it sounds. Even if you ignore the audible crackling, your ears will be so physically fatigued by the looming white noise that you'll struggle to listen through to the beginning of "Mondays".

If you know what I'm talking about, I advise you to return these botched "remastered" CDs for a refund. If you don't, just Google "loudness war" and educate yourself to this mess. The major labels are ruining great albums like this and yet they wonder why their industry is dying?

The Boomtown Rats made a big leap to art-rock on their third album. They'd advanced their ambitions quickly over two albums, going from punky power rockers to anthems of the common Englander. For "The Fine Art Of Surfacing," they began to go for bigger things. The first single was unlike anything else they'd attempted, the controversial "I Don't Like Mondays." No guitars, just piano and an orchestra. The payoff was a huge international hit everywhere but the US.

It also found Bob Geldof moving on to darker themes. Granted, the first two albums played with themes of suicide and paranoia, but for every "Living On an Island" on "Tonic," there was also a more lighthearted "She's So Modern." On "The Fine Art Of Surfacing," the songs are still often exuberant and hook laden, but thematically, never quite as chipper. It makes for some great songs again, especially "Wind Chill Factor Minus Zero" and "Sleep (Fingers' Lullaby)." "Surfacing" was the last excellent Rats album. While "Mondo Bongo" had its moments, the Boomtown Rats' records after this were never as even or as exciting.

I do have a quibble about the re-master on "Surfacing." It seems to have been mastered way too "hot" for some of the songs. The drums and percussion compress out - especially on "Someone's Looking At You" and "Wind Chill Factor Minus Zero" - and distort. For a re-master, that's bad news.

The Boomtown Rats had advanced their ambitions quickly over two albums, going from punky power rocks to anthems of the common Englander. For the third album, they began to go for the arty. The first single was unlike anything else they'd attempted, the controversial "I Don't Like Mondays." No guitars, just piano and an orchestra. The payoff was a huge international hit everywhere but the US.

It also finds Bob Geldof moving on to darker themes. Granted, the first two albums played with themes of suicide and paranoia, but for every "Living On an Island" on "Tonic," there was also a more lighthearted "She's So Modern." On "The Fine Art Of Surfacing," the songs are still often exuberant and hook laden, but thematically, never quite as chipper. It makes for some great songs again, especially "Wind Cill Factor Minus Zero" and "Sleep (Fingers' Lullaby)." "Surfacing" was the last excellent Rats album, even though "Mondo Bongo" has its moments, the Boomtown Rats' records after this were never as even or as exciting.

This was always my favorite Boomtown Rats CD and I'm glad this and all the other Rats CD's have been remastered. "The fine art of Surfacing" is an amazing CD from start to finish. The lyrics and melodies are brilliant. God, I wish these guys would reform and tour again. C'mon Bob, reform the Rats.

Like many others, I have waited a long time for this to become available on CD again. It is one of my favorite albums. However upon listening with headphones (is there any other way?) the digital noise usually associated with low bitrate mp3s is everywhere. Particularly "Mondays", "Keep It Up", "Nice & Neat" and blatantly on "Episode #3". In comparing it to a CD copy of my own clean record, the sound of that, digitized though it may be, is much better than this release. Maybe we have become so digital that most of us no longer hear these imperfections, but as an avid present-day record listener, I recommend saving your money and putting it towards a quality turntable. Remaster? Possibly. High quality? Definitely not.

THE ART OF SURFACING is flat-out the BEST Boomtown Rats album in their career, even better than TONIC FOR THE TROOPS, if that's possible - there's not a bad apple in the bunch - so this review isn't about the classic album that I original bought as a kid in 1979 (as well as the single "MONDAYS") - here is my big gripe: if you're going to go to the trouble of tacking on "bonus" tracks to lure in longtime fans, why did the record label make the (lame) decision to exclude what (IMHO) is the best Rats song ever: the B-side to "MONDAYS" single, "ALL THE RAGE"? RAGE is the hardest-hitting, most "punk" sounding song the rats ever produced - all blistering beats, roaring guitars, banging piano, and Geldof's bile-spewing snarl - all under 3 mins. To say it is a tragedy not to have this song included on the CD reissue of the Rat's best and most beloved album is not an understatement. Next time? Still, all the CD reissues are very nice, so collect them all now before they go OOP!

Greatest rats album, great re-issue etc...

BUT, To disagree with the reviewer below. Episode 3 is screwed up. The Episode 3 part was indeed on the end of the album. But the 'That's not funny, I'm not laughing' part was at the end of side 1 (after Sleep). Why it was taken off it's rightful place and put after the 'This concludes episode 3', the true end of the album is beyond me.

But, how can I complain. This was probably THE greatest rock album not available on CD, and now it is, and it sounds great!

This is the ONE! After 'Tonic for the Troops' and before 'Mondo Bongo'. The 3rd album, it has "I Don't Like Mondays" and then it gets better. "Somethings Looking At You". "Diamond Smiles" with the gold lame belt. "Wind Chill Factor (Minus Zero)". - 'In the end there's dancing songs and smiles. We need lots of smiles.' "Having My Picture Taken". - 'Best I've ever done it'. "Fingers Lullaby" - a lullaby for adults. And that's only side 1. "Mondays" - terror on the playground. Even banned for a while. "Nothing Happened Today" - bit like The Police's "Any Other Day" quirky with a driving beat. "Keep It Up" - 'Does it let you down - Sometimes.' "Nice N Neat" - drumming featured and concoctions of religion. "When The Night Comes" - Relax and unwind. "This concludes episode 3, we will return shortly." Bring on the BOX SET, please.