Customer Reviews

V Deep

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

 

 

The version of UP ALL NIGHT on this cd differs drastically than the version on my Mondo Bongo Vinyl lp. That was the version I grew up loving, and was quite disapointed with this version; not a BAD rats record however......

Like four of the other remasters, this album's track order deviates from both the US AND UK releases of the album. Why? Good question...but that's why I remove a star.

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:

"Europe Looked Ugly" was the b-side to "House on Fire." This doesn't excuse its omission from these re-releases...but it puts it in more acceptable company (at least 10 b-sides do not appear on these re-releases).

"...House Burned Down" really is an omission and is totally inexplicable. Thus another star goes down...

"Up All Night" was ORIGINALLY released on Mondo Bongo, insofar as the UK releases (the US/North American versions are really best thought of as comparable to the Beatles' "Capitol albums")

"No Hiding Place" is not new; it was originally released as the b-side to the 7" and 2x7" releases of the "Charmed Lives" single (but not on the 12" version)

"Up All Night (Long Version" [aka "Up All Night (Extended)"] was originally released as the second b-side on the 12" release of the "Drag Me Down" single.

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

You may be disappointed if you are looking for the hard rock of their early albums, but anyone with an open mind will treasure this album. Great songwriting from beginning to end. "He Watches It All", "A Storm Breaks", and all the great singles make this a must have. The only weak link is "Talking In Code", which is easily skipped.

In it defense it was slightly ahead of it's time. Produced by Tony Visconti & Godley & Creme who would not much later employ the same production values with New Romantics such as Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Ultravox and make it work, V Deep is one of those albums that has grown better with age. As a departure for The Rats I thought and still do that this album has stood the test of time in similar ways The Stranglers La Folie and Billy Idols Whiplash Smile branched them out and beyond the flag of convenience of the UK New Wave / Punk thing. For some it worked, Idol, The Police, Depeche Mode ( listen to the Vince Clarke inspired " Talking in Code " ) for mostly the others it did not. This is a good collection and The Bitter End, Little Death, Charmed Lives are truly the last good songs Gob penned before he embarked on annoying the hell out of the rest of us but mostly himself.

Made in EU in 2005, Serial# 982-677-7, Playing Time 58:52

ALL of the 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) the running order is completely different!
b) whatever happened to "Europe Looked Ugly" and "...House Burned Down" ?!? They have been removed but do NOT appear on ANY of these re-issues...
c) track 7 ("Up All Night") shows up here (it was on the "Mondo Bongo" LP!)
d) track 11 ("Say Hi To Mick") was originally released on the "A Hold Of Me" single
e) track 12 ("No Hiding Place") is a "real" (and GREAT!) bonus track
f) track 13 ("House On Fire (Dub Version)") is from the single of the same name
g) track 14 ("Up All Night") is different than the single version... it's actually introduced as the "extremely long version" !!!

And the liner notes explain the meaning of the album title, which I had to censor from this review due to its explicit nature...

OK, first Amazon wants too much for this. I love the Rats but 25.99 is extreme with no discount. I went to Tower(dot)com and bought it as an import for under 14.00. I had to wait three weeks but it's my money and I want the entire catalog so I would rather get 6 reissues for under 85.00 than paying Amazon 150.00 and the DVD isn't out yet. But I will have the money for it. Now on with the review. The Rats were at their best on the self-titled, "Tonic for the Troops" and "Fine Art of Surfacing" albums. Everyone should have a copy of "Fine Art" as a must have. The other 2 would be good for the casual fan. "Mondo Bongo", "V Deep" and "In the Long Grass" are good but don't have the cohesive push of the first set.

If "Mondo Bongo" was darker than the three previous albums by the Boomtown Rats, then what are we to make of "V Deep?" Unremittingly gloomy and dark, this album was so far off what most fans expected from the Rats that their American record company at first opted to not release it. It wasn't until Geldolf's starring turn in "Pink Floyd's The Wall" movie that "V Deep" hit American shelves, and then with a heavily revised track order.

It is easy to see why Columbia balked. There isn't anything even remotley close to the agitated new-wave raves of "Rat Trap" or the in-your-face confrontational power of "I Don't Like Mondays." The album even has Geldolf indulging in Cabaret influenced jazz singing on the Heroin Addict's lament "A Little Death." "House On Fire" and "Skin On Skin" are dub-mad dance records. The version of "Up All Night" on this CD was re-recorded in a more poppy arrangement for the American version of "Mondo Bongo." The tone of "V Deep" is consistently pessimistic, hardly the Rat Party of "A Tonic For The Troops" or "The Fine Art Of Surfacing."

Overall, this was The Rats trying their darndest to break with expectations but not really succeeding. Only the bitter-sweet "Never In A Million Years" (which Tony Visconti Bowie-fied the heck out of) makes the connection to Rats of old, both as a challenge and a great pop song. The brutal "Skin On Skin" is a close second, with its sexually charged lyrics, followed by "He Watches It All." The weirdest moment? "Talking In Code," which sounds like ersatz Depeche Mode.

Probably the lesser of the Boomtown Rat's six albums, "V Deep" is still an interesting document of The Rats' (and Geldolf's) musical evolution. They followed this with the vastly superior "In The Long Grass" swan song before finally calling it a day, but it was obvious that - on "V Deep" - the band was losing steam and becoming disillusioned to the point of their music suffering for it.

I can not recommend this CD in any way, shape, or form. The Rats started to lose steam with "Mondo Bongo", but "V Deep" saw the Rat machine come to a grinding halt. Good God what an awful record! Gerry Cott saw the ship sinking and jumped off just in time. The horns killed the Rats!!!!!!
The one star is for the one good song on this CD "Never in a million years".