CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE
THE BOOMTOWN RATS (Mercury):: As the clash of punk guitars battled the swelling Springsteen-cumLizzy pseudo-climaxes, I began to suspect a fix, especially since bizzers have been heard to murmur fondly about the "musical" skill of these up-and-coming Irish nasties.
CHRISTGAU CONSUMER GUIDE
by
Robert Christgau
THE BOOMTOWN RATS (Mercury):: As the clash of punk guitars battled the swelling Springsteen-cumLizzy pseudo-climaxes, I began to suspect a fix, especially since bizzers have been heard to murmur fondly about the "musical" skill of these upand-coming Irish nasties. But throughout a first side that often shifts mood but never quits, this is the real stuff, banging home the survival of a brain unclogged by useless feelings. Unfortunately, side two bogs down in evocations of misogyny, boredom, and the plight of the young, all surrounding an apparent throwaway called "Close As You'll Ever Be" that ought to be a single. Inspirational Verse: "There's no romance, no romance/For Joey in the city."
B +
CHEAP TRICK: "In Color" (Epic):: Nowadays, punk makes it possible to resist hard rock so slickly textured, but with these guys, why bother? They don't waste a cut, and permit none of the stupidity or showiness or sentimentality of post-heavy and/or boogie professionalism, either. In fact, if they seemed interested in their well-crafted say-nothing lyrics, I'd rate this even higher.
B +