Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
26 used & new from £4.95
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
A Tonic For The Troops
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

A Tonic For The Troops [Extra tracks] [Original recording remastered]

~ Boomtown Rats
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
Price: £4.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Usually dispatched within 6 to 9 days.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

22 new from £4.95 3 used from £6.25 1 collectible from £8.50

Frequently Bought Together

A Tonic For The Troops + The Fine Art of Surfacing + The Boomtown Rats
Price For All Three: £16.34

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

  • This item: A Tonic For The Troops ~ The Boomtown Rats

    Usually dispatched within 6 to 9 days.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Fine Art of Surfacing ~ The Boomtown Rats

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • The Boomtown Rats ~ The Boomtown Rats

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    Eligible for FREE UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Fine Art of Surfacing

The Fine Art of Surfacing

~ The Boomtown Rats
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £6.38
The Boomtown Rats

The Boomtown Rats

~ The Boomtown Rats
3.2 out of 5 stars (4)  £4.98
Mondon Bongo

Mondon Bongo

~ The Boomtown Rats
4.3 out of 5 stars (3)  £4.98
In The Long Grass

In The Long Grass

~ The Boomtown Rats
4.8 out of 5 stars (4)  £8.79
Parallel Lines

Parallel Lines

~ Blondie
4.9 out of 5 stars (19)  £3.98
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Audio CD (7 Feb 2005)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
  • Label: Commercial Marketing
  • ASIN: B00076SJP0
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 8,780 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Track Listings

1. Like Clockwork
2. Blind Date
3. (I Never Loved) Eva Braun
4. Living In An Island
5. Don't Believe What You Read
6. She's So Modern
7. Me And Howard Hughes
8. Can't Stop
9. (Watch Out For) The Normal People
10. Rat Trap
11. Neon Heart (John Peel Radio Session)
12. Do The Rat (B-side)
13. D.U.N. L.O.A.G.H.A.I.R.E (B-side In Ireland)
14. Rat Trap (Live In Stoke)

Product Description

Description
A TONIC FOR THE TROOPS, the Boomtown Rats' second album, finds the Irish group furthering their mix of punk energy and pop hooks. While "Like Clockwork" and "Living on an Island" recall XTC in both their angular attack and quirky delivery,"She's So Modern" is an intentionally brash, straight-aheadrock tune. Other songs, however, allow frontman Bob Geldof to hone his lyrical talents, particularly the wry, incisive Nazi narrative "I Never Loved Eva Braun", "Me & Howard Hughes", a nod to eccentrics everywhere, and the street anthem "Rat Trap", which unabashedly channels Springsteen. Like many of their peers (Elvis Costello & the Attractions, the Clash,etc.), the Boomtown Rats were intent on channeling punk's momentum into different styles and more sophisticated song structures, and although the ensemble never achieved widespread success in the US, the record produced several hit singlesin the UK, including the latter tune. And its finest, A TONIC FOR THE TROOPS is a prime example of punk rock's restlessly inventive spirit and its often overlooked "pop" power.

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
rock
new wave
the boomtown rats
classic album
british punk
britain

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A real late 70's Tonic, 20 Oct 2005
By Stephen Evans "A Budding Author" (Sussex, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I was sorely tempted to award the full 5 stars just for the nostalgia value! I was given this album on audio cassette (for those who rememeber)Christmas 1978 as a very musically mature ten year old ;-) and must have played it hundreds of times until I discovered electronic music a year or two later. This was the rats at their peak, stand out tracks are So Modern, Rat Trap, Clockwork,I never loved Eva B.

They burnt brightly for a year or two and then I understand the lead singer went on to other things!?

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Boom time, 1 Mar 2007
By D. J. H. Thorn "davethorn13" (Hull, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
The Rats were always better at singles than albums, but 'Tonic for the Troops' is their best and most successful long player. After hitting the top 20 with their first single, they improved their chart position with each of their next four singles, the last of which, 'Rat Trap', became their first number one. This, and the previous two singles, 'She's So Modern' and 'Like Clockwork', are included here.
Labelled, like every new wave band, as punk rockers at first, their success was based on a compromise between the old and the new, as well as the charismatic, immodest Bob Geldof. They played up to the punk image with their slightly anarchic appearance, but their music was little more than souped-up r&b. Geldof was a barely-disguised Jagger clone. Good fun they were though and they had some good tunes. Their lyrics attacked prevailing attitudes, but were direct rather than stimulating. 'Don't believe What You Read', for example, says it all in the title. 'Rat Trap' is the most ambitious song. At least it provided an antidote to all things Travolta and, indeed, knocked him off the top of the charts. Of the bonuses, 'Do The Rat' is the b-side I most remember. It seemed hilarious at the time.
I blew a quarter of my first dole cheque (13 quid) on this, being heavily into all things new at the time. Though shallow in places, this is still an entertaining album.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums
  • music  (840 discussions)
  • pop  (369 discussions)
  • rock  (296 discussions)

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Tonic For The Troops
86% buy the item featured on this page:
A Tonic For The Troops 4.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£4.98
The Best Of The Boomtown Rats
8% buy
The Best Of The Boomtown Rats 5.0 out of 5 stars (2)
£5.28
Loudmouth - The Best Of Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats
4% buy
Loudmouth - The Best Of Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats 4.3 out of 5 stars (3)
£5.48
The Boomtown Rats
2% buy
The Boomtown Rats 3.2 out of 5 stars (4)
£4.98
Explore similar items

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

More From Boomtown Rats

The Best Of...

The Best Of The Boomtown Rats

This nineteen track "best of" from the Irish new-wave folk punks takes... Read more
£5.28

 

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (75)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (81)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates