Review of Tonic for the Troops by the Boomtown Rats

One of my Top 10 favorite albums of all time. Boomtown Rats best album shows a maturity in song-writing and musicianship that separated them from so many others from the 78' pack. Bob Geldof really shows a knack for combining witty social commentary with ultra snappy pop/punk musical stylings. I love the song 'Living in an Island' for its humorous take on suicidal depression.

Their very best singles are right here on this album (Like Clockwork/She's So Modern & Rat Trap). 1978 seems to be the year when songwriting started pulling some bands away from the label of punk and maybe further towards New Wave. People/Bands like Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, The Clash, the Stranglers & even The Jam. Absolutely no filler on this album. My favorite tracks would be 'She's So Modern', 'Blind Date' & 'Living in An Island' not to say that the single's 'Rat Trap' & 'Like Clockwork' aren't brilliant but I had those drilled into my head for a couple of years back in school & you know what they say about having too much of a good thing.

So here we are, my favorite Album from 1978 & I think anyone out there who appreciates the music from the punk era 77-79 should definitely have this album along with all the other classics that seemed to come out around that time.