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Hi everyone- not sure what people think of this song but I really have always loved it-back in the day I couldnt understand why it failed to chart and signalled a decline in the Rats fortunes.It just sounds so defiant even though the lyrics are a bit wooly and vague. At least the Rats could be unpredictable and not always have a samey guitar sound and Bobs vocals are just so emotional .
For me NIAMY was the worst Rats song ever released as a single.It would have fitted better on In The Long Grass.It is much better live than as a single(as much of V Deep is).
hi Derek - its so hard to explain music in words so its rather pointless-we like what we like and can seldom adequetly explain. You cant say the song lacks emotion or passion or can you? I kinda though Charmed Lives was a bit weak . Ive never heard a live version of MILLION YEARS but you say the live version is good.Infact the Boomtown Rats to me have produced very little bad music or maybe I just have a higher tolerance ,cheers!
I like it live too, on one of the live BBC Lp's i have it has the song ending with a trumpet. But then i always liked the brass section of the later Rats live performances.
For me NIAMY was the worst Rats song ever released as a single.It would have fitted better on In The Long Grass.It is much better live than as a single(as much of V Deep is).
I think Charmed Lives is worse. NIAMY is OK, but not that great. Personally speaking, Up All Night and He Watches It All would have been better singles from V Deep. If anything is a neglected gem it is House on Fire. It wasn't even on the Best of.
I had never heard it live until a couple of days ago and it is much much better. It still deserved better than 62, but nobody could identify the sleeve in the record shops!
I loved Never in a Million Years - still do, although its a blatant rip off of Bowies "Heroes". At that time the Rats could have released anything and it would have been hard work getting a chart hit. Time had moved on and it was time for Duran Duran, Spandau etc.
I remember to this day standing outside our school restaurant, listening to a girls radio whilst the chart run down was being made (I'm sure it was a tuesday lunchtime) and the Rats had failed to chart. Double English had never felt so bad !!
Ah the days of chart run down on Tuesday lunchtime...up close to the tranny in my bedroom, so to speak.
I also really liked NIAMY alot. Remember there being what felt like an eternity waiting for something new to come out at all, and immediately liking the sort of desperation in Geldof's vocals. Also recall some radio show (prob Radio 1) interview plugging it, saying they wanted a Phil Spector 'wall of sound' production, that people "could dance to at parties". Even then I remember thinking, you'll be lucky. Even in my blindest devotion I never thought any Rats tracks were particularly dance-oriented, and this one in no way whatsoever.
Still a great track though, and truly neglected. Point above is so true - had Duran Duran or Spandau put out exact same song at that time it would have been top 3.
Up all night comes closest in terms of dance tracks, but certainly not NIAMY. Had never considered it resembled Heroes, but there's definitely a hint of it now you mention it. I also feel the NIAMY central drum solo has shades of the equivalent within 'In the air tonight' by Phil Collins. Suppose in the end, there's only so many instruments and only so many notes.
Up all night comes closest in terms of dance tracks, but certainly not NIAMY. Had never considered it resembled Heroes, but there's definitely a hint of it now you mention it. I also feel the NIAMY central drum solo has shades of the equivalent within 'In the air tonight' by Phil Collins. Suppose in the end, there's only so many instruments and only so many notes.
Next we'll be saying Moves like Jagger.
I always felt Never In A Million Years owed something to Bowie's sound but there was not a very obvious song on which the song is based, more a vague 'vibe' if that's not too old fashioned a word.
I do not agree with Diffbrook's view of the song being a 'blatant ripoff' but it probably does owe something to Bowie's Heroes, including the impassioned vocals- but again the borrowing is more of a mood or tone, rather than an clear melody ripoff. The Rats were Bowie fans and always tried to produce different sounding songs, rather than the same old predictable guitar racket, although as guitar rackets go the Rats were pretty good at that.
A few weeks back I was writing about intros to Rats songs and the intro to Million Years in pretty good- the song certainly ranks in my Rats top five tracks and the song has always meant more to me than I Don't Like Mondays.
-- Edited by noelindublin on Monday 16th of January 2012 02:22:35 PM
Ah the days of chart run down on Tuesday lunchtime...up close to the tranny in my bedroom, so to speak.
I also really liked NIAMY alot. Remember there being what felt like an eternity waiting for something new to come out at all, and immediately liking the sort of desperation in Geldof's vocals. Also recall some radio show (prob Radio 1) interview plugging it, saying they wanted a Phil Spector 'wall of sound' production, that people "could dance to at parties". Even then I remember thinking, you'll be lucky. Even in my blindest devotion I never thought any Rats tracks were particularly dance-oriented, and this one in no way whatsoever.
Still a great track though, and truly neglected. Point above is so true - had Duran Duran or Spandau put out exact same song at that time it would have been top 3.
Well maybe at Paul Simon's Cinematographer's Party or some place on a parallel universe they might be dancing to The Boomtown Rats, but I doubt it. Yes one can pogo and move about, but the Rats music is more intellectual rock and roll, with lyrics steering well clear of the limited thoughts of sweaty bodies on a typical dance floor of a Friday night.
Pure dance music is largely music for clubbing, largely focused on the art of getting people to forget their troubles and the lyrics tend to shut out all references to everyday life and focus on current and near future 'pleasures'. You can almost predict the titles of a lot of dance music, usually involving words like heaven, party, sweat, rapture- yes I did check the current Dance Top 40 as research!
The vocals on "Million Years" is totally different to Bowies Heroes, but the music is very similar. Maybe it had something to do with Tony Visconti producing it. He was also Bowies producer and may even have produced Heroes. So that may explian the similarity.
The vocals on "Million Years" is totally different to Bowies Heroes, but the music is very similar. Maybe it had something to do with Tony Visconti producing it. He was also Bowies producer and may even have produced Heroes. So that may explian the similarity.
Visconti did produce Heroes by Bowie. Having listened to both tracks side by side I do concede there is some similarity, but not in the main vocal or melody lines, just the backing track -this in no way takes from the Rats song- there is a richness in the texture of the music which I find amazing and some great backing vocals.
Most great music owes a lot to the producer and his, or her, vision and skills at creating a distinct sound, and the Rats got to work with one of the best in the business in Visconti. Million Years is a brilliantly produced track and honestly every time I hear I am amazed at how good it sounds. Love being in the eye of the beholder and all that!
Also recall some radio show (prob Radio 1) interview plugging it, saying they wanted a Phil Spector 'wall of sound' production, that people "could dance to at parties". Even then I remember thinking, you'll be lucky. Even in my blindest devotion I never thought any Rats tracks were particularly dance-oriented, and this one in no way whatsoever.
Still a great track though, and truly neglected. Point above is so true - had Duran Duran or Spandau put out exact same song at that time it would have been top 3.
Ironically, Up All Night was on the same album and was dance-orientated.
Had Rats released it in January 1979, it would have been top ten. But still doesn't make it a great track.
Duran were OK for the first couple of records, debut LP was really good.
-- Edited by ArrGee on Saturday 5th of January 2013 08:21:15 PM
It is very well produced Noel and I was disappointed it didn't make top 40. Those let-down Tuesday lunchtimes were quite common after '81 with the Rats.
Re the similarity with 'Hereos', it's just about there but no different to being able to twin many good records. Just try Barry Manilow's 'Can't smile without you' next door to Wham's 'Last Christmas' and you're speaking virtually identical twins!
Ironically, Up All Night was on the same album and was dance-orientated.
I've never been convinced about that, although I concede other on here have said as much.
The drum is too slow for it to be a dance track, imho, unless it's of the right foot in, left foot in, right foot in variety.
Seeing as Wham have been mentioned, drum needs to be up at about the bpm of I'm your Man or Freedom (or poss Young Guns) to be a dance track.
Skin on Skin is about the only authentic dance Rats track to fit the bill, for me at least. Charmed Lives could have been, but it makes my ears bleed.
Up All Night is more like a "comedown track" that suits a late night mood or regret and thoughts like "why didn't I just stay at home and watch tv". There's real hardcore early nineties raving dance tracks and lame, limp wristed indie dance, two totally different beasts. Like the judge that said he couldn't describe pornography but would know it when he saw it, the same goes for dance or club music.
