I hope Bob Geldof plays the acoustic guitar at the Isle of Wight Reunion

bigbosscentral · House on Fire

I hope Bob Geldof plays the acoustic guitar at the Isle of Wight Reunion

suss · In the Long Grass

Have to differ I'm afraid.

For me it's fairly straightforward. Rats were massive without it; not so with. As mentioned on another thread I think this gig at least needs to recapture the massive years.

Cadogan Hall was a Geldof gig and with that band he's never been without guitar (to my knowledge). With his previous band it was partly his stage manner that got them where they were.

Whether he feels that can't happen again at his age is a different matter, so we may well see the guitar, even if it's only a crutch, but IMHO it devalues the Rats.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Geldof is much more expressive without the guitar. It just hampers his style, making him static on stage, when classic Geldof was all about gestures, pouting, leg propped up on amp, pointing out people in the audience and giving them a mouthful of abuse for being hippies or having a rubbish haircuts etc.

Anyway with a very amped up Rats the acoustic guitar is barely heard, it is more a prop as Suss says. Geldof, being a big fan of Dylan and Leonard Cohen, possibly feels he needs to be seen playing a guitar to be considered a proper musician.

I'd prefer if he just sings. I'm not to sure what extra Geldof strumming really brings to the songs- they managed fine without his playing before.

ArrGee1991 · Dave

noelindublin wrote:
... possibly feels he needs to be seen playing a guitar to be considered a proper musician.
... they managed fine without his playing before.

He can play the harmonica, as he did on She's Gonna (Do You In). That's proper enough.

I'm not sure he actually plays the guitar on stage. Doesn't sound like he plugged it in at Cadogan Hall.

Why is it the infamous Cadogan Hall gig with Gerry Cott ? Best Geldof gig I ever saw. OK, it was the only one, but not sure why it would be infamous. Arguably the best he did in recent years given it was more or less sold out, unlike numerous others.

Not like me to be suspicious when new members arrive, but I smell a rat...

bigbosscentral · House on Fire

Only infamous for fans in that it was the first time Gerry had played with Bob and Pete for over thirty years. That would seem to be eventful.

suss · In the Long Grass

I thought that if you had an acoustic guitar then it meant that you were a protest singer wink

JoanOfArc · The Fine Art of Surfacing

yeh i mean i think they should all get facelifts too, liposuction, and botox for the IOW fest.

it would be good if they wore exactly the same clothes too......

and if geldof makes one false move as in dances any differently to what he did all those years ago on top of the pops it just won't be the same and be utterly devalued imo.

oh and props! they must be the same props!! remember the chandelier geldof pretends to play like an instrument??

and i tell you what really really is a MUST geldof must have a very expensive operation on his voice box so that he sounds like he used to......

cos atm bannana republic sounds totally and completely different to all those years ago in the days of the band, due to the change in bobs voice, which utterly devalues the perfomance.

pmsl rofl lolololol

JoanOfArc · The Fine Art of Surfacing

seriously though it will be interesting watching the performance, i doubt it will be the same as all those years ago as in the way it sounds but no doubt it will still be a good performance with or without bob's guitar and the atmosphere i am sure will be electric.

hmmm perhaps bob ought to ditch the guitar thinking about it, then he'll probably dance more and look at the audience more instead of the geetar.

yes we'd get sir's fullest attention then.

:P

Scottie · Loudmouth

I think the sad but inevitable truth now is that Bob does not have the energy to do a full set jumping about like he used to. Have you seen him after an hour and a half of just standing behind a guitar for most of it? He is absolutely exhausted. He goes back to the bar, but is usually the first one to leave and go to bed. I think it will be a mixture, some with, some without. Wonder if Garry will walk off stage at the Monday's intro, which he used to do? Told me he hates it, that's why they changed it.

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

I don't think he should be using his guitar, because he didn't when he was with the Rats and it should be Rats style. However, as Irene said, he doesn't have the energy to do all that dancing and running around as he used to (I don't know where he got the energy from then) so might want the guitar to detract from that!

ArrGee1991 · Dave

Jules wrote:
...he doesn't have the energy to do all that dancing and running around as he used to (I don't know where he got the energy from then)

Jagger does and he's about 10 years older.

Lisa · Mondo Bongo

Bobi G wrote:
Jules wrote:
... he doesn't have the energy to do all that dancing and running around as he used to (I don't know where he got the energy from then)
Iz knowz. Twas the Whizz, aye. Goey's on da street again.

Perhaps he needs to take a tonic for the stoops ....

ArrGee1991 · Dave

noelindublin wrote:
...but if he was aerobically fit, with strong lung capacity then that would make some difference.

I trust he's doing some serious training alongside the low carb diet. He has to peak for June. Can't be a sexy beast with a guitar.

Maybe he is a dozen years younger, but Jarvis C0cker has still got it. And he smokes like a trooper and does no exercise.

-- Edited by ArrGee1991 on Wednesday 6th of February 2013 09:18:13 PM

noelindublin · Loudmouth

Geldof does so much travelling around the world that he would not have time for a fitness routine, like jogging or yoga or whatever. If he had enough time and interest I suspect he could be a lot fitter. It's the old 'use it or loose it' mantra. He certainly could afford a personal trainer.

There are marathon runners in their eighties and older. Check out some of those very old yoga practitioners on YouTube- amazing flexibility- it's all down to dedication.Realistically we can't expect Geldof to be like he was on stage over 30 years ago.

Again with his voice, that's an age thing as well. All voices change over time, but if he was aerobically fit, with strong lung capacity then that would make some difference.

ArrGee1991 · Dave

bigbosscentral wrote:
Only infamous for fans in that it was the first time Gerry had played with Bob and Pete for over thirty years. That would seem to be eventful.

Eventful, and somewhat historic, but not infamous. But three Rats on stage had been done once before, as had three rats in a room (seemingly pretty much everytime I go to see them or Geldof). Will be interesting to see four on the same stage and who knows possibly a fifth in the audience somewhere or another. All six would only happen via satellite link!

suss · In the Long Grass

Thinking about it, I might indulge him for Hurt Hurts, as his strummy bit is more than compensated by the blistering guitar break in middle. It's also an ideal track for 'introducing the band' in run up to said break, bit of isolated drum and bass, joined by keyboards, before guitar(s) let rip.

Works for me smile

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

If there is a 5th Rat in the audience ArrGee we will have to grab him and drag him up on stage. That CANNOT be allowed! If they are there they have to play. Not fair otherwise *stamps feet* like a child.

ArrGee1991 · Dave

Jules wrote:
If there is a 5th Rat in the audience ArrGee we will have to grab him and drag him up on stage. That CANNOT be allowed! If they are there they have to play. Not fair otherwise *stamps feet* like a child.

Of the five times I have seen Geldof or the Rats in the last five years, on three occasions there was a Rat in the audience, and only once did they go on stage (Cott @ Cadogan Hall).

Jules · The biggest Geldof fan in the world, bar none!

Yes, but those occasions weren't a planned reformation. If they aren't available to play, they shouldn't be available to watch either furious blankstare evileye disbelief

ArrGee1991 · Dave

Jules wrote:
If they aren't available to play, they shouldn't be available to watch either

Taking a hard line on this I reckon that Gerry or Johnnie would love to see their old mates, but wouldn't necessarily want to do all the rehearsing.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

I suspect the fifth rat will be doing a Roy Keane, ie out walking his dogs. Well if it was the Isle of Dogs rather than IOW Gerry just could not say no.

noelindublin · Loudmouth

ArrGee1991 wrote:
Jules wrote:
If they aren't available to play, they shouldn't be available to watch either
Taking a hard line on this I reckon that Gerry or Johnnie would love to see their old mates, but wouldn't necessarily want to do all the rehearsing.

Maybe it will be a case of bringing the mountain to Mohammed. Rats go to Japan are on the Fiji Festival Lineup. Think of it- Fingers is a key linkman in Fuji rock Festival-Geldof organised live Aid/Live 8. Of course it's all to obvious and fated to every happen.

bigbosscentral · House on Fire

Actually he does play acoustic guitar in the Rats. If you check out the 'Someone's Lookin At you' music video in 1979 and the 85 Hammersmith gig tracks 'Dave' and 'A Hold on Me'- Geldof does play guitar. It would be nice to see him do it a couple of numbers like he used to

ArrGee · Back To Boomtown

bigbosscentral wrote:
Actually he does play acoustic guitar in the Rats. If you check out the 'Someone's Lookin At you' music video in 1979 and the 85 Hammersmith gig tracks 'Dave' and 'A Hold on Me'- Geldof does play guitar. It would be nice to see him do it a couple of numbers like he used to

I've seen him with the guitar, but I'm just not convinced it is plugged in nor recorded smile Midge Ure was quite scathing about his musicianship among other things.

Derek The Dane · V Deep

If they play Dave he may well play the guitar but otherwise hope not.

bigbosscentral · House on Fire

It was both plugged in and recorded. I am a friend of trombonist and Rats brass arranger Pete Thoms. Geldof might not be the best guitarist but he certainly plays on some Rats records and 100% he did in concert. it was plugged in- you can hear it