The Boys – Alternative Chartbusters LP

Description

A punk classic, gloriously anthemic power pop from the cult UK outfit. On 17 March 1978, a mere six months after the release of their self-titled debut, The Boys second album Alternative Chartbusters was released (once again, produced by Dangerfield & Steel). As AllMusic recognises, Alternative Chartbusters was way ahead of its time, a buried treasure that only got dusted off much later: Condemned at the time for offering up little more than a straight carbon copy of its predecessor, the second Boys album has since ascended to the pantheon of power pop greats, a combination of the band’s own inestimable position at the forefront of what, by early 1978, was already a burgeoning movement, and their seemingly effortless grasp of the rudiments of, indeed, a great pop song. Along with the Sex Pistols, Clash and the Damned, The Boys were part of the first wave of the mid-1970s UK punk explosion. Armed with an arsenal of killer Steel/Dangerfield songs The Boys became the first UK punk band to sign an album deal in January 1977 and subsequently released two albums, their self-titled debut and the follow-up Alternative Chartbusters in quick succession. Highly regarded by the music press and their contemporaries, yet somehow criminally ignored by a wider punk audience, unable to grasp their heritage of vintage rock n roll that went back to Chuck Berry courtesy of The Beatles. Their well-crafted songs, together with Steel and Dangerfields layered harmonies, even led to them being described as The Beatles of Punk.