The Boomtown Rats debuted in the punk era, but their furious, adrenaline-charged follow-up put them on the forefront of the then burgeoning New Wave movement, along with breaking them commercially in the UK. The underlying energy was undoubtedly punk, but there was so much in the way of added embellishment the music nearly bordered on prog, or at least art-rock. This was easily the most adventurous record the 'Rats and Geldof made, although the uncompromising eccentricity may turn some people off.

Honestly, three tracks really make this record standout for me, but the entire record feels like the ultimate expression of the artist's everyday existence. And it was completely natural. Way, way more to this, than some obscure guitar hero slinging away on some blues-rock tunes. But you get that just from hearing "Tattoo'd Lady" alone, right?

This record, along with the Heartbreakers oft-maligned LAMF and the New York Dolls debut, formed a classic troika of trashy yet soulful rock records released from Dolls-related bands in the 70s. Thunders' debut was produced in part by Steve Lillywhite (of all people), contains a wide range of characters from punk and other rock scenes, and despite its' intentionally crummy sound, showcased surprising range, grace, and humor. He also got Phil Lynott, Steve Mariott, and half of the Sex Pistols to be on the same record with him, so in that sense the title was misleading. In a very Thunders kind of way, "showcase" really was the best way to think of his debut solo release. Certainly, wasn't the downer it's been portrayed to be.

This 5-song live tome (seven, if you count the bonus tracks) represents Man's heaviest and jammy-est monolithic guitar workouts in all their extended glory, which was really the only way catch these guys in their element. Even the album cover looks more akin to a Quicksilver bootleg tape, with the ornate font over the lush photo of unnamed guitarist slinging away on his Gibson. And hey, there's a cover of "Codine", too! But then, not sure if the Dead or the Quicksilvers ever convinced of anything as plot-twisting as "Many Are Called but Few Get Up" or approached the unadulterated rowdiness of "Bananas". Man, does this Man stuff grow on you. Out of the myriads of live records from the 70's this was definitely underrated.

A gloriously brain-dead record which was at its "shang-a-lang" best sticking to basic Spector-inspired glam rock for the masses. Teenyboppers? Glam? Seems like they were one in the same.