The Day the Earth Caught Fire [Import]

the day the earth caught fire [import]

Track Listings

1. Day the Earth Caught Fire

2. It's Only the End of the World

3. Interrupted Melody

4. Modern Love Affairs

5. New York Times

6. Up in the Eighties

7. Machines

8. Ambition: Ambition/ Me and My Tarot/ Rev-On/ The End

The Day the Earth Caught Fire,City Boy,Import [Generic],Britain,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

The Day the Earth Caught Fire [Import]

Average customer rating:

A victim of punk and nwobhm
"An Interrupted Melody"
Maybe the most relevent concept album ever recorded
GOOD ALBUM!!!!!!!!
Been there...

The Day the Earth Caught Fire
City Boy
Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000006XLR
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

Day the Earth Caught Fire
It's Only the End of the World
Interrupted Melody
Modern Love Affairs
New York Times
Up in the Eighties
Machines
Ambition: Ambition/ Me and My Tarot/ Rev-On/ The End

Customer Reviews:

A victim of punk and nwobhm.......2007-01-14

The truly amazing thing about City Boy is their vocals. Apart from the even more amazing Sweet and Queen, City Boy is just about the best when it comes to vocal harmonies and multi-layered singing. This record and "Book Early" prove this point wihtout a doubt and with three really strong voices in the band (Broughton, Mason and Ward)their options on the vocal side were numerous - and they knew how to make use of them ... big time.
Also the songwriting is notably strong. Again you will have to start with the same to releases. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" and "Book Early" are quite simply among the best pop/rock albums of the late seventies. And some of the songs could be regarded as classics. But this was the time of punk and new wave and everybody was looking somewhere else at the time. Simplicity and agression reigned and was preferred to classic qualities such as the above mentioned. And later - when City Boy released "Head are Rolling" - the New Wave of British Heavy Metal had hit the world and what we wanted was twin-guitars and quite different vocal aproaches.
Just the same City Boy was an excellent band and far more interesting than bands of the same genre such as Supertramp, Camel or even contemporary Genesis. All bands that did far better and whos legacy stand much stronger today. I truly find this unfair. City Boy were excellent and should be praised for their fantastic vocal-work and strong songs. They build this on top of a more than decent musicianship. I find this record to be marginally better and more consistent than "Book Early", but really you need to get them both. Their only real hit, "5-7-0-5" is on "Book Early" as is their strongest song ever, "Cigarettes". Also on the same release you find the beautiful "Dangerous Ground" and the equally melodic "The World Loves a Dancer". But "Book Early" also has a few misguided moments where you might be able to hear that City Boy was originally a mid-english folk-band - you might want to skip "Goodbye Laurelie", "Raise your Glass" and "What a Night" - i certainly do.
This would naturally lead to this record. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" was the last record with all of the three voices in the band. Broughton left after this record. And it is their best record - chiefly because it is so consistent yet versatile and because the songwriting and musicianship is slightly matured compared to "Book Early". Stand out tracks are the titletrack, "Machines" and the suite-like "Ambition" which are essentially four rather different tracks melted together in a way that works ok, but really you should listen to the four parts as four songs - as a concept it doesn't really work - not for me anyway. If you prefere the more edgy songs of City Boy you might think that the three tracks closing side one on the original LP are one too many to stay awake but at the end of the day they are all strong and melodic tracks.
City Boy never got anywhere, really. Which is quite a shame since they were one of the most interesting bands outside punk during the late seventies. Their vocal work are spectacular and a number of their songs truly stand out - even at this day and age. If you want to buy your way into City Boy, you should start here and go on to "Book Early". Then if you want more, try out "Heads are Rolling" - essentially a Lol Mason record, but with some really strong songs and a harder approach. Maybe then buy "Young men Gone West" or "Dinner at the Ritz" from the mid-seventies. Also good releases - but nowhere near the level of the two stand-out records.
City Boy is a an interesting band who deserved to do better than they did. And if you like complex composing in a compact song-format and in a distinctively seventies ambience ... well, don't hesitate. Spend!

"An Interrupted Melody".......2005-09-26

I bought this brand new in '79 at age 15. Though I enjoyed the catchy rhythms of "Book Early", which I also had bought brand new (this was the first 8-track tape I had seen recorded with Dolby B), this album floored me. Was it pop, progressive, concept rock, or what?! The title track screams through several different styles in itself as the listener is taken on an audio roller-coaster up and down the spectrum, cools down for "The End of the World", and in my opinon "Interrupted Melody" is the opera to end all ballads, and let's not forget "Machines", which realistically depicted the future obsession of the first generation of video game fanatics.

I lost over 1300 titles in a break-in in 1987. 160 were locked away where the burglars were unable to reach-this one, and "Heads Are Rolling" were among them. I have been searching for a CD copy of this since 2001, which has sadly eluded my grasp. Out of the thousands I have owned since the early 70's, I would easily place this in my Top 10.

This album was timely, yet years ahead of it's time; and was a huge risk to take after the commercial success of "5.7.0.5": it was worth commercial death to know such a work of art...

Maybe the most relevent concept album ever recorded.......2005-04-20

If you have read the previous reviews, you must be interested in this album.
T.D.T.E.C.F. is a brilliant work that is as important today as when it was released, truly a "musician's band" CITY BOY's entire 6 album discography must be heard to be believed.

Many fans don't realize the last album was entitled "It's Personal" (1981)it came after the fantastic "Heads are Rolling" album. I am thrilled to see the glowing 5 star reviews of this and other City Boy recordings! ALL their recordings are truly timeless, and never sound dated to my ears,if you hear this album, you'll want to hear (and own)the entire catalog of this amazing group, I'd love to see a City Boy Box Set released on CD someday! LISTEN TO CITY BOY!

GOOD ALBUM!!!!!!!!.......2004-02-11

I first heard this album in the late 80's and since then I have been looking for a non popping scratching copy on cd...finally!!!
To all die hard rock and roll fans out there who appreciate the likes of Yes, Kansas, Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer type of intricate, progressive, hard rocking music, I highly recommend this. Another unknown artist is Spirit of Christmas, they have a similar type of 'theme' album that is called "Lies to live by", and yet another highly recommended album is Intergalactic Touring Band. A medley of artists and tunes with a theme.

Been there..........2002-01-12

In the late 70's I had the great fortune to be a member of a band that was the opening act for City Boy at the Paradise rock club in Boston Ma. (in fact we were hired to do it again a year later during another C.B. tour..), I mention this because City Boy was a band who delivered the same quality perfprmance in a live show as you will hear on this recording. The vocals are superb, The talent level of all the musicians is top-notch, and the overall production is easily equal to the best offerings from people like Roy Baker or Todd Rundgren. If you like a recording offering the full spectrum of dynamics from a quiet acoustic guitar to the Phil Spector "wall of sound" and memorable songwriting all in one this is a "must have" for you.
P.S.All of their earlier works are just as great...!

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