CITY BOY: The Day The Earth Caught Fire LP Vertigo1979 Classic! critically acclaimed Symphonic Rock (a la Queen, Sparks, 10cc). Check audio + audio and video presentations.

Description

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City Boy – The Day The Earth Caught Fire
Label: Vertigo
Catalog#: 9102 036
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: UK
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock, Symphonic Rock

Birmingham, England-based quintet, City Boy, produced melodic, hook-laden, progressive rock tunes. Despite placing two songs, “5–7–0–5,” and “The Day the Earth Caught Fire,” the title track of their 1979 album, in the British Top Ten, the band disbanded in 1981. According to The Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock, City Boy is remembered for their “strong identification with progressive rock and funk-oriented tracks”

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A 3:23 audio presentation    or  A 3:23 audio presentation

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Tracklist:
A1 The Day The Earth Caught Fire 5:20
Written-By – Lol Mason , Max Thomas , Mike Slamer
A2 Its Only The End Of The World 4:04
Harmonica – Huey Lewis
Written-By – Lol Mason , Robert John Lange , Roy Ward , Steve Broughton
A3 Interrupted Melody 5:27
Written-By – Lol Mason , Max Thomas , Mike Slamer
A4 Modern Love Affair 3:33
Written-By – Lol Mason , Max Thomas , Mike Slamer
A5 New York Times 5:09
Written-By – Lol Mason , Steve Broughton
B1 Up In The Eighties 4:14
Written-By – Lol Mason , Max Thomas
B2 Machines 5:02
Written-By – Lol Mason , Mike Slamer , Roy Ward
Ambition: (11:52)
B3-1 Ambition:
Written-By – Lol Mason , Mike Slamer , Steve Broughton
B3-2 Me And My Tarot
Written-By – Lol Mason , Max Thomas , Steve Broughton
B3-3 Rev-On (The Crunch)
Written-By – Lol Mason , Max Thomas , Robert John Lange , Roy Ward , Steve Broughton
B3-4 The End (Came Easy)
Written-By – Lol Mason , Steve Broughton

Bass, Guitar – Chris Dunn
Drums, Percussion – Roy Ward
Engineer – Tim Friese-Greene
Guitar – Steve Broughton
Keyboards – Max Thomas
Producer – Robert John Lange
Notes:
Track B3, Ambition is split up in 4 different and individual songs, but is mixed together.

Came with printed inner sleeve

After their relatively commercial sounding ‘Book Early’ album and subsequent ‘5.7.0.5’ hit, City Boy surprisingly ‘reverted to type’ and returned to their progressive rock roots on this album. This said, the edited version of the title track was certainly strong enough as a single and why it stalled at no 67 on the British charts is anyone’s guess. The album version of the title track begins this album and it is a MONSTER tune. Progressive and powerful, it has great orchestral undertones, a catchy chorus and great vocal interplay. ‘Its Only The End Of The World’ is also a great track and throbs along menacingly. ‘Interrupted Melody’ and ‘New York Times’ are both softer more ‘arty’ and lyrically clever songs, while ‘Modern Love Affair’ could have been another single and has a bright pop edge to it. Things get seriously progressive from here (on what was side to of the original vinyl record) and ‘Up In The Eighties’, ‘Machines’ and the 4 song medley ‘Ambition’ may take a few listens to get into. Ultimately though, with persistence, you will find your listening time has been well spent and this is a great album that’s well worth adding to your collection.

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5.0 out of 5 stars City Boys Finest,
The Day The Earth Caught fire is in my opinion City Boys best album. If you liked Book Early (with the semi-hit 5705), you’ll love this release. The production values are great with Mutt Lange piecing together a great series of songs that leave the listener wanting more. I would consider this a concept album that the late 70s and early 80s seemed to churn out frequently.
In the era of Queen, Rush, Boston and Supertramp, City Boy is truly a guilty pleasure not many music fans know about.Do yourself a favor and find a way to listen to this release, and you’ll see that this is a must for your collection.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Been there…,
In the late 70s 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 performance 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.

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5.0 out of 5 stars the best unheard album of all time,
This album contains some of the best 80s style rock ever not heard!! Conceptual album about the plight of a man who wishes to become famous, and the impending end of the world that derails him. 5 excellent songs, the rest very good. The day the earth caught fire opens it with the best track for rockers, slows down a bit and ends with The new York times, one of the best ballads you will ever hear! (promise). Side 2 is awesome, up in the 80s and the ambition set are great and it’s a sad shame that this album was never promoted by Atlantic records, unfortunately disco and punk were ruling the airwaves and did not allow this album to prosper.. It was ahead of its time!!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars A MUSICIANs DELIGHT,
FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END, THIS ALBUM SATISFIES YOU AND OPENS YOUR EARS TO A POLISHED STYLE OF MUSIC. CITY BOY RIVALS QUEEN IN VOCAL HARMONIES AND INVOLVES ORCHESTRATED MUSIC TO BACK IT UP. YOU WON’T HEAR SONGS THAT SOUND THE SAME HERE. MY PERSONAL FAVORITE IS THE TITLE CUT, WHICH EXEMPLIFIES THE BAND’s WIDE RANGE OF ROCK AND ROLL. “INTERRUPTED MELODY” FEATURES SOME OF THE BETTER GUITAR LICKS ON SIDE 1. THE NEXT SONG “MODERN LOVE AFFAIR” IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A GREAT COMPOSITION WHILE “NEW YORK TIMES” DISPLAYS VIOLINS AT THEIR BEST IN ADDING THAT EXTRA PUNCH TO THE SONG. “UP IN THE EIGHTIES” AND “MACHINES” KICK OFF A STRONG ROCK PRESENCE LEADING UP TO THE END CUTS WHICH, AS A WHOLE IS KIND OF A MEDLEY. WHICH BRINGS US TO A CLOSE WHERE “THE END” CAME EASY….YEAH FOR THEM MAYBE, BUT I WANTED TO HEAR MORE!!!

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5.0 out of 5 stars
In the late 1970s City Boy came to my attention. I was at the time making a living as a musician and with that in mind I can with all honesty tell people that this band was absolutely the best rock band I have ever heard and it is still true to this day. It was plain to see for me that the musicians in City Boy are very very high class and schooled. I am very hard to impress. These musicians in City Boy impressed me from the opening song. To this day some twenty years later I am still impressed when I listen to them.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the most relevant concept album ever recorded,
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 “musicians band”
Many fans don’t realize the last album was entitled “Its Personal” (1981)it came after the fantastic “Heads are Rolling” album. I am thrilled to see the glowing 5 star reviews of this. LISTEN TO CITY BOY!

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5.0 out of 5 stars An album ahead of its time,
City Boy were a band that had something going, and maxed it out with this. I was a college DJ when they were at their ‘peak’ with this stuff, and to tell you the truth, they just knocked the socks off of the other even more popular bands of the time.

All of us music lovers cherished this album (along with ‘Book Early’), and played it out. Oh, the wish-fullness of College Radio on the rest of the world…and the bottom line is that City Boy was heavily ‘rotated’ when it came out. To put this all into todays context, this is a CLASSIC that anyone who appreciated the ‘classic 80s sound’, whilst throwing in a sound that leaned more on the concept-side with almost operatic and Genesis-style syncopations here and there, yet sticking to the standard’ rock format…
Give them a try if you are into the sounds like the ones I just described…you will NOT be disappointed (like so many CDs of other artists of the same genre that are collecting dust…)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Day the Earth Caught Fire – top 10 of all time!,
If I were City Boy, I would get together again -us boomers need you guys around to put out some awesome music again! I saw City Boy when they put this album out (1980?). The tour was in a small city in Canada. These guys were put as an opener with the wrong target market and in an old hockey arena–they were incredible yet underappreciated by the “Loverboy” (I believe these guys were the headline arrgghhh!) fans. They did most of the Day the Earth Caught Fire and blew the opener off the stage in my books (and others I talked to–“Man, who are these guys!”) Anyway, this CD is one of the best of all time. Its melodic and it rocks. The fact Robert “Mutt” Lange produced it says something too — he saw the potential I’m sure plus the sound is great. I would have fired my record company at the time –they did a huge disservice to music listeners by not pushing this one! If you like stuff like Rush-2112, Supertramp (Fools Overture), this ranks in that category of theme style music. A must for anyone that appreciates excellent rock melodies, lyrics, and musicianship! How about a Day the Earth Caught Fire II and a reunion tour?!–with a different label this time…

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5.0 out of 5 stars The day the earth stood still..,
This was the very last ever City boy album , this album was their bravest and best ever album .To the mind blowing title track to machines .I recommend this album big time,I so glad this album is now. A must for all fans . At the third stroke the time will be ..!

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5.0 out of 5 stars This recording is one of the unknown greats of the 80s.,
“The Day the Earth Caught Fire” is City Boy at their best. City Boy is one of the great bands of the 80s. Virtually unknown in the United States, they did have some fame with a cut on a following album entitled ‘5-7-0-5’. City Boy has a unique 80s style reminiscent of Queen but with a strong folk quality. A very innovative band, City Boy includes many instruments, backgrounds, harmonies and musical changes to create a diverse and richly textured recording.
‘The Day the Earth Caught Fire’ is several works around a theme (much like ‘The Wall’). This recording features sweeping musical panoramas, intricate harmonies, and deadly guitar work. Mike Slamer, City Boys guitarist, unleashes his most powerful and elegant solo ever on the cut,’Interrupted Melody’. The cut entitled, ‘Ambition’ is one of the best rock operettas of the 80s ranking with Queens Bohemian Rhapsody or Styx’ Come Sail Away.

If you dare to pick up this recording I guarantee you will listen to it again and again.