White Trash Soul: The Boys - "The Very Best Of The Boys, The Punk Collectors Series" (Anagram, 1999)

Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Boys - "The Very Best Of The Boys, The Punk Collectors Series" (Anagram, 1999)

Hi there! You know, I’m not a person who likes compilations with stupid titles like ‘the very best of’ / ‘greatest hits’ etc. And actually, from the (very) first days of this blog I’ve never propose to you a comp in that vein. You have to got the albums, always, and in the case of the Boys, you have to buy them ALL! Saying this, I’m sure I haven’t catch in my life more than 20 perhaps ‘best of’ for both, records and CDs. And a good 90% was purchased as a starter or as replacement to the bands normal releases (I’ve told you before,

Greece

’s not a cool place for this kind of music). And it’s a damn hard thing to find a ‘best of’ to represent any band’s or artist’s resume in the best possible way. Well, this one belongs to the scarce of the matter!

The Boys are my ‘weakness’ (I’m not sure this expression translates in English exactly what I want to say, which is actually that the Boys won the higher places of my favorite punk rock/power pop groups easily). Definitely had the sound I want to hear to cheer my mood! The frenetic poppy punk blasts of their first steps and the more ‘mature’ punky pop of their later (in the way looks ‘old’ some 18yo lad to the eyes of a 15!) was hand-fitted to me. The fact that never ‘did it’ commercially is a home truth and of course a high injustice to their side but for me, no less than a happy situation… I know it sounds bad and don’t get me wrong but when I was in my teens, my selfish existence demanded to go find ‘things’ that none of my friends would have known or like first! And still 18 years later, the Boys are for me the best punk/power pop/rock n’ roll band of their time in the eastern side of the Atlantic (to the other of course were some four leather jacket and sneakers wearing lads, under a Paul McCartney surname).

The Boys greatness has many chapters and had offer to rock & roll much more than a casual fan may believe. Exceptional hooky fun dynamites and at least three equal if not legendary bands that predated or continued Boys legacy, all unfortunately with the same underestimated destiny. The Hollywood Brats, The Yobs and The Crybabys through the years trail won the more suspicious of the fans but somehow remain with something more of a cult following… Hopefully for all three aforementioned groups will talk in a future piece.

And what we get here? The singles (ALL classics, no 'You better Move On' tho'); in chronological order and a rollercoaster drive from the early unripe punk rock with pop refrains transiting song to song in a full pop crew with punky and edgy dynamics! From the quite Ramone-ish sugar harsh attacks (‘Sick of You’, ‘I Don’t Care’), through Phil Spectorian song morphology some years before da brudders in fact (‘Brickfield Nights’), to an almost Chris Bell lost gem (‘Independent Girl’ – Am I the only one finding similarities with ‘I am the Cosmos’?), the Boys arsenal of well crafted power pop songs is attacking your stereo’s speakers unashamedly and with unconditionally swaggering charm!