Chart entered : 27 August 1977
Chart peak : 11
Number of hits : 14
Despite the lead singer being rather obviously a decent bloke this lot seem to be the least -loved of 1977's newcomers. Both their number ones got a rough ride on Popular, Tony Wilson liked to slag them off and Bob Stanley describes them as "resolutely unlovable".
They were formed in the Dun Laoghaire suburb of Dublin ( where the boats from Holyhead come in ) in 1975. The original impetus came from talented pianist Johnnie Moylett ( later "Fingers" ) and guitarist Gary Roberts . They recruited John's diminutive cousin Pat Cusack ( soon to be re-christened Pete Briquette, a joke I didn't get until years later ) , guitarist Gerry Cott , drummer Simon Crowe and the flamboyant , opinionated and slightly older, Bob Geldof to be frontman. Geldof's grandparents were Belgian and Anglo-Jewish and he'd recently returned from Vancouver where he'd briefly worked as a music journalist ( something that , with Steve Harley's example before him, he'd have been better off keeping quiet about ) and childrens' TV presenter.
They started playing their energetic brand of R & B in the Dublin pubs but Bob quickly discerned that now might be a good time to move to England. His instinct was right and they were soon signed up to the newly-formed Ensign label in 1976.
"Looking After No 1" was their first release, regarded on all sides with great suspicion. Its proto-Thatcherite championship of individualism , whether sincere or just provocative , hit a raw nerve with Sir Keith Joseph touring the country preaching the gospel according to Hayek and the Left increasingly aware that the initiative had been taken out of their hands. Add to that the jealousy previously aimed at Harley for crossing the line from print to disc and it's not surprising the Rats weren't welcomed with open arms. Were they punk or pub ?
You could jump either way ; they had energy - Simon's introductory drum roll sets a furious pace - and snotty attitude to spare and in Johnnie, a Sid Vicious lookalike but they could clearly play a bit. The middle eight section seems to tease on this point with Gary playing a few power chords before Gerry takes over with a brief Steve Gibbons-ish solo. Bob's snarly vocal has a lot of Mick Jagger but a punk-ish disregard for intelligibility and scansion.
The lyric of course is beyond-ironic in the light of subsequent events - " Don't give me love thy neighbour , don't give me charity" can only be heard now with a wry grin. The Paul Simon paraphrase and direct lift from Help in the final verse perhaps do betray the ex-journos self-conscious awareness of pop history a little.
It's not my favourite record of theirs; you're exhausted by the end of it but as an effective opening statement for a band who thrived on confrontation it's right on the money.
And obviously, their name itself set them apart from the short, sharp handles you had with the Clash/Jam/Damned etc.
ReplyDeleteThis song doesn't do a lot for me, it's harmless enough, but I admit to liking their subsequent first #1 single. I'll always be a sucker for some earnest copying of the work of a certain New Jersey singer/songwriter who'll come along down the line.
Brucie's not the only influence on "Rat Trap". Check out the first single released on Ensign , Flash and the Pan's "Hey St Peter ".
ReplyDeleteI only knew them for their later hit "Waiting for a Train" and I can see the link with "Rat Trap", but Geldof must have been a very keen magpie to pick such an obscure song (wiki sez it was an Aussie only release until 1978) - perhaps those music journo instincts kicking in!
ReplyDeleteWhoever wrote that wiki doesn't know their arse from their elbow ! It was Ensign's first release in the UK ( ENY 1 ) in April 1977.
ReplyDelete