Cde Macdonald Stainsby draw my attention to this site: http://www.bartcop.com/diebold.htm
The Boomtown Rats were formed in Dun Laoghaire, near Dublin, Ireland, in 1975 by a former journalist Bob Geldof (vocals - born 5 Oct. 1954), Johnnie Fingers (keyboards - real name John Moylett, born 10, Sep. 1956), Gerry Cott (guitar), Garry Roberts (guitar - born 16 June 1954), Pete Briquette (bass - real name Patrick Cusack, born 2 July 1954), and Simon Crowe (drums). The name of the band was taken from Woody Guthrie's novel Bound for Glory. The group moved to London in October 1976 and signed to Ensign Records. Their debut single, Lookin' After No. 1, was released in August 1977. It was the first of nine straight singles to make the U.K. Top 15, reaching to 11. The first LP The Boomtown Rats, was released in next month. In November 1978 the band appeared on ITV's Get It Together and got their first number one hit; Rat Trap was taken from LP Tonic for the Troops. A Tonic for the Troops was released in the U.S. on Columbia Records in February 1979 with two tracks from The Boomtown Rats substituted for tracks on the U.K. version. In 1979 the band toured in USA from February to May and appeared at the California Music Festival with Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and Van Halen. The next single, I Don't Like Mondays was the big one for Boomtown Rats and their second number one hit in UK (July 28). This record was subjected to an unofficial ban by most US radio stations, who were wary of legal action from the parents of a schoolgirl (Brenda Spencer from San Diego) who shot her classmates 29th January 1979, explaining her reason as she that didn't like Mondays. The single was contained on the Rats' third album, The Fine Art of Surfacing, released in October 1979. The album also contained their next U.K. Top Ten hit, SSomeone's Looking at You. In the beginning of 1980 band sets off a lengthy world tour, covering Europe, USA, Japan and Australia. In May I Don't Like Mondays won the Best Pop Song and Outstanding British Lyric categories at the 25th annual Ivor Novello Award. The Boomtown Rats released their final U.K. Top Ten hit, Banana Republic, in November 1980, followed by their fourth album, Mondo Bongo in January 1981. At this point, guitarist Gerry Cott left the group and the band continue as quintet. The lyrics of Banana Republic went like this: BANANA REPUBLIC Banana Republic - septic isle Screaming in the suffering sea It sounds like die, die, die Everywhere I go now - everywhere I see The black and blue uniforms Police and freeze And I wonder do you wonder, When you're sleeping with your whore. Sharing beds with history Is like a lickin' running sores. Forty shades of green, yeah Sixty shades of red Heroes going cheap these days Price: A bullet in the head. Banana Republic - septic isle Suffer in the screaming sea . . . It sounds like cry, cry, cry Take your hand and lead you, Up a garden path. Let me stand aside here And watch you pass. Striking up a soldier's song, Another tune - It begs too many questions And answer too. Banana Republic - septic isle Suffer in the screaming sea It sounds like die, die, die The purple and the pinstripe Mutely shake their heads. A silence shrieking volumes A violence worse than they condemn. Stab you in the back, yeah Laughing in your face Glad to see the place again - It's a pity nothing's changed. Banana Republic - septic isle Suffer in the screaming sea It sounds like die, die, die Banana Republic - septic isle Suffer in the screaming sea It sounds like die, die, die Jurriaan
