Now published by Faber Music and available to buy, Tales of Boomtown Glory is the musical life and times of one of our most powerful singer songwriters, Bob Geldof. An anthology of the complete lyrics from his Boomtown Rats and solo albums, interwoven with Geldof’s own witty, deeply felt and frank commentaries of the background, inspiration and context behind some of his songs. Together they provide a remarkable portrait of an extraordinary life which has always sought and found expression through lyrical storytelling.
Tales of Boomtown Glory contains lyrics to 189 songs including previously unreleased material as well as the new album ‘Citizens of Boomtown’ from The Boomtown Rats, and facsimiles from his notebooks over the years.
These are the words that got me out. That enabled my escape. The words that gave me this life. Seeing all the last 44 years in one piece just exhausts me. The grief and labour and panic and worry and...just in these bits of lines? I’m glad it's all in one book. Now I know what I’ve been up to for all this time.Bob Geldof
"Every Rats fan or student of song-writing will relish this handsome & often very revealing book. The book is to be celebrated as overdue, the most complete picture of this remarkable songwriter’s restless intelligence and achievement that we are likely to have. Were the Boomtown Rats the most important Irish band ever? Of course not. They were far more important than that. This compelling and attractively produced collection is testament to the main reason why." Joseph O'Connor, The Irish Times
The release of Tales of Boomtown Glory coincided with The Boomtown Rats' first new studio album since 1984, 'Citizens Of Boomtown’, plus a UK tour and new documentary film about the life and times of the band.
Tales of Boomtown Glory by Bob Geldof is out now.