Review: The Boys

The Boys

The Boys

1977

"Have you heard of The Boys?" she asked.
"Nope." I said.
"Well," she replied, "They are an old punk band and they [have] a song [called] 'Soda Pressing'."

At this point, I looked for and listened to the song. I was instantly fascinated by the song because it had been a while since I had heard exuberant ferocity. I was taken aback by what I saw as a neat pun. Neat, once you put the lyrics in context, by which I mean "listening to the song."

The song gave me a glimpse of this band and I knew I needed to hear more, so I looked up what album "Soda Pressing" was on and this is where my review starts.

The Boys' self-titled debut was released in 1977. You know, the year that is arguably "the" year for punk. Or at the very least, the year in which punk burst onto the global stage. As a result, the world was exposed to lot of bands (who were either starting or had already been around and just got a lot of attention as a result of the explosion) like The Sex Pistols (formed 1975, first album released in 1977), The Clash (formed 1976, first album released in 1977), X (formed 1977, first album released in 1980), The Germs (formed in 1977), and a long list of other bands that I won't write out because it'll seem like I'm just dropping names rather than actually proving a point about how 1977 was a great year for punk and how even though 1977 gave us a lot of bands, some would argue that the large number of bands (many of which are now iconic or legendary in some circles) also meant that other bands would go unnoticed unless you were a connoisseur of some sort. Some bands include The Vibrators, The Saints (though they were around since 1974 like The Ramones) and, of course, The Boys.

Ahem.

The Boys' self-titled debut is a ferociously merry 14 track assault on the senses that you'll enjoy. The reason I say merry is because the lyrics aren't as snarling (or arguably cynical) as other bands at the time were, nor are they riddled with a chaotic sense of gloom and doom that one would come to think of punk. Though I'd like to make it clear that this does not mean I would write off The Boys as pop-punk or proto-pop-punk or anything of the sort because of the ferocity which I will get into after you stop reading this sentence. I say ferocious (or ferocity, if you want to split hairs) because the sound is where it's at, for me.

Chainsaw buzzing distorted guitars, fast and steady pace, energy, and traces of humor. The album starts strong and never slows down.

I admit that the flow of the album can get a little awkward at times but never to the point of derailing the album. I also admit that I lied when I said the album never slows down. It does but not the degree one would think when that phrase comes to mind. It doesn't awkwardly halt to put down the chainsaw buzzing guitars and pick up a mandolin, is what I'm saying. It merely shifts gears to a comparatively less-fast speed for a moment and then goes back to being that raucous grinning machine ("First Time" following "Soda Pressing" and "No Money" or "Keep Running" following "Cop Cars"). Not an extreme shift but a noticeable and enjoyable one.

What I also enjoy about the album is the instruments primarily how the piano is used throughout as a foil to the guitar and drums. There you have the guitars and drums being furious, and then there's the piano just standing there smiling and bobbing its head while the guitar and drums continue to rage on and on.

The only problem I can think of, if any, is that the album isn't long enough. But this issue is remedied with enough searching and perseverance because you'll eventually come across the 1999 re-release that includes as bonus tracks some of their even more lighthearted work as The Yobs and their Christmas themed music, including a damn fine rendition of "Run Rudolph Run".

Overall, a very enjoyable album that you can listen to over and over.

"Teeeeeeeeeee hee" she later said.

9/10