CITY BOY
"City Boy" 1976 Mercury

When I was contemplating as to which album to start with, it was a debate.

A debate as to “should I pick the best one?”, and if I did which was the best one?

Music is such a subjective thing, that is if you really know what music is. Some people base their judgement on tangible things like popularity, gross sales, structure, technical issues, etc....but that’s not what music is.

In my many years of collecting vinyl, I’ve found that some of my favorite albums aren’t ones that had the airplay nor the gross sales...and far be it for me with the limited musical training to make an analysis on the structure and technical issues of a particular song. Hell, the national anthem of the United States is technically incorrect (as to what some music technicians have said), but through all the years it still is the national anthem.

So, I picked this one because it is one of my favorites (such so that I consider it a definite top 100 of Boongus Vinyl and a strong candidate for a top 10 position).

City Boy was a group back in the 70’s, unfortunately that decade will go down in history as the Disco Era...though it (to me) was a decade where music really evolved and experimentation was the norm and commercialism wasn’t.

Of the nine tracks on this album, it is difficult to say which “one” is “it”. The whole album really functions as a whole. Though it wasn’t intended to be a “concept” album, every song flows with each other.

Starting on side 1 with (Moonlight) Shake My Head & Leave, I knew I was in for a treat. The mental swaying of the words and notes. Just when you think you’re in for a mellow ride you’re hit with the second track Deadly Delicious , kind of a rocking tune. The whole side is very listenable with another rocking tune Surgery Hours (Doctor Doctor) , Sunset Boulevard, and then ending with the song I originally purchased this album for Oddball Dance-a humorous art rocker of a tune.

These five songs are enough for any other album to use and then fill-in the blanks with musical stuffing, but then you flip it over to side two and continue the ride with 5000 Years/Don’t Know Can’t Tell, The Hap-ki-do Kid, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and finally Haymaking Time.

It is a very enjoyable journey and one that even I am tempted to break the “presto-flipo-change-o” rule...a rule that when you have as much vinyl as I do you have to follow or else you never get a chance to listen to all of them.

Unfortunately for City Boy, this was their debut LP, which meant it didn’t get much airtime. They eventually got some “billboard” recognition with their LP “Book Early” with the tune 5.7.0.5. , which to be honest was the last of their vinyls I was able to collect and to me doesn’t even come close to their first LP. They had a few inbetween and a few after, but eventually faded away.

Maybe somewhere in the near future I’ll return to this LP when I am able to add audio...but until then, go ahead and browse the web as there are others who have interest in City Boy. I’m hoping that someday I’ll be able to have like a web radio station. You wouldn’t believe all the music that’s out there that you’ve never heard...I’ve found it almost as mind-boggling as thinking about all the interesting people I haven’t met or haven’t met me...wow...? I think so.