Bob Geldof

classic rockfolkfolk rockpop rockrock

Ex-member of The Boomtown Rats - an Irish rock band whose biggest claim to fame was the hit "I Don't Like Mondays". He managed Live Aid and Live 8 action in 1985 and in 2005. He has been awarded an honorary knighthood, and cannot consequently use the title "Sir". Since The Boomtown Rats ended after their final album "In The Long Grass", Bob launched a solo career. His first album, "Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere" (released in 1986) was probably his most commercial, and it yielded a minor hit with the song "This Is The World Calling". The next album "The Vegetarians of Love" was probably his most successful though, blending elements of traditional Irish music with great rock and pop. Songs like "Love or Something" and "The Great Song of Indifference" are all fun, upbeat songs. Bob's third album was "The Happy Club", which continued the feeling of The Vegetarians of Love. Once again there are some great songs here - "Attitude Chicken" has some brilliantly clever lyrics, while "The Soft Soil" is beautiful and "A Sex Thing" has an awesome groove. After this album, a best of called "Loudmouth" was released, which included some highlights from the careers of both Bob solo and The Boomtown Rats. It also included a new song - "Crazy", which was a duet with Sting. Bob then took a long sabbatical from music before releasing "Sex, Age & Death" in 2001. This is a deeply personal album which combined once again a wide variety of musical styles. This album has been called "Bob Geldof's masterpiece". The latest release is "Great Songs of Indifference - The Anthology 1986-2001" - a four disc box set which includes all of Bob's albums with a large number of bonus tracks. Aside from his musical work, Geldof has also appeared in the Pink Floyd music video/film "The Wall," as the protagonist, Pink. He has also released an autbiography called "is this it?". His latest album, released in February 2011, is called "How to Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell". Geldof considers it a sort of companion to "Sex, Age, and Death", showing his happier side. He had some success with it in the UK, and a special 3-disk limited edition of it was also released. In 2013 it was announced that he has rejoined The Boomtown Rats and they played a number of festival and other gigs. There have been mentions of a new album, and Bob continues to run his solo band.