ALBUM REVIEW: boYs wonder Question Everything

ALBUM REVIEW: boYs wonder Question Everything

Fitting into acceptable landscape windows of mainstream entertainment has to be fronted with shiny smiles, the latest trending threads of the day along with sounds that sound as familiar as those banal robotic overly manufactured mundane top 40 smashes.

Back in the mid 1980’s there was an adorably extravagant quintet, boYs wonder, who looked like they had landed from another planet, other worldly, looking to take any prisoners they could entice on their quest to find followers and a million miles away from being thought up by the suits of the Big Smoke. With their mix of jaunty, elasticated, guitar rock, pop, mixing The Walker Brothers strings, T Rex glam rock and world renowned Beach Boys chord structures, the bands plans for world dominance was as sure as Paul Hollywoods handshake after tasting the best caster sugar coated Victoria sponge.

Tragically the bands sun didn’t exactly rise high on the horizon despite a prime time slot on Ben Elton’s Saturday Night TV comedy show plus having Vic Reeves, Jonathan Ross and Gary Crowleys seal of approval. That sun however has finally broken through the clouds of doubt in 2024 with the band’s debut album Question Everything via Scared Hitless Records destined for release tomorrow, this is following 2 reunion shows in London showing the 5 piece back to their explosive breathtaking best.

The album is a stunner, a bona fide classic, it’s interesting to note these concoctions were created way before Parklife, His and Hers and Dog Man Star became Britpop’s cover stars widely acclaimed for their creativity acumen, yet boYs wonder had all these hyper active creative juices flowing when Damon Albarn was at East 15 Acting School studying acting, Jarvis Cocker’s Pulp was being played on John Peel with little audience acknowledgment and Brett Anderson was dating Justine Frischmann.

The vinyl edition has what some might say is the crucial material by the band, the CD features an additional 10 tracks crucially featuring Hello Angels a rock glam explosion of sass. Some of the main giddy attractions across the set include the divinely appointed singles Goodbye Jimmy Dean, euphoric Shine On Me along with Now What Earthman? mixing Bowie, The Sweet and the Move all jam packed into one dynamite detonated mix.

Whilst speaking to the bands manager of the time PTMadden it was interesting hearing his background story of stand out track I’ve Never Been The Mayfair. ‘I wrote to Sir George Martin and he phoned me after hearing ‘I (sic) Never Been To Mayfair’ and asked me to take him to a gig at Camden Palace. That pushed the music biz gossip through the roof and shortly after record companies began to ring me. They signed to Sire within six months. That was probably down to their songs and my feisty approach to record company indecision.’ The quality of I’ve Never Been To Mayfair is quite astounding and has to be heard to be believed, bring on Night At The Proms.

Further evidence to the genius of the Addison twins comes through on Hot Rod, Elvis 75 and Platform Boots with additional tracks on the compact disc Ten Million Ton Headache and closing track Viva Boys Wonder lands your brain down back on earths human walking surface. Under the radar has never been a more appropriate title for this collection of apocalyptic bangers since Tony Robinson was seen roaming lands for historic valuable treasures. I’ll save you time and money as you think what should go in your record collection, buy Question Everything. Now!

 

Question Everything can be purchased via the following link 

PTMadden can be found here 

Matt Mead

Matt Mead

Freelance writer who likes anything with heart and soul
Matt Mead

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