Released in 1976, City Boy was the eponymous debut for a band that should have received more acclaim than they did. Offering music lovers soaring guitars to a melodic rock rhythm should have cemented their success but it wasn’t to be. A shame, yes, but thankfully streaming gives us all an opportunity to find an album, and a band, that otherwise would never have been on our radar.
Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange and engineered and mixed by Mick Glossop, City Boy is an astonishing recording that has been mixed with pure perfection and would help cement these two behind-the-boards masters’ careers. Lange would not only produce City Boy’s first five albums but would go on to produce some of the biggest albums in music history; most notably AC/DC’s Back In Black, Foreigner‘s 4, and Def Leppard’s Pyromania. Of course, Lange would branch out beyond rock and produce Shania Twain’s masterpiece, Come On Over. With such a legacy, and City Boy being one of his first outings in the producer’s chair, one would rightly wonder how much of his legacy can be heard on these early recordings, but one need not worry for City Boy has a level of spit and polish that, arguably, couldn’t have been realised by the band themselves. That isn’t to suggest that City Boy weren’t capable, for a debut this is one astonishing recording of a very tight band, but correlations can and should be made between Lange’s later works and City Boy for his signature high production style can be easily heard on City Boy.
Mick Glossop’s career has been equally impressive with a discography that knows few bounds. Perhaps most impressive, however, is his extensive work with Van Morrison having contributed his production, engineering, and mixing skills to 17 of Morrison’s albums. Either way, City Boy showed that when you get Lange and Glossop working together on a production, magic happens.
Of course, City Boy is more than the production team and the musicians, Lol Mason (lead vocals), Mike Slamer (lead guitar), Steve Broughton (rhythm guitar), Max Thomas (keyboards), Chris Dunn (bass), and Roger Kent (drums) deserve immense credit for City Boy is one of the greatest albums recorded in the 70s; despite sales suggesting otherwise. Their musical prowess mixed with a vocal harmony style makes for a very pleasurable listening experience and of particular note is Mason’s vocal dexterity which is beyond reproach and Mike Slamer’s guitar work that is otherworldly. Slamer is, without doubt, one of the greatest guitarists you’ve, likely, never heard of.
(Moonlight) Shake My Head and Leave sets the rhythm immediately, and you’ll be toe-tapping from the very first note, but I’d argue that it’s the weakest song on the album. It’s a little campy in its structure but stick with it for the song opens up with some divine guitar soloing.
Deadly Delicious reminds me instantly of Skyhooks and I can’t help but wonder if the Australian natives had an influence on City Boy with Living In The 70’s predating City Boy by two years. I don’t know about you, but I can even hear a Shirley Strachan styled vocal delivery. That correlation aside, Deadly Delicious is a pure psychedelic rock masterpiece that really highlights Lol Mason’s vocal capabilities. There is, however, a percussive element mid-song that has a Caribbean wind-chime like sound that I find to be distracting, particularly as it’s a jarring aspect when contrasted with the other musical elements. It doesn’t ruin the song, but I would have preferred that element to be omitted.
Surgery Hours (Doctor Doctor) will have you grooving and like Deadly Delicious is indicative of the 70s sound. Surgery Hours (Doctor Doctor) would have been perfect for a single release, in my opinion, but I also hope that a modern hip hop artist comes across the song and chooses to sample its addictive hook.
Sunset Boulevard slows the tempo but as a classic rock tune, Sunset Boulevard is sensational, rivalling the very best and most popular songs of the era. Honestly, how this album, and particularly this song, was never admired by the broader music-loving public is beyond belief. It just goes to show that sales success isn’t an indication of quality. Absolutely magnificent!
Oddball Dance is so much fun. It’s quirky but is so addictive that I find myself putting Oddball Dance on repeat every time it comes on. It has everything one could want from a song: soaring guitars, killer bass and drum rhythm, magnificent percussive elements, and a lyrical presentation that is not only soothing but energetic. The interlude, however, can take you out of the song, but it doesn’t last long and when the song returns to its original path it’s a momentous moment.
5000 Years / Don't Know Can't Tell is another song that showcases just how solid City Boy already was despite this being their debut release. The skill present on this song, and many others on the album, would arguably be reserved for artists with a much greater legacy to fall back on, but in the two years prior to this recording, these master musicians honed their art to such an extent that it defies belief. If you haven’t yet done so, may I recommend you turn the volume knob to the right when 5000 Years / Don't Know Can't Tell comes on. You won’t regret it!
The Hap-Ki-Do Kid has a diverse musical style that works surprisingly well as it takes influence from multiple genres. In fact, much of City Boy’s music is so genre-busting that one would rightly hear correlations from various artists, styles, and genres of music when listening to City Boy. Ultimately, it’s a fun tune but after the almost nine-minute behemoth that was 5000 Years / Don't Know Can't Tell it almost feels as though The Hap-Ki-Do Kid ends prematurely.
The Greatest Story Ever Told is, arguably, the greatest song ever recorded. Okay, perhaps that is overreaching a little but it is a masterpiece that, without doubt, would be in my Top 100 70s Classic Rock playlist; if I had such a playlist, of course. The mix is perfect and the flow between the verses and chorus is the definition of perfection. Every musical element is perfectly presented, and the fade-out is utterly brilliant, meaning there isn’t a single aspect of the song that I’d change.
Haymaking Time is a lovely closing tune, encouraging me to listen to the album again, but I would have loved for The Greatest Story Ever Told to close the album with Haymaking Time being the second to last track. Interestingly, however, I would have been less likely to listen to the album again following The Greatest Story Ever Told as it is a far more contemplative song, from a musical perspective, than Haymaking Time so perhaps the band and the production team got the tracking right in the first place.
City Boy is a timeless masterpiece that not only harps back to the 70s era, but is equally appealing to modern music lovers of classic rock. It is with that thought that I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to appreciate music at a time when almost every recording ever made is readily available for if that wasn’t the case, I would likely have never come across City Boy and you, dear reader, wouldn’t be able to enjoy it while reading this review. Unless, of course, you’re one of their longtime fans and have always known just how good, and under-valued, City Boy really is. At least streaming allows the rest of us to play catch-up for this is one album not to be missed.