They say that good things come to those who wait. For those who have waited over thirty years, this will be extremely good. This is the vinyl and CD release of ‘Boomy Tella‘, the long-awaited re-release album from The Claim. I actually remember listening to this album in the summer of 1988 after hearing about it on the then chic and dapper show ‘120 Minutes’ on MTV.
The album really catches with that crisp and twangy yet hitting Tele style guitars and brit style harmonies with 14 tracks (10 album and 4 bonus) of retro-hookie goodness. After the first listen of ‘Boomy Tella’ all of you young folk will hear the seed that spawned the music you listen to.
The Claim will be celebrating their album launch on March 23 at the 100 Club, with very special guests The Jasmine Minks, Treasures of Mexico (ex Dentists) and DJ Vic Templar. This show is also a curtain raiser for The Claim’s first album in 20 years. Entitled ‘New Industrial Ballads’, it will be released by A Turntable Friend Records on May 24. Concert-goers can expect to hear tracks from their forthcoming new album, which has been available for pre-order since March 11.
About The Claim & ‘Boomy Tella’
British indie rock stalwarts The Claim have announced that their seminal album ‘Boomy Tella’ will be released via A Turntable Friend Records on vinyl and also CD for the first time. The album has been remastered for this limited edition of 300 copies, using the original 1/4 inch tapes.
The green vinyl gatefold offers the original 10 tracks (with download code), while the 14-track CD comes as a 6-page gatefold package. The additional four tracks were unreleased demo tracks from 1988-1990 – ‘Business Boy’, ‘God Cliffe And Me’, ‘Fallen Hero’ and ‘Untitled’.
The gatefold package for both vinyl and CD includes lyrics and rare photos from their archives, as well as liner notes from the band’s guitarist David Arnold, who also played on early releases by The Jasmine Minks, the first band signed to Alan McGee’s Creation Records. The vinyl comes with a download of the 10 album tracks plus 4 bonus tracks.
Hailing from Cliffe in Kent, The Claim was one of the major players in the thriving ‘Medway Scene’, which emerged from the Medway Towns in the 1980s alongside such bands as The Prisoners, Thee Milkshakes, The Dentists, Wipe Out and more. Theirs was a mod-influenced pop that seriously influenced the sound of Blur’s earliest works.
The Claim’s debut album ‘Armstrong’s Revenge and Eleven Other Short Stories’ was released in 1985, following this up the next year with ‘This Pencil Was Obviously Sharpened By a Left-Handed Indian Knife Thrower’. Their work received glowing reviews, including 8 out of 10 by Bob Stanley at the NME, as well as being played numerous times by John Peel.
After signing to Kevin Pearce’s Esurient Communications in 1988, they released ‘Boomy Tella’, followed by singles ‘Wait and See’, ‘Sunday’ and arguably their finest moment ‘Picking Up The Bitter Little Pieces’. They then released a one-off single on the Caff label, run by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley. By 1993, the band had split.
In 2009, Cherry Red Records paid tribute to The Claim’s earlier recordings via their ‘Black Path’ compilation. This long-overdue compilation of the band’s finest work introduced a new generation to their timeless music.
‘Boomy Tella’ can be ordered now on CD and vinyl via A Turntable Friend Records and digitally via Bandcamp.
“These supernova tracks from Britain’s sons offer goodness floating somewhere between The Smiths, Blur and The Chameleons, but with the sheer positivity of The Railway Children”
– The Record Stache“Pure Englishness with lasting integrity. The Claim sounds as great today as they did at the height of their popularity… The Claim could have been Wembley Stadium-filling prog rockers. Fortunately, they never listened to anyone, ever”
– Buzzin Music“It’s no secret that members of Blur were fans of The Claim, enough to borrow from their sound for their early material. This is not surprising at all, especially considering how catchy, fun and upbeat this music is”
– The Noise Journal“The Claim wrote exquisite songs of love, loss and social commentary… Some of the most exquisite and exhilarating pop this side of The Turtles”
– Pop Junkie London
LINKS:
http://aturntablefriendrecords.limitedrun.com/products/635028-the-claim-boomy-tella
https://theclaim.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/theclaimpopgroup
https://twitter.com/_theclaim
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MO7tdm8BFkDO7hj3r1fFS
https://itunes.apple.com/mn/artist/the-claim/150955294
