Great Songs Of Indifference : The Best Of Bob Geldof & The Boomtown Rats  (Audio CD) 
by Bob Geldof & Boomtown Rats

Either way, if you have no other Boomtown Rats discs, this is a good primer. It has the controversial ballad "I Don't Like Mondays," the Springsteenish "Rat Trap," the Irish Reggae of "Banana Republic" and two hall of fame rockers with "Mary Of The Fourth Form" and "She's So Modern." Maybe we'll get all the original discs reissued someday (included a properly mastered "Mondo Bongo"!) with some of the great B-sides. Till then, this will do.

2 of 13 found the following review helpful:

BOB GELDOF ( A MAN OF INDIFFERENCE )  Oct 19, 2002
AFTER A SPAN OF TWENTY ONE YEARS. I LIVED THE MEMORIES AGAIN.
BOB WAS FABULOUS AT THE PARK WEST SHOW HERE IN CHICAGO.09/24/02 AND I HAD AN ENJOYABLE MEETING TOGETHER WITH BOB AFTERWARDS.THIS CD COLLECTION (SONGS OF INDIFFERNCE)IS A MAGNIFICENT CD FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH MR.GELDOF. OR IS A GREAT ENJOYMENT FOR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE BOBS MANY TALENTS. HE HAS BEEN AN ENORMOUS INSPIRATION GLOBALLY. NOT JUST AS A MUSICIAN,BUT AS A COMPASSIONATE HUMAN BEING WHO CARES FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHER HUMAN LIFE. BOB GELDOF (SONGS OF INDIFFERENCE)
A 16 TRACK CD COLLECTION OF GREAT MUSIC BY THE MASTER HIMSELF.*****

4 of 7 found the following review helpful:

Geldof and Boomtown recollections...  Jun 16, 2002
First exposed to Bob Geldof in Pink Floyd the Wall, I hunted a record store for something he'd attributed his many facets of talent. Immediately the record store clerk (yes, in the 80's it WAS a record store!) showed me the collections of Boomtown Rats. I wandered off with the Fine Art of Surfacing.

Days later, I returned for more of the cassettes. I made it a point to have their entire collection. At the time, it was exactly what I needed, something very different from the mainstream fodder that cluttered the airways. "I Don't Like Mondays" had minimal play at any station (I've never seen the video to this day) and no one was willing to listen to the great difference these lads from Ireland were creating.

I feel their music was highly underrated. When Bob Geldof went off on his own, a friend ended up with Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere before I laid my hands on it. I went through 3 copies of the cassette. Only last year (2001) had I acquired the CD from a gentleman in Ireland selling it on EBay!

The collection on Great Song Of Indifference are a good taste of what the Boomtown Rats were about, plus a strong helping of Bob Geldof on his own. I have strong admiration for Bob Geldof after reading his autobiography Is That It, which features his strong sense of word and flow. If you're looking for a different sound that only these people could make from the 80's, this is for you.

6 of 7 found the following review helpful:

bad song selection  Apr 30, 2002
How can any best of collection not include Joey's on the Street Again? ALSO, combining Boomtown Rats with Bob Geldof's solo material is incongruous. If you want a sample and have no other options, buy this. Otherwise, keep searching...