alternative chartbusters - deluxe edition

On the 35th anniversary of the original release of 'Alternative Chartbusters' The Boys two classic albums are given a special edition deluxe release on both 2CD and vinyl by Fire Records. Both albums have been digitally re-mastered to the highest quality (personally overseen by Dangerfield) and feature sleeve notes by Dave Henderson of Mojo along with song listing notes by Dangerfield. The albums also come with bonus CDs featuring previously unreleased material including home demos, available via download card on the LP.  On 17 March 1978, a mere six months after the release of their self-titled debut, a second album 'Alternative Chartbusters' followed - once again produced by Dangerfield and Steel. But, as the AllMusic site now recognizes, 'Alternative Chartbusters' was way ahead of its time, a buried treasure that only got dusted off much later: Condemned at the time for offering up little more than a straight carbon copy of its predecessor, the second Boys' album has since ascended to the pantheon of power pop greats, a combination of the band's own inestimable position at the forefront of what, by early 1978, was already a burgeoning movement, and their seemingly effortless grasp of the rudiments of, indeed, a great pop song. Along with the Sex Pistols, Clash and the Damned, The Boys were part of the first wave of the mid-1970's UK punk explosion. Armed with an arsenal of killer Steel / Dangerfield songs The Boys became the first UK punk band to sign an album deal in January 1977 and subsequently released two albums, their self-titled debut and the follow-up 'Alternative Chartbusters' in quick succession. Highly regarded by the music press and their contemporaries, yet somehow criminally ignored by a wider punk audience, unable to grasp their heritage of vintage rock 'n' roll that went back to Chuck Berry courtesy of The Beatles. Their well-crafted songs, together with Steel and Dangerfield's layered harmonies, even led to them being described as 'The Beatles of Punk'.