Forty years ago, Mama's Boys' first opus was released. The trio formed by the McManus brothers was still called Pulse a few months before and this album, then called "Official Album", was actually just a demo that would take the title of "Official Bootleg" in 1981. But then, the band would later become a mythical formation in the hard rock scene. Its history has already been told in our pages and above all, the fact that with "Turn It Up" (1983) and "Mama's Boys" (1984), it was not available in CD format added to its legendary aura. But now the Dyamond Roxx Series label takes advantage of the anniversary of its release, and the blessing of Pat McManus, to make one of the dreams of the band's fans come true.
So of course, we have to be honest and admit that the interest of this release is essentially historical, especially since, despite the remastering done by Janne Stark (Grand Design, Overdrive, Constancia...), we are dealing here with a demo with a raw production. The sound is barely worthy of a garage's but we have to reposition all this in its context and not forget its many qualities. Indeed, we have here three teenagers (Tommy is barely 15 years old!) who have only four hours to discover what a recording studio is and to put their first compositions on tape. The energy is obvious but not yet fully mastered ('I'm Leaving Town'), the three brothers are sometimes disrespectful with a delirious cover of Gershwin's 'Summertimes' mixing talk-box and saxophone, and ambitions are sometimes handicapped by a few approximations ('Without You'). Finally, while each instrument can be heard clearly, which makes John's bass sound a little more prominent, Tommy's already hyper tonic and rich playing still lacks power at times.
But how many bands would be capable of producing a must-have work in these conditions? None for sure! And yet, this "Official Bootleg" doesn't lack qualities that will explode later on the next albums of the three brothers. First of all, there's Pat's blinding talent, who strings together the devastating solos on each track. And then there are already some beautiful pieces, some of which will appear again on the rest of the band's discography and throughout their stage performances. This is the case of the energetic 'Record Machine' that we will find on "Plug It In" (1982), as well as the magnificent ballad 'Belfast City Blues', bluesy and full of Celtic melancholy. Also note the nervous and swift 'Highland Rock' with its catchy chorus and at the end, the Scottish anthem 'Scotland The Brave', a 'Big Bad City' with the magnificent scent of Thin Lizzy and a 'Demon' which seems to group the bases of the future and legendary 'Runaway Dreams' with, among others, its violin solo.
Behind his still amateur side, this first record of the Mama's Boys is no less indispensable for all the fans of the band and those who appreciate this authentic hard rock, assuming its historical as well as artistic origins. And then, in paying tribute to this album, we might encourage Dyamond Roxx Series and Pat McManus to look into the re-releases of the other albums that are currently only available at expensive prices. The discography of the Irish brothers largely deserves it.
P.S: Also note the bonuses consisting of the excellent unreleased single 'High Energy Weekend' and its B-side of the time, a live and instrumental 'Hitch-Hike', a pretext for a breathtaking drum solo.