Formed in the Emerald Isle by the brothers McManus in 1980 with Pat “The Professor” on guitar/fiddle, John on bass/vocals and Tommy on drums, Mama’s Boys started life playing traditional Irish musicians, but once they’d found inspiration in the Celtic rock of Horslip, they adopted an alternative path mixing those early roots with a harder blues rock foundation. Listening to this release now takes me back to the early 1980’s when for the price of a single (probably 99p) you could pick up a free album, and that was my introduction to Mama’s Boy when they gave away their Official Bootleg album as an incentive to purchase the ‘To Little Of You To Love’ 12” single from 1983’s Turn It Up album. Mama’s Boys would use similar marketing ploys again offering a free T-Shirt with the Turn It Up album and later a free 12” picture disc single with 1985’s Power And Passion album, and guess who bought them all?

As previously stated, I first received this album for free and what a freebie it was. The disc included with the Runaway Dreams 1980-1992 5CD set contains the full ten track original Official Album version rather than the shorter “Bootleg” release from 1981 where ‘Down And Out’ and ‘Big Bad City’ were omitted (that original vinyl was independently released to sell at gigs). Official Bootleg’s (1980) production may be a little muddy but with songs like the heavy riffing ‘I’m Leaving Town’ and ‘Down & Out’ which borrows just a little from Bachman Turner Overdrive’s ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet’, along with the chugging ‘Highland Rock’, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Craze’ and ‘Big Bad City’ plus embryonic versions of ‘Belfast City Blues’ and ‘Record Machine’, which would go on to feature on their first official release (Plug It In). Add to that a funked up cover of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ and Pat’s fiddle solo on closer ‘Demon’ and Official Bootleg sets the hooky rock template for the Northern Ireland trio’s future output and cemented Pat McManus future place as a blues rock guitar god.

As good as Official Bootleg is Plug It In (1982) is where the story really starts. From the first electric chords of second single ‘In The Heat Of The Night’ (both long and short versions are included here) the boys are on fire and the pace doesn’t ease on track two, ‘Burnin’ Up’. Irish hit ‘Needle In The Groove’ has become something of an iconic track with the McManus fanbase and remains in Pat’s live set-list to this day where it regularly closes the show. With rockers ‘Reach For The Top’, ‘Silence Is Out Of Fashion’, ‘Getting Out’ and the anthemic ‘Straight Forward’ now loaded in the Mama’s Boys cannon the only minor quibble is that although ‘Belfast City Blues’ fairs well the other older track ‘Record Machine’ struggle to shine amongst the rock and Celtic charms of ‘Runaway Dreams’ and ‘Hard Headed Ways’. These boys may not have had the speed of Motorhead and Tank who released Iron Fist and Filth Hounds Of Hades that same year but they certainly were cut from the the same classic rock cloth.

By 1983 the years of touring alongside the likes of Hawkwind, The Scorpions and Thin Lizzy were beginning to pay off and Turn It Up was the glorious result. ‘Midnight Promises’ adds the pop to the rock of previous releases sounding like an Irish Boston it really sets the tone for what was the trio’s most commercial offering to date. The band show their bluesy side on ‘Lonely Soul’ (with some cool harmonica from Don Baker) and there are power chords aplenty on ‘Loose Living’, ‘Gentleman Rogues’ and ‘Shake My Bones’ but the eye was firmly on the singles market with the ballad ‘Too Little Of You To Love’ and classic rock weight of ‘Face To Face’ leading the way . Cream of the crop comes mid album when the ‘Late Night Rendezvous’, ‘Crazy Daisy’s House Of Dreams’ duo show exactly what Tom’s rolling drums, Pat’s incendiary guitar and John’s unique voice are capable of. With the diligent use of keyboards from Horslips Jim Lockhart (‘Too Little Of You To Love’) and Philip Begley (‘Lonely Soul’) at key points throughout Turn It Up you can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Mutt Lange had got hold of these gems and this option almost became reality prior to release of their next full studio album, Power And Passion (not included).

Now signed to Jive Records who released the Mama’s Boys retrospective (not included) the band went on to their most successful period including tours of America with Motley Crue and Bon Jovi, Japan with Foreigner and a prestigious slot alongside Deep Purple at Knebworth. Sadly things then began to unravel for the family when Tommy had a relapse of the leukaemia with which he had suffered as a child and John was advised to rest up following issues with his vocal cords. By 1987’s Growing Up The Hard Way (not included) the brothers were back together with Airrace vocalist Keith Murrell taking over behind the mic, a collaboration which was not to last and by the release of Live Tonite, in 1991 (tracks from which appear as bonuses on disc four) his role was taken by Mike Wilson.

In 1992 the band would release what turned out to be their final album, Relativity. A bluesier affair from the outset thanks to Wilson’s soulful vocal performance. This is evident on ‘Judgement Day’, ‘Cry Salvation’, the Foreigner-esqe ‘Laugh About It’ and hard edged ‘Rescue Me’. Unfortunately this was the 90’s and although the slide guitar on ‘What You See Is What You Get’ pointed towards the future path for Pat, the reflective ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, ‘Cardboard City’ and ‘Moorlough Shore’ and the power pop rocking ‘Don’t Back Down’ and ‘Walk All Over Me’ where out of vogue at a time when Faith No More, Pearl Jam and Stone Temple Pilots topped the album charts. Live versions of four of the albums tracks (from Live Tonite) feature on this expanded version along with Tommy’s showcase ‘The Beast’ which shows exactly why Mama’s Boys were such a live phenomenon and the latter is a fitting tribute to a fallen brother (Tommy passed away in 1994 at just 28 years old).

As the title states, disc five brings together the inevitable Singles, B-Sides & Rarities. There are plenty of alternative versions here, ‘Belfast City Blues’, ‘Too Little Of You To Love’, ‘Record Machine’ along with non album tracks ‘High Energy Weekend’, Tommy smash-fest ‘Hitch Hike’ and a laid back take on Joni Mitchell’s ‘This Flight Tonight’ (made famous by Nazareth) covering everything from the 1980 Irish version of ‘Demon’ (the 1983 B-side version is also included) right through to their final single’s (‘Laugh About It’) B-side, the instrumental ‘Time Warp’ and a live cover of the Slade hit ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’ which rounds of the set with a bang.

Realistically following Tommy’s death there could be no more Mama’s Boys, John and Pat went back to there roots and formed Celtus in 1997 releasing four studio and one live album before Pat took a more blues based approach and founded The Pat McManus Band in 2007 who he still fronts to this day (check them out if you get the chance). Mama’s Boys were definitely a band who needed a break but never quite got one. This latest release gives you the chance to fill that gap in your collection or maybe discover what has been missing from your life. Ironically the set is on CD only so you can’t even put the “Needle In The Groove”?

• Reviewed by Peter Brockwell.
• Runaway Dreams 1980-1992 is released via Cherry Red Records/HNE Recordings on 26th January 2024.

Track List:

Disc One – Official Bootleg (1980)

1. I’m Leaving Town
2. Down And Out
3. Belfast City Blues
4. Highland Rock
5. Record Machine
6. Rock ‘N’ Roll Craze
7. Summertime
8. Big Bad City
9. Without You
10. Demon

Disc Two – Plug It In (1982)

1. In The Heat Of The Night (Short Version)
2. Burnin’ Up
3. Needle In The Groove
4. Reach For The Top
5. Record Machine
6. Silence Is Out Of Fashion
7. Straight Forward
8. Runaway Dreams
9. Getting Out
10. Belfast City Blues
11. Hard Headed Ways
12. In The Heat Of The Night (Long Version)

Disc Three – Turn It Up (1984)

1. Midnight Promises
2. Loose Living
3. Too Little Of You To Love
4. Late Night Rendezvous
5. Crazy Daisy’s House Of Dreams
6. Face To Face
7. Gentleman Rogues
8. Lonely Soul
9. Shake My Bones
10. Freedom Fighters

Disc Four – Relativity (1992)

1. Judgement Day
2. What You See Is What You Get
3. Laugh About It
4. Don’t Look Back In Anger
5. Cry salvation
6. Rescue Me
7. My Way Home
8. Don’t Back Down
9. Left And Right
10. Cardboard City
11. Walk All Over Me
12. Fallin’
13. Moorlough Shore
Bonus Tracks:
14. Walk All Over Me (Live)
15. Rescue Me (Live)
16. My Way Home (Live)
17. Fallin’ (Live)
18. The Beast (Live)

Disc Five – Singles, B-Sides & Rarities (1980-1992)

1. Rollin’ On
2. Demon
3. High Energy Weekend
4. Hitch Hike
5. Belfast City Blues
6. Telephone Teaser
7. Shake My Bones
8. Demon
9. Too Little of You to Love
10. Record Machine
11. This Flight Tonight
12. Time Warp (Instrumental)
13. Mama Weer All Crazee Now (Live)