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Boytown: BoyTown

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

In case you've forgotten, BoyTown were hands-down the greatest boy band of the mid-to-late 1980s. Featuring Benny G, Tommy Boy, Carl, Bobby Mac and Corey, they single-handedly defined a genre, leaving hordes of screaming female fans gushing at their every pelvic thrust and camera lens stare.

Now, in 2006 - wrinklier, greyer and with slightly higher cholesterol counts - they return with a timelessly epic 20-track release of stirring balladry and harmony-laden pop anthems.

Lead single I Cry is a heart-rending tale of love unrequited, strings stirring the soul, chimes tinkling with unerring beauty. Featuring such poetic tours-de-force as “I cry when the morning day doth break / I cry when my tummy aches”, BoyTown manage to convey the universal sentiment of their message with timeless majesty.

Tough Titties is a grittier affair, dealing with the unfair need for the male to convey the kind of physical and mental toughness expected of them in modern society. Again, timeless. Picking Up the Kids from School sees the lads deal with their newfound lives, dominated by their respective nuptials, and the kind of mutual respect required to nurture a loving relationship. “Take as long as you want in the bathroom, I know it's your domain”, they croon, “I'll never wee in the shower, leave the toilet seat up again.” Timeless.

Love Handles, in under two minutes, timelessly explores the biological inevitability of losing one's youthful appeal, set upon a canvas of synth-laden skiffle. The tempo is lifted several notches to levels in the vicinity of 'rock' in Special Time (of the Month), another lyrical tour-de-force that husbands worldwide should be using as a kind of survival guide. This is nothing, however, compared to the heady rock heights of Stay at Home Dad - a man admitting that he's pussywhipped has never been delivered with such beautiful, timeless honesty.

In this, the return of BoyTown, we wonder at the years lost, how we managed to wade through the pop music landscape over the last decade-and-a-bit, how our lives may have been different if accompanied by a soundtrack provided by these five icons. The wait is now over. And it's like they never left. Such is their timelessness.

Track listing:
1. BoyTown '89
2. Tough Titties
3. Love 2 Love
4. I Cry
5. Angel Baby
6. Picking Up the Kids from School
7. Layby Love
8. Ring My Bell
9. Pussywhipped
10. Love Handles
11. Parent Teacher Night
12. Dishpan Hands
13. Cellulite Lady
14. Special Time (of the Month)
15. Do Me
16. Stay at Home Dad
17. BoyTown 2006
18. Seasons in the Sun
19. My Beautiful Wife
20. Gold (performed by Spandau Ballet)

Juan-Pablo Chavez, October 2006