The Boomtown Rats - A Hold Of Me (Mercury)

Muddy, mouldy progression of tired ideas hung, drawn and quartered by Bob's tenth-rate Jagger. The Rats always dealt in back cliches, but at their best - "Rat Trap", "Mondays" - they managed to find a song from somewhere. They don't here, and only Geldof's new found celebrity status can do anything to save this. (Jim Reid, Record Mirror, February 2, 1985)

Poor old Bob Geldof. He does a brilliant job as the main force behind Band Aid, sacrificing months of his professional and private life and all some people can say is that he's doing it to resuscitate his own career. And it's just not true. Mind you, if it was, it wouldn't make any difference - this new Boomtown Rats single is too unspeakably ordinary to be saved by any amount of publicity. (Chris Heath, Smash Hits, January 31, 1985)