Release of A Tonic for the Troops

The band together with producer Mutt Lange embarked on recording their next album, A Tonic for the Troops (1978). In May, the first single ” She’s So Modern ” reached No. 12 in UK chart. A headlining tour around the UK culminated in a show filmed at the Hammersmith Odeon. The second single ” Like Clockwork ” reached the UK Top Ten at No. 6 in July. The album was released shortly after, while in early November, the third single ” Rat Trap ” became the first rock song by an Irish band to reach No. 1 in the UK. In addition, “Rat Trap” was also the first new wave song to claim the number one spot. The U.S. version of the album (with a slightly different selection of tracks) came out the next year on Columbia Records .