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THE REVIEW
Initially they called it "Street Punk", the kids coming out of English factories needed to vent with something, they drank beer and sang Sham 69. Later it was called "Punk Oi!", that working-class music, anti-racist and clearly rooted in the Jamaican sound. Among the groups formed during the period are 4-Skins, Cockney Rejects, and to get straight to the point, Angelic Upstarts.
After a self-produced work purchased by Small Wonder Records, the band signed a contract with Wonder Brothers, which produced "Teenage Warning".
The importance of the album in question is immense, musically impeccable, with aggressive and energetic sounds, instruments that don’t scratch, but flow with adrenaline without falling into overly bumpy and fast rhythms. Punk in the seventies style performed by conscientious musicians, free of inconsistencies and rich in nuances that make the songs important jewels of music in general.
I can’t help but mention "We are the people" where a strong message is conveyed both through the vocal line and the nostalgic rancor of the guitars; we don’t hear the classic punk that shreds us epileptic combat chords, but we hear sensitive distorted arpeggios and bass lines so imposing that having chills while listening seems impossible. "Little Tower" for instance, manages to tell us through plucked strings and the singer's heartbreaking laments the profound hatred towards the police, the solos in this song have the same capacity for communication as a vocal part, which is unusual for the genre I must emphasize. It must be said that in Mensi one can find an energy rarely traceable in vocalists of other bands, out of tune and furious in many parts, frighteningly sensitive in others.
I feel indescribable admiration for everything contained in this album, I know that a lot of punk hardcore music can be futile, playful, let's say more suited to adolescent listeners, but the timeliness and the touch that this work contains make me believe that "Teenage Warning" is one of the main albums of all time. It's useless to waste so many words on something that everyone should have, and I think it's precisely because of its perfection that I can't describe it with a lot of words.
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Summary by Bot
This review praises Angelic Upstarts' debut album Teenage Warning as a cornerstone of street punk and Oi! music. The album delivers aggressive yet nuanced punk with meaningful lyrics and powerful instrumentation. Highlighted tracks like 'We Are The People' and 'Little Tower' exemplify the band's ability to communicate deep emotion and social messages. The vocalist Mensi is noted for his unique energy and expressiveness. The reviewer considers this album a timeless classic essential for any punk enthusiast.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
01 Teenage Warning (03:02)
You wind me up
Like a clockwork orange
Then you hide the key
To my destination
No satisfaction its all frustration
The times are changing
They're changing me
Open the cage
Let free the animals
Running wild
With hardened criminals
No satisfaction it's all frustrations
The times are changing when you're
13,14 Its a teenage warning
15,16 But nobody's listening
17,18 Who takes the blame
19,20 The twentieth century
Is my image right for your fashion parade
If it don't look right your days are numbered
13,14 Its a teenage warning
15,16 But nobody's listening
17,18 Who takes the blame
19,20 The twentieth century
13,14 Its a teenage warning
15,16 But nobody's listening
17,18 Who takes the blame
19,20 Twentieth century
You wind me up
Like a clockwork orange
Then you hide the key
To my destination
No satisfaction its all frustration
The times are changing
They're changing me
Open the cage
Let free the animals
Running wild
With hardened criminals
No satisfaction it's all frustrations
The times are changing when you're
13,14 Its a teenage warning
15,16 But nobody's listening
17,18 Who takes the blame
19,20 The twentieth century
Is my image right for your fashion parade
If it don't look right your days are numbered
13,14 Its a teenage warning
15,16 But nobody's listening
17,18 Who takes the blame
19,20 The twentieth century
13,14 Its a teenage warning
15,16 Nobody's listening
17,18 Who takes the blame
19,20 Twentieth century
06 The Murder of Liddle Towers (04:41)
Who killed Liddle?
Did you kill Liddle?
Who killed Liddle?
Police killed Liddle Towers
Who killed Liddle?
Did you kill Liddle?
Who killed Liddle?
Did you kill Liddle Towers?
Who killed Liddle?
Did you kill Liddle?
Who killed Liddle?
Police killed Liddle Towers
Why did he die, or did they lie?
I think he's dead, so a doctor said
He was beaten black, He was beaten blue
But don't be alarmed, it was the right thing to do
The police have the power, Police have the right
To kill a man to take away his life
Drunk and disorderly was his crime
I think at worst he should be doing time
But he's dead
He was drunk and disorderly and now he's dead
Questions are unanswered
Policeman scared to talk
Perhaps they are hiding something
Will my message get across
Please tell me why, why did he die
Please tell me now, and tell me how
Police have the answers
But they haven't got the right, to kill a man
To take away his life
Perhaps I'm not to clever, perhaps I'm not to bright
But I think your verdict was just a lie, a lie, a lie, lie
Murder, murder, murder, murder...
MURDER
Who killed Liddle?
Did you kill Liddle?
Who killed Liddle?
Police killed Liddle Towers
Who killed Liddle?
Did you kill Liddle?
Who killed Liddle?
Police killed Liddle Towers
07 I'm an Upstart (02:21)
We don't need to be clever to learn your lies
We only have to listen, open up our eyes
Try to be honest, get kicked in the face
But if you cheat you're just a rat in the race
I'm an upstart
Hey whatcha gonna do
I'm an upstart
Listen I'm talking to you
Seek out an identity
You alienate society
Face the facts, why not admit it
How can you be outrageous when your mother won't allow it?
Angelic Upstarts
Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock/Oi! band formed in South Shields in 1977, known for working-class themes and left-wing, anti-racist politics; fronted by Thomas "Mensi" Mensforth.01 Reviews
