•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
The Undertones: The Undertones (1979)
Belonging to the punk movement, born in England in 1977, The Undertones can rightfully be considered the Irish Ramones. Distancing themselves from English punk bands of the time, in their songs they preferred to talk about girls, summer, and sex instead of politics!
Formed in 1976, they debuted in 1979 with their self-titled album, creating one of the most beautiful pages of pop-influenced punk: very short songs and extremely simple riffs accompanied by a very pop voice are the characteristics of this album, in my opinion amazing, which thanks to its elementary spontaneity manages to touch the heart of any listener!!
Far from the anger and frustration that fueled most British bands of '77, The Undertones imbue their compositions with optimism and lightheartedness, creating small punk gems; let us just cite "Here comes the summer", "Jimmy Jimmy", "Girls don't like me", in which they hailed (at a time when everyone was "doing politics") a revolt of normality!
The real gem of the album, however, is "Teenage kicks", which can surely be considered a generational anthem and counted among the symbols of the British punk movement and beyond.
This album is truly worth rediscovering... Unfortunately, The Undertones have ended up forgotten, and it is a shame because they are a very deserving band, not least because they were one of John Peel's (the revolutionary English DJ) favorite bands!! Their influence on many of today's punk bands is enormous, but as often happens with most seminal bands, they have been unjustly forgotten....so listen to them, listen to them, listen to them, you will be astounded!!
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
The Undertones' 1979 self-titled debut album stands out as a refreshing take on punk with catchy, simple riffs and optimistic themes. Unlike other punk bands focused on political anger, they embraced lighthearted topics such as girls and summer. The track 'Teenage Kicks' shines as a lasting generational anthem. Despite their influence on later punk bands and support from DJ John Peel, they remain somewhat forgotten. This album deserves rediscovery for its heartfelt spontaneity and pop charm.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
The Undertones
The Undertones are a Northern Irish punk/new wave band from Derry, formed in 1975. Celebrated for the single “Teenage Kicks” (championed by John Peel) and early albums like The Undertones (1979) and Hypnotised (1980), they split in 1983 and reformed in 1999.03 Reviews
Other reviews
By sanvalentino3
Despite the world around them being on fire, they sing about teenage problems and first loves.
In that episode, for the first time, a song is played twice in a row... 'Are Teenage Dreams So Hard To Beat?'
