The Undertones

[IRISH]

am i really this old? shockingly, this week is the 30th anniversary of the first undertones lp release in the u.s.

great album in a year absolutely swamped with quality music. teenage kicks remains one of the great rock anthems of all time. no wonder john peel made good on his promise to have it played at his funeral.

what a year 1979 was... those were my halcyon days of childhood; sorting baseball cards, reading comic books and listening to my older brothers' vinyl lps...

any other geezers out there remember wearing the grooves out on this album?

[Mr. Kilt]

Can't say I've heard of that one. I'll have to check U-Tube.

[IRISH]

from top of the pops a year earlier when teenage kicks was released as a single. not sure how loud the volume is on your computer; headphones may be required...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oskM5...eature=related

[MacMoose]

I didn't twig onto the 'Tones until their second album, but I didn't have the older brothers! Teenage Kicks was a classic, and the second album had My Perfect Cousin and Wednesday Week....all great tunes. It's a shame Feargal Sharkey sold out with his solo stuff, very lame (A Good Heart Is Hard To Find....puh-leeze!)

[Tartan Shortbread Jock]

Hello IRISH, glad to meet you.
Am too young to remember the
Undertones first time round.
But the albums are first class.
Kind wishes.

[IRISH]

It's a shame Feargal Sharkey sold out with his solo stuff, very lame (A Good Heart Is Hard To Find....puh-leeze!)

yeah, much of the feargal solo stuff is tough to stomach. rumor has it that he was offered a boatload of cash up front by virgin to produce a couple of albums. the first one was produced by dave stewart and involved some high profile collaborators such as maria mckee. i never enjoyed it. today he's some kind of high-up commisioner working for the u.k. government, overseeing the u.k. music industry and performer/consumer/audience rights. interesting.

the o'neill brothers had a good thing with that petrol emotion and the first album manic pop thrill had some really good sinister pop.

i saw the reformed undertones a couple of years ago at maxwell's in hoboken. it was a fun show and the feargal replacement paul mcloone, aquited himself well as a good entertainer.

all the same, give me those first two undertones albums anyday. they stack up very well against the best post-punk of the day and still sound fresh today.

if anyone has the chance to see the rte documentary, the undertones: teenage kicks, don't pass on it. it's a great look at the bands formation and early years including some very nice camera time with the late john peel, the band's first and greatest champion. it's available on netflix.com

[Mr. Kilt]

Thanks for posting the video link, IRISH. I have to admit I had never heard of the band. Feargal Sharkey's solo "hit" A Good Heart, I have heard.

[Fougasse]

Got to see them live once at the Ayr Pavilion; one of the best live bands I've seen in action.

[beloitpiper]

If we're talking about Northern Ireland bands, I'm more partial to Stiff Little Fingers.

[IRISH]

If we're talking about Northern Ireland bands, I'm more partial to Stiff Little Fingers.

good call, beloitpiper. stiff little fingers are excellent, as well. alternative ulster is a classic; probably in my top 50 rock songs of all time.

similar to the undertones, it was their patronage by john peel that gave them their exposure outside of northern ireland.

there still chugging along, too. i think in the 90s they became something of a supergroup, with bruce foxton (jam) and dave sharp (alarm) joining jake burns both live and on record.

here's alternative ulster live, played at an impossible pace with their trademark punctuality...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2Gov...eature=related