Album of the Week #10: The Undertones - The Undertones
This is Album of the Week #10 ~ This week's album is The Undertones - The Undertones
Year of Release: 1979
Genre(s): Pop Punk
Country: United Kingdom
Length: 29 minutes
Listen! (Album.Link)
Excerpt from BBC:
Armed with seemingly rudimentary musical skills, the reason the Undertones stuck out was that, unlike their cooler older peers from London and Manchester, they didn't stick to the rigorous adoption of American garage and art rock like the Stooges to the Velvets. They were still in love with their elder brothers and sisters' Bolan and Bowie albums: their sound welded glam to pub rock, all topped off with Feargal Sharkey's Larry the Lamb warble. If they did take a cue from any USA acts it was the cartoon fun of The Ramones, Here Comes The Summer contains the same Beach Boys-on-amphetamine rush that 'da brudders' wielded so succesfully. At the same time, the accents definitely didn't stray across the pond. Never has the Northern Irish twang been so thrust into the face of our pop kids. Check out the deadpan backing vocals on True Confessions.
Discussion points:
Have you heard this artist/album before? Is this your first time hearing?
Do you enjoy this genre? Is this an album you would have chosen?
Does this album remind you of something you've heard before?
What were the album's strengths or weaknesses?
Was there a standout track for you?
How did you hear the album? Where were you? What was your setup?
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I love punk music, but mostly punk (and hardcore) from the mid-late 80s and early 90s. However, most late 70s and early 80s punk (esp brit-pop punk) has always struck me as being a bit too cheesy and far too tame for my tastes. And this album was no exception.
Don't get me wrong, I still had fun listening to it, and some of the tracks were really catchy (e.g. Get Over You, Jimmy Jimmy). And to their credit, The Undertones' instrument playing and singing were also a hell of a lot better than Ramones, Sex Pistols, and many other contemporary punk bands of that era. So I'm surprised I've never heard of them before, and that they didn't go on to be a bigger/wider success.
But I still much prefer a boatload of angst, anger, screaming, and sociopolitical messaging in my punk music. Bad Religion, NOFX, Minor Threat, Rollins era Black Flag, etc. > anything from the late 70s. :P
I feel similarly, I've always held a belief that 'pop punk' is a bit of an oxymoron - like punk music your Gran wouldn't mind too much. I've been in enough arguments that I know that's not a hill to die on - at the very least it's a genre that suffers where what's popular is constantly changing and what's punk is constantly changing.
This is a hard album to dislike -- it makes you feel 15 years old in 1979 Northern Ireland -- it makes you want to steal a bar of chocolate from the corner shop and slag off a copper.
But, this album came out the same year as London Calling. The scene was moving quickly - and that makes it feel almost like listening to a Monkees album in comparison.
Yeah, punk is kinda nebulous as a genre, especially since it's constantly evolving. And debating over the validity of pop punk is a hill I don't want to die on either. But at least for me, the uniting theme of all punk music is rebellion from conservative social mores, and fighting against systemic injustices. And even a pop band can do that, so I have no particular issue with pop punk bands existing, or calling themselves punk... I just don't tend to enjoy that kind of punk music nearly as much as I enjoy something with much much much harder/harsher sounds, and lyrics that will definitely offend my Nan. Growing up I took it as a point of pride whenever my parents, grandparents, and older relatives chastised me for listening to "noise" and told me to "turn that crap off". :P
p.s. The Monkees comparison was spot on, BTW. That's definitely the sort of vibe I got from this album. Inoffensive, and pleasant enough to listen to. But not my cup of tea. Although, unlike The Monkees, at least The Undertones (presumably) played their own instruments. :P
I agree that The Undertones are fairly mild, and not particularly political which is somewhat antithetical to the punk label.
I would categorise another Northern Irish punk band - Stiff Little Fingers - to be much truer to the genre. They released the phenomenal Inflammable Material in the same year (1979) and it is well worth a listen for some raw punk from the height of the Troubles. You might be have come across Alternative Ulster which is the most well known song from that album.
I think I've actually heard of Stiff Little Fingers, but never listened to them before. And so far, yeah... they're waaaaaay more my style. I enjoyed that track enough that I'm actually going to give the whole album a listen now. So thanks for the recommendation!
Edit: Hard to believe this is from the 70s. It's that good, and feels so far ahead of its time. Most of the other 70s UK punk I've heard (other than Sex Pistols) were tame as hell. But this has some genuine anger behind it.
Edit2: LOL, the doowoppy/Motown part of Barbed Wire Love. Love it.