The Undertones

They're fine. They sound like the Sex Pistols but easier to listen to. I have concluded that an English Writer & Editor has written the 1001 Albums book because of the sheer number of Brit Rock bands or European bands I have listened to in the last week. There is usually no clear context for these bands and how they changed the music scene in their period. Sometimes the Wiki isn't good enough. For instance, the Undertones are from Ireland -- Derry of all places, and I am pretty sure they were still going through The Troubles during the late 70s to early 80s. This is an important context to understanding another culture's musical history. Then to put them side to side with other contemporary music artists of the period from Ireland, UK, Australia, America, and wherever else -- would be also create better context. :)

bastante buen punk. corto y diver

Ik ben wel een beetje klaar met dit soort jengelmuziek. Elke keer kruipt er weer zo'n stelletje kneuzen van onder een tegel vandaan. 'Ik ken een meisje, ik zie haar elke dag'. Diepzinnig.

Kan niet zeggen dat dit heel bijzonder is. Alle bekende punk-deuntjes komen voorbij. Maar ach, het ritme is steeds aanstekelijk en er wordt gezongen in plaats van geschreeuwd. En dat buigt de emotie om. We hebben plotseling een vrolijke punkplaat te pakken. Prima plaatje voor in de auto. 3,5 ster.

Typisch punkgeluidje, redelijk braaf nog wel. Wat wel atypisch is, is dat de zanger van dit bandje wel degelijk kan zingen (al is zijn jaren 80 solohitje ook wel weer een soort van oorwurm), ipv een soort blaffen of gillen door een microfoon. En daarmee onderscheidt het zich toch wel degelijk van de tijdgenoten. Apart trouwens dat ze hun debuuthit, wat nog steeds een (underground) evergreen is, in eerste instantie niet op de debuutplaat hadden gezet. Alsof er geen plek meer was, terwijl het album krap een half uur duurt. Maar dat had ze waarschijnlijk street cred in de scene gekost, als ze een album langer dan een half uur hadden gemaakt.

Good music but the sound is way too clean for a punk album

Tony Hawk Pro Skater vibes. Love the relentless punk rock tempo, sing along chorus’s and classic sound.

Nja

Pure genius!

Fun punk sound. Every song oozes with youthful energy without the punchy, snarling aspect of The Ramones. In fact I’d hazard to say it has a bit of surfer rock in its sound. There is also some New York Dolls in their sound. As the album drags on it becomes a little repetitive with its song structure, but then again, many punk albums suffer this same fate. In the end I fell asleep in the middle of the listen. It’s just nothing. Filler music in a movie or tv show.

An okay pop punk album with a few good hits in Teenage Kicks, Family Entertainment, and I Know A Girl. Not a huge fan of the undertones on a lot of these tracks however.

Fun pop-punk from back in the day. This is how it's done, Green Day!

Good one, 70s punk rock vibes, reminiscensce of Ramones, Sex Pistols and unique sound, give The Undertones a good listening experience.

I’m into it

Fun punks having fun. Hard to hate on it!

Just my personal opinion, not a slight of the band or it's multitude of loyal fans. Punk is a difficult beast, at it's best it's emotionally cathartic. Sometimes, it feels a little bit disposable. This will not stay with me, but 3 stars out of respect.

Good Punk!

few bangers, few annoying songs

Great punk album. There wasn't a ton of variety between how songs sounded but still good. I liked a majority of the songs on here with my favorites being "Teenage Kicks", "Girls Don't Like It", "Jump Boys" and "(She's a) Runaround". I was not a fan of "Casbash Rock", "True Confessions" or "Male Model" but they were not horrible songs. Overall I would give this an 8/10. Nothing mindshattering but definitely worth a listen.

that sure was some punk with some light new wave thrown in

If you like song one, you’ll like them all. There’s great consistency in this one. Maybe a little too much. Some variation in sound would have been nice.

Early punk. Nothing stupendous but still fun throughout.

varmasti influentiaalinen mutta herran jumalan ja jeesus kristuksen ja pyhä henki paratkoon miten voi tehdä 25 biisiä jotka kuulostaa täysin. vittu. samalta. identtinen formula joka ikisessä saatamam laulussa!! ei ole vittu mahdollista että tämä on tykätty albumi???? en ole mikään musiikki hifistelijä eliitti mies mutta ei saatana voi näin yksinkertaisesta mieleä turruttavasta paskasta saada mitään irti youve got my number

This was a fun and cute punk album

Punk prolijo, en la era en que se apreciaba su desprolijidad. Serían lo que Linkin Park al nü metal. Está bien.

This was done totally acceptable, but unremarkable punk

Nothing too good or too bad.

An inspiration to any group that doesn’t know more than four chords. And they were. The Undertones were such a big inspiration for so may bands forming the punk rock genre, so, respect there. As far as the album itself goes, it’s pretty good. There’s not much, instrumentally speaking, but they make up for that lack very fun and enjoyable music. Lyrically and thematically great as well. 4/5

Fun album. Had several songs I didn't know I knew.

The Undertones seem like such a familiar name but I guess it’s just the generic ‘The …’ sort of band name. The album cover also gave me somewhat nostalgic British rock vibes so I could kinda guess what direction this album was going in and I have to say it was what I was expecting but also what I wasn’t. At 26 songs this album does feel like a bit of a handful at times as you’re dealing with a lot of different sounds but I’ll point out the ones that stood out to me first. ‘Family Entertainment’ is a great way to open the album with a rock and roll banger and an infectious chorus, the front man and backing vocalists trading vocals is so catchy. The chorus on ‘I Gotta Getta’ is so incredibly catchy too with a deep guitar riff in the back that gives the song such a cool tone. The following track ‘Teenage Kicks’ has such a classic rock sound it’s hard not to nod your head along to it. The vocalists cadence is so clear on this track which really gives this album some uniqueness as he really does stand out. There are also some cooler cuts on the backend such as ‘You’ve Got My Number’ where the guitars really stand out here, and the final track ‘Let’s Talk About Girls’ which has some raw rock and roll energy to it. This ends up being the pattern in this album that usually the better songs have a longer run time. To add, what really does let this album, which was my worry from the start, is the run time. These are a nice group of catchy rock and roll songs but some of them are just not needed like two versions of ‘True Confessions’ when it is far from one of the best songs on the album and ‘Smarter Than You’ which starts off strong but the vocalist lets me down here, this as an instrumental only track would’ve been great. Personally if this album was condensed down to like 14 songs and some of them were a bit longer then I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more. Overall, a cool album with some nice bangers but not one of my favourites, will come back to a handful of songs.

This is some 60s style pop informed by 70s punk aesthetic. And while I'm not a fan of either genre, this is an alright enough album. 3/5

Some brilliant songs here - and sounding so fresh!

If this album came out 15 years earlier, it would've Been regarded as one of the most important album of the decade, revolutionizing the sound of the 1960's while still sticking to its essentials. it would've served as inspiration for giants like The Rolling Stones and deep purple. However, this album came out in 1979. Other than the subpar production quality (it also sounds like the 60's in terms of microphones), this album suffers from its creators' attempt to replicate the music of their childhood, resulting in what sounds like if The Beach Boys hadn't taken any drugs. Another reason one might think this album came out in 1965 or so is the blatant pedophilia and weird misogyny the lyrics suggest. To sum it up: this album wants to sound like a new take on the 1960's, but instead sounds like an unsuccessful teenage band from the time (other than 'Jimmy jimmy', which simply sounds like a generic 60's local radio hit). Worse than that, it is mostly very boring. The only reason this album doesn't completely crash and burn in terms of the score is its (very) few redeeming qualities: - The aforementioned 'Jimmy jimmy' - 'Jump boys' does have a fairly good baseline - 'Get over you' is actually a pretty good song, though it does sound like it belongs in a different album Score: either 4 or 5 out of 10

An important album in both punk history and Irish music history. Teenage kicks is one of the most flawless pop punk songs ever written and the rest of the album is just as strong!

Expected to hate it and quite enjoyed it. Decent.

One of the great British punk bands to come out of Londonderry 🇬🇧 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Sounded a lot like the Ramones , quick punk album

3,5 if I could give it

Really solid album had a a lot of song I really enjoyed. The pace was good and I didn’t get bored of it easily.

Solid. Yet another album that I wish I could rate 3.5

The Undertones? More like the Underwhelmings. Straight forward early British punk but basically the same song 16 times on one album.

I feel like when I hear Bri'ish punk I can just skip it and give it a 3 for sounding good, but homogenous. There's actually some good variety here relative to other punk. I would probably give this a 3.5 stars, but rounded down because it's definitely not 4 worthy.

Out of all of the British punk albums we have listened to that was definitely one of them. Didn't love it or hate it. Just 34 minutes of music. Hilarious that they fit 16 songs into that amount of time

Holy hell 16 tracks and 34 minutes! I take longer pisses than some of these songs. Some pretty similar sounding pop punk songs to me. Nothing special or crazy to me though. Heard better punk.

I guess "The Undertones" is British for "The Ramones". I don't think I've ever heard of this band before although I must have heard "Here Comes the Summer" and "Teenage Kicks" in some coming of age movie at some point, right? Just a fun high energy album. No need to listen too closely to the lyrics. Just nod your head along with the beat.

Fun album, was only familiar with "teenage kicks". The opener was great and it held up all the way through. Two listens, and a good addition to my punk rotation.

Enjoyable throughout! Great fun energy. Singer has a cool voice that wouldn't work well in just any genre but it really works here perfectly

Slightly forgettable punk

This is kind of fun for a couple of songs and Teenage Kicks is a bit of a banger but this album got a bit samey for me. I don't know if that's because I switched off and missed something but I did switch off from it. It seems to all hit the same note and then a couple of songs is great, but more is boring and I missed it if any of the songs had any depth to their lyrics or variation in the sounds.

Teenage Kicks is definitely one of the best songs of all time. I get why it was John Peel's favourite song of all time. It is just perfect. I love it too. The rest of the album was pretty good too! Hard to find one that stood out like that though. Wish this was a 3.5

Pretty darn good but bit repetitive, guess it was an innovative sound at the time though

Inquietantemente similar a The Clash. Si lo digo así, parece que estoy apuntando a que hubo un plagio o algo. Obviamente no es el caso. Y me faltó agregar "similar a los discos más pedorros de The Clash", porque en serio que me parece la mejor manera de describirlo. Las canciones son prácticamente todas iguales entre sí, honestamente no entiendo por qué por ejemplo 'Teenage Kicks' fue escuchada 69 millones de veces y 'Jump Boys' no llega a 300.000 (en Spotify). En general, la música es muy básica, y no hay muchos matices, por no decir ningún matiz en muchas canciones en términos de instrumentos o melodías. Ah, y cabe destacar que para llegar a estas conclusiones, solo escuche 17 de las ¡¡26!! canciones (todas de 1 minuto y medio más o menos, así que no es tan grave como parece) que presenta el disco. Muy hater la review pero bueeeeeeeeeeeeee 3/10

mega entretenido disco m gusta el punk britanico igualmente devuelvan las Malvinas

It is fine.

Hell yeah! Early punk meets new wave. Sign me up.

Bit before my time, seems like it's a bit of a cult thing, not an incredible album, just lots of very similar short songs.

Not my "Cup of Tea", but still easy liastening

It's beginning to sound a bit dated now, but it's fared a lot better than most of the punk albums from that era.

Pretty standard 70s punk. Not the worst of its kind but nowhere near the best.

Would have been an appropriate listen in the early 70's... Seems a bit too late for 79

It’s a fun album to listen to.

I never heard the album in full, but I knew a lot of the songs. They're still played between bands at punk rock shows. I think they were very influential in American punk music. Bands like Bad Religion, Descendents and 7 Seconds, the subsequential 90s punk rock boom and newer bands like Pup and Wavves. Probably not so much in British punk, because they went either more aggressive or more arty. Favorite song: I know a girl

Catchy mix of punk and pop.

Very competent punk album, the songs are short and to the point!

Fun pop-punk sound. Sounds more modern than 1979, can see the influence on later bands like The Hives, Strokes, Arctic Monkeys etc. I’d give 3.5, so rounding up to 4.

This was really fun. It reminded me of 90s pop punk.

What a brilliant album, thoroughly enjoyed listening to it

A no filler thriller. Great all the way through. A great record.

16 songs in just over half an hour, makes for a pretty breathless experience. No better illustration of what it is/was like to be a teenager slightly obsessed with girls.

Solid. Would check out other stuff. 8.3/10.

I wasn't of listening age when this album came out, and my house had precious little music to begin with. I missed this during the relevant time period, and the US definitely didn't privilege these guys. It's competent work, and the NI significance isn't lost on me, but there's nothing here that makes me sit up and say, "Where have you been all my life."

Decent enough, great for their time, very listenable.

Excellent. First time hearing this. Struck me instantly.

Good

I enjoyed this album. It was energetic and very enjoyable.

How have I never heard of this group before!? Their upbeat, punky new wave sound is right up my alley. I recognize the song Teenage Kicks from something. Maybe Derry Girls? This band has been such a pleasant surprise! Honestly I was in such a terrible mood before this and the energy and fun of this album turned it right around.

Highly energetic and pleasant poppunk album

Classic punk rock with a lot of energy. Liked it quite a lot.

J'ai le CD, j'ai souvent écouté Teenage Kicks, mais je n'avais jamais été beaucoup plus loin et c'est pourtant un album très cool. Quelque part entre la pop et le punk, assez The Strokes alors qu'ils étaient à peine nés. 16 titres pour 35 minutes pied au plancher. Des riffs de guitares qui s'entrecroise, une voix assez unique et écorchée. Validé !

Very good album. I feel that it's overlooked album. Also fun fact, this band influenced My Bloody Valentine which is pretty crazy.

Great Punk album that is super catchy, fun and energetic. Pretty straightforward, but consistently good.

Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?

4/5. Honestly, got better the more I listened to it. Doesn’t redefine the wheel but definitely stands out as great songwriting and rock/pop songs.

A great angular, teenage, British punk album. Simple, catchy, edgy, about great teenage things like kicks and girls and hanging out. Great energy although a bit moth-eaten now. No teenager would be caught dead listening anymore and that's for the best. Youth is ephemeral like it's culture. Clinging to this album is like clinging to a hairline. In summary, a good album long dead

It’s dull

Mezzo-mezzo on this.

It’s was a good album and had a grooving sound but was lacking in more extensive uniqueness but was more a just an album you give to, maybe have it on in the background

I had listened to this album before, but it was nice to revisit it. I like it a lot. Favs: Get Over You, I Gotta Getta, Teenage Kicks, Male Model, Girls Don’t Like It, Family Entertainment, I Know A Girl, (She’s A) Runaround Least fav: Casbah Rock

Great album, fun bursts of pop and some great tunes. Real attitude and enjoyed it.

16 songs in 34 minutes? Love it. Peel was right about Teenage kicks, remains one of the most perfect songs of all time.

I’ve never heard of them before, but this was such a fun album!

Re-release was way better than the first. Tempted to give it a 4 for Teenage Kicks and You've Got My Number but nah. 3 it is.

I don't know why I originally considered giving this a 3 it's not that great.

Oooh this is that punchy, short punk that gets me going. Spectacular instrumentally, but the songs were poorly constructed. Almost felt like they were stuck in the sock hop era for a band from the 70s. Not to mention all the repetition in the songs even though they were all less than 3 minutes. I liked it, but I could’ve liked it more.

I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. I like punk. This was the mantra I repeated to myself as I listened to this incredibly forgettable and uninspired album. 2.25

The Undertones should reach out to the Pogues to thank them for making their job miles easier. Nothing really stood out ab this one, and I wish they could commit to a fucking song and make it more than 2 mins. Right as I’d start to like a song it’d fade out, like my interest. 2.5 stars at best

I know I’ve listened to a good deal of punk at this point, but this was some of the least original music I’ve ever heard. I genuinely feel as though I’ve heard this entire album before, only by a different band and with a different album name.

High energy punk rock. Some great songs and the album definitely doesn't overstay it's welcome. Overall a very enjoyable album.

Härliga, snabba och enkla melodier som jag förknippar med band som The Clash och The Ramones. Humörhöjare. Bäst: Here comes the summer

Repetitive

Poor little Jimmles

fine, nothing world shaking, just fine. voice kind of annoying. whatever.

Finally a song for me, Jimmy Jimmy. Really enjoyed this album

This was a fun listen.

Fun Punk

Vroege punk, wel grappig maar niet heel bijzonder verder.

16 Songs @ 35 minutes. - Wrong Way gives off King Gizzard vibes Good album showing the beginnings of Punk Rock. Enjoyed it better than Thriller ironically.

Nice listen, enjoyed the lyrics and riffs. Would listen again.

Notes of The Clash but less political and less known.

Kesällä 2003 olin Leedsissä festareilla kaverini Paulin kanssa. Keikoista en muista juuri mitään (Squarepusher oli muistaakseni hyvä, ja Lamb), mutta muistan riidelleeni rajusti Paulin kanssa: hän tappeli teltan kanssa aamuviiteen asti eikä antanut minun auttaa pystyttämisessä, vaikka olisin saanut sen pystytettyä hetkessä. Päädyimme nukkumaan autossa, koska hänen miehekkyytensä ei antanut periksi. Paikat jumissa ja mökötyksen hiljaisuudessa ajoimme takaisin Lontooseen päin seuraavana päivänä, kunnes radiosta kajahti Teenage Kicks - aloimme laulaa mukana, ja nauraa. Melkein annoin levylle - ja muistolle - vitosen, mutta Spotify soitti seuraavaksi Buzzcocksia, ja koska Buzzcocks saisi vitosen, voi The Undertones saada vain nelosen.

Teenage kicks on megasöpö biisi. Harmi ettei se varsinaisesti ole tällä levyllä muutoin kun uusintajulkaisussa. Mutta itse levystä… Täähän on symppis tämmönen katupunkin esiaste. Ihan hölmöjä sanoituksia ja hyvä meno. Tykkään! 4/5

Alkoi kivasti, mutta jotenkin jäi ihan taustalle lopulta. Tällainen popahtava punk ei kans kovin usein uppoa. Parista biisistä tuli vähän semmoinen Green Day -rasautus.

Hauskaa punkkia ja meneviä biisejä! Keskimääräistä parempi, joten pyöristetään neloseen saakka.

Quite a few good songs on this album. Easy to get to know and enjoy. 3.5

What a blast of an album. Energy en masse and with great melodies and hooks and surprisingly good playing for a bunch of kids just rocking out. One of the classics of the British Punk era from these lads from Notrthern Ireland. 4.5 stars

Encore une pensée émue pour mon moi adolescent

musiciens irlandais sympathiques

Repetitive pop punk

I'm not a fan of this genre. Sue me. 2 stars.

Can't go wrong with a few power chords and a Ramonian twang. Can't do anything very interesting either though unfortunately.

Feargal has a great voice. However it is quite repetitive, 16 tracks all with simplistic punk chord progressions. Teenage Kicks still a classic.

Was toen misschien hip, maar klinkt nu als vrij eentonige punkrock. Zang is ook vrij stereotype geschreeuw.

A band I've known of for years, but never really listened to. Interesting for historical reasons, but I think the Ramones do this better.

9/10 simple, but that’s the way fun, punky brit-pop goes

Yes one of the crown jewels of punk pop. Very little to add to this which is an album I originally got on a cheap portugese grey import market vinyl and has been a joy ever since. While Teenage Kicks might not be the best song ever (in that vein I would go for Another Girl, Another Planet by The Only Ones) it is definitely top ten.

18vee kaverit tehny... lively sound... Lyhyet biisit.. ymmärrän.. Jos oikee mielentila... 4 tähteä albumi... Objektiivinen... kakkonen.. meikäpojalta... TOTUUS!

Interesting early punk album

Un album punk correct, j’aias capote mais c’est pas mauvais 3

Two albums for this band seems excessive to me. They're fun and upbeat but nothing to really write home about to me.

Legendarno ali ipak malo dosadno

"Teenage Kicks" and a couple of other cuts are instant classics. A great early pop-punk album. Its only problem is that, even for this genre and particular time period, some of the songs are a little samey. But they're all good nonetheless. Truth be told, the Undertones never pretended to be more than a decent punk band with catchy tunes. This key album from them is refreshing enough to make you forget about its obvious limitations. Understated, but also slightly underrated, maybe... Number of albums left to review: 707 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 147 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 70 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 82

Not the worst music. Considering that it's the absolute worst genre Boring. But none of it made me want to cut of my ears. good stuff 2

Raw energy, simple short tunes and Feargal's unmistakable voice I loved them when I was a kid and still do now. This has quite a few solid hits and one of the greatest songs of all time (Teenage Kicks). Although I prefer the later albums this is where it began and even the cover is a bold statement. Simply one of the best.

klingt ganz nice erstes hören: vllt so 3/5 Sternen ^^

Kult punkete album Ganske kort, med mange sanger. Gøy

Get Over You is an amazing track

Listened to this album while shoveling the wet snow from the driveway. It was a perfect album to get me going.

Punk

When I first saw this album, I confused the Deftones with Undertones and was expecting something completely different than what I heard. This was a fun album. 16 songs in 35 minutes and I think I enjoyed most them. Good, fast, fun and upbeat. Favorite was I gotta getta, but really liked Girls don't like it and Male model. Very surprised this was as old as it was. I listened last week and had a few notes, but re-listened this morning just to confirm this was a solid album.

Diet Buzzcocks. 3

4 Really thought these guys were one-hit wonders on the poppier side of punk, but this album was great through and through and went harder than I anticipated. There were quite a few tracks that really stuck with me, and a couple I actually even liked more than Teenage Kicks (the aforementioned hit I knew prior). With all that in mind, I’m kind of surprised this band isn’t held in a higher regard, or at least brought up in conversation more alongside other first wave punk bands like The Ramones and Sex Pistols. In any case, I will be from now on. Favorite songs: Male Model, Jump Boys, Teenage Kicks, Family Entertainment Also, am I the only one who thought it was interesting there’s a song on this album called Casbah Rock, released three years before fellow punk outfit The Clash released their iconic hit Rock the Casbah? Can’t seem to find anything online that connects the two. Coincidence? Or major punk conspiracy?

This was a good listen. A very beatlesy punk album. Ferghal has an interesting voice.

Great record, nice simple punk pop which’s sound reminds me of a marriage of The Clash and The Feelies. The subject matter is all very stereotypical teenage this and that. Not very moved by the lyrics. There is some debate as to whether “Teenage Kicks” is considered part of this album, which is one of the best songs. Big fan of True Confessions and Runaround as well.

Leuk pop punk plaatje

Absolutely jam packed album. fantastic

Who in the world are the Undertones?? Awesome uptempo kindapunk sound.

очень хорошо :))))) люблю англичан бодренько

Okay garage rock! Lidt intet sigende

Just a really good early pop-punk album. There's not much else to say, it's just 35 minutes of fun. Favourite: Teenage Kicks

Solid

Not a standout

War ok, soft punk, den einen song kannte ich

Good vibes

quick, upbeat and energetic but also pretty dumb! 6/10

6/10. Maybe worth a 7, but I've been being too generous lately. There were a couple songs I kinda liked, and the general sound was nice enough, but nothing really stood out to me as worth remembering.

Ehhh fine. Good energy. 6/10

Voice didn't annoy me as much as last time

Fun album. Favorite track: Jump Boys

A legendary album with one of the best songs ever written included. Great range of songs that have a real kick

Just plain, good rock songs. No posturing or fretboard wanking. Songs never overstay their welcome.

Dang I liked this album. I hadn’t heard of them. After finishing the album I listened to it again and then looked at their other stuff. Kind of a rocking poppy punky style that was light and fun. Neat

Now I get where the Auteurs come from.

Funny 80s pop punk record, nothing ground breaking in there but still an easy listen.

Some old school pop-punk. Was decent but I got tired of it after a while.

I know a girl

Good for what it is, super early punk. It probably broke a lot of ground and influenced many many other groups. But it's not really my style

This was a good punk album with some 50s undertones. The music was crisp and well produced. Overall, the album can almost be seen as a quintessential late 70s British punk albums. It’s not experimental like the Clash, but it does its genre very well.

Inte alls tokigt med Feargal Sharkeys speciella röst.

A perfect pop punk record of that period: all the tracks are really catchy and danceable but also punky and crazy.

Good straightforward punk.

A nice wee nugget of a Punk album. A bit of reading required on the context of this band and the time period and you'll appreciate their place in music history a great deal more. That being said, there are certainly Punk albums on this list I find more personally engaging. A nice discovery, but not one I'll return to that often.

Definitely a fun album, I enjoyed the song dedicated to mars bars. Still some strong 60’s boyband influences that I’m not so keen on but for a debut album it’s pretty good, bet it got the crowds going wild way back when

Short but sweet, good album, engaging throughout

It would be a good album to be getting absolutely shitfaced to but once you peer between the lines it’s then you realise the album isn’t that much beyond surface level Punk Rock.

4/24, 17%

Not a fan of this music!!

Punk takes on a more melodic bent here, but doesn’t sacrifice its spirit of rebellion in the process. When one of your songs ends up having its lyrics featured on John Peel’s grave, you must be doing something right.

I’d never heard of this band but they do very much sound like contemporaries of The Clash and Ramones. Probably wouldn’t listen again but I enjoyed it all the same.

3.75

The worst of ska?

Free Derry

I've thoroughly enjoyed this. It may have been somewhat influenced by punk, but is really an excellent power pop / rock n roll by, and about, teenage boys and their preoccupation with girls. The singing by Feargal Sharkey mostly sets it apart from shouty punk and the musical ability and sheer catchiness of the melodies and riffs is very much like 60s and early 70s power pop. I've been looking forward to The Undertones and am not disappointed! Excellent.

Beautiful, early punk rock.

Sounds like if the Bay City Rollers made a punk album. Which is another way of saying it's right in my wheelhouse.

Better than the one i listened to before this one, but all the songs still sounded too similar still for me.

Never heard of them before. Really liked it!

epic, a must own.. 5 stars is not enough.

Pretty good, I'm pleasantly surprised. Most of the tracks on here are upbeat and fun to listen to. This would definitely be a 3.5 if I could give it that if only because from what I've heard of The Ramones, they seem to be a better version of this band's music.

Nice Melodies

Raw, fresh, powerful. A real classic from the punk era

Boring. 2/5.

Cool old style punk

Gut, aber wird irgendwann langweilig

This album was 25 2 minute songs. They were better than i expected but it got repetitive

Reminded me a lot of The Ramones. Overall, a fairly forgettable album for me, I thought a lot of songs sounded the same

Sex pistols but unprovocative lyrics and cringe choruses

Poggers

Second song is as simp as it comes. whole album is simp city 2000 shout out jimmy jimmy good album. 3.75/5

This is one I'd give a 3.5 if I could, and as it's not a 4 star it's been downgraded to 3. Many of these songs we part of my introduction to punk, living in Ireland in the late 70s, early 80s, so it definitely induces some nostalgia for me. Raw, fast, simple and fun. Jimmy Jimmy and Here comes the Summer are two stand outs for me, but its Teeange Kicks that's one of my all time favorites from this era.

simple but efficient. Not my style though

definite Clash vibes.

Classic British/Irish punk

No me ha encantado, 3

Fun, catchy album. Probably won't save cuz the songs are all quite short, but will probably add some more singles to my 70s playlist.

its like a nerdier version of the clash 2.5

Mid

this album was a great mix of pop and punk and rather reflective of music in 1979, i think. i suppose it's punk that's easier to consume because it wasn't as unrefined as other punk can be. i mean, the whole album did have a great beat going. and it could be quite catchy! the lyrics definitely come off as pop-like. an enjoyable listen and wasn't upset about listening to the album a few times.

I actually dug this quite a bit. It was a nice fusion of upbeat, melodic pop punk music mixed with new wave. I felt like it was still allowed to exhibit that punk spirit but without being as messy or chaotic as some punk, which isn't typically my cup of tea. Most of the songs here were jarringly short, but it worked for The Undertones; they had something brief to say, so they said it, and then they were done. Period. While I would say this was good, I wouldn't say it is as great as other pop punk/new wave combo acts that would rise during this era.

What a great rock and punk album! You can hear the 70s punk influence, but the melodies are very similar to Buddy Holly and the harmonies at times like the Beach Boys, with cool guitar riffs and fun all throughout. I would have made the album 10 minutes shorter to just make it a tad more effective as a whole.

Enjoyable and catchy album, reminded me a lot of a mixture of Pop-Punk and Celtic-Folk-Punk

Definitely one of the better punkish albums we’ve had. Not too self serious. Short, which is important. And well produced. Better than neutral, but not a 5 for me

i found this really fun! there’s an earnestness to it that’s been missing from a lot of the punk from the same era i’ve gotten before. i think part of it could be that it’s a belfast band playing during the troubles, which lends a real authenticity to everything. it can’t be a 5 because it’s musically too simple, but it’s a solid 4.

Cool album, interesting to hear an early form of punk rock

This is fun. I love punk but this is a band I never really took the time to get into. They predate the Descendents, but its easy to see their influence on the pop punk scene; pop punk like The Queers, Screeching Weasel, etc not the dreck that is All Time Low and what have you. Anyway: this is really good and goes down smooth in a fairly brief play time. I'll be going back to this and their other albums in the future.

They are a banb not known. It's not so bad but it's not the kind of music I hear.

The Clash I didn't know about...

Fun

Throw the Ramones, Sex Pistols, and Clash into a blender, add a dash of Bryan Ferry's vibrato, then blend away, and I'm pretty sure the resulting concoction will be the Undertones. I don't know how this is the first time I've run across them, as this album is fantastic. This is top-notch old school punk*, and the last time I was this excited about a new (to me) band was when Roxy Music's debut album popped up a few weeks ago. I found a 26-track version of the album on YouTube, and there's a lot to love here. It starts off strong with "Family Entertainment," and while "The Girls Don't Like It," I sure do. "Teenage Kicks," "Get Over You," "Listening in," "Emergency Cases" ... So many good tracks. And a special shout-out to "Mars Bars," which is quite funny. Honestly, 26 tracks and I had no desire to skip any of them. That's the dream right there. *Except for "True Confessions," which starts with the line "Don't look so surprised," which amused me because it *was* a surprise, and came out of left field with a Devo-like new wave flavor that caught me completely off guard.

Much like The Buzzcocks, The Undertones are masters of playful punk. Fun listen as my day got started.

I've never heard of the Undertones until now and I regret the gaping hole that was unknowingly part of my late 70s punk experience. This album is right in the pocket for me.

Eh, not bad but not great.

I’ve never heard of them but enjoyed this album

I've only been doing this for a few days and this is the first album I've heard that made me say, "Holy shit, how did I not know about this band?" "Teenage Kicks" is a great song but this album is full of catchy hooks and fun, upbeat pop punk that will make you thing of The Clash, The Ramones, and Dead Kennedys. I love it, and I will definitely be adding The Undertones to my library.

Def a fan

3.8⭐️

Punk rock. Tight songs.

Learned about the Undertones for the 1st time about a year ago, in a Derry museum. And I wasn’t immediately hooked listening to their most famous song “Teenage Kicks”, but now that I’ve heard the whole album it’s one of the better songs on one of the better punk albums I’ve heard on the list. 3 1/2 August 10, 2022

Eh, punk.

Pretty good. Raw. 3/5

Teenage Kicks plus some others.

Loved this. Not sure how I missed it before, but I'll be making up for lost time.

This is the kind of album I was expecting to find out here a little more, something that seems like I should know it, has a sound that kind of resonates with me and yet I am completely unaware of.

Go brittisk rock. Lagom skramligt och skränigt

Enjoyed the punk/new wave sounds

Meh

Actually really enjoyed this

Got to love a Mars Bar.

viiiiiiibbbbrrrrratttttoooo

Ehh

Impressed with how fully formed their sound is, both as a punk band as early as 1979, and as a debut album. Delicious face smashers.

Kind of surprised there are two albums by this band on the list, but it's fun, catchy stuff.

Pretty forward-sounding pop-punk from 1979. I'd say this is like accessible-punk, nothing bad but doesn't move me like other punk. Teenage Kicks is fun though.

For something solidly in the Buzzcocks vein, this self-titled was a surprisingly conflicting listen. It absolutely requires the single inclusions: Without them, the highs are nowhere near high enough, the curios buried in the tracklist, Casbah Rock's shift in timbre literally at the end. This kind of music is absolutely over-represented on the list, yet the longer I stayed in the Undertones' world the more fun I had with the music. I don't see this sound going anywhere other than all the way into post-punk (a development I would welcome), but there's a sheen of experimentation and Irish friction just under the undisturbed pop-punk surface.

Nah

Enjoying some of the rock aspects, but the punk vibes often take away what bits I might otherwise like. Unfortunately it makes many songs feel samey and this retracts from lyrics or feelings I might like normally.

I really enjoyed this one!

This is totally in my Q Zone

Very fun, high energy, danceable punk, it seems to be giving roots to pop-punk here. However, it gets a bit too samey on start-to-finish for me to want to sit down with this record too often.

Incredibly punchy proto pop punk. This is concise, lean, and full of fun.

góð plata og nauðsynleg í samhenginu

Love teenage kicks, first time having a deeper dive into a undertones album. This is good but maybe gets a bit repetitive

I'm always a bit amazed when I listen to punk bands of this era and find them anything but punk. A result of the generation I was born as they had moved the needle as to what punk is.

Oh, every different flavour of yes! So this is a brilliant album. Northern Irish. Equally angry as joyful. An almost perfect rock album. The only criticism I could level at it is that it doesn't include "It's going to happen".

upbeat energetic old school punk. nice and melodic. its short enough so as not to get repetitive. really good album

So, fan of the Undertones but only really heard those singles. This is all good fun, none of the first 5 are really getting their hooks in me before they're already finished, but hey that's ok, another one will be along in less than 2 minutes. And I guess that's the point. Feargal sounds a bit like Hugh Cornwell on Jump Boys in places, the first song that stands out for me. Here Comes the Summer is fantastic obviously. In, shake it all about, out, done, in a minute and a half. Bosh. True Confessions really stands out from the jangle pop that surrounds it, great stuff. And after that, more fun, fine but fairly forgettable pop punk. So there's 5 terrific tracks here in the middle for me.

Simpa. Ima neki feel good flimski soundtrack vibe

Zabavan i kratak album, ali mi nije nešto da ću si pustiti opet nakon nekog vremena. Više mi je: "ha da, pa dobar je album, al ono, idemo dalje."

Po sjećanju.

An upbeat, apolitical take on UK punk with unmistakable vocals and endless hooks. When an album contains John Peels favourite track, you know it's a good one!

Not an overly special new wave type album. A lot of songs with a short run time.

This was fine. Not a mind blowing piece of music or anything.

A lot of songs, the brilliant Teenage Kicks eclipsing them all

I feel like this one could grow on me and I gave their other album 4 so let's go with that. Hard to pick a fave, so many short fun moments.

Canciones sencillas y cortas, todo simple y contundente. Punk básico, sin más. 2.5 que debería quedarse en 2.5 pero no puede y tampoco va a bajar a 2, así que se queda con un 3.

De estas ondas que nos han tocado de punk/alterno/pop es de lo que más me ha gustado. Conocía Teenage Kicks en cover, y ahora me gusta la original.

But of a wild album. Sounds like if the Dead Kennedy's made an album in the style of Rocky Horror Picture Show. And I've got absolutely no complaints. Big thumbs up from this guy.

Nearly peerless in its influence on post punk bedroom heroes. It is not without it's flaws but damn me if Teenage Kicks isn't one of the best pop songs of all time. This album makes me want to crush up a couple of dexies and wash them down with the cheapest vodka I can find.

It was fun

I'm now 166 albums in to the 1001 journey, and one thing I've learned so far is that my liking for punk is much stronger than I'd expected. This is partly because songs like the fourteen on The Undertones' debut lend themselves to a "one-album-a-day" listening experience. Every song on "The Undertones" is bright, snappy, short and on the nose. They wear everything on their sleeves and don't need repeated listens to realise any hidden meanings or memorise subtle melodies. The whole album is done in less than half an hour in a sugar-rush of adolescent adrenaline. So it's easy to dismiss The Undertones' efforts here as throwaway, but there's great songcraft at work here. The guitar riffs in "I Gotta Getta" and "Family Entertainment" haven't dated at all in the forty-five subsequent years of alt-guitar rock, "Here Comes the Summer" and "Jimmy Jimmy" bounce by with such irrepressible energy, "Girls Don't Like It" and "I Know a Girl" boast instantly familiar melodies. Even "Casbah Rock", in 47 seconds, lodges itself in the listener's head and leaves a lasting impression as a closer. It's unmistakeably Ramones-esque in delivery and pace, but no complaints from me. Sometimes three chords are all you need, and The Undertones even have a bit of an edge with Feargal Sharkey's supple vocals, reaching towards a tenor range in the likes of "Billy's Third." Lighthearted, sure. Disposable, if you insist. But it's hard to argue with an album where nothing can be seen to outstay its welcome and every track gets the pulse racing.

Let's go baby. The drums on Family Entertainment is the big hook. A collection of grooving, uptempo old school Brit punk.

This is one of the reasons I come to this site! An amazing band I’ve never heard of, becoming something I want to listen to repeatedly

Pretty good album, never heard it before but enjoyed a lot of the songs, Teenage Kicks being the standout track.

Yeah, this one’s special.

We already had one Undertones album, two is probably unnecessary. But Teenage Kicks and Jimmy Jimmy are undeniably perfect. Enjoyed this way more than expected. Fergal Sharkey's voice is a bit marmite and I'm on the wrong side of that divide, but there's no denying the infectious energy. Interestingly and unusually for rock music, I think almost every song is in 2/4 time. In any event, all the same beat, and all the song lyrics are variations on either "it's not fair, he's got more than me" or "it's not fair, she doesn't love me" but nevertheless I still loved it. Avoided this sort of stuff like the plague in the 70s (along with all punk/new wave) but happy to discover I was wrong.

New heard of this band in my life. Pretty cool stuff! I like the guitar interplay. So many times, when I try to listen to punk/post-punk bands like this, I get two songs into the record and decide it's too one-dimensional. Obviously, this 1001 Records exercise doesn't allow me to abandon ship. But I also don't think I would have bailed if I had the option.

I mean, okay. It's fine. Solid punk album. One of (too) many solid punk albums on this list.

Hressandi. En Teenage Kicks alveg langbesta lagið með yfirburðum.

Ekkert leiðinleg þannig, en myndi sennilega aldrei setja hana á fóninn ef ég gæti valið

Uninspiring (and eclipsed by better performers in the genre)

Pop-punk för boomers, bra

Jag ville verkligen inte tycka om detta. Och för det mesta hade jag rätt (såklart, för jag känner mig själv efter 26 år på denna planet). Men ibland, när jag zoonade ut och fokuserade på annat, insåg jag att. ja. det är ändå lite bra.

upbeat, early punk. More poppy with a touch more 60s garage rock than the Sex Pistols but clearly of the same era. Was obviously familiar with "Teenage Kicks" but didn't know any of the other stuff.

It was a good boppy pop punk album that really showcased the youth of the time. Best: Teenage Kicks Worst: I know a Girl Note: Listened to the 2016 remastered version on Spotify to avoid the anniversary edition.

albums from the 70s are either wild and make no sense or just the band having pure fun. This album from the undertones feels like they were just having pure fun in the studio and letting whatever happens happen..It's not a too bad album.

So many short and fun songs. It is hard to choose my favourite songs out of so many songs. But it’s a great album, fun to listen to with the strange and funny lyrics. Favourite songs: - Teenage kicks - Get over you - Here comes the summer

Not as big a fan as I probably should have been.

Solid pink, amazing vocals

Ces gars-là réussissent à peu près à se démarquer de leurs collègues punks aux intuitions musicales dégueulasses. Encore un petit effort...

Ce style musical est toujours aussi usant mentalement, nous enchaînant la gueule de titres très courts tous similaires les uns aux autres. A la suite de cette grande épreuve psychologique, j'accorde la note de 3/5.

a mix between punk and rock with a clear irish sound it doesn't seem to bore

Not my style

I like the Undertones but I'm not able to give them a top rating as their music and lyrics are fairly simple.

Some classic tracks and it still sounds youthful and fresh. I liked it more than I'd expected I might. Some of the lyrics haven't aged that well though.

this stuck out to me. enjoyed many of the songs.

Of course I know the hits but first time listening to an album. I love punk but generally not the classic stuff. This is better than average though and reminds me of The Dead Kennedys.

Very much a sound of its times. Got repetitive pretty quickly.

Enjoyable early popunk

16 tracks? I don’t want the deluxe version, I thought. But wait! This is the original version! This will take ages to listen to. But wait again! The album clocks in at a concise 35 minutes! Now that’s an album that breaks down the door, pushes you about for a bit and then gets the hell out of there! Punky, prickly, full of teenage hormones (Teenage Kicks a perfect pop song?), high energy, a really enjoyable album.

Intolerably boring. Obviously, I'm not the biggest fan of punk. I've heard more unpleasant noises, but never such boring noise. By the second half of the album, I couldn't even get through most of the songs. The Ramones at least had the decency to impart enough "oomph" that you'd have something to listen to, love it or hate it.

Wow!! Great candy pop punk!! Reminds me of the Ramones but more joyfull and "Beatlesque". Will indefinitely stay in my playlist!