Hypnotised
The Undertones
1980
Album Summary
Hypnotised is a 1980 album released by The Undertones. The album, the second of four released by the band, was recorded at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands in December 1979, and at Eden Studios in London in January 1980, with the majority of the songs to appear on the album being written between March and December 1979. In addition, although the primary lyrical concern of the songs upon this album focused upon teenage angst, boisterousness, and heartbreak (as had been the case with their debut album), several of the songs upon Hypnotised are notably both lyrically and musically more sophisticated than material released upon The Undertones.Produced by Roger Bechirian between December 1979 and January 1980, Hypnotised was released on 21 April 1980, reaching number 6 in the UK Albums Charts and making Hypnotised the highest-charting album of their career. The original release of Hypnotised included two singles: "My Perfect Cousin", which was released on 28 March 1980 and reached number 9 in the charts; and "Wednesday Week", released on 5 July 1980 and which charted at number 11 three weeks later.
WikipediaThe vocal tone is killer. I'm digging the bass work. There Goes Norman is a bop! Man, I am having a lot of fun listening to this album.
And this is exactly why I wanted to join this group. Why have I never heard of these guys? And I'm from Canada where we love everything from the UK (apparently). UK music gets plenty of airtime. I've been going through 90's rock recently discovering some of the pioneering UK bands from that era (that are excellent) and I'd put these guys in that mix for 70's-80's punk. Just as good as any Ramones album. Loved it all - and now I've got a band to go listen to more of.
Just a solid punk album. I really enjoyed it. There wasn't much that stood out but it was fun. The lyrics didn't take themselves seriously, the tracks were full of energy, and the production was solid but not polished (which is proper for punk). I liked it.
Hypnotised is dumb pop-punk fun from a band that seems smart enough to see the value in such a thing. The melodies and riffs are catchy, and while it's far from a unique sound (even the vocalist's almost-bleating style reminded me of Roxy Music on occasion), I figured it was from further on in the 80s than it was. I feel like I'm getting an incomplete picture going into it blind given that there appears to be a theme of avoiding a sophomore slump for this second album, but the band feels genuine in their insecurities, making the irony of a track like "More Songs About Chocolate and Girls" come off less smug than it may be coming from another group. Cutting a track or two would probably make for a more enjoyable complete listen, but if I was thumbing through the soundtrack menu of a late-era Tony Hawk game, where this music sounds like it belongs, I wouldn't toggle any of them off. Key Tracks: Here Comes Norman, Under the Boardwalk, Hard Luck
Die 2. Platte der Undertones in dieser Liste. Leute: die Undertones sind gar nicht mal so gut! 0 Platten der Undertones wäre angebrachter. Kann ich nicht durchhören.
Love it! Even moreso than their last album we received. Simple pop punk with dumb (but aware) lyrics. Great fun! Top Tracks : “Hypnotised” “Whats With Terry?” “There Goes Norman”
I love punk, by which I mean the 70s' variant, not Green Day and their ilk. In fact, the music I was weaned on was punk; my brother is 15 years older than me, so I got all his old punk LPs in the 90s. Anyway, depite that, I have never liked the song Teenage Kicks; I found it mawkish and overplayed. It still never really appealed even after I realised it was about wanking. Nevertheless, I lsitened to listen without prejudice and I loved it! The Undertones were really a great adolescent band, and this album showed a slight addition of postpunk jerkiness. Above all, this album is fun, unalloyed joy. What else do you want?
A great album that reminds me of a better time in music when things were not afraid to be original
The first four Undertones albums are all great (same goes for Skids - not sure if their albums are also on the list but they should). I probably have listened to Hypnotized the most, nonstop catchy pop punk songs.
I love The Undertones' self titled, but I don't return to this one as much. Still, it's a great album. Maybe closer to 4.5, but I always round up and I've had so many bad albums recently.
Really good. Unmistakably The Undertones. Not as snarky as Sharkey often is. Wednesday Week is the clear stand out track from this album.
How have I've only just discovered the Undertones' Hypnotised album? I can't remember having this much fun listening to an album in a long time. And only 40 years too late! Is this the best album ever made? Absolutely not. But this proto poppunk makes me want to move and makes an bop my head. 4,5*
Really had a fun time listening, but need to revisit to distinguish more songs since the sound was so cohesive it all blended together.
nice upbeat punk album that has lyrically a lot of content to add that might be lacking in other albums in the genre
Fun album. The music was good but the songs all sounded the same. I liked it overall.
Really fun album. Enjoyed the energy and that is was punk that’s only significant quality musically was being loud. Favorite Tracks: “More Songs About Chocolate and Girls” and “See That Girl”
Maybe it’s the crappy music I’ve gotten all week making me biased, but this album IS GREAT. Just some northern Irish blokes having a laugh
Este género rockero sí me gusta, jaja. Ya es como rock con algo de punk y pues el sonido del rock pop. El disco: ligero, fluye, rápido, ritmos ágiles, definitivamente su teenage angst me da para creer que ojalá lo hubiera escuchado justo en la etapa adolescente. No conocía ni sabía de The Undertones. Mis pistas favoritas: "Hypnotised", "Hard Luck", "My Perfect Cousin", "Tearproof" y, en primer lugar, "Wednesday Week", con una forma de arrastrar (?) las vocales que siempre me gusta. 9/10
Divertido, energético, vibras veraniegas, pero no sé si me atrapa lo suficiente para volver a escucharlo. Lo que sí puedo apreciar y agradecer del disco es que la corta duración de sus canciones hacen del disco más llevadero a pesar de que son 18 pistas. Ancestro de Vampire Weekend y ese tipo de banditas? Track favorito: Hard luck (again) B side porque es como un buen logro del copy paste dejando solo lo chido de la canción original Mood: chillin' an' killin'
Have never heard anything from them before but loved it! A fun easy listen in the early days of the Pop Punk sound. 1) More Songs About Chocolate And Girls 4* 2) Thee Goes Norman 4* 3) Hypnotised 4* 4) See That Girl 3* 5) Whizz Kids 3* 6) Under The Boardwalk 4* 7) The Way Girls Talk 3* 8) Hard Luck 3* 9) My Perfect Cousin 4* 10) Boys Will Be Boys 4* 11) Tearproof 3* 12) Wednesday Week 4* 13) Nine Times Out Of Ten 4* 14) Girls That Don't Talk 4* 15) What's With Terry 4*
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.
Album kind slaps I'll be honest. It gives me hard anemoia vibes. Like I feel really heavy nostalgia for the time period this album evokes. These like 1980's finding love for the first time next to a beach in the sun. It's pretty cool. It doesn't feel dated like most of the other albums I've listened to. At least not in bad cheesy way. But there is definitely some cheese in there.
Good solid punk album. The vocals started to grate on me after a while, though. Standout tracks for me: “There Goes Norman” and “Under The Boardwalk.”
Yet again, I am my parents child. I really enjoyed this album and have been singing My Perfect Cousin ever since. Very much seems like an influence of T-Rextasy who I would kill to watch at the Empty Bottle again.
This was a nice surprise and quite suitable for me as it was not too raw Post-Punk. Still melodic music, singing was also actual singing so this deserves a 4
Great album! Everything I love: punk guitar riffs, simple song structures, catchy choruses, and an overall fun experience.
This is kind of a weird album. The music is great and well-produced. Their voices are a bit grating, and their lyrics leave a lot to be desired. Overall it's a pretty interesting listen, but it kind of feels like the music is being wasted a bit by not having better vocal accompaniment 4/5, though very far on the low end of 4
This album is 100% fun to borrow from Matthew Sweet. This is pop punk at its best. Fearful Sharkeys voice gives the album a note of whimsy, but the chorus are as tough and ucompriing, 3 75 stars
A bit on the bizarre sounding side, but it's upbeat and fun. Solidly 3.5+, so we'll call it a 4.
Tolles Album. Hat mich an die Replacements erinnert. Der Sänger trällert manchmal wie Jello Biafra. Schön!
This was really fun and a good indicator of what PopPunk should be. A fun little tidbit about this band, they're from Derry, Northern Ireland and were popular during 'The Troubles'. I highly recommend the Netflix series 'Derry Girls' which takes place at the same time and gives a visual to what it was like being young during this period.
This was a straightforward but fun punk rock album that could grow on me even more with repeated listens.
I wish I had known about this kind of music when I was in high school and it was brand new. Who knows, maybe I would have rejected it because it wasn't the classic rock that I was passionate about, but man I really like it now. I guess I was vaguely aware of bands like the Clash and the Sex Pistols, but punk and post-punk largely escaped my attention. It would have been great to see some of these bands live. In any case, I liked this a lot. I've heard a couple songs by the Undertones, but most of this was new to me. 4 stars.
The Undertones are more of a singles band than an album band, imo. But this album does have one of the classic singles on it. Not just by them, but of all time. My Perfect Cousin and Wednesday Week are excellent examples of punk pop perfection, both in the lyrics and the melody. Great version of ‘Boardwalk’, too. Some of the album is a bit filler, but I love this band, and album, for proving that punk didn’t always have to take itself too seriously.
Super fun. Like a punkier and less mature Squeeze. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Has to be one of the daftest album covers of all time, but I can't help but like that too.
Just good clean fun, with a smart dash of self awareness that isn’t allowed to rise to such a level as to overshadow the intent. A little lightweight, but when it’s so clearly and deteriminedly by design, is that really a minus?
If this is punk, it's definitely one of the best I've heard. I had fun listening to it
Good garage rock. Not really punk, none of the anti-establishment content that marks punk out from the rest, and technically too smooth. Feargal Sharkey had a unique voice, that makes them unmistakable.
notes - cool delivery and style from the singer - most songs are under 3 mins, get in and get out - i like the cover art - i had head “my perfect cousin” at a store and it made me laugh, didnt know who it was until now fav song - hypnotised - cool guitar part, catchy chorus, lots of energy in the vocals least fav - whizz kids - felt like a bit of a by-the-numbers punk song album won me over more as it went on 4/5
Not too sure about the lyrics/subject matter of the songs, as I was doing dishes and making dinner while listening, but it was pretty darn catchy.
Simple and energetic pop punk from 1980. Very cool! I have only one issue with such albums - there's like 50 songs on it and they all sound very much alike. Hard to really pick something out of it as a result. Still, the album is very consistent throughout its entire duration (pretty short) and is packed with cool hooks. The instrumentals, production, lyrics - all of that is simple and just stands out of the way of pure fun coming from listening to this record. Plus, this is a great album to listen to while driving! Favorites: There Goes Norman, See That Girl (with a bit of a 60s parapapa in the background), Under The Boardwalk, Wednesday Week (totally sounds like a Beatles song) 4/5
Great album, but albums were not primarily where the Undertones were at imo. Peerless with the 3 minute 45rpm, with Teenage Kicks being in my all time top ten singles. On this album we have two absolute classics - My Perfect Cousin and Wednesday Week
bello, putroppo l'ho ascoltato veloce perche' e' un periodo che no trovavo le cuffie e devo recuperare
Loved this album, just bop after bop. Favourite tracks (in no particular order): Under the Boardwalk, My Perfect Cousin, What's With Terry, There Goes Norman, and Boys Will Be Boys. 4.5
Just about every song had a really catchy hook, with solid british rock vocals. About every song had the name of the song as part of their hook. All instrumentals were really solid, and could be listened to by themselves. There are a few songs in there that did not have much in terms of lyrics other than the hook. I liked this album more than I thought I would.
Standard stuff. Maybe if I was a teenager in 1980 this would be exciting for me, but I’m not so it ain’t.
Pretty good album. Nice riffs, cool bass. Everything is good but nothing mind blowing 3.5
Some cracking tracks, always really good snappy hooks. But quite a lot of filler tracks that sound like a 14 year old wrote them. And what were they thinking with the under the board walk cover...told you so, my perfect cousin, there goes Norman are the standouts
Great album. Didn't know two goofy-ass looking dudes could drop such great music. Excellent, fun rock-n-roll, the way it's meant to be played.
I had to remind myself whether I actually listened to this yesterday, so i guess that says it all. Its not bad, just sort of forgettable.
It's a fine album, but I really don't see why it was included on the list.
I was only able to listen to about half of this, but the stuff I did listen to was a solid fine
1980, Punk Rock, Pop Punk, anders als Pop Punk heute, nicht mehr als eine 3
Simple punk rock and a little bit of pop album, liked it but nothing special, only the vocals stood out
never heard of these dudes before. They sound kind of like pansy division. Fun light hearted punk. Doesn't feel like "before you die" music, but an enjoyable listen.
This album is strange because sometimes it sounds like a bad Beatles imitation and sometimes it remembers me something of green day in their good days. At least, is a curious album
Wyspiarskie nowosci z lat 80, i to nawet nie brytyjskie, bo z peryferii polnocnej irlandii, herb Derry to prawdziwy majstersztyk herbownictwa, granie rokowo punkowe lub raczej post punkowe, pierwszy albumik z jajowymi lirykami, moze nie jest to poziom parodii Yankovica, ale mozna autentycznie sie posmiac sluchajac albumika, a to na tej liscie prawdziwa nowosc, o ile punk zazwyczaj kojarzy sie z agresja buntem szybkim lub krotkim zyciem lub niezyciem, a tutaj za pomoca ironii lirycznej wartosci normikowe sa wystawione na przesmiew, zadziwijaco zrozumiale spiewane jak na irlandzkie glosy, co do wokalu to jest on podobny do jednego z beatelsow, strzelam ze mlody Lennon, czesto wystepuja chorki nie tylko spiewane, ale tworzace dzwieki wszelaki, na plejaka wrzucam piosenke o wybitnie utalentyowanym kuzynie, bo kazdy chyba mial takiego, my perfect cousin oraz o niezby atrakcyjnych paniach, czyli whats with terry
This was a good album. Nice to hear punk ditties with accomplished musicians. Well produced and does well to conjure an image of how young lads think. Loses a star for terrible under the boardwalk cover
No teenage kicks but some fun tunes, especially the first half of the album
This was a decent album but not one I’d really return to all that much. Shades of Arctic Monkeys in there at times.
Finally some punk! I'm familiar with their first album ("Teenage Kicks" era), but never went any further. The first album is a decent early example of pop punk, with some of the sneering energy of punk mapped onto catchy songs about girls. I'm not a huge fan of the band, but I can see why that one made the 1001 list. This follow-up album has a more precise, controlled sound with less punk edge - so it's crossing further into "power pop", and parts of it have a hint of retro 1960s pop rock. It's pretty competently done, and I quite like the singers voice, which has a slight vibrato when he occasionally holds a note. However, the song writing is boring and the tracks get samey. I've never massively liked the first album, and I like this one a little less. From Buzzcocks to The Jam, there are so many bands that do a similar thing much better. Even staying in Northern Ireland, Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material (1979) would be more deserving of a place on the list. So to me, it's unfathomable that The Undertones get two spots on the 1001 list. Presumably just because John Peel liked them.
As a prime example of more approachable punk music that would lay a template for future pop-punk and ska revivals. The Undertones even bring in covers of classic stand-by's, a hallmark of the genre.
This has a Dead Kennedys meets a new wave Beatles sort of vibe. Nothing really stood out to me. I do appreciate the Northern Ireland representation :D
overall thoughts: there were like a couple songs I could maybe come back to like hypnotised, hard luck, & wednesday week. I like the high energy kinda punk vibe to their sound, tho not too crazy bout the lyrics. pretty silly vibe to their writing & very high-schooley if that's a word lmao. OK album, don't think it's trash tho just not my cup of tea. I give it a 3/5.
Brand spanking new to me. Never heard of the band, the album, the lobster bibs until this very moment. Enjoyable, warrants repeat listens. Nice "Under The Boardwalk" cover. Good power pop, similar to "Get The Knack" by the Knack and some of the better songs by The Raspberries (speaking of which, looking for both on the list).
Better than I expected. Ended up enjoying this a reasonable amount, though I probably won't be itching to listen to it again any time soon.
cool upbeat punk album, but got a bit boring because all the songs sounded the same.
Eh, it was a fun album, but there wasn't much about it that sounded different than any other punk band (including contemporaries). I hear that later albums branched out a bit more, but I haven't gotten a chance to listen to those albums. I'd say 2.5 rounded up to a 3.
It's pretty bland but not an unpleasant listen. A pretty generous 3 mics, might've been a 2 on a bad day. Under the Boardwalk is the highlight.
I think it's a high 3. Standout being My Perfect Cousin, as the "I've heard this one a million times" if this album. Generally pleasant but not banging enough to earn a 4, but just misses.
I like this one quite a bit. Maybe my favorite of the punk records that we've had on the list so far. The vocals are fun, the riffs and melodies are consistently pretty good. I didn't pull too many tracks away, but as an album it definitely works well. Favorite tracks: The Way Girls Walk, There Goes Norman, Wednesday Week. Album art: Hilarious. Two cheeky lads at Red Lobster? Smile for the camera, mum wants to snag a pic. 3.5/5
This was an unexpectedly fun album! Saved the first song and under the board walk which I swear I’ve heard before somewhere. Just your classic British rock album but it was short and sweet.
Not a style that I think I need to listen to do before I die. 80s punk - music is simplistic and predictable. listening to the one album is enough for me.
I really enjoyed this one. Odd that they keep referencing Teenage Kicks in other songs though (or am I imagining this?).
There’s nothing as good as Teenage Kicks on here, or anything that stands out as a ‘must hear’. It’s not bad though. Most memorable moment: “He thinks that I'm a cabbage / 'cause I hate University Challenge”
I don't remember if I'd ever heard this band, but I do remember a Feargal Sharkey (how do you forget that name?) video or two from the 80s. The music here is simple fun punk-pop, although to be fair, I'm not sure exactly why it's on the 1001 list as it seems nothing special (not a criticism actually). But points for the accessible simplicity and maybe I'm also enjoying it as it came up for me at the right time after a run of terrible albums lately; it's nice to hear some simple short melodic head boppers. Sharkey's odd wavering voice can start to get a little abrasive at times but after hearing Ministry and Lou Reed this week he sounds like Freddie Mercury in comparison. Not a keeper but I'd probably never turn it off if I heard it again. 6/10 3 stars
i thought it was a fun little bop! i liked a shortness of the songs and they were just fun. it wasn’t amazing but i really just liked the beat
I mean...it was okay but I didn't love it. A couple enjoyable tracks but probably wouldn't re-listen to the entire album. Fave track: Whizz Kids
Clearly The Undertones. Such a distinctive vocal. Was alright but I don’t need to hear again. 3*
21 sons pour 51 minutes de musique, le ton était donné d'entrée: nous avons bien affaire a un album de punk. Mais a ma grande surprise, ce dernier n'etait pas asbsolument dégueulasse comme tous ses petits camarades, réussissant à se hisser au rang d'audible. Un bien beau pied de nez a toute la classe de Terminale Punk.
L'hypnose est une discipline que ces escrocs semblent maîtriser puisque c'est la première fois que je m'abstiens de dégueuler pendant un album de punk.
Bouncy light 80’s punk. Easy to listen to but nothing really grabbed me.
Decent enough punk album but it doesn't really do anything particularly notable or exciting for me.
The Undertones - Hypnotised (27/02) Tearproof Your meal is served, Bon Appetit. Don't look right onto it, you'll lose your complex of sense and probably all things went wrong after that. You're on a holiday, you pack your things, get in the car and go on a road trip, you got a lot of albums in the beginning of the decade (1980), you can hardly choose, but this one in particular took your attention. As the trees go behind, the horizon gets closer and wider, the songs grow well during your trip. The thing is: probably the album would play a few more times and if you are too focused with your eyes open, you wouldn't even notice the album on repeat. C
This is an all around great fun, garage-punk record, although I remember their first one being slightly better. It all begins with the ska-punk More Songs About Chocolate And Girls. And, hey! Did they change the lyrics to Under The Boardwalk? Doesn't Hard Luck sound like Cheap Trick? Girls That Don't Talk has that British punk rock swagger (It's funny that he's bothered by the way girls talk and also by the girls that don't talk!), same as My Perfect Cousin (which might as well be my favourite one in here, it's just perfect for a pillow battle) and Whizz Kids, which also reminds me of the Ramones. Tearproof has that nervous sound, a bit like early Talking Heads. I guess Wednesday Week was supposed to be a ballad, which is really not. So yup. A youthful, lots of fun album.
Boardwalk is a far better cover than Bruce Willis‘s effort. I’ve always loved Wednesday Week.
Yet ANOTHER 70's/80's punk album. A bit more musicality and not quite as repetitive as some of the other 658 punk albums that are being recommended here. It's fine, but nothing really standing out to me in any way.
I'm not too into this Pop Punk sound, but live drunk in a bar I'd prob fuckin love it. Under the Boardwalk was a nice throwback sound though.
It's weird how much the lead singer sounds like Michael Stipe from REM... I wish I could put that aside but it's hard to. I can appreciate that this might have had a major influence because there is a LOT of stuff that came after it that sounds like it. In spite of that, I just don't like it.
Feargal Sharkey fer í taugarnar á mér. En þetta er alveg þokkalegt samt.
Une fois qu'on passe par dessus le tremolo de la voix (je pense particulièrement à See That Girl), on a quand même des riffs intéressants (particulièrement Hard Luck, Boys Will Be Boys et Grils That Don't Talk). On est dans un punk rock, voir plus un rock avec une légère attitude punk, comme on pouvait en retrouver dans des bands garages des années 60. On est dans la veine des Ramones et des Buzzcocks même si ces deux sont plus intéressant. Il y a aussi des sonorités qui rappellent les Sex Pistols, mais ça s'arrête aux sonorités. Les paroles sont dans des thèmes qui touchent la jeunesse. J'aime les backs vocaux dans Whizz Kids et plusieurs autres pièces. Par contre je l'admet, Under the Boardwalk est mauvaise. Si ce n'était pas de la voix, je crois que je reviendrais plus régulièrement à cet album. À voir sur d'autres albums si c'est moins pire.
Not quite as good as the self-titled but still a pretty solid punk album
Okay… The album starts with the song more songs about chocolate and girls, It’s a kinda interesting song I think it’s meant to be poking fun of the music at the time which is cool. The only thing is the transition from verse to chorus isn’t very good. Then is there goes Norman and it’s about … a creep. The song is surprisingly not that bad though. Then is the album’s title track it’s alright, the verses sound quite cool on the guitar department but the chorus really isn’t that great. See that girl is next, it’s one of the poppier of pop punk. Sonically, it slows the pace down and really works well here, yeah this one’s good. Whizz kids, is well a whizz of a song, fast paced with poppy yet aggressive guitars it’s a good stomper but not a favourite. Under the boardwalk is a cover of a song by the drifters. I must admit I don’t know the song but it’s still a great song, a poppy track with a nice stomping chorus. The penultimate track on side one the way girls talk is by far the album’s slowest and poppiest so far, yeah I really like it to be fair. Side one ends on hard luck, it’s good but the slow building into of stomping drums and thundering guitars is the best bit of the song. Side two starts with my perfect cousin, definitely a punk track, I like this one kinda reminds me of my own cousin. Carrying on with the punk spirit is boys will be boys, only just over a minute fairly heavy and aggressive it’s alright. It flows perfectly into the stomping bass of tearproof, sadly the bass goes into the background as that was the most unique part still okay though. Wednesday week is very poppy compared to the last songs, it’s the only acoustic track on it so far making it a real stand out good song! Nine times out of ten is okay a much slower guitar song. I just kinda wish the vocals went through the whole of the song. I don’t know why but the guitars on girls that don’t talk somehow really appeal to me it feels like a throwback to the first song with the drums just randomly shooting in at the chorus. What’s with Terry kinda tricks the listener into thinking that the song will be soft and acoustic only to reveal itself as a very good pop punk track. Just not a brilliant album closer. Yeah I liked it more than I thought to be honest, it’s just a hard album to really form many firm opinions on for some reason!
Quite accessible for being called the "Ramones from Ireland". (6/10) FT: My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week
That was far more enjoyable than I had expected. It was a little proto ska, punk, rock album