Hypnotised

Struggle to like The Undertones, between the dumbass themes and the singers bloody annoying voice, it's hard to like, a borderline ⭐⭐⭐

Man, this is dreary. It's so painfully 80s.

Decent pop punk album

Bad music all around. Was in a bad mood to start with and this made it worse. The weird ass album cover didn’t help any.

Jag gillar det instrumentella, däremot inte sången. Alla refränger består i princip endast av att sångaren upprepar titeln på låten. Det känns ganska omoget och effortless på ett dåligt sätt.

Mouais

38 minutes, 15 songs. Sweet vignettes of life in Ireland. Very little pomp or pretension.

3.5/5

There’s a huge amount of late seventies early eighties rock bands in this list. The Undertones are a welcome change of sound in a pretty monotomous and often poor era musically. The songs are upbeat, down to earth and mostly just fun.

Ég er afskaplega lítið pönk. Það eru einstaka lög sem ég fíla en flestöll lögin finnst mér ekkert spes og þessi plata inniheldur ekkert lag sem nær einhverju flugi.

I don’t know that I needed a second Undertones album, because it’s largely the same sort of perky teenage-energy power-pop-punk as the debut album, with, as the first track will tell you, more songs about chocolate and girls. But hey, I liked the first album, I liked this one, I’m not gonna complain too much. The adventures of Terry and his glasses he won’t wear were a treat of their own.

It’s ok

This was super annoying

This was pretty good but not particularly memorable for me. Toes the line between pop and alternative

New material for me and really enjoyed it - the only work I knew from these guys was “Teenage Kick” from their first album.

Iha jees perus rokkia. Ei mitään elämää suurempaa tai mullistavaa.

Good fun.

Not for me. Easily forgettable.

This was fine I guess? Punky ska but kinda goofy?

This just a has to be one of the creators favorite albums, no other explanation for this to be on the list.

Nice sound

Not bad but over the britpunk

lots of short punchy songs... but didn't quite get this. I would say that this should be on a list of 1001 concerts to see live. Clearly there is meaning and emotion behind the songs, but as an album its a bit repetitive and without live energy I don't think it translates.

Listening to this album reminded me why I loved new wave in the early ’80s. It was fun, lighthearted, simple, and easygoing, yet still captivating. It makes you want to dance—but with a smile on your face. This album won’t be one of my all-time favorites, but I’d happily listen to it again. 4/5

Aburrido, no encontré nada que me llamase la atención, ni en lo musical ni en lo lirico. Totalmente inofensivos.

Not my style, album felt a bit repetitive soundeise after the frist 3 songs, lyrics werent standing out at all. Extra star cause they are irish

Like a cross between Lemon demon and madness, it has that goofy bizzare vibe. wasnt a fan at first but honestly liked it a lot more than i was expecting. also i really like the chord progression where it sounds like the song is falling down the stairs, and this album uses a lot of that so bonus points (e.g., Hypnotised)

These guys went to the Boston Lobster Feast

Eh.

it's good, no one track stands out but as a whole it's a vibe

I've long said that Teenage Kicks is as close to perfect as a song can be, and a full record of similar tracks is fun. It's not going to be a record that changes your life, but sometimes we all just need a bit of pop-punk to let our hair down.

Fun and light-hearted.

Fun precursor to some of my favorite bands. But didn’t love the voice much

Not bad, but also not great

One of my current favorite songs has been 'Teenage Kicks' by The Undertones and I've always wanted to give their works a listen. This was my first chance and I quite enjoyed it. Some good proto pop punk fun, a short thrashing record that presents a good time throughout. Fav Songs Wednesday Week Hypnotised Girls That Don't Talk Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Yes. A great record in the post-punk/new wave genre that serves as a percussor to the pop-punk of the 90's. A good listen all round

There Goes Norman, Hypnotized 6.6/10

Música de garagem

Mostly gobble gook with a mix of a bad cover. Not for me.

*1980. Northern Ireland pop punk. *Unique mix of Beach Boys 60s and Ramones 70s. Like a pop punk version of The Monkees *Lots of short, catchy tunes. There Goes Norman is a total bop. *Fun cover of Under the Boardwalk, which is a little confusing since I can't imagine these Northern Ireland boys have any concept of that. *Definitely a strong 3 star album. RATING - 7/10

It's a hair below the quality of their debut, and largely of the same (on that note, why was this necessary)? Catchy, simple, power pop. Enjoyable, but neither groundbreaking nor at quite the same peak as its predecessor.

I always used to confuse this band with Ultravox and UB42 for some reason. Even now those 3 are intertwined in my mind, though none of them have anything in common save names starting with U. Anyway, I've never listened to a full LP from these guys, so I had no clue this was one of those dumb-but-we're-self-aware pop punk groups. Unfortunately, I can't say I like this kind of thing very much. The singer sounds like a cross between Jello Biafra and Joe Strummer, and the instrumentation is mostly restricted to a vaguely upbeat surf-rock sort of vibe. This is rather unremarkable pop-rock with some extra voltage pumped in, nothing less and certainly nothing more. You might enjoy it more than I did if you really like the early 80s new wave/pop rock sound, amped up to make it "punk."

Far from essential

S'il y a bien une chose qui m'agace profondément dans l'historiographie officielle du rock, c'est cette manie récurrente d'associer l'année 1980 à une longue dépression nerveuse collective. On nous rabâche les oreilles à longueur de temps avec le post-punk ténébreux, les lignes de basse sépulcrales, les manteaux noirs, la mélancolie poisseuse de la cold wave naissante ou le synth-pop froid comme un carreau de morgue. À écouter certains spécialistes autoproclamés, la jeunesse britannique de l'époque passait toutes ses journées enfermée dans des chambres sans fenêtre à contempler la pluie tomber en relisant des poètes maudits. C'est oublier un peu vite qu'à Derry, en Irlande du Nord, au beau milieu du marasme économique et de la violence quotidienne des Troubles, cinq gamins s'en contrefichaient royalement. Eux, leur truc, c'était les guitares électriques avec seulement trois accords, les coupes de cheveux improvisées, les barres chocolatées et les déboires d'adolescents boutonneux. En sortant Hypnotised au printemps 1980, The Undertones n'ont pas cherché à réinventer la roue, ni à donner des leçons de théorie politique aux esthètes de la presse londonienne. Ils ont simplement balancé trente minutes de jus pur fruit, une décharge de calories musicales brutes qui, aujourd'hui encore, fait l'effet d'un tir de sommation salvateur contre la morosité ambiante. On sous-estime souvent à quel point la voix de Feargal Sharkey demeure un OVNI absolu dans le paysage punk et new wave des années 1970 et 1980. Ce trémolo chevrotant, cette manière d'entonner chaque phrase comme s'il était constamment au bord de la crise d'hyperventilation ou menacé d'expulsion par son propriétaire, c'est la marque de fabrique du groupe. Là où la plupart des chanteurs punk britanniques de l'époque se croyaient obligés d'aboyer avec un accent travailliste surjoué pour faire « classe ouvrière », Sharkey injectait une ferveur presque soul, une détresse adolescente tellement sincère qu'elle en devenait immédiatement attachante. Derrière lui, la mécanique des frères John et Damian O'Neill à la guitare tournait comme un moteur de tondeuse à gazon suralimenté sec et nerveux. C'est cette alchimie entre une section rythmique d'une efficacité redoutable, des riffs appris sur le tas mais exécutés à deux cents à l'heure, et ce chant vibrionnant qui constitue tout le charme de la formation nord-irlandaise. Après un premier album éponyme sorti en 1979 qui avait posé des fondations impeccables — porté par ce bijou absolu qu'est Teenage Kicks —, le piège du fameux deuxième album attendait les Undertones au tournant. Beaucoup de groupes s'y sont cassé les dents, tétanisés par la pression des maisons de disques ou soudainement frappés d'une crise de maturité mal placée qui les poussait à intégrer des ballades pompeuses ou des sections de cuivres indigestes. Rien de tout cela ici. Sur Hypnotised, le groupe enfonce le clou avec une insolence rafraîchissante. Ils reprennent la même recette, mais en affinant légèrement les mélodies, en resserrant les boulons et en polissant un peu le son sans pour autant lui retirer ses arêtes coupantes. C'est de la pure pop déguisée en punk, ou du punk habillé par des amoureux transis de mélodies accrocheuses héritées des Sixties. Plutôt que de disséquer le disque morceau par morceau — ce qui serait le meilleur moyen d'en tuer la spontanéité —, il faut prendre Hypnotised pour ce qu'il est : un bloc de dynamite pop d'une demi-heure qui se consomme d'un trait et l'absence totale de prétention intellectuelle fait je l'avoue un bien fou. Alors que leurs contemporains écrivaient des pamphlets politiques ampoulés ou des textes existentialistes, les Undertones préféraient nous parler de la rivalité stupide avec ce cousin parfait que la famille nous donne constamment en exemple, des après-midi pluvieux passés à ne rien faire, des petites humiliations du quotidien et de la fascination pour les filles du quartier. On pourrait trouver cela futile, mais personnellement je trouve que faire de la pop-punk aussi joyeuse et enlevée dans le contexte sociopolitique de l'époque relevait d'un acte de résistance formidable. L'album enchaîne les titres à un rythme d'enfer, sans la moindre baisse de régime. Sur le plan de l'écriture, les frères O'Neill font preuve d'un sens de la formule mélodique remarquable. Ils possèdent cette science exacte du format court : savoir accélérer le tempo au bon moment, caler ce petit pont de guitare sautillant qui relance la dynamique, et faire durer un morceau deux minutes et demie — ni une seconde de plus, ni une seconde de moins. C'est l'artisanat de la chanson pop poussé à un niveau d'efficacité rare. La production, légèrement plus ronde et définie que sur leur premier opus, laisse respirer les guitares tout en conservant cet impact frontal. Ici, nous ne sommes pas là pour faire de la figuration ou pour flatter les oreilles des audiophiles avec des effets de studio alambiqués : c'est brut, direct, efficace et ça va droit au but. Pourquoi alors attribuer la note de 3 sur 5 à un disque dont je vante les mérites avec tant d'enthousiasme ? Tout simplement parce qu'il faut savoir garder la tête froide et faire preuve d'honnêteté. Hypnotised est un album extrêmement réjouissant, mais ce n'est pas non plus le chef-d'œuvre fondateur qui a bouleversé la face de la musique moderne. Au bout d'un certain temps, la formule montre ses limites naturelles. La structure des morceaux reste très similaire d'un bout à l'autre de la face A et de la face B, les sonorités varient peu, et l'effet de surprise crée par leur premier disque s'est fatalement estompé. Si l'on compare cet opus aux poids lourds de l'histoire du rock ou aux œuvres majeures de cette année 1980, il lui manque cette étincelle d'innovation radicale ou cette prise de risque artistique qui fait basculer un très bon album de genre dans la catégorie des monuments intemporels. Cette note de 3 sur 5 n'est aucunement une punition ou un jugement tiède. C'est la note attribuée au plaisir pur et à l'efficacité assumée. C'est le disque parfait que l'on sort un vendredi soir après une semaine harassante, quand on n'a absolument pas la tête à se plonger dans un album conceptuel de deux heures ou dans une œuvre expérimentale exigeante. Hypnotised remplit son contrat initial avec mention : il donne une énergie folle, remet les idées en place et donne envie de monter le volume à fond. C'est un travail conçu par des mecs qui jouaient avant tout pour s'amuser et faire bouger les copains dans les clubs de leur ville natale. Au final et plus de quatre décennies après sa sortie, Hypnotised reste le témoignage vibrant d'une époque où le rock savait encore être ludique sans être niais, simple sans être simpliste. The Undertones ont prouvé avec brio qu'on pouvait être issu d'un environnement marqué par la crise sans pour autant céder au cynisme ou à la dépression créative. C'est un disque fun, énergique et coloré, infusé d'une vitalité juvénile qui n'a pas pris une ride. Un album pop-punk fun qui nous offre une grande bouffée d'oxygène, à réécouter d'urgence pour se rappeler qu'il ne faut parfois rien de plus que trois accords et une voix chevrotante pour illuminer une journée.

Never heard of this band. Reminds me of The Monks (and I am assuming countless other bands of the era I am yet to discover). Lots of fun.

This 1980 album by Irish pop punk band Undertones album is great. It's good youthful fun with a 60s vibe! The singer Feargal Sharkey has an interesting voice and the band is talented and tight with a clean sound. All 15 short songs are solid. Favorites are There Goes Norman, See That Girl, Hard Luck, What's with Terry and their cover of Under the Boardwalk is good. I like them all.

80's British pop that came in at the very start of the decade, I was wondering where the synth was, but I guess it wasnt quite as prevalent yet. Its pretty serviceable pop rock but does little to stand out. If its a pioneer album I suppose they do a good job.

British pop punk that probably sounded pretty groovy and original at the time of its release

I really wanted to love Hypnotised, but it ultimately feels like the classic case of another post-punk band who hit the highs in an earlier album, and struggle to match that magic here. There are definitely some fun, bouncy moments here, but it lacks that raw, immediate punch I was looking for. Songs like "My Perfect Cousin" and "There Goes Norman" show they’ve still got a knack for catchy hooks, but a lot of the album just feels like polite, bubblegum pop that doesn't really go anywhere. My main issue is how uneven the whole thing is. Feargal Sharkey’s vibrato starts to get pretty grating after a while, and that "Under the Boardwalk" cover is a totally unnecessary skip.

I like the vocalist

great early punk, almost feels like the roots for late 90s/early-2000s pop punk

What a fun album! Don't expect anything deep here. It's Irish pop-punk, just a little too poppy and sounding almost like Jello Biafra with that vibrato. Like.. We know you were trained to sing by your primary education. It's all good. The songs are fun and silly, just slice of life stuff. Love and longing. I feel bad for Terry, though. Not essential, but fun. I'm glad it's on the list, but I definitely didn't NEED to hear it. My Rating: 3/5

Two Undertones albums? Surprised by that. Not complaining mind. It’s as many say, fun. The image of a group of lads forming a band and having fun making music. And rather than lean into the political troubles surrounding they looked instead into being young. Sure the lyrics are somewhat juvenile, but isn’t that the whole point. Music can be many things, and young and energetic with your view of the world in that moment in time being one, just as valid as the most contemplative and considered one. It's a palette cleanser, even the rough as arse cover, pop- punk. 4 Star.

Liked this a great deal more than I thought I would. Ahead of its time pop-punk/ska.

Very poppy. Very good fun. Nothing about this is complicated or even surprising, but it's a great way to spend an hour.

meh

Fun. Started grabbing their other stuff and the performers projects form after.

we get a lot of these pop punk new wave albums on the list that it just feels like "oh yay here's another one, i sure wonder what is different about this one". and this one doesn't really do anything special. it does the normal well, and i didn't mind listening to it, but what's the value of these albums.

Completely forgot that I have already listened to an album by them; otherwise, it's a nice punk album that is entertaining enough so I don't get bored, but nothing particularly groundbreaking. It's like that one Minutemen album, "Double Nickels on the Dime", without the bad or incredible tracks but only the average tracks.

british voice

Some fun early ska/punk vibes.

eher nicht, sehr minimalistisches gelärme.

Wow, wieder einmal ein Album das gefällt aber mir noch nicht bekannt war.

British punk rock. Fresh!

I really like Hyponotised. Its like a 4 star album Under the board walk is good. I like how upbeat the songs are. I like hard luck. Actually might a be a 5 star albumn. I really like i told u so. I really like Teenage kicks. Side note. Also did not realise that One way or another by 1D used Teenage kicks

Fun little album. Not one to take very seriously. Also, the album cover looks like it could’ve been taken yesterday even though it’s from over 40 years ago.

not interesting

Mucho que decir no tengo. Estuvo bueno.

My Perfect Cousin Wednesday Week

Great, underrated punk!

I would give it a 2 but it’s catchy enough to listen to and it made me laugh so why not

This was great! A great find through this excercise. I immediately put their album on my listen list. At times it sounded as if the Beatles had moved into a different genre.

Sounds like if Elvis Costello tried to make a punk album.

proto-weezer esqu, fascinating sound.

Enjoyed it well enough

Their cover of "Under the Boardwalk" is pretty badass, totally flipping the original into something completely unexpected. But honestly, I didn't enjoy this album nearly as much as I did their self-titled record when I listened to it last year. That debut just had a raw, lightning-in-a-bottle energy that this one struggles to replicate. Here, the band leans a bit further into a cleaner pop-punk sound, which takes away some of that sharp, dangerous edge that made them stand out in the first place. Damian O'Neill's guitar work still has some great, buzzing moments, and John O'Neill knows how to write a catchy three-minute tune. Tracks like "My Perfect Cousin" have a fun, bouncy energy, but a lot of the other deep cuts feel like they're just spinning their wheels.

This is unc music critic slop, they only like it because it's UK post punk from the 80s

Great pop-punk, proving 'Teenage Kicks' wasn't a one-off.

A fun album I wasn't familiar with. Not sure if I'll go back to it but it was a good afternoon listen.

This is probably really closer to a 3 but I'm having a bit of punk overload right now. This is just not my genre because I find myself scoffing at this album because it doesn't seem ambitious enough, even though I truly hate ambitious punk to my bones.

Pretty middle of the road but I'm a sucker for the pop punk sound. Shoutout Derry

This started as a decent pop punk album, but became mushy and one-note after the first few songs. Still fun, but dropped to a 2.5

This was fine, but kinda underwhelming.

Singer’s voice sounds like Geddy Lee; but I hate Geddy Lee’s voice. Otherwise they’re kind of Ireland’s answer to the Ramone’s. And I like the Ramones. I’ll be generous and give it a 3, but barely.

Even in punks first generation - people were insistsnt on taking the edge off of it and falling back to pop sensibilities. The Undertones manage this rather tastefully - but part of me can't help but compare it to it's not-so-distant relative pop punk, which I belive to be an overall blemish on the genre. With that being said - this record isn't all too bad. It's got some fun tracks - just goes on maybe a slight too long.

De tweede plaat van een punkband, daar gaan we weer. Niet écht meer punk. Zelfs de pubers van the Undertones werden een beetje volwassener. Al is Hypnotised nog opgenomen in 1979, klinkt het allemaal al iets doordachter en beter uitgewerkt. Dat is natuurlijk oke, het is een erg vermakelijke plaat met lekkere poppunk tracks. De vibrato die hij in zijn stem heeft geïntroduceerd verbaasd me daarom wel des te meer. Die zit in Under the Boardwalk heel duidelijk (wat een slechte cover) maar past hij ook toe in andere nummers als hij een toon langer vasthoudt. Het klinkt bedacht en is gek als hij het continu toepast. En als je het eenmaal hoort ... Dat is maar een klein puntje in een verder leuk album maar voor mij het echte knalwerk wel op ontbreekt. 7,5/10 Highlights My perfect cousin Hypnotised Tearproof

This album is pretty good. Best song was a cover, but still OK. I'll say a 3.

Yea not bad! Pretty fun

These guys are pretty fun - easy peasy punky rocky.

eh. okay, i guess

Was never going to reach the heights of the debut but difficult 2nd. album nailed. Some good tunes on here.

7/10 Very good, as expected

3.35 for The Undertones. I appreciate the short song length and undertones of punk, maybe early post punk, but more along the lines of pop punk? I'm intrigued and would like to hear more from them. Their cover of Under the Boardwalk was fun. Winners: There Goes Norman More Songs about Chocolate and Girls Boys Will Be Boys Girls That Don't Talk

3 - decent

Entertaining. Might be a tad long.

I like one song from the Undertones and after listening to this album, I still only like one song from the Undertones.

It was meh

Не знаю що написати. Просто не надто цікавий панк. Оцінка: середня-висока 4

Blind album and artist. I liked some of the less punk-like songs. More alternative or post punk more than punk tracks.

Probably sounded good in 1980. Sounds like like very safe punk, or a more punky power pop. It's pretty light and non-threatening, which is fine. Like, it's good to not be threatening as a person or a group of people, like totally preferred honestly. But when your music is loudly advertising just how utterly non-threatening you are, I don't know...it gives nice guy vibes. This is like nice guy music for dudes in the early 80s. It's like The Jam but super-sterilized. Not even sure why it's here. Quite forgettable.

A vast improvement from the debut album I listened to a few weeks ago. The lyrics were still a little childish and silly but the songs themselves were structured a lot better and had a bit more going for it instrumentally. Same with my previous review just good dumb fun but also slightly more interesting to listen too

I’m rather mind boggled by all the reviews complaining that Feargal Sharkey ripped off Jello Biafra. Apart from the fact that the Kennedys had released one single before the release of this The Undertones’s second album, Feargal Sharkey sings with a Northern Irish accent! The subject matter is very different Dead Kennedys are angry and political whilst the Undertones tell story’s of teenage life. That’s a very important function of rock bands - youngsters singing about the teenage experience. There’s only a short window of opportunity for that The Undertones are masters at that (see also early Ash - is it a Northern Ireland thing?). It feels like revisionists are trying to exclude the cannon of great rock because they were better singles bands than album bands. Calling them pop punk like they’re Green Day or Busted. But there’s more to life than the earnestness of the Clash. And documenting people’s lives is a function of art. Ironically, Feargal has turned out to be a more effective political campaigner than Jello or Joe.

Mediocre vocals sent this one down. Listenable but not enjoyable.

Early Brit-punk album that never really got off the ground for me. Some okay songs and doesn't drag on, but failed to capture my interest for more than a few moments at a time. Top tracks: Wednesday Week

Aika tosi ärsyttäviä renkutuksia koko albumi.

Quite liked this upbeat early punk.

Catchy in moments, full of energy - just lacking a certain something

Too close to Dead Kennedy's but not near as good

Tytöt sitä tytöt tätä yap yap yap. Ei mun juttu. Mutta ei mahoton.

Divertido, canciones cortas que se agradecen.

Hyväntuulista punkki-ilakointia. Tuntu että mitä oudompi biisi sen enemmän tykkäsin. Kokonaisuus oli ilahduttava ja Tidalista löytyvän version lisäbiisit oli huikeita: etenkin I Don’t Wanna See (You Again).

Tiukka meno ja jotenkin simppelit, mutta jykevät soundit. Tykkäsin myös lauluäänestä ja murteesta, mut jostain syystä sain silti vasta neljännellä yrittämällä kuunneltua loppuun asti 🤷🏼

Reipasta brittiräimettä, tykkään! Ihan älytön toi kansikuva :D

They are just a fun band. This second album a little more well formed musically than the first, but still same punk/pop energy, songs about teenagers, teenage angst, teenage desures, songs for teenagers by teenagers(?maybe or people that were once teenagers at least?). Love Fergal’s voice for this style of music but the guitar sound is the business, very 50’s rock. They are almost a rockabilly band in some parts.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard “Under the Boardwalk” covered this month, I’d have 2 nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s strange that it happened twice. For that reason, I honestly want to call it my favorite song on the album. It’s catchy, and I’m starting to love hearing the different interpretations of it from artist to artist. This was a nice little album. Short and sweet, very much to the point. It’s over before you even know it and starts from the top very quickly, which is a big point in its favor. 15 songs, 38 minutes that all feel short. However, they do all feel a tad repetitive and samey. Nothing that’s really very memorable or interesting here. This album isn’t winning any awards for being new, surprising, or breaking any pre-existing molds that need breaking. I’m probably going to forget about it by tomorrow, but it wasn’t bad, just forgettable and very, very generic. The lead singers voice was fine, as was the guitar playing. It’s very lively and energetic. A very traditional Punk/Rock album. Probably just a little more Punk than Rock. They yell at you for about 40 minutes, and then the album ends, but it feels like it only lasted for about half of that time. In other words, it serves its purpose nicely. I wouldn’t necessarily return to this, but I’m not upset for listening to it today. Decent little filler album, and definitely better than the actual trash I’ve been rolling lately. This was a very nice change of pace for what it is, and it came across my page at the perfect time. The best thing I can say about this album is that it’s catchy when you actually have it playing. The worst is that it’s forgettable when you don’t, and it’s probably going to be out of my mind by the next time I get a good album. But hey, isn’t that one of the points of Punk music technically?? They’re not going to care who it sticks with. They’re just here to jam. This is album 1 out of 2 The Undertones albums I have rolled for this project. This album was fine, not amazing, but it has me questioning why this very basic Punk warrants having 2 separate albums on here. I can’t imagine the other one is any different. Who knows, I could be wrong. This one’s a 3. Easy decision.

Started off fun and upbeat, but blended into the thing over and over again Standout songs: Hypnotized Under the Boardwalk

A bit less good than their debut but still a wonderful pop punk album. Bubble gum and hooks large enough to land a blue whale.

7/10

6 / 10

The first Undertones album feels like an event. A bolt from the blue. A bunch of lads from Derry accidentally discovering they could write some of the greatest pop singles of their generation. This album is different. This is the sound of a band waking up and realising they might actually have a career on their hands. The common description is that The Undertones wrote songs about girls. That’s true, but it’s also a bit like saying Dickens wrote about people. The interesting part is what they do with the subject. By the time of this second album, they’re already moving beyond simple teenage yearning and becoming fascinated by behaviour. Who gets the girl. Who gets compared to somebody else. Who works. Who doesn’t. Who belongs. Who’s left out. Why some people seem to glide through life while others can’t get out of their own way. The album is full of characters. Kevin, the infuriatingly perfect cousin. Terry, whose social problems turn out not to be optical in nature. The Whizz Kids. The boys who read Beanos in bed while somebody else is outside fixing cars. Even the songs about girls increasingly become songs about communication, misunderstanding and social observation. Feargal Sharkey spends much of the record trying to understand the people around him. Musically, the growth is startling. The popular memory tends to place The Undertones in a permanent state of three-chord urgency, but eleven months have changed them considerably. There are acoustic guitars, Hammond organs, soul rhythms, jangling guitars and songs that seem more interested in atmosphere than immediate impact. Wednesday Week points towards a future version of the band. Tearproof hints at influences that have little to do with punk. Nine Times Out Of Ten is happy to sit inside a groove and explore a mood rather than race to the next chorus. Yet none of this feels self-conscious. That’s the clever part. The Undertones never announce their sophistication. They simply absorb new ideas and carry on writing great pop songs. Even when they become more ambitious, they remain recognisably themselves. There is no sense of a band straining for importance. And perhaps that’s why the album wears so well. It understands that teenage life is simultaneously ridiculous and absolutely serious. A pair of glasses can feel like a catastrophe. A cousin’s achievements can become unbearable. A girl looking in the wrong direction can ruin an entire week. The band recognise the absurdity of these concerns without ever mocking the people experiencing them. The result is one of the most enjoyable second albums of its era. Not because it repeats the debut, and not because it rejects it. It expands the world. The songs are richer, the characters more vivid and the musical palette broader. The Undertones are still singing about ordinary lives, but they’re starting to realise just how much material ordinary lives contain.

I don't know how I missed this band over the years, but holy crap am I glad this project introduced me to them. This was right up my alley, poppy and punky and rough and catchy. I'm hooked.

Kind of dumb and not very interesting. Felt like one continuous track aside from ‘There Goes Norman’ which was a fun little detour. Whereas listening to The B-52s and understanding the kitsch of it all, this didn’t feel like it had a personality. This is maybe the first album I’ve struggled with understanding its place in the list.

Nice. Not fantastic, but very nice.

Nothing too special here.

Some great new wave/DEVO riffs, Mellow Biafra vocals. Ripped straight from the Revenge of the Needs soundtrack.

Favourite Songs: Hard Luck

Interesting, pop punk. Wonder if these are one of the first "pop punk" bands. This is some cool stuff. Starting to realize pop punk is a form of new wave.

I'd rather not listen to an off brand gel dessert.

Would've been 3 stars, but that Under the Boardwalk cover was actually a crime.

The crazy thing about this generator is the daily shifts that happen depending on what you draw. This is a fine album. Very happy and jangly. But coming of the 1-2-3 punch of Ice Cube, White Stripes, and Beastie Boys, it kind of pales in comparison. Maybe a revisit will cause me to reassess. I was underwhelmed this morning.

2.4/5

está muy bueno! me guardé un par de canciones. No sabía que estos eran los de la icónica teenage kicks (que claramente conozco por one direction)

Це вже другий альбом гурту. І якщо той був дуже насичений та фановий, то цей мені видався трохи розмазаним по треклісту. Пісні стали довшими, десь трохи енергійність пішла в бік більш розміреного стилю, який мені якось нейтрально Андертонів.

Не моє. 2.5

Early 80s Irish punk vibe that I enjoy

This is pop punk - no edge, no attitude it’s just silly. I mean it’s fine but more blah blah blah. I’ve become very jaded. Need a really good legendary album that never heard really soon. I mean there are 400 more records to listen to here.

i prefer their debut, but this is still a nice album. i liked "girls that don't talk", fun tune!

Det här var väl trallpunkigt och kul.

Boys will be boys va? Rätt basic. Svag trea!

Skojigt och peppigt. Tihi

But im actually reviewing their debut

Kinda enjoyed this, point for NI

Yeah this was good

I thought this was a lot of fun—pop punk, catchy hooks, fun interplay between instruments, and a compelling vocalist. I also like that they don't take themselves too seriously. I great discovery!

An assortment of kind of pop rock with maybe some punky or garage-rock tones. I didnt love it- songs were all similar in subject and sound, and no real standouts hits. Overall- fine, 2.5/5, not quite a 3

I enjoyed this enough that I want to dig deeper. That lands me at a 4/5

Yes please

I think this is one of the bands people always said I should listen to as they are very similar to what I liked in the 90s. Turns out they were right

Notables: - I told you so

Some solid post-punk, stayed mostly interesting from song to song. Glad to have found out about these guys. Highlights-Songs About Chocolate and Girls, There Goes Norman, Hypnotised, Under the Boardwalk, The Way Girls Talk, Wednesday Week, Nine Times out of Ten, and Girls That Don't Talk

A good album, I liked Under The Boardwalk and I Don’t Wanna See (You Agajn) the most.

332/1090 The Undertones 'Hypnotised' 1980 Early pop punk, loved by John Peel. I had the singles back in the day, but for me the album falls short overall. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ Default ★★★☆☆ (5/10) Total reviewed : 332 Already owned : 76 Purchased : 16 To buy : 3 Nope : 237

뭐라 쓰지

Pretty meh album

Outstanding, seminal work. This needs to be in my vinyl collection

Este álbum me pareció que lograron hacer una mezcla de punk de una forma muy armoniosa, y de cierta manera, no tan incómoda y agradable para los que estaban escuchando o los que no son tan fanáticos del punk. Entonces puede entender por qué de alguna manera este álbum fue tan importante en su época, porque de alguna manera logran fusionar tal vez el pop de de la de cada anterior que serían los años 70 con el punk, lo cual lo hace un álbum bastante agradable.

It's fine. Very early 80s

Kind of dumb

De vibe is fun maar ik had verwacht dat die energie harder zou aanslaan

Jaa zoo brits, ben wel fan! Luisterde hier ook naar toen ik 17 was dus altijd leuke throwback. Lijkt me heel nice om zo’n soort bandje te hebben!!! Uiteindelijk klonk het wel allemaal hetzelfde

God wat heerlijk

lekker!

Eh, I feel like this should be a huge hit for me but I am not really about it. I love the album cover though. 2.5/5

My fav kind

неплохая панкуха. Предтеча поп-панка

Had me hypnotised.......ah dang it, I couldn't resist making that pun.

This was decent, but nothing stood out to me as particularly great.

Solid pop power punk. Varied tracks and fun playful vocals. This kind kicks ass.

Inspiring to me as a teenager. As an adult, I appreciate the raw energy, but it is just that: raw. Still good fun though.

It was pretty good, doesn't seem like it was pushing a lot of boundaries though. Not a fan of the vocals style either. Other thsn that it was pretty good

Alright. Not the first Clash-lite album/band/artists on this list.

never heard this before. interesting how it sounds so far ahead of it's time. not for me though.

I absolutely love the guitars in this, and the lyrics, and pretty much all of it. wow.

Kinda sounds like generic alt rock now. Likely influential on other bands later who perfected it.

I didn't realize that I had heard The Undertones' music before until I heard this album. "Under the Boardwalk" was actually the theme of my junior prom. (I know...bad idea if you're trying to prevent teen pregnancies, right?) Overall, I found the album to be a good listen, but nothing super special. If the music was on the radio, I it would be hit or miss if I changed the station. Would probably be something I kept on if I was on a road trip or if I was feeling more nostalgic. Hard to believe the album is more than 40 years old. The 80s was only 20 years ago, man...

I'm having to bite my biases a bit and give this a 3 instead of a 4. I could leave this on repeat, but given that I already liked this album, I'm trying to be more measured.

I like The Undertones. The music is good. Even if it weren’t the fact that Fergal Sharkey has devoted his later years to getting water companies and the government to stop pumping shite into rivers is commendable in itself. Top man!

That was pretty banal.

This was very good.

Good shit

I love The Undertones! Great stuff.

I liked the upbeat nature of this album. It's a fun punk/rock album with some more fun pop elements included. Overall I'd say I was pleasantly surprised by this band I've never heard of!

This is my jam. Subtle and catchy guitar playing, and sings that have melody.

Okayy

pop punk was never the genre that i reach for reflexively. i’ll give credit where credit is due, cause this is a fun poppy record, but i have no particular feelings toward it otherwise

eh

this is one of those albums that have my wishing for offical half stars on this site. 3 feels too low, but 4 feels too high. Pretty good overall, but nothing I'd rush back to. It's fun and fine, but isn't like super amazing

bem divertido mas bobinho que só pelo menos na primeira ouvida (e não pretendo fazer outra não sinceramente).

These guys have a similar sound in some ways as the Dead Kennedys, just without the James Bond-like riffs and without the hard-hitting social commentary. The guy's voice has some similarities to Biafra though. Not sure who influenced who as they both came out about the same time. While this is decent, it's not quite as epic as DK. 3/5

What a stupid, annoying album. I feel like two dorks in dumb bibs are rambling nonsense to me from across the dinner table - constantly reminding me that "boys will be boys" and "girls will be girls" for some reason. 1.3/5 -> 1/5

плейлист того самого странного недопонятого одноклассника тихони коммуниста по имени арсений. он не моет голову, его жёстко буллят, а вчера этого идейного бро ваще бросила настюха шестиклассница (она не знала что они встречаются).

I enjoyed it, but didn't think there was anything super special about it.

This is kinda fun. Like Sparks mixed with britpop. I don't like the punkier songs, but otherwise this is pretty good.

For a band of fellow Countrymen, I really only know a couple of their songs, neither of which is on this album. This is fine. Completely forgettable. No hits. No impact or wider cultural importance. Ergo, zero reason for it to be considered something you need to hear before you die.

I love me some 70's/80's UK punk, but this one misses the mark in pretty much every way possible. They have "a sound", sure, but that sound is not really catchy, not really energetic, not really clever, not really fun at all, and occasionally even rather grating. Give me The Clash, XTC, The Jam, Wire etc. any day of the week over even the best song of this album.

In their accents "There Goes Norman" sounded like "varicose woman." From the jump, this very much sounded like a punk band from the 70s that entered the 80s and decided to get goofy and poppy. I had never heard of this band until I encountered their debut on this list and I was extremely pleasantly surprised by it. This, though, ehhhhhhh.... To be fair, there are some tracks here where they are doing something outside of the Buzzcock-ish milleu that's fun and interesting ("The Way Girls Talk"). There are also some solid riffs and some pop-punk bangers in here (esp. "Hard Luck"). But when it sounds like they're trying to get on the charts, eh, I'm out.

Nice Punk but after the 5th song its the same over and ofer and i couldnt listned it thrue

Hadn't heard this before. A bit of fun. High 2s.

The Clash para irlandeses. Curtíssimo! Mas palatável, quando escutei já pensei “ok, mais um punk/pop/e etc” mas não foi, foi punk/pop/ E euforia! Gostei muito até metade maaas depois fui ficando com a impressão de que as músicas soavam….iguais? Tem muitas que se diferenciam principalmente pela forma divertida que é cantada por Feargal, MAS acho que sempre que eu escutar um pop-punk vou ficar com essa sensação. Minhas favoritas foram “More Songs About Chocolate and Girls”, “Under the Boardwalk”, “Hard Luck” e “What’s with Terry”. Hypnotised fui com o estilo, animo da letra e tempo que, foi como beber um milkshake extra gelado de uma vez e terminar meio “UoU”.

First song wasn’t it. But as the album played, I got hooked. This band is tight. The production is clean. The lead’s voice isn’t my favorite, but this really comes together as quality, classic punk. Fun songs, good beats, sweet riffs. They nailed some blues guitar. Even rearranged a cover song. There’s a real range here. This was a nice surprise. Will definitely revisit.

I finally get to meet the band behind punk classic “Teenage Kicks.” This album didn’t have any material that I found as infectious and hooky, but it bears that sunshine punk sound. A lot of these tracks melded together for me, and I wish they explored more of the acoustic arrangements used for “What’s With Terry” (which I found to be by far the most interesting track on the record) in order to stand out from every other garage band of the day.

Relatively boring vanilla punk that I may have enjoyed as a ten year old. Some high points, but few and far between.(the last 40 seconds for example) 1.5

a little too long for this style but it's a good style

80’s Punk ⭐️Under the Boardwalk

A lot of youthful energy.

The Undertones great second album

For how much I tend not to like Pop Punk and stuff like it, this album was pretty fun. They're like Arctic Monkeys, except like 20-30 years before Arctic Monkeys were a thing. Maybe a few too many songs, but they keep it fun the entire time and I like the guy's singing.

For whatever reason, I've never been able to get into this particular sort of punk-y sound. The instrumentation is pretty repetitive and unmemorable -- all the songs kind of blur into one. Not a huge fan of the vocals. The themes covered feel pretty surface level. (Based on my research it seems this band liked to stay out of politics, which I find disappointing, especially for an IRISH band within the PUNK umbrella, though I suppose people are allowed to make whatever music they want.) Not unpleasant to listen to, just underwhelming overall.

Took a few listens but this album grew on me. Fun stuff. The cousin song is hilarious.

Early Britpunk.

Best Songs: There Goes Norman

One of my all time favorites

Fav song: Under the Boardwalk

Ah I love these guys. Catchy punk that’s funny and got a lot of melody.

I think they are criminally underrated. The music is easily as good as the first Buzzcocks albums. It’s a very strong 4 for me.

An extremely modern sounding record that is part punk, part brit pop, and a whole lot of fun! Not much more I could ask from my Tuesday pull. It does tend to become a bit one note and some of the songs started to blend together towards the end, but it doesn't change how much fun I had listening to this album. 4/5

Great to put in the background, i neither love or hate this

Fantastic, fun, uplifting punk from Northern Ireland.

Enjoyed the album, seemed like a precursor to 90’s British punk before it took off. Fave song: Under the boardwalk, Wednesday Week

pas mal du tout j'ai trouvé, l'impression d'avoir déjà écouté plein de ces sons, ou alors ils c'était des samples

moauif

C'est relativement mid, pas grand chose à dire

A thoroughly enjoyable album.

This album is really fun, but I find the main singer's voice annoying.

Genre breaking, fratelis to strokes to aquabats silly

Fun but average

Not a bad album. Kind of minimal sounding rock/punk with interesting songs. 3/5

A album that sits in my collection and one I think I’ve previously underrated. Listening to it a couple of times, I realised what a near perfect album this is. Not a bad track on it and all to a good standard

Unwichtig.

Mid Punk album; that vibrato is out of control annoying. Under the boardwalk cover shoulda gone under to sleep with the fishes.

If I'd heard this at 16 it would have blown my mind, but now not so much. It's catchy and has some interesting moments, but way too long, and everything here has been done better by other bands. Listen to Buzzcocks or DEVO instead.

Unremarkable

Just kinda mid

Pretty dope old punk album, didn’t enjoy all of the songs but most of them were great

Nothing about this stood out to me, good or bad. I feel like I have heard this kind of music many times before. Its easy to listen to and fun most of the time. I just don't really know when I would listen to this again and choose it over others. Still a fun listen through of an album and band I haven't heard of before.

fun for a bit, Ian recognized them immediately but, in his words, 'too same-y, gets boring'. The scotsman has spoken, 2. I am more generous, they sing and play their hearts out on every track and I love that.

The album feels 50s. Happy go lucky but also naive. A simple time with primary colors and a cookie cutter experience.

Hooks, humor and apprehension. A good distraction from until it's not. 2.5

Fun record. Good guitar tones.

This took me straight back to high school. What fun!

That was fun

Short and sweet. Simple and catchy. Terrible cover version. My Perfect Cousin is great. 3.

Slightly underwhelmed by the Undertones here. A bit basic and samey with a couple of corkers. What ot did do is Inspire me to listen to That Petrol Emotion, the group formed from remaining members after the Undies disbanded. Massively underated I would encourage others take a listen

Weak sauce

A very average post punk album propped up by a banging hit. All a bit formulaic and simple and hasn’t aged well. Scrapes a 3 on a sunny day.

yeah idk

Good album. I liked it.

This gets points for feeling distinctive but loses some just because it’s not my style.

Esse eu não ouvi.

Fine, don’t recall too much from it.

Cool punky late 70s sound

Just a bunch of short fun songs that didn’t really mean much. 2.5/5

Some people are calling this punk but it seems far too poppy to be punk. Anyway it’s fine for a song or 2 but far too repetitive. 2.5

Like the undertones, liked this album. Some great pop punk tunes on here. Somewhat samey in places but overall a good listen.

Album cover is hilarious, music was fine

The ending of What's With Terry? brings it up to a 4/5 from a middle of the road affair.

Extremely solid

Favorite Track: Hypnotized

I really liked this more than I thought I would. And I don't like punk pop music, but this was really, really solid. Giving this a 3 cause I'm glad I listened to it but probably wouldn't return to it.

In terms of sound, this is like a full album of the least good REM songs. Aside from that the lyrics are pretty juvenile and make it feel like it's pandering to a teenage audience to sell records. I don't particularly care for it, but it's not actively bad

yawn

Buen álbum de punk, divertido. No me rompió la cabeza tampoco. Pero se disfrutó. 5/10

i am not hypnotised

So far it's not really exciting. I mean, it's kinda nice but nothing is staying with me as I'm listening to it. The preformenses has some nice energy and groove. It's a fine rock album. But nothing exciting. As it progressed it felt really long although it's a relatively short album (12 is my favorite here) I won't be going back to it. Kind of a flat 2

Schrippischrappi. Bla bla. Etwas albern

This is a fun listen. Pretty solid 80s punk that I've simply never come across. It's like playing a Tony Hawk video game or watching Jackass or something and just hearing some cool old punk song for the first time. Fun and somewhat nostalgic for me. Nice melodies, nice bass, nice production. Nothing in particular stands out too much, but it's a great album.

I don't know why this one irks me so much. It's like good Clash, but maybe it's that wobbly fucking voice. The songs are catchy and peppy. It's just lacking something. Most of all, I hate how much I like it.

Album #92 The Undertones: Hypnotised A band that I was only aware of due to them having made the song which John Peel, who knew a thing or two about music, considered to be the greatest of all time, “Teenage Kicks”. And while I respect Peel for his music taste and putting on a lot of great bands, after listening to more Undertones, I do wonder whether his affinity for that song was based on the actual music, or because of his other affinity for real teenage “kicks”. Hypnotised is a good crop of pop-punk tracks, with a bit more of a new-wavey production to it than some of the earlier pop-punk releases. While they are certainly no Buzzcocks, the songs are fun, and they don’t take themselves too seriously either. It’s almost impossible not to find this album at least amusing; however, unless you are John Peel, it also seems impossible to find it amazing. It’s a cool album that I probably wouldn’t have checked out, but I am not sure that it quite reaches the status that one would expect from an album on this list. Best Tracks: Wednesday Week, See That Girl, Girls That Don’t Talk Worst Track: Hard Luck Score out of 10: 6.5

8/10

I loved how catchy this was, and will definitely come back to it

Great fun to listen to. Great riffs, vocals and beats. Not desperate to listen to much of it again though (apart from My Perfect Cousin).

Pretty cool proto pop punk / proto indie pop. I liked the teenage themes and whimsical nature of the record. This is a fun one to hang out to.

3/10

I was perfectly whelmed by this album. I mildly enjoyed it for about 40 minutes and then moved on with my day. Fun pop punk, but not really much to see here. Probably could have gone my life without listening to The Undertones, but no harm done. Cool to see an Irish band, though. Favorite track: "What's With Terry?"

1/15 bekannt 5,5/10 Beste Songs: Hypnotised, under the boardwalk, what’s with terry

Solid stuð og fjör. Þessi plata getur rúllað endalaust.

Hrikalega skemmtilegt, ferskt og hressandi. Frábær hljómsveit.

Both very 80's and very modern

> The Beatles

Another fun album from the band I discovered here. Not as strong as their debut album (heard here also), but fun and punk-poppy just the same.

Surprised that more people on here don't like this more. Jangly, crunchy guitars, fast beats, poppy melodies, and tuneful, snotty vocals. What more could you ask for? I had meant to listen to the Undertones beforehand, but I never did. This is a step up from their previous album, with more mature themes but still the usual themes about youth angst. It's fun and relatively harmless, though I can still relate to a lot of the themes—too bad I didn't discover this as a young adult! Will be returning to this one for sure.

Cracking wee album, just excellent, and funny, songwriting. Favourite track: Wednesday Week

aggressively fine; 3 stars

This album was weirdly fun. You can tell they didn't take themselves to seriously and that they just enjoyed making music together. Its punky and fun and just something that is enjoyable to listen to. Under the Boardwalk was a cool update on a classic. Chocolate and Whizz Kids were just fun songs about teenage drama but also a little more sophisticated. Sometimes the lead singers voice was a little too shaky (almost sounded like a goat bleating) but it wasn't too bad. New band, new vibes and they were fairly pleasant and fun.

This album is very solidly average. The lyrics are pretty juvenile and there’s not a lot of creative sound going on, but the songs bopped just fine. I liked their Under the Boardwalk cover.

I enjoyed quite a lot of this one. Some good tunes though some repetitiveness and probably a few I’d skip if I ever listened to it again.

A fairly non-descriptive band in the whole punk genre, but they do have a certain charm. My perfect cousin is the top track.

I love the wiki page that says this is noted for being musically more sophisticated than their debut. FFS what were they playing, a toy xylophone and triangle on that one?! This is by far the least sophisticated music we’ve had in 500 albums. Only saved by Feargal having a decent voice. It is what it is, a bang average 6th form band.

Alright, though not standout.

This album received some reasonable reviews, not by me! I thought it was a bit gimmicky and juvenile (probably the point of the album, but this was missed by me!) I liked the album cover.

Pretty dull

Didn't like this at all

I knew nothing about this band, so I had no expectations. For the most part I enjoyed it, although the vibrato in the vocals got annoying at times. Three stars.

Perfectly fine, good but with them already having a bigger better album on the list, its overkill Passable

The singer sounded like an optimistic and frivolous Jello Biafra to my ear, which was a bit disconcerting but not necessarily bad

No estaba disponible

Disappointed with this. Too same-y and much better punk/new wave out there.

Didn't know the undertones did under the boardwalk

Bored

My only real exposure to The Undertones had been Teenage Kicks up until now, so it's been an enjoyable few days listening to this punk-lite album and finding out how much fun they were. I had a vague recollection of My Perfect Cousin - I love those 70s 80s cultural references to bionics and Subbuteo. It's an album about growing up in a particular time and I wish I'd listened to it 45 years ago. Glad I listened to it today. Favourite other tracks included See That Girl and Hard Luck, with a word about the brilliant Under The Boardwalk cover - totally owned it! Feargal Sharkey's voice was far more suited to this rather than the mediocre pop he churned out in the mid 80s. A high 4 stars for putting a big smile on my face.

Fun for sure and they’re self aware right from the first song. Don’t feel that strongly towards the album however.