Reviews (page 5 of 7)
This was a fun little piece of pop/punk. I don't see myself seeking it out in the future, though. I wouldn't mind listening to it if it came on, but that's about it.
11/5/24. First time hearing The Undertones, enjoyable listen! Fun, punk-inspired sound with a lot of pop elements. I may have found my personal theme song: "There Goes Norman."
Very forgettable. Not good, not bad
This was a fun listen. I enjoyed it but didn't have a lot stand out. Could've been me and the day for listening to it. Good to be on the list.
This was fun
This feels like a hidden gem. Angsty light punk with tight riffs and performances, and fun and interesting lyrics. I'm surprised by songs like "Hypnotised", with the constant palm muted down-strokes. Sounds like it's quite the right hand wrist workout. The "Under The Boardwalk" cover was a nice surprise. Overall this is a fun little album.
Pretty lackluster, with a couple highlights.
Enjoyed this. I knew "My Perfect Cousin", and already liked it. The opening track has a great catchy riff, too. An all-round solid album.
It was okay
Good and fun! Very funny cover!
Enjoyed the energy and irishness of this!
Never heard of this but super fun !! And the pic of the lobster guys is so funny
It's another punk album, but this one is on the better side of punk. More pop orientated, more fun, some cool guitar licks here and there. But unfortunately, on the flip side of this, it's still punk. By the half hour mark, you've heard it all. Not too much variation. But it's only a 35 minute album so thankfully it doesn't outstay its welcome too much. 'More Songs About Chocolate and Girls', 'Whizz Kids' and 'Boys Will Be Boys' are all highlights, as are Feargal Sharkey's vocals. They are a lot more enjoayble than most punk singers. A fairly generous 3 stars seems fair.
Good album just nothing unremarkable about
Meh
Irish pop punk with decent tunes and tight playing.
2.5 Wasnt great, Wasnt crap.
They are v repetitive but get an extrapoint for being delightfullly irish
Entretenido pop/rock/post-punk
Wednesday Week was the only song I was already familiar with, and it's the clear standout here. The rest is pretty fun. I liked Hard Luck a lot. Sometimes the vibrato was annoying. Overall, a solid effort.
The cover is the best part of that album. Honestly this wasn't bad but it's certainly not as good as their first, so having this one here is astoundingly useless.
6.5/10. First of all, that album cover is probably the most horrible album cover that I have ever seen. I have no idea what the inspiration behind putting a photo of yourself eating a lobster on a punk album called "Hypnotised" was. Horrid album cover aside, the album is a decent punk album. :)
Det er ikke særlig punk, men det var super catchy! God plade!
Do the shaky voice thing you do
Not a sophomore slump by any means, but following up one of the great debut records isn’t easy. The O’Neill brothers are superb songwriters with an irresistible ear for a catchy lick. And I can’t tell whether the criticism regarding Fergal Sharkey’s trademark quiver and its resemblance to Jello Biafra are serious - The Undertones were making music a full four years before the Dead Kennedys. Ultimately, this is a solid pink artefact but the songs just aren’t quite on the level of their self-titled release. The sound develops from a Derry Ramones to more of a lightning quick Television on Hypnotised but I think that while Wednesday Week showcase this evolution at its best, the strongest tracks arrive when they stick to the urgent punk exuberance they know best - see the classic My Perfect Cousin. Love this band, nonetheless, but perhaps a superfluous inclusion on this list.
It was far more fun than I expected. Though as someone who works in water, listening to 'My Perfect Cousin' and hearing how much Feargal Sharkey can hold a grudge, I'm a little scared.
Hypnotised is an album that has quite a lot for me to like about it. The music is solid, the lyrics are fine, and the vocals fit the songs well too. The pace was also fast without feeling too fast and i was generally just enjoying my time with the album. But there is just something that i don't like about this album. I don't even know what it is but i just feel if that thing was gone or was fixed in some way, shape or form, I'd like this album quite a bit more. But as it stands this album is a good one that i did enjoy listening to but something is keeping me from saying that its a great one. Best Song: Hard Luck Worst Song: Boys Will Be Boys
I liked it but I didn't connect to it
Nice sound. While I liked the style, the album felt a bit anonymous. Not really standing out but after the recent sequence of disappointing albums, it was more than appreciated!
Pleasant but not groundbreaking... I mean it was alright
3.5 I like the Undertones! Fun pop punk/power pop with an undercurrent of bratty humor! I’ve only heard random tracks from them before so I enjoyed sitting down and listening to a whole (short) album of theirs.
Good, fun 80s new wave
First track looks to be a homage to Talking Heads, which is a good sign. Starts off alright, definitely takes a turn for the worse in the middle when it started to get boring. Vocals don't suit an entire album. Picked up at the end but maybe a bit too late to save it from being a mediocre addition to the list.
Nytt band för mig. Bra punk. Omslaget känns helt rätt så här i kräfttider. There Goes Norman har något. Kul driv i låtarnaKanske någon låt för lång men på det hela i en bra skiva. Andra lyssningen blev på gymmet och man lyfter helt okej till detta.
Ok det är punk. Inte min kopp te. Det känns som rätt mainstream punk, vilket väl egentligen borde vara en motsättning. Detta är inte musik jag blir särskilt i gasen av. Ok.
Habil och poppig punk som var lätt att digga med till. Dock var det inget som stack ut direkt, så kommer troligtvis inte slänga på denna fler gånger.
I really liked it and then it all became the same so I took it from a 4 to 3.
its alr ig idk. not really my thing
Honestly thought this was older than it was. I'm generally here for garage-y rock and the album really flew by, but I'm not sure I'd be able to pick any of these songs out of a lineup.
a little much as an album, but very good vibes. had no idea about this going into it, came out enjoying it
with how much this sounds exactly like other music, i'm surprised i hadn't heart of any of it. Perfectly fine album to listen to on my drive home, if a little long/monogonous. 2.5
I liked the music! I don't want to think about the lyrics
STOP MAKING YOUR VOICE VIBRATE
Lots to enjoy on Hypnotised, the Undertones second album. The bop and the pop of their power-pop sound continues, with a lot of upbeat and interesting songs. Though I loved the music, I'm not so hot on Feargal Sharkey's vocals, but I can take it in small doses. I heard Sharkeys's solo albums before actually listening to the Undertones and I must admit I was a bit hesitant before listening to the Undertones. Overall, a solid follow-up to their classic debut, but falls short on my high expectations, which was hard to live up to.
Yeah, I like it. Fast, catchy. Bit samey, but enjoyable. 3?
More UK Punk/New wave... I personally cannot distinguish a vast majority of these and there are so many on the list. I was pretty underwhelmed. Musically was fun, but for the most part nothing too impressive.
Nothing special, but I like the album cover
Hilarious album cover, and there are some pretty good songs in there.
Simple 70s/80s pop punk. Straightforward, and nothing really notable to discuss.
An interesting and fun mix of pop and punk. Don't we all have a perfect cousin?
Album 481 of 1001 The Undertones - Hypnotised Rating : 3.75 / 5 A fun punk pop album. I enjoyed and recommend to anyone looking to listen to the genre.
This was fine, and definitely has that Undertones sound that still stands out, but I'm wondering if I'll prefer the first album.
Each song a little bust of energy. Fantastic guitar. Drummy drums. Funny fun. Feargal's voice does get a teeny bit tiresome over the course of a whole album. But still an enjoyable listen. And definitely one of the bands that would have been a lot of fun to see live 🎸🎸
This is definitely pushing for one of the worst album covers on here. Thankfully the music is better, and it's an upbeat, pop-punk good time.
I enjoyed this album. Short n' sweet songs with catchy lyrics. Nothing stood out particularly, but a fun listen!
Decent music, but I did not find anything particularly exciting about it. It's the kind of music you forget about as soon as you finish listening. 3 stars
3/6
When I was a teenager a person I didn’t like very much told me to listen to the The Undertones, because “I would definitely be a fan”. Needless to say, at the time I lied and said I’d listened to the band and didn’t think much of them, and proceeded to never play a track by them for 15 years. I honestly thought they were a Ska band. Now I wish I had listened, 15 year old me would of loved this. I’m wavering between 3* and 4*. There isn’t a single track I dislike, but they do blend into one at times. The latter half of the album from Tearproof to What’s with Terry had more individually identifiable songs and is what I enjoyed the most. I’ll definitely revisit, but at 45 minutes it’s long for a punk album.
fun pop/punk album from 1980. i enjoyed this one.
Really dig The Undertones but not as in to this one as much.
enjoyed though lyrics struggle
Not sure what it is but I just wanted this to stop playing yesterday. Every time it punched through I thought "SHUT UP!" This has more to do with me than this music, probably, but then how would that make it any different from any of these other albums. Sounded fine, I just wanted it to stop.
Fine, but a slightly underwhelming experience. I was expecting a little more punch and vim to the proceedings. It choogles along nicely, but fails to connect with a knockout. Nonetheless, the songwriting is great fun, there's a strong melodic sensibility throughout, and it is probably the only album on this app to contain a mention of University Challenge. Feargal Sharkey has a voice that can take some getting used to. A high three.
Making every song sound pretty much the same sure is one way to hypnotize someone. It's pretty fun, though, I'll give it that.
More Songs About Chocolate and Girls - 3 There Goes Norman - 3 Hypnotized - 3 See That Girl - 2 God, what is this SpongeBob-ass vibrato? Whizz Kids - 3 Under the Boardwalk - 3 The Way Girls Talk - 3 Hard Luck - 3.5 My Perfect Cousin - 3 Boys Will Be Boys - 3 Tearproof - 3 Wednesday Week - 3 Nine Times Out of Ten - 3 Girls That Don't Talk - 3 What's With Terry - 3 Hard Luck Again - 3 I Don't Wanna See - 3 I Told You So - 3
Hypnotised by The Undertones Thursday 6/20/24 1:06 A Tier————————— There Goes Norman See That Girl Hypnotised More Songs About Chocolate B Tier————————— Wednesday Week Girls That Don’t Talk Under The Boardwalk Nine Times Out Of Ten Tearproof Hard Luck What’s With Terry C Tier————————— My Perfect Cousin The Way Girls Talk Boys Will Be Boys Whizz Kids
Again, this is the content I am part of this journey for. Who are these guys? Sounds great! They're a bit obsessed with girls tho. 3.5, but going to 3 for now.
2.7 - Dunno, struggled with this. Was mostly bored, but maybe I was to distracted when I listened to this
Interesting mix of 60's vibes and 80's light punk.....
3.0
Very early 80's pop punk reminds me of the Vapors. The singer has a quivering voice like Jello Biafra. These guys are not political at all. Pretty good overall. 3.5/5 6/8/2024
Ok
This was decent, pretty peppery and fun, but not that memorable. 3.25 rounded down?
Teenage kicks
I’m a huge fan of pop-punk and I found Derry’s favourite band through this list (when I got their debut release). I like this album; I just liked the roughness of the debut album more. It’s not fair, but it’s my opinion. Bite me.
Crazy wild stuff from the 60s. I mean a lobster bib. I like the album cover. Undeniably interesting but not sure.... Sweet boys eh? Make sense. Irish. Oh Fergal....you sound almost like DK I provarocate... I have a head cold.
Early 1980s British pop-punk rock album, it was good, and quite fun but nothing outstanding.
Album cover is fantastic. Unfortunately, the music doesn't do much to get me going. It is fine enough pop-punk, but I don't really like pop-punk. It has always seemed to me a disingenuous fusion of genres. There were a few points that stood out, but general feel is that I would have rather spent my time elsewhere. Low 3 for me.
Hilarious album cover. Kinda feels like punk meets beach rock. Kevin = Cuzzo #1. So perfect. So golden.
Zack said of the last Undertones \"Undertones? More like Underwhelmings\" and I have laughed at that every time I see it. That being said this album makes me feel the same way. I look back at my last review and gave it a 2. This album was probably better because I did not hate it but it is a low 3
This album cover is hilarious wtf. A few songs in and this dudes voice is familiar. They had to be in one of the Tony Hawk games. Love the rendition of Under The Boardwalk. I was gonna make a joke about them naming a song after Tim or Allie and then realized it’s me! Thanks Undertones! No thanks to Tim or Allie for not writing a song about me.
2.9/5. catchup on 5/16/24.
Decent british rock/punk album. nothing to write home about but I like their cover of Under the Boardwalk. The rest kind of sounds like punk flavored Beatles/Elvis Costello. Not the worst but not the best.
Really catchy, I love their sound. A touch pop-punky but without much edge.
“Wednesday Week” was the only song I knew on this album, and it’s not even the best song!
Not for me
early 80's
Enjoyed, but minus points for murdering Under the boardwalk
#200. Standard British punk rock fare. 3/5: fine
Thirty eight minutes of rapid fire poppy punky tuuuuuunes!!! Had a good time with this one for sure!
generic tony hawk sounding punk with some clever lyrics.
A vocal quality like Panic at the Disco and some pop beats. I just learned it’s called vocal waver. Just plain fun. The “Under the Boardwalk” cover is cool. Unfortunately, the 2nd half of the album is a little more juvenile in theme and music style.
Cool riffs. Quirky punk with catchy vocals. I liked it more than I thought I would
I like this. It doesn't do anything great, but it's decent quality, poppy punk.
the undertones straddled between the pop and punk genres so well. the lyrics could be wry (for the punk genre) or light (for pop). the combination made hypnotized flow extremely well. perhaps a bit forgettable, but i'm not going to forget a song like "my perfect cousin" any time soon. a delightful addition to this album was their "under the boardwalk" cover, which already is a fun song but i love the punch they added to it. as a side note, the album cover and its origin is so amusing.
This might be kind of sacrilege, but I think the addition of pop to punk is a lot of fun! While I am no expert on the pop-punk timeline, I feel like the 1980 Undertones occurrence of pop-punk is a pretty early example that likely had lasting effects for decades to come. I won't say I was completely wowed by this album, but I found it to be a fun listen from start to finish, and from a band I had never heard of!
It's fun music, though pretty derivative of other punk bands in the same era. I don't think much new ground was covered here. Also, 15 tracks is a lot to stomach in under 40 minutes; given the high-energy sound, it would've been good to have a few longer, slower tracks for a better full-album experience. Good instrument playing – well, as good as the punk genre allows. The issue with punk is that it's very difficult to showcase good musicianship when the genre's existence hinges on sticking it to the "music elite" by playing simply (and sometimes haphazardly). It doesn't leave as much room for creativity as other genres. I will give The Undertones credit for having clean, fresh music production, particularly in the lead and bass guitars. The vocals also meshed well with the other instruments. It meant that all the tracks honestly sounded great – at least, in isolation. I'd be tapping my foot along to any of these tracks in the car (especially the key tracks – see below). An entire album full of tracks with very similar energy, though, is harder to stomach. Key tracks: More Songs About Chocolate And Girls, Hypnotised, Whizz Kids, My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week
It's giving Beach Boys / Monkees in the 80s?
there's better Undertones records
Pretty funky, not a super standout album but it's enjoyable enough. I liked the instrumentals, pretty creative melodies and solid drum line throughout. The lyrics were quite repetitive in a lot of the songs though, which definitely hindered my enjoyment of the album. Most of the songs also sound like the type of songs you hear at the start of a shitty late-90s/early-2000s movie that's set in mid-80s high school while the main character (blond and does sports) gets ready for school. A little generic to be honest, definitely not something people need to listen to before they die. High 3/5 for listening experience but definitely not a must listen. If they owned a thesaurus definitely could've been a 4. Favourites: Under The Boardwalk, Hard Luck, Wednesday Week
not bad
Not too bad. Definitely some fun guitar riffs throughout the whole album. The band doesn’t take themselves too seriously and it sounds like they just had some fun with it.
why yes, I *do* have a perfect cousin
Just some songs. Not particularly bad, just not particularly good.
Should they be talking about Terry like that?
Positive vibes. Too poppy for my taste.
C'était fun.
It was fine.
Fun little british punk album. Not much to write home about but still an enjoyable listen.
Punkyish, Ramonesish, Buzzcockish. It’s not bad but not sure it should be on this list. 5/10
There’s definitely a formula The Undertones follow for every song. Occasionally, a great song comes out of it. More often than not, it’s only good.
Punk rock, pop punk.
Pure 80’s punk. Sweet. Listenable.
better than expected, why were none of these bangers more popular than teenage kicks?
Still completely fine pop punk. I liked this one better than their debut. Opening your second album with a track about how you had way less time to write songs than you did with your first album is fun.
Quand même une belle découverte! Plusieurs chansons courtes. C'est rythmé, la guitare et la basse sont bonnes. À réécouter for sure. Proche du 4.
Upbeat but repetitive
Originally from Northern Ireland, the Undertones are a fairly unknown group in the United States. Their upbeat rhythm and spunky songwriting gives them the sound of a British punk rock band. This whole album is fun and energetic.
Less immature Dead Milkmen?
Solid stuff! I enjoyed this
Pretty good, solid, sounds like The Undertones all the way through, not much more to add
First listen Saved 8/15: Hypnotised; See That Girl; Hard Luck; Boys Will Be Boys; Tearproof; Wednesday Week; Girls That Don't Talk; What's with Terry
Interesting listen for 1980. Somewhere between punk and devo.
Ja, ist ok. War für 1980 schon gut. Kann man sich mal anhören aber nichts für die Ewigkeit.
Cool upbeat record with a lot ofd memorable hooks! I need to listen to this band more. Standout tracks: There Goes Norman, Hypnotised, Whizz Kids, The Way Girls Talk, My Perfect Cousin, Tearproof, Nine Times Out Of Ten, Girls That Don’t Talk, 7,5 out of 10
Good listen worth another.
Kinda fun. Can see why they toured with The Clash. Very period-correct mild punk.
ton sous ton
Eine gute 3: kann man durchhören, bleibt aber auch nicht hängen. Na gut, das kurze "Boys will be boys" nehme ich mal mit.
Some more playful pop punk tracks by the early punk sensations The Undertones. Just like the Ramones, they're catchy and melodic simple dance tunes singing about teenage angst and girls. Some songs like "Hard Luck" and "Wednesday Week" have something off about them that make them intriguing and stand out. Lots of great tracks, and lots of ok ones. It started off great with the first 4. Most of the ones on the second half are forgettable, or maybe I just got tired of it all. I could pick out things I liked, like the beat in "Nine Times Out of Ten", the dark groovy bass on "Tearproof", the anxious fast instrumental and ghastly back vocals on "Boys Will Be Boys", or the playful acoustic at the end of "What's With Terry". But they felt like little quirks that still involved the same high-pitched lead vocals and chorus sound. Perhaps they felt incomplete. "Wednesday Week" is my favorite and is a track that does feel thought-out and complete, even though the ending intentionally ends on an off-note. Finally, I'm sure it was intentional, but the "live" effect of "Under the Boardwalk" sticks out poorly, but it does feel alive and warm. Favorites: There Goes Norman, Hypnotised, Under the Boardwalk, Wednesday Week
That late 70s punky pop punk sound. I am glad it happened, because it led to great things, but I don't really enjoy it
Decent little album. I wasn't super impressed with it, but I liked it. Anything punkish is probably gonna get decent marks from me though. I don't see myself turning this on again intentionally, but I'd bob along to it on the radio. 3.25/5
This feels like a small step forward for punk rock from the Dictators. Similarly poppy and also covers a super old pop song. Better, but still not amazing.
I don't normally like the genre of The Undertones (et al.) but I found the album fun and an overall enjoyable listening experience. If I was into that genre, several of those songs would be on my regular rotation.
Has some great moments
I listened a while ago and while I remember enjoying it, I don't remember much about it. Will I listen to again: 30%
Pretty good
Fun simple
Lots of early punk/ indie vibes 3 1st listen
This is very fun music.
Fun times
Another average album. Better than I expected but nothing too special. 7/10 Top 3: 1. Under the Boardwalk 2. There Goes Norman 3. Hypnotized
This was fun. Who knew Feargal Sharkey came from this? Solid new wave, slightly punk-ish
3.75
Fun early punk pop. Not blowing me away musically, but fun nonetheless.
Uh
Punk rock, pop punk
It was decent.
Mid
very cool album. early punk sounds. not a huge fan of punk music, but this album was worth checking out.
Bon album pour commencer la journée du bon pied mais un peu répétitif. Je verrais bien cet album en BO d'un jeu Tony Hawk.
I had not heard of this band or heard any of their music before, and it's an enjoyable fun album for the most part. At times, it gets a little gimmicky to my ears but overall it's good rock/pop stuff.
- punky, I like - 3/5
Better than a 3 but not quite a 4. I will listen to at least some of it again.
Just some generic punk. But its vocals are not that annoying so I guess that's a plus.
Dead Kennedys x Devo crossover in a good way.
Good fun all around, and notably tight and crisp playing and "Wednesday Week" is the best of the lot. "On the Boardwalk" musta seemed funny at the time. Though it set a template for much that was to come, it's not exactly life-changingly memorable.
Lost track
Bastante fresco aunque nada reseñable al final. La primera impresión fue mejor que el resto. 2.5-3/5
It's beginning to sound a bit dated now. Contains their hit "My Perfect Cousin".
Walked in completely cold. Until it occurred to me the band's early single 'Teenage Kicks' featured in the film Good Vibrations (tl;dr: want to open a record store and foster the underground punk movement in 70s 'The Troubles' era Ireland? Challenge accepted). Think 80's pop-punk, reminiscent of Madness and DEVO. Maybe The Specials? Can hear influences of early Beatles, Ramones and the Buzzcocks. Not a repeat listen for me, but I'm thankful to have listened to it. Overall: 5/10
Very indicative of what the '80s would become, but not particularly memorable.
Never heard of this band, and this is not what I expected to hear when I saw this labeled as punk. It's fine. I did really like the cover of Under the Boardwalk. 3/5
Better then the previous Undertones album from a few weeks ago. On that one I said they were pretty much copying The Ramones and Clash and that influence is here but they have their own sound now. While not my favorite it's a decent listen with improved songs and playing gets moved from 2 to 3 stars!
Was expecting another Teenage Kicks-like romp but this was a fun, unexpected detour that showed some great range. Did start to wear thin by the end, but luckily the short tracks meant any melodic missteps were relatively minor and most were pretty fun
It's just ok, kinda dull and really lacks any energy. Sounds as if they recorded this at 6am on Sunday after drinking all night.
Late 70’s pseudo-punk/power pop with the quavering vocals of Feargal Sharkey. Solid music, but… that voice kind of gets to me.
3.6 - Bright, uncluttered punk with some terrific hooks and solid production. “See That Girl” is a standout, especially with its unexpected acoustic guitar solo. Some of the adolescent themes sound a little cringey as delivered by a fully adult-sounding singer - reminds me a lot of Violent Femmes in this way. Also songs like “Whizz Kids” feature some dated lingo but somehow I find the corniness here endearing.
Pretty generic new wave pop punk. Kind of forgettable to be honest. Not bad but..
This sounds like a million other post punk, clash, buzzcock clones
first listen underwhelming
I like it, but their debut was better. Favorite song: Hypnotised
5/10. I'd like to challenge these guys to write a song without the words "girl" or "boy" in it.
If you told me you had an album that was new wave with punk influences made by a group from Derry, I think I would have imagined this exact album. 6/10
Will need a second listen on another day, but it’s good straightforward pop punk. Enjoyed the listen!
possibly my favourite album cover of all time. just some guys being dudes.
Pop punk isn’t usually my thing but I found this to be pretty decent and entertaining throughout Cover art is awesome too Favourite tracks: There Goes Norman, Hypnotised, My Perfect Cousin
Surprised I had never heard of them since they are what I listened to in college. Part punk and part New Wave
I like their sound and feels quite cohesive.
Entertaining, catchy tunes, unique vocal tonality. I enjoyed it overall. Would listen to again.
Who’d have thought The Undertones had more songs than Teenage Kicks?! This kinda sounded exactly like I expected really. Punk rock that doesn’t ever sound too angry or serious. It’s alright, but I’ve got little else to say about this which sounds quite similar to its contemporaries
Una gran colección de pistas de power pop, inspirados por el punk y también las tendencias new wave. Lo más destacable del trabajo, es el año en que fue lanzado, precediendo a algunos de los álbumes más destacados del mismo género. Bastante interesante.
Catchy and more enjoyable than I was expecting.
Great fun and upbeat album, not the biggest fan of the vocalist's wobbly vibrato but still q good listen
Too fun for any less than a 3.
I can accept this is good but I don't really like his voice at all. That warbly thing just doesn't do it for me. But the actual songs are cool.
I had never even heard of this band before. I liked this album fine, but it bored me at the same time, possibly because most of the albums I’ve been getting so far have been European punk and I’m craving variety. There were some good, catchy songs. I particularly liked “There Goes Norman,” “Wednesday Week,” and “What’s With Terry.” Overall this is getting a 3 because I’m glad I experienced this album, as I likely wouldn’t have found it on my own.
Genres: Punk rock, pop punk Formed: Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974 Run time: 18 songs, 45 min, 15 sec The second of four albums released by the band. The songs are short, most are between two and three minutes long. I became aware of Feargal Sharkey in the late 80’s when he had a number of solo hits. It wasn’t until many years later I discovered he’d already been famous with The Undertones. Spotify: Least popular song: >77.5k Most popular song: >6.5M plays. The only track I recognised is “My Perfect Cousin”, which I’ve known since I was a kid. Despite that, it only has just over 6.5M plays on Spotify, which astonished me. "More Songs About Chocolate and Girls" - the simple pleasures of youth. “There Goes Norman” - a song about a man who seems creepy and mysterious. The men think he’s to be feared, but the woman laughed about him”. “Hypnotised” - is about being hypnotised (besotted) whilst watching a woman dance. “See That Girl” - is another song about being besotted, but they are unable to do anything about it, presumably because of anxiety talking to girls. “Whizz Kids” - is about the yuppies of the 80’s, and the cost to personal relationships if following the route of money. “Under The Boardwalk” is a cover of the 1964 song made famous by the Drifters. I prefer the original, but they do it justice and make it their own, high energy version. “The Way Girls Talk” - reflecting on the difficulty of approaching a girl. The song highlights the difficulty in talking to and understanding the opposite sex. “Hard Luck” - seems to be about feeling resentful towards someone's success, despite the fact they’ve worked hard for it. “My Perfect Cousin” - is about someone being held up as an example of a perfect person. In reality he’s been given all the breaks and as a result is somewhat vain and self-obsessed. “Boys Will Be Boys” - is another song about life for a teenager. It’s about relationships and friends moving away and generally how life moves on despite wanting things to remain constant and unchanged. “Tearproof” - is about the objectification of women in the media and their strength to deal with this. “Wednesday Week” - is about the heartache and yearning after losing ‘the one’. “Nine Times Out of Ten” - is about the difficulties faced for those in love who also occasionally need their own space. “Girls That Don’t Talk” - is about the challenges teenage girls face. There may be many reasons why they are quiet, and to the rest of the world, those reasons are unknown. “What’s With Terry” - is about a boy not fitting in, in this case because he needed glasses. “Hard Luck” - see above “I Don’t Wanna See (You Again)” - is about dumping a girlfriend at the end of the relationship. “I Told You So” - is about the frustration caused by someone who ignores numerous warnings about their behaviour. The songs are short and all tell a tale. They are well written, to convey as much as they do in such a short space of time. They play well and Feargal Sharkey has a good voice that is easy to recognise. The naivety of the subject matter reflects the age of the band members and makes them easy to relate to by record buying teenagers. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***
It reminds me a lot of the pop-punk/alternative stuff that would come later on, so extra points for being early/influential.
Great licks, pitch perfect singer, bad lyrics
Good album, but I prefer the undertones other one
The most memorable thing about this album is by far the album cover like lmao. Otherwise it’s just another punk album with lame vocals about teenager stuff. This one had a couple redeeming qualities like the song hard luck and good instrumentation but nothing to bring it even close to a 4.
not bad. kinda early pop-punk. I know their big hits, which aren't on this album, so I'm curious why this album made the list.
Duger väl!
Good record. Fun and immature. Side B got interesting. Worst cover song ever in 'under the boardwalk' 3.28stars
The energy is infectious and fun. The songs themselves are, er, how shall we say, unsophisticated? It's a fine listen, I guess. Faves: My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week. But why is this album on this list? 2.5
Nothing stood out to me, but it wasn't bad. I guess you could say it was a bit Under-whelming. Best track: What's With Terry
Wiki says these guys are punk. I disagree. Average early '80s rock band. I would go see them, but this is not a classic.
Eh
Kivaa menoa! Ja täähän oli ihan tuttua, vaikka nimi ei ensiksi sanonut mitään. Indiehkö punkihko rokki toimii.
Thought it was a solid punk album - nothing crazy stood out to me though. 7/10.
What a horribly bizarre album cover. Was the budget that low? Was the art director’s day job bussing tables? They went for a swanky lobster dinner one time and thought “take a photo, this is the life!” And then somehow decided this photo that makes the guys look like dorky tourist dads was fitting to sell a punk record? It is so not punk. Everything about it is so disjointed and jarring. There’s no cohesion with the genre, I can’t stand it. The music on the other hand, if you can get past this abomination of an album cover, is decent. Juvenile at times, but punk often is. It’s fine. I just don’t understand how they ever expected to sell a single record with that album cover. It’s absurd.
The first undertones albums are too similar
3.5/5 I'm really starting to develop a habit for punk. I like how irreverent and fast and stupid and proud of it they are. I like the "Screw the Man" attitude, the political undertones (ba dum tsss), and the frivolous feeling of it. It's dumb, and rambunctious and I like it.
Sounds like the beginnings of pop punk 3/5
Enjoyable but slightly forgettable
Good!
80s punk. Decent energy on some tracks but nothing amazing.
Some neat, short punk tracks, but that's about it. 2.5
3.5
UK punk Good enough but reminded me of a one night stand. I think I enjoyed it but won't for the life of me be able to remember their name.
Heard before. Kinda energetic and it's over fast. I wonder if they really ate lobster while taking the picture. Realized I like songs named after people. + There Goes Norman + Under The Boardwalk + What's With Terry
Flera fina bitar men som album? Första var klart bättre, även om den här inte är dålig.
Un peu too much de guitare crispy. J’aime le style et ca sonnepas si mal mais c’est redondant. 3.15
Not bad. Nothing revolutionary though I think.
A voice and sound that was typical around then. If you must have everything from the era then you need this, if not . . .
I've always thought that Feargal Sharkey had the perfect punk voice, with his warbley Northern Irish accent. You may also recognize him from his appearance on the Assembly's big hit Never Never. Also he has a really cool sounding name. This is good post punk music, the Irish Ramones, if you will.
I actually think this album kinda rules and is surely not good but retains the essence of punk: youthful stompy and a little uncreative
Not quite Hypnotizing
Same Brit punk as the Clash except now with some a heaping dose of new wave thrown in. Still not my jam. 🤷♂️
Not bad not great
De tremolo/vibrato/stuiterbal in de keel doet me denken aan Dead Kennedys, maar de muziek is een stukje lichter. Het laatste nummer ('What's With Terry') vond ik het leukst, de rest was een beetje een grijze massa van vroege pop-achtige punk.
Not bad, kinda getting a Feelies/early 80's rock vibe from this. A few standouts, but otherwise pretty run of the mill stuff. Standouts: There Goes Norman, Under the Boardwalk, Wednesday Week
Just some lads playing their tunes. Fun!
Heöt bra! Lyricsen lite svaga kanske
Sucesión de buenas canciones, con ritmo, sencillas y divertidas, de una mezcla de pop y rock
Op zich prima te beluisteren, maar net als de vorige van The Undertones verder niet heel interessant. Het klinkt alsof ze zo snel mogelijk zo veel mogelijk nummers wilden uitpoepen. Alles 2,5 minuut zonder echte diepgang (in 1980 was dat echt niet meer nodig) of iets dergelijks, het komt bijna nooit los van de 3 akkoorden rock. Heel af en toe een momentje dat leuk is, vandaar nog wel 3 sterren.
nice pop/punk album
Surprsingly disappointing to me - especially being such a John Peel / British punk mainstay. Lyrically it's a bit too schoolboy-ish and one-dimensional for my taste, and while there are some great songs here, it kind of drags at points.
I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I liked a few songs.. wednesday week and the way girls talk were great. I give it 3 stars bc it’s not necessarily my cup of tea but I think it’s also done well!
The Undertones are underwhelming, but the album is a bit of a rocker and is worth a few listens. The thing is, the album does not get better but it does stay consistent and that in and of itself is a positive thing here. History plays a big role in how albums are rated on this site, and not everyone is old enough to understand the impact here outside of being a picture of the past. That being said, The Undertones are a very decent band on this album, their music efforts are rewarding to the ear, and their lyrics not without purpose. While it may be an underwhelming listen, it is not so in a way that is disappointing.
This was some good fun, passed me by quite pleasantly.
This was fun.
not bad
Fun retro rock teenagers’ mood for young guys.
Pretty great. Unhappy white boy punk music, smoother and less shouty than Ramones. Alternative rock from 90s/00s sounds like a descendent to this.
just ok. punk
its the undertones doing some undertones. exactly what it says on the tin.
Where the fuck is Teenage Kicks?
buzzy voice - chipmunk?!
Shoots for something between a frenetic post punk and quirky pop, with mixed results. Starts off shaky but improves as the album progresses. There are a couple of real clunkers on here, but when they're good, this is catchy and quite a bit of fun. Feargal Sharkey's vocal is a real acquired taste, but he has one of the more unique and memorable styles I've ever heard. Fave Songs: Wednesday Week, The Way Girls Talk, Boys Will Be Boys, Nine Times Out of Ten, Tearproof, Hypnotised
Sympathetic teenage punk
Okay
Esperaba más. Me gusta como suena el cantante y su influencia en grupos actuales o de los últimos 20 años es evidente. Me gustó "Hypnotised", "The Way Girls Talk", "My Perfect Cousin" o "Boys Will Be Boys".
Good fun punk, but it doesn’t quite hit as hard or consistently as the debut. A bit of a sophomore slump here.
Some interesting sounds.
9th November 2022 Listened throughout the day while in the office, finished on the drive back. Liverpool Derby in the cup. Solid if unremarkable album, lacked the spark of a teenage dreams but the drums pound all the way through and the singer croons.
Fun little punk album
fun pop-punk
Solid
Interesting punk/post-punk album. The bass lines are great, I did enjoy the cover of under the boardwalk. Overall it was a fun album to listen to
Kinda weird, but I appreciate it
Boring
I like the Undertones' hits but thought this one was just OK really. Fairly basic early punk, a bit repetitive, lyrics aren't anything special. Enjoyable enough but I don't think I'd listen again. Even though I'm Irish it felt a bit too far in the past for their specific brand of teenage angst to resonate much with me. Maybe if I had been a teenager in the early 80s I would have liked it more.
Super likable but I’m not 17
It's fine. I can't stand I'm the biggest fan but I can't say I hate it. It's just present. Nothing wrong with that but this far into the list I'm starting to feel like I've heard this type of album a few times now.
If you're going to make an album of undistinguished songs that all kind of sound alike, this is the way to do it: two minutes that are all at least energetic and a little catchy.
Els anys que van de 1978 a 1982 és una de les edats d'or de la música: el que va des del final del punk fins als començaments de la música 80's més pròpia de la década. 'Hypnotised' no és ni s'apropa a les grans fites musicals d'aquells anys, però conté grans dosis de la creativitat i de l'esperit de l'época i és un disc divertit, original, atrevit i infecciós
Great album! Sounds surprisingly modern.
3 might not seem like much, but this is a punk album more than anything else and it's rare that I give a punk album more than 1 - let alone 2 - stars! It's very pop-ish and good-humored, not too angry, not too simple, not too abrasive. Just some easy listening. On the flip side it's not much more than that. So I'll just go and listen to something actually interesting again.
Good punk, good cover of 'Under the Boardwalk,' good all around listen. I liked that it was a little more subdued and quieter than most punk albums I've listened to. They didn't feel like they had to scream to get the vibe across, and I appreciated that. Nothing that blew my mind, but nice for a listen.
I can't work out if I love or hate his voice. I'm not ambivalent though.
The Undertones, notable for being part of the first wave of pop punk, are back with their second album. Very similar to their debut album, but a lot more funny and snarky. Good energy, good hooks, worth a listen for pop punk history.
A spirited, fun collection of songs that aims and succeeds at targeting the every day comings and goings of love, gossip, heartbreak and the minutia of life. Favorites: More Songs About Chocolate and Girls, There Goes Norman, See That Girl, The Way Girls Talk, Hard Luck, My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week, What's With Terry?
Punkish with very positive feel to it, not much whining or anger or angst, just good fun.
Clairement un album blueprint du punk rock britannique, se laisse bien écouter
That was far more enjoyable than I had expected. It was a little proto ska, punk, rock album
Quite accessible for being called the "Ramones from Ireland". (6/10) FT: My Perfect Cousin, Wednesday Week
Short sharp punchy and good in parts.
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!
Fun early alternative music.
Groovy beats
some bops
Not quite as good as the self-titled but still a pretty solid punk album
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.
Feargal Sharkey fer í taugarnar á mér. En þetta er alveg þokkalegt samt.
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.
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.
Was alright yeah i liked 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.
Boardwalk is a far better cover than Bruce Willis‘s effort. I’ve always loved Wednesday Week.
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.
Honest and immediate punk rock.
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
More pop than punk or new wave.
Decent enough punk album but it doesn't really do anything particularly notable or exciting for me.
Bom.
70’er punk poprock, catchy hooks, elguitar
Bouncy light 80’s punk. Easy to listen to but nothing really grabbed me.
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.
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.
Clearly The Undertones. Such a distinctive vocal. Was alright but I don’t need to hear again. 3*
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
6/10
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 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
some groovy numbers, I liked the cover of Under The Boardwalk
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 really enjoyed this one. Odd that they keep referencing Teenage Kicks in other songs though (or am I imagining this?).
Fun