Reviews (page 8 of 8)
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Enjoyed this way more than expected. Fergal Sharkey's voice is a bit marmite and I'm on the wrong side of that divide, but there's no denying the infectious energy. Interestingly and unusually for rock music, I think almost every song is in 2/4 time. In any event, all the same beat, and all the song lyrics are variations on either "it's not fair, he's got more than me" or "it's not fair, she doesn't love me" but nevertheless I still loved it. Avoided this sort of stuff like the plague in the 70s (along with all punk/new wave) but happy to discover I was wrong.
Some really catchy songs on this.
This has a Dead Kennedys meets a new wave Beatles sort of vibe. Nothing really stood out to me. I do appreciate the Northern Ireland representation :D
meh
punk bejzik, veoma 2/5
Pretty stinkin' great.
As a prime example of more approachable punk music that would lay a template for future pop-punk and ska revivals. The Undertones even bring in covers of classic stand-by's, a hallmark of the genre.
Most enjoyable!
Finally some punk! I'm familiar with their first album ("Teenage Kicks" era), but never went any further. The first album is a decent early example of pop punk, with some of the sneering energy of punk mapped onto catchy songs about girls. I'm not a huge fan of the band, but I can see why that one made the 1001 list. This follow-up album has a more precise, controlled sound with less punk edge - so it's crossing further into "power pop", and parts of it have a hint of retro 1960s pop rock. It's pretty competently done, and I quite like the singers voice, which has a slight vibrato when he occasionally holds a note. However, the song writing is boring and the tracks get samey. I've never massively liked the first album, and I like this one a little less. From Buzzcocks to The Jam, there are so many bands that do a similar thing much better. Even staying in Northern Ireland, Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material (1979) would be more deserving of a place on the list. So to me, it's unfathomable that The Undertones get two spots on the 1001 list. Presumably just because John Peel liked them.
Really don't like his voice, the sound or the songs
Oh piss off and grow up
Have never heard anything from them before but loved it! A fun easy listen in the early days of the Pop Punk sound. 1) More Songs About Chocolate And Girls 4* 2) Thee Goes Norman 4* 3) Hypnotised 4* 4) See That Girl 3* 5) Whizz Kids 3* 6) Under The Boardwalk 4* 7) The Way Girls Talk 3* 8) Hard Luck 3* 9) My Perfect Cousin 4* 10) Boys Will Be Boys 4* 11) Tearproof 3* 12) Wednesday Week 4* 13) Nine Times Out Of Ten 4* 14) Girls That Don't Talk 4* 15) What's With Terry 4*
Annoying voice and forgettable lyrics.
Highly overrated- passable noise
Catchy toxic masculinity. I made it to the song boys will be boys.
Quite a boring album. Lyrics were meh and musis seemed repetetive.
No
Original class of pop punk. Best Tracks: More Songs About Chocolate and Girls, There Goes Norman, My Perfect Cousin
.
could not get through the whole album
It was ok, it didn't really grab me but there was some decent songs on there 2*
Meh was OK
This was okay.
Heerlijk klassieke punk. Hier word ik wel blij van.
Fun listen made me happy
Enjoyed this v much
Weinig te vinden waar ik warm van word.
Best leuke liedjes, maar de vroege punk is niet echt mijn ding. Te staccato en te puntig.
Hier kan ik niet zoveel mee. Maar die zanger, die klinkt bekend.....ah! Een van de betere popsongs uit de 80's: 'A good heart these days is hard to find!' Dat is andere (zoetsappigere) koek dan deze punk die hij 5 jaar eerder maakte met de Undertones :-)
Na veel gezapige muziek zoals The Eagles en Crosby, Stills & Nash dacht ik bij de eerste noten: He, leuk! Na een tijdje luisteren kwam ik tot de conclusie dat het iets teveel niveau middelbare school-band heeft. Die trillende stem vind ik ook geen aanwinst.
This was a decent album but not one I’d really return to all that much. Shades of Arctic Monkeys in there at times.
It was nice enough but ultimately a little uninteresting. 5/10
Banger
Good fun.
No teenage kicks but some fun tunes, especially the first half of the album
Like belle and sebastian’s bratty younger brother
Fun, zips along at quite a pace....but i probably won't return to it
Top Top cover. Shit Irish band trying to copy a shit American band. Like it when my punk bands have a bit more to say then this. 2/5
Second Undertones album generated in 3 days. Not as fun or bouncy as the last one. Only 38 minutes long, but still managed to bore me a bit.
This was a good album. Nice to hear punk ditties with accomplished musicians. Well produced and does well to conjure an image of how young lads think. Loses a star for terrible under the boardwalk cover
Wyspiarskie nowosci z lat 80, i to nawet nie brytyjskie, bo z peryferii polnocnej irlandii, herb Derry to prawdziwy majstersztyk herbownictwa, granie rokowo punkowe lub raczej post punkowe, pierwszy albumik z jajowymi lirykami, moze nie jest to poziom parodii Yankovica, ale mozna autentycznie sie posmiac sluchajac albumika, a to na tej liscie prawdziwa nowosc, o ile punk zazwyczaj kojarzy sie z agresja buntem szybkim lub krotkim zyciem lub niezyciem, a tutaj za pomoca ironii lirycznej wartosci normikowe sa wystawione na przesmiew, zadziwijaco zrozumiale spiewane jak na irlandzkie glosy, co do wokalu to jest on podobny do jednego z beatelsow, strzelam ze mlody Lennon, czesto wystepuja chorki nie tylko spiewane, ale tworzace dzwieki wszelaki, na plejaka wrzucam piosenke o wybitnie utalentyowanym kuzynie, bo kazdy chyba mial takiego, my perfect cousin oraz o niezby atrakcyjnych paniach, czyli whats with terry
3/5
Divertido, energético, vibras veraniegas, pero no sé si me atrapa lo suficiente para volver a escucharlo. Lo que sí puedo apreciar y agradecer del disco es que la corta duración de sus canciones hacen del disco más llevadero a pesar de que son 18 pistas. Ancestro de Vampire Weekend y ese tipo de banditas? Track favorito: Hard luck (again) B side porque es como un buen logro del copy paste dejando solo lo chido de la canción original Mood: chillin' an' killin'
The vocal tone is killer. I'm digging the bass work. There Goes Norman is a bop! Man, I am having a lot of fun listening to this album.
This album is strange because sometimes it sounds like a bad Beatles imitation and sometimes it remembers me something of green day in their good days. At least, is a curious album
Not really my style
Well, can you name one song by the Undertones? Maybe "Teenage Kicks?" This album has 2 songs that some people listen to. This is pedestrian power-chord rock with an unusual vocalist. Generally forgetful.
never heard of these dudes before. They sound kind of like pansy division. Fun light hearted punk. Doesn't feel like "before you die" music, but an enjoyable listen.
8/10 Coqueto, audaz y fresco
Solid 3.5 album, can sound very samey though
Este género rockero sí me gusta, jaja. Ya es como rock con algo de punk y pues el sonido del rock pop. El disco: ligero, fluye, rápido, ritmos ágiles, definitivamente su teenage angst me da para creer que ojalá lo hubiera escuchado justo en la etapa adolescente. No conocía ni sabía de The Undertones. Mis pistas favoritas: "Hypnotised", "Hard Luck", "My Perfect Cousin", "Tearproof" y, en primer lugar, "Wednesday Week", con una forma de arrastrar (?) las vocales que siempre me gusta. 9/10
Pretty fun album, some of the lyrics dethrone tunes from being better
Simple punk rock and a little bit of pop album, liked it but nothing special, only the vocals stood out
Energetic. 5/10
1980, Punk Rock, Pop Punk, anders als Pop Punk heute, nicht mehr als eine 3
Maybe it’s the crappy music I’ve gotten all week making me biased, but this album IS GREAT. Just some northern Irish blokes having a laugh
Really fun album. Enjoyed the energy and that is was punk that’s only significant quality musically was being loud. Favorite Tracks: “More Songs About Chocolate and Girls” and “See That Girl”
I was only able to listen to about half of this, but the stuff I did listen to was a solid fine
It's a fine album, but I really don't see why it was included on the list.
Fun album. The music was good but the songs all sounded the same. I liked it overall.
nice surprise, many cool and familiar tracks
I had to remind myself whether I actually listened to this yesterday, so i guess that says it all. Its not bad, just sort of forgettable.
Great album. Didn't know two goofy-ass looking dudes could drop such great music. Excellent, fun rock-n-roll, the way it's meant to be played.
Not bad but I’m not a huge fan of the lead singer. Just preference.
Pretty good! Kind of weird
feisty.
false
Loved his voice!
I must dislike punk
7
fucked rad
Eh, it's fine.
Some nice bouncy pop-punk but mostly doesn't really grab me.
Some cracking tracks, always really good snappy hooks. But quite a lot of filler tracks that sound like a 14 year old wrote them. And what were they thinking with the under the board walk cover...told you so, my perfect cousin, there goes Norman are the standouts
Cool. Eighties feel. You could tell the punk scene was just starting
good post punk. nothing as catchy as “teenage kicks” tho
light soft rock - good bg music but weak on vocals
Fav Song: The Way Girls Talk
Pretty good album. Nice riffs, cool bass. Everything is good but nothing mind blowing 3.5
3.4
Love this one.
Standard stuff. Maybe if I was a teenager in 1980 this would be exciting for me, but I’m not so it ain’t.
Catchy 80's pop punk. Didn't finish.
Peppig, spritzig, toller 80er Jahre Sound!
Fun if a little juvenile. Last song was the album save for me.
Meh
Good fun
Early punk is good punk
Had not heard all of these songs. Awesome and fun
Not bad. Had some alright tracks.
nice upbeat punk album that has lyrically a lot of content to add that might be lacking in other albums in the genre
Didn't listen in full
Just a solid punk album. I really enjoyed it. There wasn't much that stood out but it was fun. The lyrics didn't take themselves seriously, the tracks were full of energy, and the production was solid but not polished (which is proper for punk). I liked it.
Definitely a fun album, about as raw as it gets
It's like...some songs start super cool, like Hard Luck...and then they fade quickly, like Hard Luck. Oh well.
Really had a fun time listening, but need to revisit to distinguish more songs since the sound was so cohesive it all blended together.
girls!
A few high points, but the style references wear a bit thin. Does much to reinforce the theory that Irish bands sound better with the accents.
Just about every song had a really catchy hook, with solid british rock vocals. About every song had the name of the song as part of their hook. All instrumentals were really solid, and could be listened to by themselves. There are a few songs in there that did not have much in terms of lyrics other than the hook. I liked this album more than I thought I would.