The Undertones (album)
| The Undertones | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original May 1979 cover release of The Undertones | ||||
| Studio album by The Undertones | ||||
| Released | 13 May 1979 | |||
| Recorded |
Eden Studios and Mrs. Simms Shed, Derry 1979 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 29:29 | |||
| Label |
Sire Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | Roger Bechirian | |||
| The Undertones chronology | ||||
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| Cover of October 1979 re-release of The Undertones | ||||
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 Both images of the vinyl album cover of The Undertones could be described as "front covers", as the track listings and name of album/group are shown on both sides. |
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The Undertones is the 1979 debut album by The Undertones. The album was recorded at Eden Studios in London in early 1979 and released on 13 May that year.[1] The original release included just one single release: Jimmy Jimmy and an album version of Here Comes The Summer, which was never released as a single.
A re-released version of the album (housed in an alternate sleeve), was issued in October 1979. The re-released album also included the Undertones' first two singles: Teenage Kicks and Get Over You alongside both Jimmy Jimmy and a single version of Here Comes The Summer, which had been released in July. In addition, the song Casbah Rock was included as the final track of the album.
Numerous polls conducted since 1979 have placed The Undertones as one of the greatest albums to be released in the 1970s and one of the Top 40 Punk/New Wave albums of all time,[2] with the single Teenage Kicks being listed by the BBC Radio 2 as the 51st best song ever released.[3]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[5] |
| Smash Hits | 7/10[6] |
Track listing
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Written by | Length |
| 1. | "Family Entertainment" | Damian O'Neill | 2:37 |
| 2. | "Girls Don't Like It" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Male Model" | J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill | 1:54 |
| 4. | "I Gotta Getta" | J. J. O'Neill | 1:53 |
| 5. | "Wrong Way" | Billy Doherty | 1:23 |
| 6. | "Jump Boys" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:40 |
| 7. | "Here Comes The Summer" | J. J. O'Neill | 1:42 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Written by | Length |
| 1. | "Billy's Third" | Billy Doherty | 1:57 |
| 2. | "Jimmy Jimmy" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:41 |
| 3. | "True Confessions" | J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill | 1:52 |
| 4. | "She's A Runaround" | J. J. O'Neill | 1:49 |
| 5. | "I Know a Girl" | J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill | 2:35 |
| 6. | "Listening In" | J . J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill | 2:24 |
| 7. | "Casbah Rock" | J. J. O'Neill | 0:47 |
| Bonus tracks (issued on CD releases only) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Written by | Length |
| 15. | "Teenage Kicks" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:28 |
| 16. | "True Confessions (single version)" | J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill | 1:56 |
| 17. | "Emergency Cases" | J. J. O'Neill | 1:59 |
| 18. | "Smarter Than You" | Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Billy Doherty | 1:38 |
| 19. | "Get Over You" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:46 |
| 20. | "Really Really" | Billy Doherty | 1:52 |
| 21. | "She Can Only Say No" | J. J. O'Neill | 0:54 |
| 22. | "Here Comes The Summer (single version)" | J. J. O'Neill | 1:46 |
| 23. | "One Way Love" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:16 |
| 24. | "Top Twenty" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:14 |
| 25. | "Mars Bars" | Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley | 2:10 |
| 26. | "You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It?)" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:41 |
| 27. | "Let's Talk About Girls" | Manny Freiser* | 3:40 |
| 28. | "Top Twenty (Peel session)" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:03 |
| 29. | "Nine Times Out of Ten (Peel session)" | J. J. O'Neill, Billy Doherty | 2:33 |
| 30. | "The Way Girls Talk (Peel session)" | J. J. O'Neill | 2:40 |
| 31. | "Whizz Kids (Peel session)" | Damian O'Neill | 2:23 |
- "Let's Talk About Girls" is a cover of a 1967 song by The Chocolate Watch Band.[7]
Accolades
- A 1979 end of year critic list published by Melody Maker placed The Undertones as the sixth best album to be released that year.[8]
- A 1993 poll by NME placed The Undertones' debut album as the 50th greatest album to be released in the 1970s.[9]
- In a 2000 poll by Q magazine, to find the '100 Greatest British Albums Ever' as voted by the British public, The Undertones' eponymous debut LP was voted the 90th greatest album ever written by British artists.
- A 2006 poll by UK-based rock music magazine Kerrang! lists The Undertones as the 19th greatest punk album ever to be released.[10]
- The Undertones' debut LP was also listed in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die:" a poll selected and written by 90 leading international music critics.[11]
Personnel
- Feargal Sharkey – lead vocals
- John O'Neill – rhythm guitar and backing vocals
- Damian O'Neill – lead guitar, keyboard and backing vocals
- Michael Bradley – bass guitar, lead vocals (on original album version of "True Confessions") and backing vocals
- Billy Doherty – drums
References
- ↑ Chart Stats.com 13 May - 19 May 1979
- ↑ Top 100 punk albums of all time.
- ↑ BBC Radio 2 top 100
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Robert Christgau review
- ↑ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (31 May – 13 June 1979): 25.
- ↑ ChocolateWatchBand discography.
- ↑ Melody Maker's best albums of 1979
- ↑ NME Greatest albums of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
- ↑ Punknews.org.
- ↑ 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
External links
- Official website of The Undertones
- Allmusic review of The Undertones' debut album
- History of Punk in Derry, Northern Ireland.
- Yourirish.com profile of The Undertones
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