The Undertones
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Undertones | |
|---|---|
 Cover of debut LP
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Derry, Northern Ireland |
| Genre(s) | Punk rock Pop punk Power pop |
| Years active | 1975-1983 1999-present |
| Label(s) | Sire Records Harvest Records Rykodisc Dojo Records Cooking Vinyl |
| Associated acts | That Petrol Emotion Rare |
| Website | TheUndertones.com |
| Members | |
| John O'Neill Michael Bradley Billy Doherty Damian O'Neill Paul McLoone |
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| Former members | |
| Feargal Sharkey | |
The Undertones are a Northern Irish punk rock/power pop band formed in Derry in 1975.
The original line-up released four studio albums — The Undertones (1979), Hypnotised (1980), Positive Touch (1981), and The Sin of Pride (1983) — before disbanding in 1983.[1] Allmusic stated that guitarists John and Damian O'Neill "mated infectious guitar hooks to 1960s garage, 1970s glam rock, and Feargal Sharkey's signature vocal quaver".[1]
Contents |
[edit] Career
The Undertones formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1975, the band members were five friends from Creggan and the Bogside, who initially drew inspiration from such artists as The Beatles, The Small Faces and Lindisfarne, and initially rehearsed at the home of the guitarists, John and Damian O'Neill, and in the shed of a neighbour. By the following year the group began playing cover versions at minor local venues, including schools and scout huts. With the arrival of Punk Rock in 1976, the artistic focus of the band changed, 'The Hot Rods', as the band were known at this stage, becoming inspired by artists such as The Adverts, Sex Pistols,the Ramones and Buzzcocks.
Some of the band members were unhappy with the name they had at this point because there was already another music act with that name. The name The Undertones was chosen by the drummer, Billy Doherty who had discovered the word in a history book. By 1977 the band were performing their own three-chord pop punk material, primarily at The Casbah, where the band began to perform in February 1977. By this time, the band had also begun to write their own material, which was performed alongside cover versions at concerts, by the summer of that year the concerts would include the song Teenage Kicks, which was written in the summer of 1977. In March 1978, The Undertones recorded a demo tape at Magee University in Derry, and sent copies of the tape to various record companies, but only received official letters of rejection. The band had also sent a copy of their recordings to influential BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and requested he play the songs on his radio programme. Peel replied to the band, and stated he would like to pay for a recording session for The Undertones in Belfast. On 16th June 1978, the band recorded their debut four-song EP "Teenage Kicks" on Belfast's Good Vibrations record label. The song became a hit with support from DJ John Peel, who considered the title song his all-time favourite, and played the song regularly. Seymour Stein, president of Sire Records, heard the song on BBC radio and sent a representative to Derry to discuss a record deal with the band.
The Undertones signed to Sire Records in September 1978 on a five-year contract, and the single was re-released on Sire's own label in October that year. Their eponymous debut album, recorded at Eden Studios in London, was released in May, 1979. Four punk singles were released in the same year, all to critical acclaim. In September, 1979, The Undertones toured America for the first time, supporting The Clash with eight different concerts in six different States.
1980 was the band's most successful year in terms of chart success. A further album, Hypnotised was released in April and two further singles were released in March and July. In addition, the band toured Europe for the first time.
In December 1980, The Undertones announced their intention to split from Sire records as they were unhappy with the lack of promotion they were receiving outside of the U.K. Following negotiations, their manager, Andy Ferguson, signed the group to EMI. In January, 1981, the band began recording their third album, Positive Touch, at Wisseloord Studios in Holland. This third album was released in May 1981. The songs on this album indicated a change in musical influences. They also released two further singles in 1981 and like Positive Touch, they were critically acclaimed, although neither the album or either of the singles was as successful as any of the material released the previous year. Following this the group embarked on their biggest European tour, which lasted from May until October 1981.
In 1982, The Undertones toured continental Europe, and did release two studio singles in February and October, however both of the singles failed to make an impact on the UK charts.
In March 1983, The Undertones released their fourth album, The Sin Of Pride, drawing inspiration from both soul and Motown. Although the album was critically acclaimed, it only reached number 43 in the U.K. charts. The Undertones also released two further singles in 1983; again, both failed to impact the U.K. charts. These falling sales and the pressure from EMI, who were unhappy with the band's lack of chart success, led to Sharkey announcing his intentions to leave the group during a European tour in July 1983.
Sharkey pursued a brief, but commercially successful solo career in the mid to late 1980s, and two of the other band members (John O'Neill and Damian O'Neill) formed That Petrol Emotion.[2][3] The Undertones reformed in 1999 with Paul McLoone taking over for Sharkey and released the critically acclaimed album Get What You Need in 2003.[4][5]
[edit] Reunion
The Undertones reformed in November, 1999 to play concerts in Derry, replacing singer Sharkey with Derry singer Paul McLoone. Since this date, The Undertones have performed concerts in the U.K., Ireland, Europe and America.
The band released an album of original material with McLoone in 2003 titled Get What You Need. The band have also been subject of a 2004 documentary, The Undertones: Teenage Kicks, recorded in 2001, which features the band wandering their old haunts with John Peel and charting their history. The band toured North America and also performed at the Glastonbury Festival in 2005.[6] On 15 October 2007, they released a studio album, Dig Yourself Deep, which failed to chart.[7]
[edit] Members
- Paul McLoone (lead vocals) 1999-present
- John O'Neill (guitar) 1975-present
- Damian O'Neill (guitar, keyboards and vocals) 1975-present
- Michael Bradley (bass and vocals) 1975-present
- Billy Doherty (drums) 1975-present
Former members
- Feargal Sharkey (lead vocals) 1975-1983
[edit] Singles
| Song Title | Date Released | Chart position |
|---|---|---|
| Teenage Kicks | October, 1978 | UK #31 |
| Get Over You | February, 1979 | UK #57 |
| Jimmy Jimmy | April, 1979 | UK #16 |
| Here Comes The Summer | July, 1979 | UK #34 |
| You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It)? | October, 1979 | UK #32 |
| My Perfect Cousin | April, 1980 | UK #9 |
| Wednesday Week | July, 1980 | UK #11 |
| Its Going To Happen! | May, 1981 | UK #18 |
| Julie Ocean | July, 1981 | UK #41 |
| Beautiful Friend | February, 1982 | Did not chart |
| The Love Parade | October, 1982 | UK #88 |
| Got To Have You Back | February, 1983 | UK #97 |
| Chain Of Love | May, 1983 | Did not chart |
| Teenage Kicks (re-issue) | 1983 | UK #60 |
| My Perfect Cousin (re-issue) | 1983 | Did not chart |
| Save Me | June, 1986 | Did not chart |
| Thrill Me | October, 2003 | Did not chart |
[edit] Albums
| Album Title | Release Date | Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| The Undertones | May, 1979 | UK #13 |
| Hypnotised | April, 1980 | UK #6 |
| Positive Touch | May, 1981 | UK #17 |
| The Sin Of Pride | March, 1983 | UK #43 |
| Get What You Need | October, 2003 | Did not chart |
| Dig Yourself Deep | October, 2007 | Did not chart |
[edit] Compilation Albums
| Album Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| All Wrapped Up | November, 1983 |
| Cher O'Bowlies | May, 1986 |
| The Peel Sessions | December, 1989 |
| The Best Of The Undertones | September, 1993 |
| Singles = A+B's | September, 1999 |
| Teenage Kicks: The Best Of The Undertones | October, 2003 |
| Radio Sessions | February, 2004 |
| An Anthology | September, 2008 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b allmusic ((( The Undertones > Biography )))
- ^ allmusic ((( Feargal Sharkey > Overview )))
- ^ allmusic ((( That Petrol Emotion > Overview )))
- ^ allmusic ((( Get What You Need > Overview )))
- ^ Keeping It Peel - BBC Radio 1
- ^ BBCi - Glastonbury 2005: The Undertones
- ^ New album website; Dig Yourself Deep
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 575. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
[edit] External links
- Official Site
- History of the band from an unofficial fan site
- Sold On Song Top 100: Teenage Kicks (No. 51)
- Teenage Kicks from Salon.com
- History of Punk in Derry, Northern Ireland.
- Profile of The Undertones
- A Panorama of The Undertones Playing in Brooke Park, Derry, August 2007
