Family Entertainment...Undertones An Anthology and Show # 221

In September of 2008, The Undertones released an anthology. Titled Undertones: An Anthology, the set stands out from all other Undertones "best of" compilations for one reason, the second CD that is included in this set. It compiles 27 previously unreleased demos, rare unheard recordings, and live tracks. Disc one compiles a 29 song set of songs from the bands career. This includes a large majority of songs from the bands first two albums (Undertones (1979), and Hypnotized (1980)). It also includes a few selections from the bands later albums, which veered from their original sound. While people can make complaints about some songs missing from the first disc (there aren't any I can complain about), really is there any point you are getting 29 songs? If there are some songs missing that you enjoy, go out and purchase the original albums; You won't be disappointed.

Disc two is for the Undertones fanatics, 27 previously unreleased songs. It really is interesting to hear alternate takes and early demos of your favourite Undertones songs. Some of my favourites demos are "My Perfect Cousin", "I Don't Wanna See You Again", and "Do the Fast"(from their original demo tape), "Teenage Kicks", "Emergency Cases", "The Love Parade". The version of "Love Parade" and a few other demos that were featured on the bands album The Sin of Pride, have the advantage of good production, there are no 80's effects here. Disco two also features live recordings from The Lyceum in 1978, and two live recordings form the bands 1981 tour. If that isn't enough for your there is also the song "Party, Party", which was a song written for a soundtrack, but was not used. In the booklet guitarist Damien O'Neil describes the song as The Undertones trying to do a Motown song.


After you sift through all of the recordings, there is also the linear notes. Written by guitarist Damien O'Neil, he goes into details of the bands career, from signing their recording contract with Sire Records, to their last official gig with singer Feargal Sharkey in 1983. The Undertones: An Anthology, is a very interesting set of songs, you get a collection of greatest hits and a collection of demos, outtakes, and rare recordings. If you do not live anywhere in the UK, the album will most likely have to be ordered on import. It can be found on Amazon.com, and Amazon UK. A complete history of the band that I wrote can be found in my True Confessions post.

Other interesting upcoming releases that will not only be featured on this blog, but also my radio show will be the deluxe editions of the first three Buzzcocks albums; They were released in the UK at the end of October 2008. Check this site for more info on that and you can listen to my show on CJAM 91.5 FM in the Windsor/Detroit area from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, or elsewhere online from cjam.ca.

Play List:

1. Dead 60s - A Different Age
2. The Cigarettes - Can't Sleep At Night
3. Rezillos - Glad All Over
4. Lost Patrol - That's Your Style
5. Dry Heaves - Portable
6. The Spys - Welcome To the Crule World
7. Lowlife - Think Naturally
8. Cheetahs - The Only One
9. Stop Starts - Metronome
10. The Talks - Boys Toys
11. Joey Ramone - Don't Worry About Me
12. The Philbys - Freefalling
13. The Government - Sponge (Live)
14. Diodes - Plastic Girls
15. Dylan James - Talking To Yourself
16. X - The New World
17. The Evaporators - Desolation Sound
18. Golden Hands Before God - The Ladder
19. The Clash - Spanish Bombs (Live At Shea Stadium)
20. Dead Boys - Sonic Reducer
21. Television - Double Exposure (1974 Demo)
22. Undertones - Tearproof
23. Undertones - My Perfect Cousin (79 Demo)
24. Undertones - Do The Fast (78 Demo)
25. Undertones - Girls Don't Like It (78 Demo)
26. Undertones - The Love Parade (82 Demo)
27. Buzzcocks - Harmony In My Head

To download this week's show visit the CJAM archives and select the files 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on November 4th, 2008.

Blank Numbers...Show # 208

For a change of pace this week I thought I'd talk about individual songs as opposed to my usual band history posts. 

 Richard Hell & The voidoids - Blank Generation

The song "Blank Generation" was Richard Hell's response to generation songs such as The Who's "My Generation". It is meant to be seen as a "Blank Generation" in terms of filling in the blank according to your choice. Essentially it's a song about the freedom of choice and about not being labelled by other people. The song is featured on the Voidoids first album, Blank Generation. The song was also featured on the Voidoids very first EP titled the Another World EP. The EP (released in 1976) contains three songs all of which differ from the versions found on the 1977 Blank Generation album. For example the song "Blank Generation" is titled "(I Belong To The) Blank Generation" and it is a slower version compared to the album version (but still great). The EP which is long out of print also contains the blues inspired track "You Gotta Lose" and "(I Could Live With You) In Another World". 

 Undertones - (You've Got My Number) Why Don't You Use It

One of my favourite all time Undertones songs. This track was recorded in 1979 and issued as a single in October of the same year. It went to # 32 on the UK Charts and was written by Undertones guitarist John O'Neil. The song can now be found on the remastered/re-issued version of the Undertones second album, Hypnotised. 

This weeks song selection: 

1. Elvis Costello & the Attractions – (I don’t want to go to) Chelsea 

2. The Diodes – Noise 

3. White Stripes – Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine 

4. The Saints – No Time 

5. Modernettes – Surf City Strangler (Live) 

6. Buzzcocks – Boredom 

7. Teenage Head – Picture My Face 

8. Ugly Ducklings – Nothin' 

9. Undertones – (You’ve Got My Number) Why Don’t You Use It 

10. Dirty Pretty Things – Doctors and Dealers 

11. Ramones – I’m Against It 

12. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – Blank Generation 

13. Dead 60’s – Soul Survivor 

14. The Piranhas – Green Don’t Suit Me 

15. The Shades – New Clientele 

16. Enigmas – Teenage Barnacle 

17. The Scavengers – True Love 

18. The Features – City Scenes 

19. The D4 – Exit to the City 

20. The Clash – Car Jamming 

21. Iggy Pop – Tell Me a Story 

22. The Hives – No Pun Intended  

23. Ride Theory – Great White Sharks 

24. Television – Guiding Light 

25. The Rapture – Crimson Red 

26. Pointed Sticks – What Do You Want Me to Do 

27. Gang of Four – Damaged Goods 

Next week I will be doing a show devoted to the music of Bob Dylan. It will be a two part special (next week being the first part). Leave requests in the comment section of this post if you would like to.

The EP Show, Show # 168

This week my show consisted of me playing some of my favourite EP's in full. I played seven in total, I will talk about each of them briefly.

Spiral Scratch was a four song EP released by the Manchester band Buzzcocks in 1976. This was the original line up of the band featuring Howard Devoto on vocals. He would leave shortly after this EP and eventually lead the band Magazine. Spiral Scratch was also one of the first independently financed releases without the help of an official record company. In turn it influenced thousands of bands to make the their own music, bringing the punk do-it-yourself motto to different levels.

Undertones released the Teenage Kicks EP in 1978. The Irish, Derry band did it initially hoping to release nothing else, emulating the Buzzcocks to a degree. The EP did so well they were offered to record further albums, which they did. It contained four fast energetic compositions, including "Teenage Kicks" which can be called their own version of "Blitzkrieg Bop".

The Demics were a band from London, Ontario. In 1979 the Talk's Cheap EP was released containing five songs including, "New York City" one of the their signature songs and voted as one of the best Canadian songs of all time. Invasion of the Tribbles came from the Calgary band, The Hot Nasties in 1980. The band split in 1981. Warren Kinsella (one of the members) is now a politician.

The Cost of Living EP was produced and recorded by Bill Price and The Clash in 1979. The 7" EP came in between the US release of their first self titled album, and London Calling. It featured "I Fought the Law" (a cover song), "Groovy Times" (an acoustic track), "Gates of the West" ( a song originally written by Mick Jones, but the lyrics were re-written by Joe Strummer), and "Capital Radio Two (a re-recording of the song "Capital Radio"). It showed a direction the band would be going into, a more American rock oriented one.

The Yellow EP was released by the new wave/post-punk British band, Gang of Four. Coming out in 1980, the songs were politically charged and some of them would appear re-recorded for their next full length album Solid Gold. The last track on the EP was a B-side to the single "Damaged Goods". The album had no name, but since it was yellow, it became known as the Yellow EP. The D4 EP was originally released in 1999 by the New Zealand band The D4. It featured four high-energy rock and roll numbers ("Come On!"would appear on the first full length album, 6twenty). The EP also featured drummer Rich Mixture, who would leave shortly after this release to be in the band the Rock and Roll Machine; Vaughn Williams would be his replacement for the remainder of the bands career. The band went on hiatus in June of 2006, it is a shame that band this good is no longer around.

Next week I will be doing a show dedicated entirely to the Swedish punk outfit, The Hives. I plan on playing songs from every album, B-sides and rare Hives stuff. Also, I plan on playing some new tracks from their newest release The Black and White Album. If you are a Hives fan, leave a comment and make a request, I will play it.

The Play List:

1. Buzzcocks – Breakdown (Spiral Scratch 1976)
2. Buzzcocks – Time’s Up (Spiral Scratch 1976)
3. Buzzcocks – Boredom (Spiral Scratch 1976)
4. Buzzcocks – Friends of Mine (Spiral Scratch 1976)
5. Undertones - Teenage Kicks (Teenage Kicks EP 1978)
6. Undertones - Smarter Than U (Teenage Kicks EP 1978)
7. Undertones - True Confessions (Teenage Kicks EP 1978)
8. Undertones - Emergency Cases (Teenage Kicks EP 1978)
9. The Demics – I Wanna Know (Talk's Cheap 1979)
10. The Demics - You Tell Me (Talk's Cheap 1979)
11. The Demics - Talk’s Cheap (Talk's Cheap 1979)
12. The Demics - New York City (Talk's Cheap 1979)
13. The Demics - Oh Well (Talk's Cheap 1979)
14. The Clash - I Fought the Law (Cost of Living EP 1979)
15. The Clash – Groovy Times (Cost of Living EP 1979)
16. The Clash - Gates of the West (Cost of Living EP 1979)
17. The Clash – Capital Radio (Cost of Living EP 1979)
18. Hot Nasties – I Am a Confused Teenager (Invasion of the Tribbles 1980)
19. Hot Nasties – Invasion of the Tribbles (Invasion of the Tribbles 1980)
20. Hot Nasties – the Secret of Immortality (Invasion of the Tribbles 1980)
21. Gang of Four – Outside the Trains Don’t Run On Time (Yellow EP 1980)
22. Gang of Four – He’d Send in the Army (Yellow EP 1980)
23. Gang of Four – It’s Her Factory (Yellow EP 1980)
24. Gang of Four – Armalite Rifle (Yellow EP 1980)
25. The D4 – Girl (The D4 EP 1999)
26. The D4 – Come On! (The D4 EP 1999)
27. The D4 – Outta Blues (The D4 EP 1999)
28. The D4 – What U Want (The D4 EP 1999)

Some Videos:

Buzzcocks - Breakdown 1976
Undertones - Teenage Kicks
The Clash - I Fought the Law (Live 1979)
Gang of Four - To Hell With Poverty (1983)
The D4 - Out of Control

True Confessions...The Undertones Story & Show # 155

Undertones formed in Derry (in Northern Ireland) in 1975. The bands influence would come from bands such as Ramones, The Stooges, MC5, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, and the like. Influence would also come from 60s Garage Rock bands. The band would have five members, John and Damian O'Neil (both guitarists), Michael Bradley (bass), Billy Doherty (drums), and Feargal Sharkey (vocals). The band would play at clubs in Derry blasting out their form of punk and pop, usually at a place called The Casbah. Upon hearing their demo tape in 1976, Terry Hooley (a record shop owner) signed the band to Good Vibrations Records, which was his label. Teenage Kicks EP would come out in 1978, and it would contain four tracks, "Teenage Kicks", "Smarter Than You", "True Confessions", and "Emergency Cases".

"Teenage Kicks" the song was a fast, loud energetic song that starts off with Billy Doherty hitting the drums three times, then the buzzing guitars coming in. The song was also unique due to Feargal Sharkey's singing style, which was very high. Upon hearing this track John Peel a DJ for BBC radio immediately declared how much he liked the song, saying it was his all time favourite and even playing it twice in a row on his program. This publicity caused the band to get a record deal with Sire Records. Undertones, would come out in 1979. The album would be an excellent debut for the Derry band, it would originally feature 16 tracks, all simple, loud, and full of Rock and Roll energy. "I Gotta Getta", "Get Over You","Jimmy Jimmy", and "Listening In" all are perfect examples of the bands unique blend of Pop and Punk that sounds like a mix between Ramones, The Clash, and Buzzcocks. The band would then support the Clash on their American tour in 1979.

1980, saw the release of Hypnotised. The album would be similar to their debut, but it would also expand on their previous sound. The first song "More Songs About Chocolate and Girls" was a song taking a hit at the band Talking Heads (they had an album called More Songs About Building and Food). Still the album contains many great moments as did the bands debut. "There Goes Norman" features climbing guitar riffs from the O'Neil brothers, "Hypnotised" is a fast paced song with angry, impatient filled lyrics from Sharkey, and "My Perfect Cousin" (a single from the album) was a sarcastic clever song. "Wednesday Week" was a mellow acoustic song sounding influenced by 60s pop, and was also the second single from Hypnotised. It went to # 11 on the UK Charts ("My Perfect Cousin" went to # 9). The band would then go to EMI Records.

In 1981 the bands third album, Positive Touch was released. This album went in a different direction, the album would feature horn sections, and piano. "Julie Ocean" is a good example of their new direction. Some of the bands old pop and punk mix cracks through on songs such as "It's Going to Happen" (which also features a horn section and is about situations in Derry), "Positive Touch" is a definite song that sounds close to the bands earlier sound, but the band was drawing in different influences at this point such as soul music. Sin of Pride would be the bands final release with its original line up. Coming out in 1983, Sin of Pride was more of a change that Positive Touch. The album experimented with 60's psychedelic music, soul, and Motown. The album would feature two cover songs "Got To Have You Back" (Leon Ware) and "Save Me" (Smokey Robinson). The bands change and experimentation was evident on tracks such as "Conscious", "Untouchable", "Love Parade", and "The Sin of Pride". The band would split up in 1983 after touring for a bit due to disagreements about the musical direction of the band.

After the split the band went their separate ways. Feargal Sharkey went on to pursue a solo career. His career was brief. He would realease two solo albums and have a number one single with the song "A Good Heart". The O'Neil brothers would go on to form the politically charged band The Petrol Emotion, that would last until 1994. In 1989 a collection of Undertones BBC sessions were compiled onto a CD titled Listening In. The bands albums would also be re-released and remastered in CD form in the early 2000's, all containing bonus tracks. The band would attempt to reunite with Sharkey in 1999, but he did not want any part in a reunion. The band got Paul McLoone to take over on vocals and even recorded a new Undertones album titled Get What You Need in 2003. In 2001, a documentary titled Teenage Kicks was also released pertaining to the bands history. The band released Dig Yourself Deep in October of 2007. The album, which failed to chart featured fourteen tracks including the song, "Here Comes the Rain" which they have been playing live since 2005. In September of 2008, Undertones released an Anthology featuring one disc of studio tracks, and one disc of unreleased material. More information about the anthology can be found here.

For more information about the band visit their official website or undertones.net.

Play List:

1. The Nerves – hanging on the telephone
2. Sex Pistols – new york
3. The Jam – a bomb in wardour street
4. Count Five – psychotic reaction
5. Standells – riot on sunset strip
6. Velvet Underground – head held high (alt mix)
7. Ugly Ducklings – hey mama
8. Demics – the grey and the black
9. 49th Parallel - citizen freak
10. The Stooges – loose
11. Neon Boys – love comes in spurts
12. Fun Things – when the birdmen fly
13. Cosmetics – guilt
14. K-Tels – where are you?
15. Gruesomes – ain’t got nothing
16. Spys – machine shop
17. Sturgeons – forward disorder
18. Buzzcocks – friends of mine
19. The Saints – one way street
20. Johnny Thunders – dead or alive
21. Undertones – jimmy jimmy
22. Undertones – I told you so
23. Undertones – it’s going to happen
24. Ramones – chainsaw
25. The Damned – sick of being sick
26. The Furies - what do you want
27. Dishrags - I don't love you
28. Ian Dury - sex & drugs & rock & roll
29. Television - untitled instrumental
30. Ramones - now I wanna sniff some glue

Undervideos:

Here Comes the Summer (TOTP 1979)
Jimmy Jimmy (OGWT 1979)
True Confessions (OGWT 1979)
My Perfect Cousin (Live Something Else Show 1980)
There Goes Norman (Live Something Else Show 1980)
The Recording of Teenage Kicks
Teenage Kicks Promo Music Video
It's Going To Happen Promo Music Video