Sit down – relax and cancel all other engagements
More Songs About Chocolate And Girls
Its never too late to enjoy dumb entertainment
Now that’s exactly the sort of cri de couer I can get behind folks, nothing too improving or too strenuous for this time of year. Welcome to my favourite Derry Boys, the Undertones and their mighty catchy second LP, Hypnotised.
The way girls talk, girls that don’t talk, wearing specs, irritatingly spoiled relatives, being a bit lovelorn … we are still very much dealing with the fabric of teen dreams, kicks, hicks and chicks. The fire of the their debut album has been turned down a notch on this 1980 release and whilst their preoccupations are broadly similar, their music has flowered and in a couple of tracks you can see it groping towards the (gulp!) sophistication of their last two LPs.
Now don’t come here looking for any real objectivity, Undertones was a life-changing album for me, not that Hypnotised needs to trade on any lingering affection from me, it’s a cracker in its own right.
As always there’s something delightfully gauche about the Undertones, from the cover image* on in, to the inner sleeve pictures capturing a young, excited band in the US. I’m sure they had their moments but the overall affect is charming and rather sweet.
As is Hypnotised.
The utter genius that is ‘My Perfect Cousin’, the heaviest track on here by far, is cleverly sequenced as the side 2 opener, it would have overbalanced things had it kicked off the LP proper. I don’t need to say much, it is just perfect punk pop and the rhyme of ‘synthesizer/advise her’ has yet to be equalled in all human culture, unless its ‘cabbage/challenge’ line earlier.
‘More Songs About Chocolate And Girls’ is an interesting and slightly defensive opener, I think. It has a jaunty hook and a perky guitar line. I read it as the band’s response to being constantly asked about why they weren’t writing about the troubles in Northern Ireland**.
Then we accelerate into ‘There Goes Norman’, a sweeter song about a flasher/lurker/sex pest/psycho I can’t imagine. Check out the video below for the ‘tones in all their be-jumpered glory; what I wouldn’t give for the posters on those walls.
The title track is another real favourite, they bring a bit of fire and a good guitar tone to the chorus too. In fact the O’Neill brothers guitaring is mighty fine throughout here, some very interesting flourishes going on. Repeat everything I just said for the track ‘Whizz Kids’ too.
If there’s a duff moment on Hypnotised it is their cover of the old Bruce Willis classic ‘Under The Boardwalk’, it just sounds horrible and for once Sharkey’s bleating irritates, rather than ingratiates. They are soon back on the right side of the ledger with ‘The Way Girls Talk’, which for me touches on XTC territory, albeit with more wallflower-at-the-school-disco longing chucked in.
It isn’t an influence that wears well but for ‘Hard Luck’ the Undertones go full Gary Glitter^, Billy Doherty doing a sterling job behind his kit. It’s a great track too. As is the pulsing, lovelorn ‘Boys Will Be Boys’, 1:27 of urgent perfection. How could you not love a song about a genuine teenage love that affair, that asks plaintively at the end, ‘Is this a genuine teenage love affair?’.
I really like the one-two sensitivity punch of ‘Tearproof’ and ‘Wednesday Week’, both real precursors to their Sin Of Pride LP. The former has just got such a great chorus, not to mention Michael Bradley’s great propulsive bass line, whereas the latter is an exercise in Hollies-esque melody; if I was ever in the market for a broken heart mix ‘Wednesday Week’ would be the closing track.
The closing trio ‘Nine Times Out Of Ten’, ‘Girls That Don’t Talk’ and ‘What’s With Terry?’ all bop and lurch around charmingly, bringing Hypnotised to a very up finish.
As the most objective person on the internet^^ I heartily commend Hypnotised to your sensibilities. It is quite a priceless snapshot of a young band starting to develop beyond their thrashy, punky beginnings and learning how to add to their blueprint; not quite dumb entertainment.
Which is all very worthy but when the band are this endearing and the songs this good, the end product is a cracking day out for all the family; apart from your cousin Kevin.
1165 Down.
*taken in a seafood restaurant that Seymour Stein had taken them to in New York.
**because they wanted escapism, who wouldn’t? anyway if you wanted an alternative Ulster, other bands were available.
^they banged out a great cover of ‘Rock n’ Roll’ on The Peel Sessions Album.
^^as verified by proper scientists, wearing white coats and carrying clipboards.
I had a buddy named Norman (just a nickname after another song). Good stuff 1537
I do thoroughly enjoy this album. Not quite as much as I love the Lego minifigures but it’s always a bloody fun spin
I just love ’em unreservedly. There are a few good stories on the bands website which are very funny too, worth a visit.
Late happy new year to you! “Teenage dreams, so hard to beat”… at that time, only a few Undertones songs found their way onto my record shelf. For me they were brave punks.
Even as a hardened punk sceptic, it’s hard not to like ‘My Perfect Cousin’
It is a couple of minutes of pure genius. I would like it read out solemnly at my funeral … in 45 years time.