Undertones Anthology, Celebration Gig Due

First four albums to be remastered and expanded as well.

By Blurt Staff

Teenage Kicks - the anthem that defined an era of punk, pop and a host of imitators - celebrates its 30th birthday this month with a special reissue, live gig and 2xCD anthology telling the story of its makers, The Undertones.

Due first, on Aug. 31, is a 30th anniversary digital 'vingle' release of the original “Teenage Kicks” song  backed with a previously unreleased live version and the original promotional video. This is followed by a strictly limited edition 7" vinyl re-release of the original four-track single complete with foldout poster booklet.

Then The Undertones - An Anthology will be released by Salvo/Ardeck on Sept. 22 containing 56 songs, 27 of which are previously unreleased demos, live, session and rehearsal tracks. It arrives on the same day as the band (including vocalist Paul McLoone; Feargal Sharkey will not be on hand, however) performs a headline gig at Dingwalls, London.

From Derry, Ireland, the ‘tones burst onto the scene in 1978 with Teenage Kicks, 2 minutes 28 seconds of immaculate guitar pop that has been covered - but never bettered - by everyone from Supergrass to KT Tunstall to Green Day. 12 singles culled from four albums followed including Jimmy Jimmy, Here Comes The Summer, My Perfect Cousin and Wednesday Week that showcased a band prepared to take risks as punk morphed into new wave and on into electro pop and new romanticism.

Teenage Kicks was also famously the late British DJ John Peel's "favorite record of all time". (A new series of Peel's memoirs, The Olivetti Chronicles: Notes On Life, Music And Facial Hair, will be published on 23 October 2008.)

Meanwhile, those first four Undertones albums from the Sharkey era — The Undertones, Hypnotised, Positive Touch, The Sin of Pride — are also in the process of being reissued as new remasters with bonus material and new booklets. However, considering that those records were already reissued as expanded (a slew of bonus tracks) remasters back in 2000 by Castle/Sanctuary, one may well abide by the old saw caveat emptor: how many times can a punter repurchase a favorite album, after all?

Anthology Track Listing:

CD ONE

Original single and album versions

1          Jimmy Jimmy

2          She's A Runaround

3          You’ve Got My Number

4          Girls That Don't Talk

5          Listening In

6          It's Going To Happen

7          Wednesday Week

8          Billy's Third

9          Girls Don't Like it

10        Crisis Of Mine

11        Teenage Kicks

12        There Goes Norman

13        The Love Parade

14        When Saturday Comes

15        Mars Bars

16        Family Entertainment

17        Tearproof

18        Lets Talk About Girls    

19        Jump Boys

20        Julie Ocean

21        Male Model

22        Top Twenty

23        True Confessions

24        My Perfect Cousin

25        Beautiful Friend

26        More Songs About Chocolate & Girls

27        Soul Seven

28        Here Comes The Summer

29        I Know A Girl

CD TWO

Previously unreleased live, demos, rehearsals and rough mixes

1          My Perfect Cousin (demo ‘79)

2          You've Got My Number (demo ‘79)

3          Girls That Don't Talk (demo ‘79)

4          Nine Times Out Of Ten (demo ‘79)

5          Get Over You (Live at the Lyceum ’78)

6          Wrong Way (Live at the Lyceum ’78)

7          Mars Bars (Live at the Lyceum ’78)

8          Listening In (Live at the Lyceum ’78)

9          I Don’t Wanna See You Again (demo ’78)

10        Do The Fast (demo ’78)

11        Girls Don't Like It (demo ’78)

12        I Gotta Getta (demo ’78)

13        Teenage Kicks (demo ’78)

14        Emergency Cases (demo ’78)

15        Get Over You (demo ’78)

16        It's Going To Happen (live 8 track ’81)

17        The Positive Touch (live 8 track ’81)

18        Luxury (demo ’82)

19        Party Party (demo ’82)

20        Beautiful Friend (recording session ’82)

21        The Love Parade (demo 82)

22        You Stand So Close (recording session 82)

23        Bittersweet (demo ’82)

24        Soul Seven (demo ’82)

25        Turning Blue (demo ’82)

26        Window Shopping For New Clothes (demo ’82)

27        Cher O’Bowlies (rehearsal ’83)

While we have your attention, check out this video of “Teenage Kicks”…. First the Undertones, then KT Tunstall, then Green Day, no less!