February 23, 2009

Mod-A-Day: The Undertones

Everybody loved the Undertones. They straddled the line between mod and punk throughout the late 70s and early 80s better than just about any other group besides The Jam. When lead singer Feargal Sharkey launched his solo career in 1983 the band broke up. John and Damian O'Neill went on to form That Petrol Emotion and it looked as if the days of the Undertones were done and gone. Unlike so many other groups that slowly spin down into irrelavance the Undertones went out, if not on the top of the charts, at least still at the top of their game. The last EP issued in 1982 barely dented the charts even though it boasted a sixties psychadelic number that was quite good, The Love Parade.

The band reunited in 1999 with a new lead singer who sounds amazingly similar to Sharkey, and they've produce three new albums. The last one in 2007 -- Dig Yourself Deep which showcases the band's range with some garage rock numbers, some more contemporary indie pop numbers, and some straight ahead good ol' '77 punk rock like the title track.

The Undertones -- Dig Yourself Deep