Alex Ogg 1994

Rarely in the history of music has the term 'perfect pop' been coined so readily to describe the efforts of such a short musical career. The Undertones were five lads from Derry - Northern Ireland - who for the same number of years synthesized the rudiments of pop with punks brash energy better than anybody. What they did was simplicity itself; big chords - rude and ready harmonies and chorus lines that settled deep into the subconscious. The Undertones communicated the possibilities of pop music so naturally - that it was impossible not to share their exhilaration and delight.

Each of their four albums chronicle a distinct musical progression within that timescale. Despite what many critics have suggested - the. band were remarkable for something other than their intimacy with the three minute - infectious pop nugget. They were - in addition - a musically cohesive unit whose creative ambitions were anchored more by the perceptions of others than their own instincts.

Over ten years since the band's dissolution - it still seems strange to think of The Undertones with reverence. Not that such tribute is undue - but because the honest - unpretentious nature of the band - which was such a large part of their charm - always militated against any pomposity or appeasement. The appropriate reaction is simply to acknowledge the unhindered - boundless entertainment which these recordings have always conveyed to me - and thousands of others.

After a lull in activities through 1982 - The Sin Of Pride was premiered by the release of The Love Parade in January 1983. This single - with its sweeping horns - promised a fusion of the psychedelic pop hinted at by the band's previous album - alongside a new-found penchant for soul and melodic R&B.

Such musical subject matter was a long way down the road from their original sound - and The Undertones achieved the transition with a degree of success that passed largely unacknowledged by the media.

The tone was set from a cursory inspection of the cover - a glossy - sartorially correct affair which contrasted sharply with the image of five penniless youths sitting astride a Derry wall which had bedecked their debut. The meticulous craft that characterised the new set - which introduced producer Mike Hedges - could not disguise the odd weak link. Some songs occasionally sound limp in their efforts to embrace a new audience. However - the strength of the melodies alone were enough to give the album life. For every 'Love Before Romance' we are allowed the ample consolation of an upbeat 'Valentine's Treatment' - I Got To Have You Back' (an update of the Isley Brothers standard) or 'Chain Of Love'. It was the sound of the band trying to break the bonds of servitude offered them by an audience who still wanted them to be goofing off .

But The Undertones had grown up - and the fact that five young lads from Derry came this close to replicating the Motown sound serves as a testament not only to their ability - but also their ambition.

However - the creative birth of the album had taken its toll on the band. Though their attempts to escape musical deadlock were admirable - to all intents and purposes they had lapsed as a commercial proposition. A split at this time had the unfortunate effect of pinning the blame on The Sin Of Pride - which wasn't really the case. Tensions were already running high in the band and the album's commercial failure compounded rather than instigated problems -

The O'Neill brothers moved off to form That Petrol Emotion - subsequently proving that there was no shortage of creative fuel in their engines. Billy carried on drumming and Micky wound up as a DJ and radio producer. But it was Feargal who enjoyed the greatest success - earning a Number 1 single which his former cohorts had so richly deserved when he struck with 'A Good Heart' - When his singing career failed him - he joined Polydor's A&R staff - and has been the sole Undertone to resist attempts to reunite the band for a lucrative series of five concerts. His most recent stab at immortality came when name checked by a drunken Rodney in an episode of Only Fools And Horses - screened as these sleeve notes were being compiled. He might be more fondly remembered for his work on this - and the three previous Undertones' albums -

The bonus tracks on this final CD include three previously unreleased numbers 'Bittersweet' - 'I Can Only Dream' and 'You Stand So Close (But You're Never There)' - which were democratically ejected from the fourth album proper. Not everyone at the time agreed with the decision - but this time the listener gets to choose whether they were worthy of inclusion - Our story concludes as the B-sides are rounded up in 'Like That' - 'Turning Blue' and - somehow appropriately - 'Window Shopping For New Clothes'.