"I suspected this to be a bit bland coming 20 years after their last classic album (all their original albums, 1979-1983 are ABSOLUTE CLASSICS), but to quote the Undertones followup band, That Petrol Emotion, this is a MANIC POP THRILL. The first track alone is worth the price!! The rest are loads of fun, as well. It's not as classic as their first 4 albums, but I still give it 5 stars because it beats just about any other pop/punk being recorded lately. The Undertones are STILL awesome! Feargal is no longer aboard, but the singer they have is FANTASTIC!"
We need what they got
Roy Pearl | Vancouver, BC | 11/25/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Twenty years after their last album, the O'Neill brothers decided to give their seminal punk-pop band another shot at glory. Miraculously, they hit their target. Distinctive vocalist Feargal Sharkey didn't re-enlist, which, in theory at least, should have scuttled the project right from the getgo, but new singer Paul McLoone (uncredited in the liner notes) does a fairly mean Feargal impression when it's needed. Opening song "Thrill Me" sounds like it came straight off a remastered "Hypnotized", "Winter Sun" flirts with the psychedelic R&B of "The Sin of Pride", and the rest almost manages to reconcile the band's relentless adventurousness with their power pop roots. I just hope they don't make us wait another 20 years for the next one."
Undertones return to save music
stote007 | Antarctica | 10/17/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"20 years after their last (original) release, the greatest band in the history of the world bar none are back with the best album of the 21st century so far. With Derryman Paul McCloone taking over vocal duties seamlessly from Feargal Sharkey, this is the third album they should have made (as John O'Neill said to me last year after a cracking show in Rotterdam). It doesn't disappoint. Highlights are recent single "Thrill Me", "She Wants Everything But You" and "I Need Your Love The Way It Used To Be", all three rocking humdingers in the style of the eponymous first album and second "Hypnotised" with none of the verve and energy lost in the creeping years of middle age. Indeed, this album rocks like a rampant teenager. If you don't buy it, you must be mad."
Hi old friends; I really rate this 3.5 almost 4
ken helwig | San Jose, CA Thank you very much! | 12/06/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"OK...... coming back with a new lead singer? No Feargal? Such a distinctive voice to replace. And the verdict? Pretty damn good I might say! I have been a Undertones fan since 1980 (I'm 39) and was tickled pink to learn that one of my favorite bands had reformed and were recording again. The first three songs on this disc had bouncing around my living room like I was a teenager back in the day. Keep in mind this is no nostalgia trip here. The Undertones have updated their sound and also have built upon their formula of old. Standout tracks for me were: "Thrill Me", "I Need Your Love...", "Everything But You", "Enough", "Joyland". The O'Neil brothers continue to display such great guitar work and the songwriting is up to par with their older stuff. BUY THIS!!!!!!!"