ANGELIC UPSTARTS – TEENAGE WARNING LP – EXC+ A1 UK 1979 PUNK Oi!

Angelic Upstarts – Teenage Warning
(Warner Bros Records  1979  K56717)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from some light pops/crackles – vinyl has some discolouration on side 2 but this doesn’t affect the sound quality)

Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners & some marks

Angelic Upstarts are an English punk rock band formed in South Shields in 1977. Allmusic calls them “one of the period’s most politically charged and thought-provoking groups”. The band espoused an anti-fascist and socialist working class philosophy, and have been associated with the skinhead subculture.

The band released eight studio albums in their first decade. After a brief split they reformed in 1988, and a number of times subsequently, with new albums appearing in 1992, 2002, 2011 and 2016. More than two decades after its release, their debut single, “The Murder Of Liddle Towers”, was included in Mojo magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time.

Teenage Warning is Angelic Upstarts’ first album, released in August 1979. It peaked at No.29 in the UK Album Charts and featured three singles, Liddle Towers, I’m An Upstart and Teenage Warning. If you also take into account that the B-sides The Young Ones and Leave Me Alone are also included, it means almost half the album was also available on 7″ singles.

The band were initially signed to Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey’s JP Productions. The plan was to record a demo and use Pursey’s leverage to secure a deal with Polydor – this floundered following an incident involving Pursey, a security guard and a snowball fight. Warner Brothers stepped in and signed them.

The album sleeve depicts a tattooed orange with a clockwork key, symbolising the Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange and taken from the opening lyric of the title track, ‘Wind me up like a clockwork orange.’

Paul Morley at the NME reviewed the album suggesting it would be Angelic Upstarts’ ‘one burst’ before they disintegrated, and remarked it was not his greatest listening experience but he had great fun reviewing it.

Dropkick Murphys performed a cover version of “Never Again” for an oi tribute album. It was later included on their 2005 release Singles Collection, Volume 2.

Track listing

All songs written by Thomas Mensforth and Ray Cowie, except as shown.

Side A

1. “Teenage Warning” – 3.02
2. “Student Power” – 2.21
3. “The Young Ones” (Sid Tepper, Roy C. Bennett) – 1.49
4. “Never Again” – 3.57
5. “We Are The People” – 3.06
6. “Liddle Towers” – 4.41

Side B

1. “I’m An Upstart” – 2.21
2. “Small Town Small Mind” – 2.26
3. “Youth Leader” – 3.05
4. “Do Anything” – 2.17
5. “Let’s Speed” – 2.34
6. “Leave Me Alone” – 2.16

Personnel

• Thomas Mensforth (Mensi) – vocals
• Ray Cowie (Mond) – guitar
• Steve Forsten – bass
• Decca – drums