THE UNDERTONES – POSITIVE TOUCH LP – Nr MINT A1/B1 UK 1981 PUNK

The Undertones – Positive Touch
(Ardeck/EMI Records  1981  ARD103)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
“Porky Prime Cut” in dead wax

G&L Embossed Sleeve in Excellent+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners & a little light rubbing near top
Inner Sleeve in Nr MINT condition

Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)

The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O’Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O’Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley (bass, vocals) and Billy Doherty (drums). Much of the earlier Undertones material drew influence from punk rock and new wave; the Undertones also incorporated elements of rock, glam rock and post-punk into material released after 1979, before citing soul and Motown as the influence for the material released upon their final album. The Undertones released thirteen singles and four studio albums between 1978 and 1983 before Sharkey announced his intention to leave the band in May 1983, citing musical differences as the reason for the break up.

Positive Touch is a 1981 album by The Undertones. The album, the third to be released by the band and the last to be produced by Roger Bechirian, was recorded in January 1981 at Wisseloord studios in The Netherlands. The LP was released in May that year, reaching number 17 in the UK album charts.

The original LP release included the UK chart hits: “It’s Going to Happen!”, which reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1981, and an album version of “Julie Ocean”, which reached number 41 upon release in July the same year.

Although the majority of the songs contained upon this album were largely inspired by the same subjects as the songs upon the two previous albums released by the band at this stage in their career (both of which generally contained lyrical matter concerning teenage angst), Positive Touch was the first and only album released by The Undertones to contain songs which drew lyrical inspiration from the Troubles relating to the political and social background in which the members of the band had been born and raised. “It’s Going to Happen!” was directly inspired by the hunger strikes in Northern Ireland and was performed on Top of the Pops on the day one of the participants in the 1981 hunger strikes, Bobby Sands, died. Three further songs upon the LP were also inspired by the Troubles, although none of the material the band were to subsequently release drew influence from these sources.

In 1986, one track on Positive Touch, “When Saturday Comes”, became the inspiration for the title of the UK football fanzine of the same name.

Positive Touch was voted number 28 in the 1981 NME ‘Albums of the Year’.

Track listing

Personnel

• Feargal Sharkey – lead vocals
• John O’Neill – guitar and vocals
• Damian O’Neill – guitar, keyboards and vocals
• Michael Bradley – bass and vocals
• Billy Doherty – drums