Hypnotised (album)

Hypnotised is a 1980 album released by the Undertones. The album, the second of four released by the band, was recorded at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands in December 1979, and at Eden Studios in London in January 1980, with the majority of the songs to appear on the album being written between March and December 1979.[2] In addition, although the primary lyrical concern of the songs upon this album focused upon teenage angst, boisterousness, and heartbreak (as had been the case with their debut album), several of the songs upon Hypnotised are notably both lyrically and musically more sophisticated than material released upon The Undertones.[3]

For other uses, see Hypnotized (disambiguation). For the mental state, see Hypnosis.

Hypnotised
Studio album by
the Undertones
Released21 April 1980
RecordedDecember 1979 – January 1980
StudioWisseloord Studios, Holland; Eden Studios, London[1]
GenrePunk rock, pop punk
Length38:11
LabelSire
Rykodisc
Ardeck-EMI
Sanctuary Records (UK CD reissue)
ProducerRoger Bechirian
The Undertones chronology
The Undertones
(1979)		 Hypnotised
(1980)		 Positive Touch
(1981)

Produced by Roger Bechirian between December 1979 and January 1980, Hypnotised was released on 21 April 1980, reaching number 6 in the UK Albums Charts and making Hypnotised the highest-charting album of their career.

The original release of Hypnotised included two singles: "My Perfect Cousin", which was released on 28 March 1980 and reached number 9 in the charts; and "Wednesday Week", released on 5 July 1980 and which charted at number 11 three weeks later.[4]

Cover photography

The photograph chosen to adorn the front cover of Hypnotised was taken by Damian O'Neill, and depicts the band's bassist Michael Bradley and drummer Billy Doherty. The image itself was taken at a seafood restaurant in the Bowery, where the band had been taken for a meal by the manager of Sire Records, Seymour Stein, on their first tour of America in September 1979.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blender[7]
Q[8]
Record Collector[9]
Record Mirror[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Select4/5[12]
Smash Hits9/10[13]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[14]
The Village VoiceA−[15]

A May 1980 review published in Billboard described the album as "a sprightly collection of 15 short and punchy songs that convey a sense of humor, catchy melodies and lyrics that standout above your average rock fare" and noted that "the vocal intensity gives the songs its streetwise urban kick and the biting guitar riffs cushion the lyrics with the kind of support that calls attention to each song".[16]

In July 1980, Ira Robbins of rock and roll fanzine Trouser Press stated: "Hypnotised is a wonderful album. [The album contains] clever lyrics and great hooks that make the LP a thoroughly entertaining affair. Their songs are uncomplicated and unpretentious; not aesthetic benchmarks on the state of the world."[17]

Hypnotised was listed in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die; a poll selected and written by 90 leading international music critics.[18]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."More Songs About Chocolate and Girls"Damian O'Neill2:43
2."There Goes Norman"J. J. O'Neill2:28
3."Hypnotised"Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley2:31
4."See That Girl"J. J. O'Neill2:25
5."Whizz Kids"Damian O'Neill2:20
6."Under the Boardwalk"Kenny Young, Arthur Resnick2:27
7."The Way Girls Talk"J. J. O'Neill2:30
8."Hard Luck"J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill, Billy Doherty, Feargal Sharkey3:42
Side two
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."My Perfect Cousin"Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley2:36
2."Boys Will Be Boys"J. J. O'Neill, Damian O'Neill1:27
3."Tearproof"J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley2:21
4."Wednesday Week"J. J. O'Neill2:17
5."Nine Times Out of Ten"J. J. O'Neill, Billy Doherty2:38
6."Girls That Don't Talk"J. J. O'Neill2:27
7."What's With Terry?"Damian O'Neill3:19
  • Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–15 on CD and download reissues.
Bonus tracks (issued on CD and download releases only)
No.TitleWritten byLength
16."Hard Luck (Again)"J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill, Billy Doherty, Feargal Sharkey4:11
17."I Don't Wanna See (You Again)"J. J. O'Neill0:48
18."Told You So"J. J. O'Neill2:07
19."The Positive Touch" (Eden Studios session for John Peel 16/11/1980)J. J. O'Neill1:55
20."You're Welcome" (Peel session)J. J. O'Neill2:11
21."When Saturday Comes" (Peel session)J. J. O'Neill2:44

Personnel
The Undertones
Technical
  • Neill King, Peter Bobr - engineer
  • Aldo Bocca, Roger Bechirian - mixing on "What's With Terry?"
  • Bush Hollyhead, Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley - sleeve

References
  1. "The Undertones' First Two Albums Getting 40th Anniversary Reissues". NME.
  2. Sleeve notes for 2009 Salvo re-release of Hypnotised
  3. "The Undertones: Hypnotised". Piccadilly Records. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  4. Official Charts.com. 27 July - 2 August 1980
  5. Michael Bradley (2016). Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone. Omnibus Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-1785581809.
  6. Mason, Stewart. "Hypnotised – The Undertones". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  7. Du Noyer, Paul. "The Undertones: (various reissues)". Blender. Archived from the original on 20 April 2004. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  8. "The Undertones: Hypnotised". Q. No. 164. May 2000. p. 132.
  9. Baldwin, Shane (November 2016). "The Undertones – The Undertones, Hypnotised". Record Collector. No. 459. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  10. Russell, Rosalind (19 April 1980). "'Tones Tunes". Record Mirror. p. 18.
  11. Miles, Milo (30 October 2003). "The Undertones: Hypnotised". Rolling Stone. No. 934. p. 94.
  12. Cusack, Elaine (July 1994). "The Undertones: The Undertones / Hypnotised / Positive Touch / The Sin of Pride". Select. No. 49. p. 90.
  13. Hepworth, David (17–30 April 1980). "The Undertones: Hypnotised". Smash Hits. Vol. 2, no. 8. p. 30.
  14. Bernstein, Jonathan (1995). "Undertones". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 419–20. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  15. Christgau, Robert (2 February 1981). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  16. "Review: The Undertones – Hypnotised" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 20. New York: Billboard Publications Inc. 17 May 1980. p. 66. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022 – via World Radio History.
  17. Robbins, Ira (July 1980). "The Undertones: Hypnotised (Sire)". Trouser Press. Retrieved 18 January 2021 – via Rock's Backpages.
  18. 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
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