Warning this is one of those reviews that tells you nothing about the album, but we need history here, this band are important.
Everybody knows The Undertones. The late great John Peel had Teenage Kicks as his greatest ever song and the lyrics “Teenage dreams so hard to beat” are on his gravestone.
The Undertones are still loved to this day, I am partial to them myself, but the O’Neill brothers second band was much better.
Everyone has a band that they love who they cannot believe were not massive, That Petrol Emotion were mine.
The Undertones split in 83 and John O’Neill formed TPE in 84 with brother Damian coming in on bass as Raymond Gormon was already in on guitar. Ciaran McLaughlin on drums (the most underrated drummer ever) and American lead singer, Steve Mack completed the line-up. Paul Whitehouse revealed a few years ago he auditioned for them on his Gone Fishing show with Bob Mortimer, they got it right Mack fitted perfectly. All five are essential.
This, their debut album arrived in 86 and is a perfect title as it is a Manic Pop Thrill. Can’t Stop, Natural Kind of Joy, It’s a Good Thing, Mouth Crazy and A Million Miles Away are perfect pop songs.
TPE release five albums, all will hopefully be reviewed, and you can discover the joys of their music.
9/10
GIVE IT A STREAM: It’s a Good Thing