The Undertones - "Here Comes The Summer"

The average track time on The Undertones' 1979 eponymous debut clocks in at just 2 minutes and 16 seconds. The five bandmates from Derry, Ireland were only in their late teens and early twenties when they put together this first LP, yet with a couple three chord bangers and a few simple verses and choruses it seemed like they had already mastered the primal forces of rock 'n' roll, releasing not only one of the best records of the 1970s, but perhaps the purest expressions of teenage youth, rebellion, and angst ever. And perhaps no song nails that sentiment better than "Teenage Kicks," a track that meant so much to famed English disc jockey and producer John Peel that he kept the original hand-written lyrics framed in his home and had the line "Teenage dreams, so hard to beat" carved onto his gravestone. More than three decades later, these songs still sound as relevant as ever. When the weather warms every year, the quick punches of organ, giddy smack of snare, and anthemic chorus of "Here Comes The Summer" still can't be beat.

Omaha, Nebraska imprint Drastic Plastic reissued the vinyl last year—pick up the limited pressing here.

The Undertones - "Here Comes The Summer" (from The Undertones)