Positive Touch

The majority of the songs released upon Positive Touch were more experimental than the band's previous material, with instruments such as pianos, recorders, and brass instruments added to the group's sound. Guitarist Damian O'Neill recalled: "We'd moved away from the Ramones. Dexys was my thing. And we were listening to a lot of the Stones, Aftermath in particular—it's more 1966 than 1981—Love, Blues Magoos, that kind of sound, which was out of sync with the likes of Duran Duran. But it was also out of sync with what we were doing a year earlier. It wasn't a complete failure: 'It's Going To Happen!' was top 20, but that turned out to be our last hit."{{cite journal |last1=Houghton |first1=Mick |title=The Undertones: Teenage Dreams, So Hard To Beat |journal=Uncut |date=November 2008 |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-undertones-teenage-dreams-so-hard-to-beat |access-date=8 August 2020}}

In 2009, bassist Michael Bradley reflected on the recording sessions for Positive Touch, stating: "We went into [the recording sessions], and came out of [them], very happy with the direction we were going in. It wasn't based on any great discussions within the band; it was a natural progression for us. The first LP was based on what we were listening to in [the] O'Neills' front room. Positive Touch came out of what we'd been listening to since that."Sleeve notes for Positive Touch/The Sin of Pride 2009 CD reissue p. 6

The sleeve artwork for Positive Touch was designed by Bush Hollyhead, who designed the sleeve artwork for many of the band's albums and singles. The original sleeve depicted imagery intended to reflect each song title embossed upon the cover, which is largely plain white.{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/bush-hollyhead/15873|title=Recording Artist Grammy Awards: Artist Bush Hollyhead|website=grammy.com|date=1 January 2019|access-date=7 August 2021}}

Although the majority of the songs on Positive Touch were inspired by the same subjects as the songs released upon their two previous albums (generally 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, although lyrical references to the Troubles were somewhat oblique.{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/undertones-time-we-were-so-sick-troubles-we-didnt-want-sing-about-it-482149 |title=The Undertones: 'At That Time We Were So Sick of The Troubles We Didn't Want to Sing About It' |publisher=The Yorkshire Post |date= 3 May 2019|access-date=29 January 2021}}

The single "It's Going to Happen!" was directly inspired by the 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland and was performed on Top of the Pops days after one of the participants in these hunger strikes, Bobby Sands, died of starvation.{{Cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=9700%2F|title=It's Going To Happen by The Undertones|website=songfacts.com|date=3 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003181929/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=9700%2F|access-date=7 August 2021|archive-date=2012-10-03}} Three further songs upon the LP ("You're Welcome", "Crisis of Mine" and "Sigh and Explode") were also lyrically inspired by the Troubles, although none of the material the band were to subsequently release drew influence from these sources."

Although Positive Touch was less commercially successful than either of the albums the band had previously released, the album also received favourable reviews from several music critics.{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1981.html/ |title=1981 NME Albums Of The Year and End of Year Critic Lists |access-date=7 August 2021 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317002650/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1981.html/ |archive-date=17 March 2015 }} A review in the Daily Record describes the album as being "much more sophisticated" than their debut and sophomore efforts, and the material upon Positive Touch had propelled the Undertones to a "new level in the rock hierarchy".{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30007496/daily-record/ |title=Positive Touch: The Undertones. Harvest ST-12159|publisher=Daily Record|access-date=7 August 2021|date=2 August 1981}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side one

| extra_column = Written by

| title1 = Fascination

| extra1 = J. J. O'Neill

| length1 = 2:19

| title2 = Julie Ocean

| extra2 = J. J. O'Neill

| length2 = 1:45

| title3 = Life's Too Easy

| extra3 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length3 = 2:30

| title4 = Crisis of Mine

| extra4 = J. J. O'Neill

| length4 = 2:23

| title5 = You're Welcome

| extra5 = J. J. O'Neill

| length5 = 2:43

| title6 = His Good Looking Girlfriend

| extra6 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length6 = 2:35

| title7 = The Positive Touch

| extra7 = J. J. O'Neill

| length7 = 2:16

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Side two

| extra_column = Written by

| title1 = When Saturday Comes

| extra1 = J. J. O'Neill

| length1 = 2:49

| title2 = It's Going to Happen!

| extra2 = Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley

| length2 = 3:34

| title3 = Sigh And Explode

| extra3 = Damian O'Neill

| length3 = 2:44

| title4 = I Don't Know

| extra4 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length4 = 2:17

| title5 = Hannah Doot

| extra5 = J. J. O'Neill

| length5 = 2:50

| title6 = Boy Wonder

| extra6 = Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley

| length6 = 2:04

| title7 = Forever Paradise

| extra7 = J. J. O'Neill

| length7 = 2:54

}}

• Sides one and two were combined as tracks 1–14 on CD and download reissues.

{{tracklist

| headline = Bonus tracks (issued on CD and download releases only)

| extra_column = Written by

| title15 = Fairly in the Money Now

| extra15 = Tommy Tate and The Torpedoes*

| length15 = 2:33

| title16 = Julie Ocean

| note16 = 7" single version

| extra16 = J. J. O'Neill

| length16 = 3:36

| title17 = Kiss in the Dark

| extra17 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley,

| length17 = 2:34

| title18 = Beautiful Friend

| extra18 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length18 = 3:26

| title19 = Life's Too Easy

| note19 = 7" single version

| extra19 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length19 = 2:40

}}

{{tracklist

| headline = Bonus tracks (issued on Positive Touch/The Sin of Pride 2CD release only)

| extra_column = Written by

| title15 = Fairly in the Money Now

| extra15 = Tommy Tate and The Torpedoes*

| length15 = 2:34

| title16 = Beautiful Friend

| extra16 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length16 = 3:27

| title17 = Life's Too Easy

| note17 =single version

| extra17 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill

| length17 = 2:43

| title18 = Julie Ocean

| note18 =single version

| extra18 = J. J. O'Neill

| length18 = 3:36

| title19 = Kiss in the Dark

| extra19 = J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley,

| length19 = 2:33

| title20 = Untouchable

| note20 =Peel session

| extra20 = Damian O'Neill

| length20 = 3:19

| title21 = The Love Parade

| note21 =Peel session

| extra21 = Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley

| length21 = 4:08

| title22 = Luxury

| note22 =Peel session

| extra22 = J. J. O'Neill

| length22 = 2:28

| title23 = The Sin of Pride

| note23 =Peel session

| extra23 = Damian O'Neill, Michael Bradley

| length23 = 3:44

}}

• Tommy Tate and The Torpedoes was a pseudonym for Damian O'Neill.

• Positive Touch was voted number 28 in the 1981 NME 'Albums of the Year'.{{cite web|url=http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/1981.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629131012/http://rocklistmusic.co.uk/1981.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=29 June 2006|title=NME End Of Year Lists 1981|website=rocklistmusic.co.uk|access-date=11 December 2017}}
• In 1986, one album track from the Positive Touch album, "When Saturday Comes",The Rough Guide to Rock {{ISBN|1-858-28457-0}} p. 1121 became the inspiration for the title of the UK football fanzine of the same name.{{cite web|url=http://www.wsc.co.uk/about/index.html|title=When Saturday Comes Magazine|website=wsc.co.uk|access-date=11 December 2017}} This song was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, but was released as a single in the Netherlands.{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Undertones-Its-Going-To-Happen/release/3529978 |title=The Undertones: When Saturday Comes|website=discogs.com |date=15 May 2014 |access-date=3 June 2017}}

;The Undertones

• Feargal Sharkey - lead vocals
• John O'Neill - guitar, vocals
• Damian O'Neill - guitar, keyboards, vocals
• Michael Bradley - bass, recorder (on "Hannah Doot"), vocals
• Billy Doherty - drums

;Additional musicians

• Paul Carrack - piano (on "Life's too Easy" and "Fascination")
• Neill King - trumpet (on "It's Going to Happen!" and "His Good Looking Girlfriend")
• Dick Blewett - saxophone (on "It's Going to Happen!" and "His Good Looking Girlfriend")

{{Reflist}}

• Hot Press [http://www.hotpress.com/The-Undertones/music/reviews/albums/Positive-Touch/492538.html review of Positive Touch]
• [http://theundertones.com Official website] of the Undertones
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20151016044307/http://www.yourirish.com/the-undertones Yourirish.com profile of the Undertones]

{{The Undertones}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1981 albums

Category:Albums produced by Roger Bechirian

Category:Harvest Records albums

Category:Rykodisc albums

Category:The Undertones albums