ROCK Sex: "Teenage Kicks!" - The Undertones > Sahara Hotnights > Sunshine And The Rain

ROCK Sex gets its kicks right through the night.

Today's culture hand-off follows the song "Teenage Kicks".

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It was first done by Irish Punks The Undertones in 1978. DJ John Peel immediately considered it one of his favorite songs of all time and helped push them to success on the charts and Top Of The Pops. But the single was only a warm-up for the astoundingly rock solid first album, "The Undertones".

THE UNDERTONES -"Teenage Kicks" (1978)



Sweden has a storied history of great Garage Rock bands from the '60s to today. The recent wave included luminaries like The Hives, Mando Diao, The Flaming Sideburns, and Sahara Hotnights. The latter did this adrenalized cover which was included in an expanded version of their breakthrough album, "Jennie Bomb".

SAHARA HOTNIGHTS -"Teenage Kicks" (2001)



The standard has also been covered by The Vibrators, U2, Supergrass, Franz Ferdinand, Nouvelle Vague, Green Day, Skunk Anansie, Rasputina, The Coral, and The Raconteurs (with Jack White).



Here's a new variant on the main riff.

SUNSHINE AND THE RAIN -"I'm Not Your Girl" (2017)






© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" - X-Ray Spex > Free Kitten > Chicks On Speed > Pussy Riot

• "Time Has Come Today" - Chambers Brothers > Angry Samoans > Ramones > Joan Jett

• Chuck Berry > Beach Boys > Plastic Bertrand > The Damned


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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ROCK Sex: When WIRE Met Elastica

ROCK Sex sees how "a vital connection is made".

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I love Elastica because they were the sum result of a lot of great influences gelling into something unique.

Every act is the sum of their parts, it's true, but sometimes someone pulls it together just right for you. It's the difference between laying all the ingredients out on the table versus cooking them with your own touch.

Elastica expanded on some melodies from the great PostPunk band Wire, and get no end of grief for it from literalists. Whatever. I enjoy what they brought to already fine songs.

WIRE -"Three Girl Rhumba" (1977)


ELASTICA -"Connection" (1994)




WIRE -"I Am the Fly" (1977)


ELASTICA -"Line Up" (1995)


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Perversely, in light of all the flak they got in '95, Elastica returned in 2000 to also do a couple more songs almost willfully interpolating melodies from Wire.


WIRE -"Kidney Bingos" (1977)


ELASTICA -"Nothing Stays the Same" (2000)




WIRE -"Lowdown" (1988)


ELASTICA -"Human" (2000)



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Elastica's leader, Justine Frischmann also admired the arpeggiated use of guitars in the riff for this song...

THE STRANGLERS -"No More Heroes" (1978)


Though The Stranglers didn't get any grief from Bach fans for their baroque moves, Elastica didn't escape so lightly in kind for using the same playing approach with their own unique song.

ELASTICA -"Waking Up" (1995)




I say it's all good. We're lucky to have had each and get such great work between them.



© Tym Stevens

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See Also:

• "Boredom"/ "Rip It Up" - Buzzcocks > Orange Juice

• LADIES FIRST: "Mind Your Own Business" - Delta 5 > Chicks On Speed > Pigface


• The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist

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