A Better Mousetrap: The Undertones Beat A Path To America’s Door

Back in the primordial '70s, a rash of groups moved into the British 45 charts to occupy the places formerly inhabited by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. T. Rex, Slade, the Sweet, Gary Glitter and a few others reached a plateau of popularity where each single they released was guaranteed to go Top Five. With little reliance on the more expansive (and comparatively safer) form of the LP, the lifeline of singles could go on for as long as the fickle audience chose to hum along; the minute that magic was gone, it was back to the gas pump or taxi cab for the hapless nobody.