Teenage Fanclub | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Initially lauded for the sonically dense, guitar-driven anthems that heralded them as unexpected stars of the alternative rock era, the perception of Scotlands Teenage Fanclub transformed over time, eventually earning the group a reputation as pop craftsmen famous for a distinctive brand of classicist 60s- and 70s-style power pop and folk-rock. Originally centered on the talents of three singer/songwriters -- Norman Blake, Gerard Love, and Raymond McGinley -- Teenage Fanclub emerged in the late 80s mixing sludgy guitar riffs and memorably hooky choruses that drew inspiration from iconic guitar rock bands like Big Star, Badfinger, and the Byrds. Signed to the storied indie label Creation Records in Britain, the band broke through with its 1991 Geffen major-label debut, Bandwagonesque, which hit number one on Billboards Heatseekers chart, and spawned three Top 20 modern rock hits with "Star Sign," "What You Do to Me," and "The Concept." With follow-ups like 1995s Grand Prix and 1997s Songs from Northern Britain (the latter of which reached number three in the U.K.) they eschewed larger pop culture trends like grunge and Brit-pop in favor of further honing their sparkling, guitar-based sound, a choice that only worked to endear them to their loyal cult fan base. Though the band has kept a more low-key profile over the following decades, subsequent albums like 2005s Man-Made recorded in Chicago with Tortoises John McEntire, and 2010s Shadows, have showcased Teenage Fanclubs continued dedication to writing heartfelt songs imbued with timeless lyricism, nuanced maturity, and warm vocal harmonies. Hailing from the Bellshill area of Glasgow, Teenage Fanclub first came together in 1989 after the breakup of singer/guitarists Blake and McGinleys previous band, the Boy Hairdressers. A musically similar outfit born out of the C-86 movement, the Boy Hairdressers issued the cult single "Golden Shower" on the Scottish indie label 53rd and 3rd before calling it quits. Blake then briefly joined the BMX Bandits before teaming with McGinley and singer/bassist Gerard Love to form Teenage Fanclub. Joining them was drummer Francis Macdonald, a fellow Boy Hairdresser and BMX Bandit, who played on half of the groups indie debut, A Catholic Education, before leaving to make way for drummer Brendan OHare. Released in 1990 on Creation Records in the U.K., and on the then-fledgling Matador label in the U.S., A Catholic Education primarily featured songs by Blake and McGinley, including several that had initially been intended for the Boy Hairdressers. Rife with murky guitar fuzz and a brash, D.I.Y. punk attitude, what stood out most on the album were memorably hooky anthems like fan favorite "Everything Flows," which fit in nicely alongside bands like Jesus and Mary Chain and set the groundwork for the bands future sound. Following the Don Fleming-produced God Knows Its True EP, Teenage Fanclub signed with Creation and began working on what would eventually become their official sophomore album, 1991s Bandwagonesque. However, around the same time, purportedly after a bit of drinking, the band took up Flemings offer to record a quick, one-off album in a single night. The resulting The King was a famously ramshackle collection of songs, including improvised instrumentals and a cheeky rendition of Madonnas "Like a Virgin." Initially intended as a small, limited-edition pressing, The King wasnt well understood upon release, often misconstrued as a shady attempt to close out their deal with Matador, when in reality, the project was a joyful creative excursion, and remains one of the bands more intriguing, if non-essential releases. All of this however, would be quickly overshadowed by the groups official second album. Released in 1991 on Geffen Records in the U.S., Bandwagonesque was a brilliant evocation of the radiant 70s power pop of bands like Big Star and the Raspberries, infused with TFCs distinctive penchant for memorable pop choruses and distortion-laden guitar hooks. It also marked the first time the band embraced a fully democratized approach to songwriting duties, with each of the three frontline members contributing songs -- an approach that would become one of the groups hallmarks. As their breakthrough record, Bandwagonesque spent 13 weeks on Billboards Heetseekers chart, eventually peaking at number one. It also spawned several Top 20 hits on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks chart, including "Star Sign," "What You Do to Me," and "The Concept," the latter of which they performed on Saturday Night Live. In the wake of the albums success, they joined Nirvana on tour, after which Kurt Cobain was famously quoted as saying they were the "best band in the world." By years end, Bandwagonesque had landed at the top of Spin Magazines Best-Of list, surpassing Nirvanas Nevermind, My Bloody Valentines Loveless, and R.E.M.s Out of Time. A mere matter of weeks after coming off the road, the band returned to the studio in 1992 to begin work on their follow-up, 1993s Thirteen -- named for the number of tracks on the release, rather than for Big Stars song of the same name, as was commonly believed at the time. The lack of planning for the records production made it a protracted and often labored process, exacerbated by a hard-fought disagreement with Geffen over the albums cover art. Thirteen also revealed a darker, more bitter lyrical style, and found the band embracing a heavier guitar sound, drawing comparisons to Neil Young and Crazy Horse. While it failed to have the same impact in the U.S. as its predecessor, Thirteen nonetheless reached number 14 in Britain on the strength of such well-regarded songs as "Hang On," "Radio," and "Norman 3." Citing creative differences, OHare left the band after touring for the album, and briefly joined Mogwai before forming his own band, Telstar Ponies. When TFC returned to the studio for 1995s Grand Prix, OHare was replaced by ex-Soup Dragon and former Boy Hairdresser Paul Quinn. Produced by David Bianco, Grand Prix benefitted from a longer songwriting process, and found the group embracing a less sludgy, more crisply attenuated pop/rock sound. The album is often cited as one of their best, and several tracks on Grand Prix would become some of the bands best-loved songs including "About You," "Sparkys Dream," "Verisimilitude," and "Neil Jung." The album drew significant critical praise and peaked at number seven on the British albums charts, but Geffen nonetheless dropped the group from its roster the following year. Moving to Sony, Teenage Fanclub once again conscripted producer David Bianco and began work recording at Londons Air Studio. Titled after a cheeky reference to their Scottish roots, 1997s Songs from Northern Britain built upon the sparkling folk-rock classicism of Grand Prix, expanding the groups sound with a bevy of acoustic instruments, strings, and brass. Songs like "I Dont Want Control of You," "Take the Long Way Round," "Your Love Is the Place I Come From," and the British Top 20 single "Ain’t That Enough" felt more personal, reflecting upon themes of nature, romantic fidelity, and the passing of time. Still riding a wave of goodwill engendered by Grand Prix, Songs from Northern Britain also proved to be one the bands highest-charting albums, reaching number three in Britain. In 2000, the Teenage Fanclub rounded out their U.K. tenure at Creation with Howdy! Self-produced at David Gilmours Astoria studio and Rockfield Studios in Wales, Howdy! saw the band embracing an even more ambitious mix of orchestral arrangements and varied instrumentation. The record included a handful of songs that would become very well-regarded, like "Dumb Dumb Dumb," "My Uptight Life," and "I Need Direction." It was also the first album recorded with keyboardist Finlay MacDonald (no relation to Francis), and the last with drummer Quinn, who left the band toward the end of recording and went on to front his own project, the Primary 5. Quinn was replaced by original drummer Francis Macdonald. While critically well-received, the album suffered when Creation was restructured as part of an incorporation into Sony, delaying the records release by over a year. It was ultimately issued on indie label Thirsty Ear in 2001. The band stayed busy over the next few years, playing live and collaborating with spoken word artist Jad Fair on the album Words of Wisdom and Hope. They also assembled the retrospective anthology Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub, which appeared in 2006. The compilation included three newly minted songs: McGinleys "The World Will Be Okay," Loves "Empty Space," and Blakes "Did I Say." It took three more years for Teenage Fanclub to begin work on their next album, eventually traveling to Chicago to record with post-rock icon John McEntire at his Soma recording studio. Released on Merge Records (as well as on the bands own imprint PeMa), 2005s Man-Made marked a return to TFCs earlier format as a quartet. Characterized by discrete flourishes of keyboard, piano, and viola, the album featured the single "Fallen Leaves." The group then self-produced the sun-dappled Shadows in 2010, releasing it first via PeMa and later that year on Merge. It was the first release to feature instrumental contributions by regular touring keyboardist/guitarist David McGowan as a full-time member and included the latter-day fan favorite "Baby Lee." Around 2010, Blake relocated to Toronto, Canada, and while TFC reunited for several live shows, it would be several years before they began work on another album. In 2016, they finally returned with their tenth studio album, Here. Produced by the band in France and at McGinleys home in Glasgow, Here showcased a more ruminative, folk-inflected sound. It also landed them back at number one on Billboards Heatseekers chart for the second time, 25 years after achieving the same spot with Bandwagonesque. Along with touring, the band was active off-stage, working at Londons famed Abbey Road Studios on vinyl reissues of their five albums for Creation. Released in 2018, the remastered LPs also came with bonus 7" albums featuring rare and some previously unreleased tracks. Also in 2018, Love amicably parted ways with the band after expressing his disinterest in flying to accommodate the bands tour schedule. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 17 Title: A Catholic Education Released: 1990-06-11 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Everything Flows (05:13) 2 Everybodys Fool (02:54) 3 Catholic Education (02:34) 4 Eternal Light (04:12) 5 Heavy Metal (02:14) 6 Critical Mass (02:48) 7 Too Involved (02:39) 8 Dont Need a Drum (03:18) 9 Every Picture I Paint (03:23) 10 Catholic Education 2 (03:02) 11 Heavy Metal II (07:22) |
| A Catholic Education : Allmusic album Review : Hard to believe now, but Teenage Fanclub first attracted critical attention for a record far removed from the sparkling power pop on which their fame largely rests -- with its gloriously sloppy and sludgy sound, their debut album A Catholic Education instead prefigures the emergence of grunge, its viscous melodies and squalling guitars owing far more to Neil Young than Big Star. With not one but two songs dubbed "Heavy Metal," its pretty obvious where A Catholic Education is coming from; the title track (also here in duplicate) is a surprisingly snarky attack on the church (at least for a band not exactly renowned for its political agenda), while the great "Everybodys Fool" is a merciless scenester put-down without any of the gentle sarcasm that characterizes similarly themed efforts like Bandwagonesques "Metal Baby." Regardless, for all its glaring differences in attitude and approach, theres no mistaking the effortless melodicism that remains the hallmark of all Teenage Fanclub records -- in particular, the opening "Everything Flows," for all its meandering abrasiveness, is still as good as anything the band ever recorded, and thats saying something. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 17 Title: God Knows Its True Released: 1990-11 Tracks: 4 Duration: 12:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 God Knows Its True (04:58) 2 Weedbreak (02:39) 3 So Far Gone (03:20) 4 Ghettoblaster (01:53) |
 | Album: 3 of 17 Title: The King Released: 1991-08-27 Tracks: 9 Duration: 32:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Heavy Metal 6 (01:30) 2 Mudhoney (06:04) 3 Interstellar Overdrive (03:23) 4 Robot Love (02:15) 5 Like a Virgin (04:28) 6 The King (02:23) 7 Opal Inquest (05:36) 8 The Ballad of Bow Evil (Slow and Fast) (05:25) 9 Heavy Metal 9 (01:26) |
 | Album: 4 of 17 Title: Bandwagonesque Released: 1991-10 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Concept (06:06) 2 Satan (01:22) 3 December (03:03) 4 What You Do to Me (02:00) 5 I Don’t Know (04:35) 6 Star Sign (04:56) 7 Metal Baby (03:39) 8 Pet Rock (02:35) 9 Sidewinder (03:03) 10 Alcoholiday (05:26) 11 Guiding Star (02:48) 12 Is This Music? (03:17) |
| Bandwagonesque : Allmusic album Review : The gold standard of the early-90s power pop revival, in its own way Bandwagoneque was as much a benchmark as contemporary records like Nevermind and Loveless; though not the generational rallying cry of the former nor the revolutionary sonic breakthrough of the latter, Teenage Fanclubs sophomore album nevertheless heralded the return of melody and craft, coupled with energy and spirit -- hallmarks of much of the greatest rock & roll of the past, and virtues as rare as hens teeth in the years immediately prior to the discs release. Although its incandescent harmonies, lazily immediate songs, and crunching guitars earned it endless comparisons to vintage Big Star, Bandwagonesque is in every way a product of its own time -- the thick, grungy sound of the Fannies debut A Catholic Education remains intact for gems like "What You Do to Me" (arguably the most brilliantly simpleminded love song ever penned) and the instrumental "Satan," while the lyrics of other standout moments like "Star Sign" and "Alcoholiday" reflect a laissez faire irony and unassuming genius even more emblematic of the moment in question. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 17 Title: Thirteen Released: 1993 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:01:11 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Hang On (05:05) 2 The Cabbage (02:56) 3 Radio (02:56) 4 Norman 3 (04:36) 5 Song to the Cynic (03:36) 6 120 Mins (03:07) 7 Escher (03:19) 8 Commercial Alternative (02:40) 9 Fear of Flying (05:24) 10 Tears Are Cool (03:48) 11 Ret Liv Dead (02:09) 12 Get Funky (01:23) 13 Gene Clark (06:36) 1 Goody Goody Gum Drops (02:50) 2 Radio (02:58) 3 Its Hard to Fall in Love (02:07) 4 Gene Clarke (05:35) |
| Thirteen : Allmusic album Review : Unjustly savaged by fans and critics alike upon its initial release, with the benefit of hindsight Thirteen has revealed itself an eminently worthy follow-up to the classic Bandwagonesque; though not as consistent or refreshing as its predecessor, the album takes simultaneous steps backward and forward, retreating to a darker, sludgier guitar sound reminiscent of their debut effort A Catholic Education even as it blossoms to incorporate lilting string arrangements and glowing harmony vocals. Despite taking its title from Big Stars most gentle and optimistic moment, the record not only expands its horizons far beyond Alex Chilton-inspired pop but also maintains an emotional tenor thats largely bitter and disillusioned -- titles like "Song to the Cynic," "120 Mins," and, especially, "Commercial Alternative" reflect the bands disenchantment with both its former flavor-of-the-month status and the growing creative malaise rampant throughout the alt-rock community (then at its commercial zenith). Although Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley make memorable contributions, Thirteen is first and foremost a showcase for the peerless pop genius of Norman Blake -- the should-have-been hits "Norman 3" and "Ret Liv Dead" boast a crunchy, lumbering sound heavily indebted to Neil Youngs records with Crazy Horse, while the soaring "Commercial Alternative" evokes vintage Byrds, a reference point further driven home by the epic closer "Gene Clark." [Original pressings of Thirteen included no fewer than six unlisted bonus cuts assembled from British singles -- the material is consistently excellent, highlighted by the McGinley original "Golden Glades" as well as reverent covers of Phil Ochs "Chords of Fame" and the Flying Burrito Brothers "Older Guys."] | ||
 | Album: 6 of 17 Title: Norman 3 Released: 1993-09-20 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Norman 3 (03:43) 2 Older Guys (02:40) 3 Genius Envy (02:58) 4 Golden Glades (04:31) |
 | Album: 7 of 17 Title: Deep Fried Fanclub Released: 1995-02 Tracks: 12 Duration: 34:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Everything Flows (05:11) 2 Primary Education (02:46) 3 Speeeder (01:28) 4 Critical Mass (original) (03:04) 5 The Ballad of John and Yoko (03:03) 6 God Knows Its True (04:53) 7 Weedbreak (02:34) 8 So Far Gone (03:20) 9 Ghetto Blaster (01:49) 10 Dont Cry No Tears (02:29) 11 Free Again (02:13) 12 Bad Seed (02:04) |
| Deep Fried Fanclub : Allmusic album Review : Teenage Fanclubs Deep Fried Fanclub is a 1995 collection of songs recorded during the bands short stay at Paperhouse records in 1990. It also picks up their 1992 release on K. 1990 was an incredible year for the Fannies. They released two amazing singles, the guitar-hero glory of "Everything Flows" and the melodic juggernaut "God Knows Its True," and the promising debut album A Catholic Education. They also released a rollicking, loose cover of the Beatles "The Ballad of John and Yoko" and a handful of B-sides that arent exactly essential but are a lot of fun. Only "Weedbreak" is a complete throwaway. The demo version of A Catholic Educations "Primary Education" is a laugh, as the Fannies attempt to get funky at the end of the track will have you in a stitch or two. Their cover of Neil Youngs "Dont Cry No Tears" is charmingly ragged and Gerry Loves "So Far Gone" is a powerful pop slice reminiscent of Hüsker Dü. The K single is a real kick. Their covers of Alex Chiltons "Free Again" and Beat Happenings "Bad Seed" are the sound of a band having a blast and theres nothing wrong with that. Devoted Teenage Fanclub fans are likely to have all the tracks already, but it is nice to have the tracks all together. Everything flows very well and the collection is a revealing snapshot of a band just beginning their journey to the top of the alt rock heap. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 17 Title: Grand Prix Released: 1995-05-29 Tracks: 5 Duration: 13:25 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 About You (acoustic version) (02:48) 2 Between Us (02:03) 3 For You (03:25) 4 Try and Stop Me (02:27) 5 Who Loves the Sun (02:41) |
| Grand Prix : Allmusic album Review : For all of the brilliance of records like Bandwagonesque and the underrated Thirteen, at times Teenage Fanclub seemed little more than a showcase for the laconic melodic genius of Norman Blake -- fairly or not, the songwriting contributions of bandmates Gerard Love and Raymond McGinley suffered mightily by comparison, mere filler when stacked alongside Blake-penned marvels like "The Concept" and "Norman 3." That said, the superb Grand Prix is perhaps the truest group effort in the Fannies catalog -- more than ever before, their democratic approach truly bears fruit, and its indicative of the discs uniform excellence that the first Blake composition, the lovely "Mellow Doubt," doesnt even surface until track three, by which time McGinleys "About You" and Loves harmony-rich "Sparkys Dream" have already firmly established the sets ragged-but-right tenor. While new drummer Paul Quinn fails to recreate the buoyantly reckless abandon of the sacked Brendan OHare, Grand Prix otherwise captures complete creative synergy -- in particular, "Dont Look Back" is Loves watershed moment, a gorgeously wistful love song highlighted by wittily lovelorn lyrics like "Id steal a car to drive you home," as good a pick-up line as anything in the annals of rock & roll. Not everything works (McGinleys "Verisimilitude" goes nowhere fast) and Blakes contributions are still the highlights ("Neil Jung" and "Ill Make It Clear" are simply perfect pop songs), but Grand Prix is ultimately the product of a band at the peak of its collective powers, not as much a landmark as Bandwagonesque but every bit as good on its own terms. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 17 Title: Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It Released: 1995-12-04 Tracks: 4 Duration: 16:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Dont Look Back (03:22) 2 Everything Flows (05:31) 3 Starsign (04:57) 4 120 Mins. (02:51) |
 | Album: 10 of 17 Title: Songs From Northern Britain Released: 1997-07-21 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Start Again (03:11) 2 Ain’t That Enough (03:42) 3 Can’t Feel My Soul (03:12) 4 I Don’t Want Control of You (03:08) 5 Planets (02:50) 6 It’s a Bad World (04:20) 7 Take the Long Way Round (03:25) 8 Winter (03:46) 9 I Don’t Care (03:06) 10 Mount Everest (05:15) 11 Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From (03:29) 12 Speed of Light (03:53) |
| Songs From Northern Britain : Allmusic album Review : No longer the brash, slightly grungy flavor of the month they were in 1992, Songs From Northern Britain finds Teenage Fanclubs trio of singer/songwriters -- Gerard Love, Raymond McGinley, and Norman Blake -- addressing adulthood and responsibility with a bright optimism that sets them apart from many of their contemporaries. From the cheeky yet heartfelt title to the gorgeous cover photographs taken by the band with photographer David Milne in the Scottish Highlands, Songs From Northern Britain is ostensibly a concept album about home and love. Much like the Byrds, the Eagles, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young identified themselves with Los Angeles and Topanga Canyon, Teenage Fanclub has become intrinsically linked to Glasgow and rural Scotland. On "Planets," Blake sings, "Were going over the country/And into the highlands/To look for a home." Similarly, on "I Dont Want Control of You," one of the most beautiful affirmations of fidelity in a relationship, Blake writes, "Everyday I look in a different face/Feelings getting stronger with every embrace." The overall effect is a feeling that the members of Teenage Fanclub are happy with who they are and who they love and see these notions as universal ideals. Musically, the album is more arranged than past releases and delves further into a folky, acoustic sound that fleshes out their Big Star fascination with some sweet harmonies à la the Byrds. There is even a slight bit of country twang mixed into these eminently hummable songs. This isnt to say that Teenage Fanclub has gone completely acoustic, though, as "Planets" features the sonic rush of a Moog synthesizer and fuzzy electric guitars rock pleasantly throughout much of the album. While Songs From Northern Britain may be too gentle and subtle for those listeners not willing to give it more than one spin, it is a resolutely beautiful album that will most likely stand as Teenage Fanclubs masterpiece. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 17 Title: Howdy! Released: 2000-10-23 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Need Direction (04:12) 2 I Can’t Find My Way Home (04:38) 3 Accidental Life (03:10) 4 Near You (04:22) 5 Happiness (03:53) 6 Dumb Dumb Dumb (03:19) 7 The Town and the City (04:18) 8 The Sun Shines From You (03:24) 9 Straight & Narrow (02:11) 10 Cul de sac (05:15) 11 My Uptight Life (06:55) 12 If I Never See You Again (02:27) |
 | Album: 12 of 17 Title: Words of Wisdom & Hope Released: 2002-02-20 Tracks: 12 Duration: 53:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Behold the Miracle (03:47) 2 I Feel Fine (03:28) 3 Near to You (04:13) 4 Smile (04:48) 5 Crush on You (07:07) 6 Cupid (06:36) 7 The Power of Your Tenderness (03:57) 8 Vampires Claw (03:45) 9 Secret Heart (02:37) 10 You Rock (05:36) 11 Loves Taken Over (04:01) 12 The Good Thing (03:23) |
 | Album: 13 of 17 Title: Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub Released: 2003-01-27 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:19:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Concept (05:36) 2 Ain’t That Enough (03:42) 3 The Worldll Be OK (04:26) 4 Everything Flows (05:16) 5 Star Sign (03:53) 6 Mellow Doubt (02:42) 7 I Need Direction (04:12) 8 About You (02:42) 9 What You Do to Me (02:00) 10 Empty Space (04:33) 11 Sparkys Dream (03:15) 12 I Don’t Want Control of You (03:08) 13 Hang On (05:05) 14 Did I Say (02:24) 15 Dont Look Back (03:41) 16 Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From (03:29) 17 Neil Jung (04:48) 18 Radio (02:55) 19 Dumb Dumb Dumb (03:19) 20 Planets (02:51) 21 My Uptight Life (05:25) |
| Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub : Allmusic album Review : Noel Gallagher hit the proverbial nail on the head in 1997 when he sat his labelmates Teenage Fanclub down at Air Studios in London and proclaimed them to be the second-best band in the world. He was right -- but of course, Radiohead, and not his band, was arguably number one. The Fannies opened for the OK Computer auteurs that year, with singer Thom Yorke picking Songs From Northern Britain as his favorite record in Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, Oasis Be Here Now, burdened by, well, the Gallagher brothers, was "here" and then gone in America and sent everyone but Radiohead scurrying from the death knell of Brit-pop. All of which is to say that the last time an album by the boys from Glasgow received any real fanfare, plaid flannel was de rigueur. Going AWOL from the grunge wars of the early 90s, Gerard Love, Raymond McGinley, and Norman Blake -- the only Fanclub mainstays -- begged off to the Highlands, grew beards, drank tea, and developed into some of the most reliable singer/songwriters on the planet. Consequently, 1995s Grand Prix (the rebirth of melody) and 1997s Songs (the best album this side of Abbey Road) barely registered outside of Oslo, which is why Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub will come as revelation to those who havent bothered since Blake strummed his Gibson Explorer on Saturday Night Live. Its all here, from the messy Badfinger "tude" of "The Concept" to the Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era harmonies on "Aint That Enough" and the stereo-panning of "Dumb Dumb Dumb." Despite the omission of some fan favorites like "God Knows Its True," at 21 tracks this is easily the best from the beatific sludge of A Catholic Education to the criminally neglected Howdy!. Also, the three new tunes recorded specifically for the collection are stellar additions, making the purchase more than worthwhile for longtime fans. Featuring an epic Pink Floyd-style album cover from Donald Milne -- the man behind the gorgeous Songs photos -- and two thick booklets that trace the bands history and feature reminiscences respectively, Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Six Seconds is a first-rate production. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 17 Title: Man-Made Released: 2005-05-09 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Its All in My Mind (03:41) 2 Time Stops (04:11) 3 Nowhere (03:40) 4 Save (04:14) 5 Slow Fade (01:54) 6 Only With You (04:21) 7 Cells (03:20) 8 Feel (03:51) 9 Fallen Leaves (03:31) 10 Flowing (03:01) 11 Born Under a Good Sign (03:00) 12 Dont Hide (04:00) |
| Man-Made : Allmusic album Review : Once hailed as the second coming of Big Star, the trio of singer/songwriters who make up Teenage Fanclub -- Norman Blake, Gerard Love, and Raymond McGinley -- have attained the status of something more along the lines of a Scottish Crosby, Stills & Nash. Which is to say they are a band of equals with all three members consistently cranking out song after song of well-written melodic rock that references such icons of the genre as the Byrds, the Beach Boys, Badfinger, and yes Big Star. With 2005s Man-Made can Tortoise be added to that list? Well, sort of. Recorded at Tortoise frontman John McEntires Soma studio in Chicago with McEntire at the controls and sometimes the keys, Man-Made is both all that one might hope a paring of classicist power pop and avant-garde post-rock could be, and then, depending on which end of the indie rock spectrum youre coming from, perhaps slightly less. Upon hearing that the notoriously homebound boys from Glasgow were going to board a plane to the States, and enter the mad science lab of the man known for odd time signatures and archaic keyboards it raised expectations -- perhaps unfairly -- that the resulting album would be something unexpected and maybe even revolutionary. However, as is the tradition with most power pop craftsmen, the general approach is to aim for the perfect pop song each time out, resulting in albums that are rarely disappointing for fans, but which can rarely claim innovation or edginess. Happily, Man-Made lives up to this tradition and is as good an album as any Teenage Fanclub has made since Grand Prix. That said, given the high expectations of working with a maverick iconoclast like McEntire, even a longtime fan might be somewhat disappointed that the album isnt more than yet another solid Fanclub release. Though McEntires production is subtle, his unique aesthetics are definitely apparent on Man-Made as odd keyboards and sundry other inevitably electronic apparatuses bubble and bleep just below the surface of fuzzed-out guitars, chugging basslines, and layered vocals. Primarily, the album takes off where the new tracks recorded for the bands stellar 2003 retrospective, Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub, left off. To these ends, Loves "Time Stops" and "Fallen Leaves" once again find the sweet-voiced bassist delving into sun-soaked Left Banke meets Moody Blues territory. Similarly, McGinleys "Feel" evinces a hang-loose 70s West Coast vibe that sounds something like Roger McGuinn fronting Hotel California-era Eagles, and if Teenage Fanclub ever had any shoegaze tendencies Blake reveals all with the blissful and Hammond-happy "Slow Fade." While nobody could accuse Teenage Fanclub of taking huge creative risks, more often than not the tracks on Man-Made do resemble something along the lines of 70s soft rock group America backed by Stereolab -- which is a very cool thing. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 17 Title: Shadows Released: 2010-05-31 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sometimes I Don’t Need to Believe in Anything (04:31) 2 Baby Lee (04:23) 3 The Fall (05:25) 4 Into the City (04:26) 5 Dark Clouds (02:40) 6 The Past (03:31) 7 Shock and Awe (03:41) 8 When I Still Have Thee (03:28) 9 Live With the Seasons (03:23) 10 Sweet Days Waiting (03:35) 11 The Back of My Mind (03:59) 12 Today Never Ends (04:30) |
| Shadows : Allmusic album Review : Since 2000s Howdy!, it seems as if Teenage Fanclubs three singer/songwriters -- guitarist Norman Blake, bassist Gerard Love, and guitarist Raymond McGinley -- are on track to deliver a new album every five years. For longtime fans who remember the first time they heard "The Concept" off the bands classic 1991 album Bandwagonesque, that level of output may seem a bit stingy, but when considering TFCs consistently high-quality songwriting, no true "Fannie" fan is likely to complain. In that sense, Teenage Fanclubs 2010 album Shadows is a sparkling and reflective follow-up to the bands stellar 2005 effort, Man-Made. Released on the bands own Pema imprint in the U.K. -- Merge in the U.S. -- Shadows picks up on the introspective, world-weary quality of Man-Made but also delivers a bit of the classic bright pop the band is known for. Where Man-Made found the band struggling with feeling like life was an illusion on the dogged "Its All in My Mind," here you get Loves breezy baroque pop statement of purpose "Sometimes I Dont Need to Believe in Anything," with its chorus of layered synth, strings, flutes, and sundry wind instruments. Similarly, Blakes leadoff single "Baby Lee" is a romantic 60s-styled folk-rocker that veritably shimmers with positive vibes. Elsewhere, Loves "Into the City" is a sunshine pop/country-rock love letter to urban days in the sun and McGinleys "Today Never Ends" is slow-burn psychedelic country-rock rumination on the past, the present, and a perfect day that never ends. If the day is as sun-drenched and relaxed as the songs on Shadows implies, then may it and Teenage Fanclub go on and on. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 17 Title: Original Album Classics Released: 2012 Tracks: 62 Duration: 3:44:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Concept (06:06) 2 Satan (01:22) 3 December (03:03) 4 What You Do to Me (02:00) 5 I Don’t Know (04:35) 6 Star Sign (04:56) 7 Metal Baby (03:39) 8 Pet Rock (02:35) 9 Sidewinder (03:03) 10 Alcoholiday (05:26) 11 Guiding Star (02:48) 12 Is This Music? (03:17) 1 Hang On (05:05) 2 The Cabbage (02:56) 3 Radio (02:56) 4 Norman 3 (04:36) 5 Song to the Cynic (03:36) 6 120 Mins (03:07) 7 Escher (03:19) 8 Commercial Alternative (02:40) 9 Fear of Flying (05:24) 10 Tears Are Cool (03:48) 11 Ret Liv Dead (02:09) 12 Get Funky (01:23) 13 Gene Clark (06:36) 1 About You (02:42) 2 Sparky’s Dream (03:17) 3 Mellow Doubt (02:42) 4 Don’t Look Back (03:43) 5 Verisimilitude (03:31) 6 Neil Jung (04:48) 7 Tears (02:43) 8 Discolite (03:07) 9 Say No (03:12) 10 Going Places (04:28) 11 I’ll Make It Clear (02:33) 12 I Gotta Know (03:28) 13 Hardcore/Ballad (01:49) 1 Start Again (03:11) 2 Ain’t That Enough (03:42) 3 Can’t Feel My Soul (03:12) 4 I Don’t Want Control of You (03:08) 5 Planets (02:50) 6 It’s a Bad World (04:20) 7 Take the Long Way Round (03:25) 8 Winter (03:46) 9 I Don’t Care (03:06) 10 Mount Everest (05:15) 11 Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From (03:29) 12 Speed of Light (03:53) 1 I Need Direction (04:12) 2 I Can’t Find My Way Home (04:38) 3 Accidental Life (03:10) 4 Near You (04:22) 5 Happiness (03:53) 6 Dumb Dumb Dumb (03:19) 7 The Town and the City (04:18) 8 The Sun Shines From You (03:24) 9 Straight & Narrow (02:11) 10 Cul de sac (05:15) 11 My Uptight Life (06:55) 12 If I Never See You Again (02:27) |
 | Album: 17 of 17 Title: Here Released: 2016-09-09 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I’m in Love (02:41) 2 Thin Air (03:10) 3 Hold On (03:24) 4 The Darkest Part of the Night (03:15) 5 I Have Nothing More to Say (04:18) 6 I Was Beautiful When I Was Alive (04:43) 7 The First Sight (05:07) 8 Live in the Moment (03:03) 9 Steady State (04:15) 10 It’s a Sign (03:36) 11 With You (03:58) 12 Connected to Life (03:59) |
| Here : Allmusic album Review : Like a single-word mantra, Teenage Fanclubs tenth studio album, 2016s Here, is a ruminative, inward-looking album of folk-inflected beauty. Once the 90s poster children for grungy sweet, 70s-style rock melodicism, the Scottish outfit centered on singer/songwriters Norman Blake, Gerard Love, and Raymond McGinley has aged into a bittersweet, poetically nuanced entity as connected to its roots as a gorgeously gnarled oak on a stark hillside. Produced by the band in France and at McGinleys home in Glasgow, Here has a soft, organic quality that feels unfussed with. Of course, that easygoing vibe belies some obvious craftsmanship, as tracks like the brightly engaging "Live in the Moment" and the sweeping "The Darkest Part of the Night" feature horn and string flourishes. Primarily, the focus on Here, as with most of TFCs albums, is the bands warm vocals and guitar-based hooks that somehow manage to get pleasantly stuck in your head for days. Closing in on 30 years together, "the Fannies" are the Ents of the power pop world. Like Tolkiens talking trees, TFC are slow-moving musical giants who come together roughly every five years to craft a set of well-honed songs rife with lyricism, sunlight, and, as in the case of Here, a transcendental sadness. Its a melancholy accent the band carries throughout much of the album. On the starry-eyed "I Have Nothing More to Say," Love sings, "Clear me a space, Im in need of isolation, a warm dark bed to ease my strain." However, rather than coming off as negative or starkly depressive, the band strike a tone of humble gratitude. On "Hold On," McGinley sings,"Wake up, Im alive, one more day, yeah, Im alive." Later, he punctuates the affirmation with the deceptively unassuming observation, "I dont hear much fanfare for the common man these days." Teenage Fanclub have built a career writing fanfares for the common man and Here is rife with them. These are heartfelt anthems about the transformative nature of everyday love and how a sunny day or sparkling melody can restore your faith in humanity. As Blake sings on the opening "Im in Love," "There is pain in this world, I can see it in your eyes, and its so hard to stay alive at the edge of the night/ But it feels good when youre next to me, thats enough, thats enough." Ultimately, for Teenage Fanclub fans longing to live in that transformative pop moment, Here should be more than enough. | ||