Kurt Cobain called them “the best band in the world”; Liam Gallagher said they were the second-best (after Oasis). Their 1991 album Bandwagonesque was voted the year’s best record by Spin – beating landmark releases by Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, R.E.M., A Tribe Called Quest, and Pearl Jam. But the Glasgow natives, affectionately known by their fans as the Fannies, aren’t nearly so fêted now. Thankfully, we’ve assembled a list of six choice cuts from the Clydeside power pop- rockers’ discography, so you can party like it’s 1995 all over again.
“Everything Flows”
Pulled from the grungy 1990 debut A Catholic Education, “Everything Flows” is a real highlight, revving-up into a tumult of shaggy guitar with vocalist Norman Blake coming over all Stephen Malkmus. Perhaps not their signature sound – the Big Star influence and Byrds harmonies were yet to fully manifest – but it’s an auspicious beginning.
“Alcoholiday”
As “Alcoholiday” (Bandwagonesque) kicks into gear, Gerry Love’s bass rides up smoothly between layers of full-chorus guitar, drawing out an addictive melodic groove from under all that scuzzzz. Then Blake comes in with his broken-hearted lyricism, only to be countered by Love’s pristine harmonies, and Raymond McGinley draws out a trembling guitar solo to sail the song to a close. It’s perfection on wax.
“Is This Music?”
It’s a bold move to close your album with a purely instrumental track, but ‘Is This Music?’, which wraps up Bandwagonesque, is just tremendous, with Blake and Love swapping instruments to create a sugary rush of euphoric energy. Listening to the track, it’s impossible to feel not even slightly happy.
“Sparky’s Dream”
Unabashedly and affably feelgood, “Sparky’s Dream” – another Love track – is the most deeply abiding cut from 1995’s Grand Prix, and a tour-de-force in melodic power pop. Blake’s guitar jangles as Love details the thrill of new love: “She painted pictures / That never dried / Always try and keep the feeling alive”. A sweet, excitable song, ‘Sparky’s Dream’ is the band at their cleanest, but still appreciably textured, too.
“Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From”
Teenage Fanclub apportioned their credits equally; Blake, Love, and McGinley all wrote and sang. McGinley is the unassuming presence to whom we owe for “Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From”, off of 1997’s Songs From Northern Britain. That album comes off like a sigh of contentment, but this lover’s plea is its balmiest, sincerest moment.
“I’m in Love”
And they’re still going strong today — though sadly without Gerry Love, who parted ways with the band in 2018 over international touring plans. Before that, though, the group released 2016’s Here, Teenage Fanclub’s best album in years. ‘I’m in Love’ slots into the band’s discography right next to their romantic nineties staples “What You Do to Me” and “Ain’t That Enough”, sounding fresh yet mature, archetypal yet vital.
“1992-05-15 Teenage Fanclub” by clare_and_ben is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.