In Praise of: Teenage Fanclub.

[Hi-ASL]

What the hell have you all got against this band, exactly?

Is it a crime to write consistently tuneful, intelligent pop songs and put them out on a series of consistently enjoyable albums? Is it a crime to be a bithmm influenced by The Byrds? What's wrong with a bit of Caledonia dreaming? Do bands have to go out of the way to make a godawful racket before you'll grant them a single smidgen of your attention? So what if they're not 'ground-breaking. So what if they've never been to art school, even though they probably have. The Fannies are and always have been one of our most criminally underworshipped outfits, just because they choose to concentrate on writing melodies that waft around your head like little fluffy clouds, rather than writing political manifestos or painting their faces and screaming about bugger all. You are guilty of ignoring them without having any justifiable reason for doing so - and that's just not fair.

Criminally ignored? Yes.
Scottish? Fairly.
Paint their faces? No.
Lyrics reference 'love' and 'hearts' and 'peace' and 'sky' and 'clouds'? Frequently!
Trend-setters? No.
Trend-followers? No.
Plough their own furrow? So rumour has it.
Harmonies? Abundant.




















Grr, you all make me so very, very mad.

 

[dodgepot]

alright, bit boring.

couple of good songs, can't remember what they were though.

bit too jangly i recall.

 

[Xanadu]

I like two of their albums. One of them is Bandwagonesque, the other I can't remember the name.

 

[Hi-ASL]

Yes, yes, this is all a familiar story.

For God's sake will you all make them incredibly famous, please!!

NB: Jangly was their early period. They've moved on. A good dose of Nothern Britain or Howdy! or Man-Made is what you need.

 

[Roadkill]

I like 'em. They're not among my favourite bands, but they've done some good stuff.

Songs from Northern Britain is a great album.

 

[Hi-ASL]

Or Grand Prix. Actually, that's when they started to get really, really good. Grand Prix. The early songs that most of the acquainted are familar with are no longer representative.

 

[danny la rouge]

I like them; I've seen them live loads of time from Everything Flows and Bandwagonesque right through. They aren't "the best band in the world", but they are good songwriters, and decent guys.

I haven't listened to them much in the last couple of years, but then they haven't done anything recently. (Other than the rather magnificent performance of Bandwagonesque, with Brendan back for the occasion, at Barrowlands a couple of years ago).

 

[ViolentPanda]

I love the Fannies, but they went down in my estimation by recording with that whining fuckpig Fair.

 

[Voley]

Everything Flows. That was them, wasn't it? Went on for ages live. I liked that one.

 

[danny la rouge]

I've got a great EP they recorded with Frank Black, with a masterful Del Shannon cover on it.

 

[Sunspots]

I was listening to It's All In My Mind yesterday morning.

Wasn't much of a fan 'til Grand Prix and that acoustic-ish Have Lost It ep, but they've written some great stuff over the years.

I've probably said it before, but I think their problem is that they're just too dependable; most people complacently take TFC's consistent quality for granted.

 

[Hi-ASL]

I was listening to It's All In My Mind yesterday morning.

Wasn't that keen on Man-Made when I first heard it but it's grown on me every day since.

I think most people are only familiar with the fairly shambolic early stuff and don't realise how they've grown in range and melodic power since then.

God, I love the Fannies.

 

[mwgdrwg]

I love Bandwagonesque, and their cover version of Like A Virgin.

 

[ouchmonkey]

Or Grand Prix. Actually, that's when they started to get really, really good. Grand Prix. The early songs that most of the acquainted are familar with are no longer representative.

this is not really true though is it?

I used to really love them but they just seemed to fade away.

Howdy was dissappointing and that was ages ago - they've not done much since have they?

 

[Sunspots]

Wasn't that keen on Man-Made when I first heard it but it's grown on me every day since.

It's no quantum leap in style, but then TFC are primarily about continually honing (...-the perfect Big Star song...). It's certainly not their greatest, but like most of theirs, it's just the kind of solid album that would probably be many lesser bands' crowning achievement.

Howdy! was a real grower on me. The last two tracks always make me well up (-My Uptight Life in a cathartic way, and If I Never See You Again in a heartbroken way).

Oh, and speaking of heartbroken, there's Broken, one of the other tracks on their Ain't That Enough single. I did a lot of crying to that one...

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I always thought they were shit.
I half liked Starsign at the time but now I can't even muster anything up for that and all their MOR bland indie.

 

[Hi-ASL]

this is not really true though is it?

I used to really love them but they just seemed to fade away.

Howdy was dissappointing and that was ages ago - they've not done much since have they?

Howdy! (and I'm awarding myself extra fan points for the exclamation mark) is my favourite. I practically wore my CD out. I'm giving it a bit of a rest at the moment as I've just heard it way too much. Current favourite is probably Man-Made - but I really think it's time they went back to work. I am panting for more.

I can't relate to your disappointment. They have matured with every album like fine wine.

 

[Sunspots]

Basically, it's music for slightly sad, ageing indie blokes who wear sensible shoes.

I just checked their website and coincidentally it says that they've started work on their next album today.

 

[Hi-ASL]

The Fannies and I both roar with laughter at recent posters lazy pigeon-holing.

Indie schmindie. They just write great songs. End of.

 

[Sunspots]

I always thought they were shit.
I half liked Starsign at the time but now I can't even muster anything up for that and all their MOR bland indie.

C'mon, you know World Dom would sound just like this if they hadn't have split up.

 

[Hi-ASL]

Howdy! was a real grower on me. The last two tracks always make me well up (-My Uptight Life in a cathartic way, and If I Never See You Again in a heartbroken way).

I normally skip the last one after My Uptight Life. I'm always just too..

It's beautiful, no?

I just checked their website and coincidentally it says that they've started work on their next album today.

This is joyous news.

(P.S. I am partial to Big Black and The Birthday Party and Polvo and NoMeansNo and.. oh, all those 'difficult' bands. My ears are a broad church. This doesn't mean that I don't know or enjoy great, joyous, out-and-out pop when I hear it.)

 

[rekil]

Anaemic Big Star ripoff jingle janglery.

 

[Hi-ASL]

No.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

C'mon, you know World Dom would sound just like this if they hadn't have split up.

Ooh spooky I was just watching a world dom video on you tube.

 

[Sunspots]

Ooh spooky I was just watching a world dom video on you tube.

Hotsy Girl, or has another one surfaced at last?!

 

[rekil]

No.

Yes.They sing like they're absent mindedly reading a takeaway menu and play like soundchecking roadies. Not unlike Oasis. Tollie I'm afraid.

 

[Hi-ASL]

What's the most recent song you've heard by them? Let me guess: God Knows It's True.

Later efforts are considerably more structured. Incredibly clever interplay of synths and multiple guitars that can stop the heart it just sounds so... right. You know? Songwriting. I encourage you to invest time and money in their output from Grand Prix onwards. Or just listen to my links above.

All of them.

 

[marty21]

never bought anything by them but saw them play live in the 90s sometime - they were pretty good live

 

[Nanker Phelge]

I like them, I just never say 'oh, I fancy a bit of Teenage Fanclub' - therefore I never really listen to them.

Songs from Northern Britain is really quite good.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Hotsy Girl, or has another one surfaced at last?!

Company news.

I was looking to see if anyone had uploaded their Snub TV appearance.