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Teenage Fanclub

Bandwagonesque

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by WillGilbert on 02/18/2006

Teenage Fanclub came on the scene with 1990's A Catholic Education, but it was 1991's Bandwagonesque that put them on the map. So much a breath of fresh air at the time of its release, Spin magazine actually picked it as best album of the year over Nirvana's Nevermind (woops). With an easy-going attitude, plenty of wit, and a major crush on Big Star, their mixture of shoegazer-ish guitar sounds, Beatles chords, and subtle and sophisticated vocal harmonies won them many fans. Bandwagonesque's opening track, The Concept, begins with a bit of feeback, augmented by a little string section, and the lyric, "She wears denim wherever she goes / Says she's gonna get some records by the Status Quo," and goes on, "Says she won't be forced against her will / Says she don't do drugs but she does the pill." It's a great beginning to an album, and, for me, was the first clue that this was going to be an important and exciting personal musical discovery for me. The album's highlights include the slighty fuzzy, jangly pop mantra What You Do to Me; the epic I Don't Know, with its mix of crafty pop songwriting and rockin' guitar the likes of which can only come out of a sunburst '67 Jaguar with a liberal use of the tremelo arm, with a bunch of delay on it, played through a Marshall set to 11; and Alcoholiday, with it's heavy rock riff and its lyric of angst-ridden youthful confusion regarding love and relationships (Went to bed / But I'm not ready / Baby, I've been f***ed already). Teenage Fanclub are simply the best at what they do. With this record, they combined existing musical elements in a way that was new and compelling. But maybe I just like it so much because listening to it makes me feel 17. I saw them play live on their tour for this album, with Boo Radleys opening, and it's still one of the best shows I've ever saw.

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