Teenage Fanclub
Norman Blake
Vocals, Guitar
Gerry Love
Bass, Vocals
Raymond McGinley
Vocals, Guitar
Brendan O'Hare
Drums ('89 - '94)
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Genre: Rock, Indie Rock, Power Pop, Alternative Rock, Jangle Pop
Years Active: 1989 -
Meaning of the Name:
Way of Working: Collaborative
Associated: BMX Bandits
Essential Releases
Bandwagonesque (1991)
Jangly guitars and power pop collide.
Grand Prix (1995)
Accessible power pop. An unashamedly joyful album.
Songs From Northern
Britain (1997)
'60s inspired album focusing on the acoustic.
Emerging from the post-industrial landscape of Glasgow, Scotland, Teenage Fanclub defied easy classification. While labelled by the '90s music press as a part of the Britpop movement, often characterised by a commodified nostalgia and assertive nationalism, the group's sound contained elements of power pop, hard rock, and jangle pop as well.
Inspired by the slacker culture of Generation X, their aesthetic choices can be viewed as a rejection of the prevailing trends that dominated the previous decade, in favour of authenticity and an egalitarian creative method. The group was comprised of three singer-songwriters, who alternated lead vocals, in stark contrast to the "frontman" obsessed landscape of mainstream rock.
Musically, they eschewed the prevailing trends of a British alternative scene engaged in a pastiche of '60s culture. Instead, Teenage Fanclub used similar sources of inspiration as a springboard to build something new.
Their sound was deeply indebted to Californian groups like The Byrds and The Beach Boys. However, this reverence for 60s harmony was juxtaposed with a heaviness reflective of the era's grunge movement. The band seamlessly blended "Beach Boys-esque" vocal layering with dense, overdriven guitar solos that utilised textures more commonly associated with hard rock than indie pop.
This willingness to experiment was also evident in their song structures. The quartet demonstrated a capacity to subvert listener expectations, beginning 'The Concept' with what appears to be a song in the standard three-minute radio format, that oscillates into an expansive composition far removed from verse-chorus orthodoxy. Listeners familiar with only the abridged version from the music video will be surprised to learn that the album version is almost double in length.
The band's spontaneous authenticity was also a result of their jam-focused approach to the recording studio. Collaborating with producer Don Fleming, Teenage Fanclub's improvisation prioritised immediacy over perfection, sometimes sketching lyrics only twenty minutes prior to recording.
On the track 'Is This Music?', the band's signature vocal harmonies are supplanted by a complex interplay of guitars. The arrangement features high-register feedback and distorted bass lines swirling around each other in an intricate clockwork. Rather than relying on overt lyrical narratives, the piece functions through the texturing of these typically background elements, rewarding analytical listening and highlighting the band's ability to create dense sonic landscapes.
Skills
*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.Emotional Impact
85
Mental Impact
65
Originality
75
Artistry
55
Authenticity
90
Live
90
Production
65
Musicianship
90
Singing
80
Songwriting
90
Danceability
70
Fun
70
Consistency
85
Range
75
Cool
75
Charisma
60
Commercial & Critical Success
Awards
Certifications >>>
- Bandwagonesque - Silver in the UK
- Grand Prix - Silver in the UK
- Songs from Northern Britain - Silver in the UK
Charts >>>
- Grand Prix - Number 7 in the UK
- Songs from Northern Britain - Number 3 in the UK
- Here - Number 10 in the UK
Critics >>>
- NME - Bandwagonesque - The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2013): 115th
- NME - Grand Prix - The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2013): 282nd
- Spin - Bandwagonesque - The Best Albums of 1991: 1st
