Bandwagonesque
Bandwagonesque is the third album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in November 1991 on Creation Records. The album gave the band substantial US success when the single "Star Sign" reached number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their biggest hit in that country, with "What You Do to Me" and "The Concept" also becoming top 20 hits on that chart. Bandwagonesque was voted 'album of the year' for 1991 by American music magazine Spin, famously beating Nirvana's landmark album Nevermind.[1] It was voted number 386 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000). [2]
Bandwagonesque | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 19 November 1991 | |||
Recorded | 9 April–12 May 1991 | |||
Studio | Amazon Studios, Liverpool | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:56 | |||
Label | Creation Records | |||
Producer |
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Teenage Fanclub chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bandwagonesque | ||||
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Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Chicago Tribune | [4] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[6] |
Mojo | [7] |
NME | 9/10[8] |
Pitchfork | 8.7/10[9] |
Q | [10] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
Uncut | 10/10[12] |
The liner notes to the 2009 Big Star box set Keep an Eye on the Sky said that Bandwagonesque was "... an album so in thrall to Chilton, Bell, and company that some critics had taken to calling it "Big Star's 4th."[13]
Legacy
In 2006 the album was performed live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.[14]
"The Concept" was covered by Jimmy Eat World on the Japanese deluxe edition of their 2004 album Futures.[15] "The Concept" was also featured prominently in the 2011 film Young Adult.[16] "What You Do To Me" was featured in the 2013 film The World's End and on its soundtrack album.[17]
On July 28, 2017, Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie released Bandwagonesque, an album covering all twelve tracks of the original 1991 release. He noted that it was "[his] favorite record by [his] favorite band of all time."[18]
Cover art
The cover is designed by Sharon Fitzgerald. When Kiss member Gene Simmons, who had trademarked the logo of a moneybag with dollar symbol, was made aware of the record he sent a letter to Geffen Records, who in turn gave in and sent Simmons a cheque, according to Simmons's book Sex Money Kiss.[19]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Concept" | Norman Blake | 6:07 |
2. | "Satan" | Blake, Gerard Love, Raymond McGinley, Brendan O'Hare | 1:22 |
3. | "December" | Love | 3:03 |
4. | "What You Do to Me" | Blake | 2:00 |
5. | "I Don't Know" | McGinley | 4:36 |
6. | "Star Sign" | Love | 4:53 |
7. | "Metal Baby" | Blake | 3:39 |
8. | "Pet Rock" | Love | 2:35 |
9. | "Sidewinder" | Love, O'Hare | 3:03 |
10. | "Alcoholiday" | Blake | 5:26 |
11. | "Guiding Star" | Love | 2:48 |
12. | "Is This Music?" | Love | 3:18 |
Personnel
- Teenage Fanclub
- Norman Blake – vocals, guitar, bass on "Is This Music?"
- Gerard Love – vocals, bass, guitar on "Is This Music?"
- Raymond McGinley – guitar, vocals on "I Don't Know"
- Brendan O'Hare – drums, vocals on "Sidewinder"
- Additional musicians
- Joseph McAlinden – brass and strings
- Don Fleming – occasional guitar and vocals
- Dave Buchanan – handclaps
- Technical
- Don Fleming – production
- Teenage Fanclub – production, arrangements
- Paul Chisholm – production, engineering
- Keith Hartley – engineer
- Dave Buchanan – assistant engineering
- George Peckham – mastering
- Sharon Fitzgerald – cover design, photography
References
- Unterberger, Andrew (7 April 2015). "SPIN 30: Teenage Fanclub Talk Unlikely Breakout Album, 'Bandwagonesque'". Spin. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 147. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
- Ankeny, Jason. "Bandwagonesque – Teenage Fanclub". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- Kot, Greg (5 December 1991). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque (DGC)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- Browne, David (10 January 1992). "Bandwagonesque". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- Eccleston, Danny (September 2018). "Whatever you want". Mojo (298): 100.
- Brown, James (2 November 1991). "Teenage Fanclub – Bandwagonesque". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- Sodomsky, Sam (11 August 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs From Northern Britain / Howdy!". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
- "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque". Q (63). December 1991.
- Sisario, Ben (2004). "Teenage Fanclub". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 805. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Deusner, Stephen M. (September 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs from Northern Britain / Howdy!". Uncut (256): 51.
- "Big Star Liner Notes". issuu.com. 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
- Concert information on Don't Look Back website
- "Jimmy Eat World – Futures". discogs.com. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- "Allmusic track listing". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- "'The World's End' soundtrack features Pulp, Blur, Stone Roses & more". prettymuchamazing.com. 2013-07-09. Retrieved 2016-09-28.
- "Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard Covers Teenage Fanclub's "The Concept": Listen | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- Book review, earcandymag.com Archived October 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine