#21

They’re brilliant at their best but there’s not much of their stuff that qualifies as that compared to the heaps that’s bang average. Probably 3, may revise down to a slightly harsh 2.

#22

I never got it with them, minus one or two tracks they just seemed really unengaging and flat

Everything Flows is great though (but i might prefer the Idlewild cover)

1 Like
#23

Absolutely a 5. Not every album is a classic, but at least four are.

Also, Sparky’s Dream.

#24

Haha, this is so true. Remember coming out of pubs and groups.of guys singing it.
Brilliant song.

#25

This is one of the most perfect songs ever written.
Beautiful melody.

8 Likes
#26

And this was the first song I heard by them.
Decent cover version

1 Like
#27

Generous four for them.

You should all watch Teenage Superstars.

1 Like
#28

They’ve got two tickets to Iron Maiden baby

3 Likes
#29

Totally forgot they existed and didn’t really get why Bandwagonesque was so popular when I listened to it and have never listened to anything else they’ve done. 2 I guess

1 Like
#30

Told this story before, but in 2009 my friend got us tickets for Teenage Fanclub for my birthday as he thought I was into them, when in fact the only thing I’d ever heard was Idlewild’s cover of Everything Flows.

He’d never listened to them either but he went on eMusic, downloaded A Catholic Education and gave it to me on a memory stick. We were both pretty impressed by it, nice and noisy and fun, and started looking forward to seeing them live.

Got to the gig and they came out playing very anaemic middle aged Byrds jangle pop and we side eyed each other, and when this kept going we moved to the back of the room. Considered leaving but decided to stick around, and eventually they did a nice encore of Everything Flows, but I’d been thoroughly bored up to that point. Might have been better if we’d known what they sound like but it was completely jarring when we were expecting a very different, much louder band.

I’m a bit more open to jangle pop nowadays so might have enjoyed it more now, but still never really investigated them much further. I heard a few tracks from the last album which sounded exactly as I remember them live, but I’ve long meant to give one of the early 90s albums a fair chance.

A Catholic Education is still good though

1 Like
#31

I’ve given them a 5, I love 'em. From the “noisy” more “grungey” sound of A Catholic Education, Bandwagonesque and Thirteen (my favourite album, despite much maligned by the critics), to the switch to Byrds/Big Star inspired jangle-pop. Just such great melodies. Norman is a lovely bloke too.

2 Likes
#32

I’ve tried so many times but I find the vast majority of their recorded stuff and their live shows offensively dull. A Catholic Education and Grand Prix are decent enough but my 3 is being reduced to a 2 because I’ve remembered rarely being as bored as when they played Meadowbank Stadium (supporting Pixies? Radiohead? Can’t remember).

#33

Weird question - do they have two singers? On Grand Prix at least.

#34

Only really ever got on with the first few albums. Alcoholiday is a really great song, would have voted for that if it had been a single. Giving them a 3.

1 Like
#35

Three singers. Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love. They always had an even split between the three of them on their albums. Gerry is no longer in the band though.

1 Like
#36

I think I’ll give them a 3 .

I remember hearing Sparky’s Dream on one of those Shine compilation CD’s (remember those?) and thinking ‘oh well that’s my favourite new band’ but on further inspection found that a whole album by them can be a bit boring to listen to in one sitting. Some decent songs and some boring blandness = 3.

#37

I listened to Grand Prix a few times and really didn’t like some songs because of vocals but loved others, will investigate further.

#38

love quite a few of their tracks, especially baby lee which for me is just fucking great. like a few records without loving them. think it’s a 3 from me, but gonna spend some time with them over the weekend as haven’t given them a spin in a while.

#39

I think that’s standard. This missus is less keen on Gerry’s songs. But then he did “Ain’t That Enough” and “Sparky’s Dream” which are both killer, so she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

1 Like
#40

Wrote an essay on A Catholic Education for my English GCSE as it had just come out. That’s how old I am. 3 from me.