Bandwagonesque

A fine album under any other circumstances but when your album cover is something I could have created in Microsoft Paint and your music can barely rise above the hum of background music, I, again, question why it is on this list. Clearly this group of people liked the idea of 1001 albums more than actually trying to find 1001 albums. Seems more like they found about five hundred and then said "right, just toss a bunch a randoms in here"

very teen very band

Pretty good, got some oasis vibes in the middle tracks then realised this came out in 1991, before oasis. No i’m wondering okay, so who do oasis sound like then? Some hits and some not so hits but overall quite enjoyed this one, 7/10. Favourites: Metal Baby Is This Music?

Dunno anything about these guys! The Concept - A nice, mellow song. Sad lyrics. Kind of rides the line between early pop punk, emo, and grunge Satan - Accurate! A mental breakdown December - Another kind of emo love song. What You Do To Me - Beach Boys with more fuzz. I Don't Know - This is kind of an easy listening track. All of these songs have nice melodies. Star Sign - Another touchpoint for me is Rooney. These guys sound like Rooney. Metal Baby - Pure Beatles on this one. Same melody, harmonies. This could be a Beatles song. Pet Rock - Kind of a jam session continuation of the above. Sidewinder - Back to Beach Boys again. This album started out being a downer, but the entire back half is peppy pop songs with the effects pedal turned up. Alcoholiday - Great title. Do I detect some melancholy returning? Guiding Star - Back in full melancholy, even though the melodies are still lilting. The fuzz just keeps increasing! Is This Music? - Good question. I'd say so! Favorite melody on the album, even though it gets a bit close to the U2 department. Overall, this is a fine album. I'm not sure if it belongs on the list of 1000 greatest ever, but I didn't hate it. Pet Rock

The name sounds familiar, but I don't know this band. They're Scottish, so I imagine the British list author put this on very begrudgingly. The album started slow, but by "I Don't Know" things picked up a bit. This is pretty good alternative rock, but it's very tame. The vocals are subdued, the instrumentals aren't too creative. At least it's got a consistent sound. It's funny to me that the last song is called "Is This Music" because that's probably the best on the album. Yes, guys, THAT is music. Give us more of that. Favorite tracks: Is This Music, Star Sign, I Don't Know. Album art: Extremely simple, but I love this one. We love a sack of money with a dollar sign on it, don't we folks? Wikipedia has a blurb about Gene Simmons trademarking the moneybag symbol, that's insane. I linked his logo below, It's awful. Why did he make it lumpy? Dollar bills are not lumpy. You should be ashamed of yourself, Gene. 3.5/5 https://celebrityclothingline.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/money-bag-gene-simmons-logo.jpg

God bless the second listen. Was so uninterested on my first listen. Sounded plain, uninspiring and mainly derivative. I then learned that the album preceded most of the artists it seemed to derive from. It sounds very Oasis-y and Madchester-ish generally. On the second listen, it all came together to create something really special. I love the first few tracks collectively. The final track Is This Music is easily the best on the album. Sounds so so much like a Cure song. A discarded intro to a song from Disintegration that Robert Smith never got around to writing lyrics to. Pet Rock is also a favourite. It’s a great album. You just need to listen to it again.

Do you remember that time earlier this year when everyone made a really big deal about the 30th anniversary of this album? No? That's because nobody remembers Teenage Fanclub, and any acclaim this album received back in '91 has been lost to time. ]"Bandwagonesque was voted 'album of the year' for 1991 by American music magazine Spin, famously beating Nirvana's landmark album Nevermind." Hahahahahaha.... hahahahaha! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Do you know who likes astrological signs? Teenage girls. They’ve got apps that give them daily horoscopes and other jazz. But astrology thinks I’m a Virgo. My 8th grade science teacher looked up the orientation of the night sky when I was born and said that I’m actually a Leo. Do you know who's thoughts on astrology are vague and confusing? Teenage Fanclub. I don’t know what “Star Sign” is trying to say. Apparently it was their biggest hit though. Probably with teenage girls in their teenage fanclub who love that stuff. The rest of the songs made little-to-no impact. "Satan" and "What You Do to Me" and "Pet Rock" were wastes. They weren't interesting enough as near-instrumentals or interludes to be worth it. And the rest of the songs were rather generic. I don't know how Spin got this one so wrong. Their other album of the year picks seem pretty standard and acceptable. Oh well. The music itself is a 3. Harmless, only one or two songs I would actively run away from. I'm trying real hard not to dock it an extra star for Spin's overhype.

This is another one of my all time favorite albums so I'm pretty sure I won't be able to review it objectively. Or maybe it's just one of the greatest albums ever. Noisy, jangly, perfect power pop from Scotland. Fun fact: Spin magazine picked this as album of the year in 1991 over Nirvana's Nevermind. Usually when this fact gets brought up it's to show how short-sighted Spin magazine was but maybe they were just brilliant. Don't get me wrong, I love Nevermind too but I listen to Bandwagonesque way more often.

Bloody loved it. Perfect blend of early 90's British indie, American alt rock and the 60's. Immediately added to my favourite albums playlist.

Creation Records at their absolute peak! They released this one, Loveless AND Screamadelica all within 2 months! Good job, Alan!

So Oasis didn't event nineties britpop after all. It was this Scottish band, apparently. And they got inspiration from an... American band. Funny how things work, right? I first listened to Teenage fanclub a few years after this particular album came out. I found them good, but a little trite and poppy compared to a lot of the other indie bands I was listening to at the time. Now, decades later, I have to admit that my ears are far more finely attuned to this particular sound, if that makes any sense. *Star Sign* is a great song, for instance. Yet about this one song, and about the other ones in this album, most of them stellar, I gotta say that on the other side of the pond, a US band named The Posies would soon do even better in this Big Star-indebted stylistic realm--also helped by producer Don Fleming--and this, with half of the music-press hype surrounding Teenage Fanclub. Yeah, Big Star is the American band I was referring to at the start of this short review. In a way there's a line that goes from Big Star to Oasis, and this almost directly. Didn't see that coming myself. So, yeah, today's album is really great, even if it's not the absolute best in the genre. Of course, saying so could sound as if I was trying to demean or take something out of *Bandwagonesque*. But I'm not. All by itself, this record is pretty iconic, and I understand why it should be on this list today, enough said. But still, don't forget to check out The Posies as well (*Frosting On the Beater* and *Amazing Disgrace*). OK? 4,5/5 for the purposes of this list, which translates to a 9,5/10 grade for more general purposes. I'm rounding up to a perfect 5/5 and 10/10, though. Number of albums left to review: 362 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 288 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 152 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 205

Loved it. A power pop classic with strong echoes of Big Star. Hooky, melodic and charming, with a nice bit of burn to keep it from getting too pretty. Not perfect, but the magic is in the quirks and imperfections. I was leaning toward giving this a 4, but it's just so infectiously good. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): The Concept, What You Do to Me, Is This Music?, Metal Baby, December, Star Sign, Sidewinder, Alcoholiday, Guiding Star, I Don't Know, Pet Rock, Satan

Masterpiece!!! Such a brilliant album, heavily inspired by Big Star but they do their own thing and write some damn incredible songs. “The concept” and “alcoholiday” are the best but the whole thing is a blast all the way through. Definitely 5 stars.

Sounds like what I'm listening to when I come home from the skate park and need a glass of water.

Brilliant. I'm not sure why I didn't listen to them before, other than my disliking for jangle pop. An extra star for being Scottish as well means that it has to be 5 🌟

It's tricky because while we hadn't heard of the band, at first it seemed derivative. It sounded like a lot of other 90s alt rock bands, but it turns out that this band was one of the influences for that band and not derivative at all.

I LOVE Teenage Fanclub. That is all I can say. From the minute I put this on, to the minute it is over, it is such a genuine pleasure.

Parece precursor do brit-pop

Completely blown away by this album. Unfortunately, my review is not very original and reflects the others that I have read: Didn't know much about the band so this album was a pleasant surprise. Still incredible to think that this was released in 1991. Even the mixing is a joy to listen to. I've listened to it no fewer than 4 times since it showed up yesterday. I then jumped on ebay and purchased it on CD. A real gem!

Great blend of Brit pop and punk with The Beach Boys influence coming through. Overall, a warm album from a band who knows how to effectively switch up a song

Big Star, but not. Excellent musicianship, good tunes, and immediately catchy at first listen. Power pop at its best.

June 7th, 2021 1.THE CONCEPT- Solid first track in two parts. Definitely a rock "anthem". 2.SATAN- Experimental. Self explanatory. 3.DECEMBER- Not too bad. The violins make the song. 4.WHAT YOU DO TO ME -My favorite track so far. Great harmonies. 5.I DON'T KNOW- All-around good rock song. 6.STAR SIGN- 🔼"ditto" 8.METAL BABY- If the Beatles, circa 1963, made a song about an edgy metal chick, this would be it. Definitely a favorite. 9.PET ROCK- Good guitar solo. 10.SIDEWINDER- Another slightly more contemporary take on Beatles harmonies. 11.ALCOHOLIDAY- This is what happiness sounds like. 12.GUIDING STAR- Nice mellowed out tune. 13.IS THIS MUSIC- A refreshing change of pace from the rest of the album encompasses this final track. >In Review: It's impossible to truly dislike this album. Even though it's overall pretty straightforward (nothing too crazy) it's well-produced and there's great harmonies, guitar solos and good vibes throughout. It's timeless pop rock for the whole family (well, except for "Satan" of course). With all that being said, "The Concept" is this album's very own rock anthem and "Metal Baby" is an awesome track that brings the Please Please Me-era Beatles to mind. Also, the final track "Is This Music?" is a refreshing stylistic change of pace (another stylistic deviation on this album would be terrific). Overall, I'd give it a 7 out of 10 if possible.

A simple enough formula that reminded me of Japandroids, who I hadn't heard in a long time, so I went back to the 2012 release of Celebration Rock ... that's a great album; one that I think everyone should hear before they die.

Nope. This is not an album that anyone needs to hear before they die, and its kind of shit. 1/5

Hard no. Some feedback guitars followed by sugary sweet, unengaging melodies and lyrics.

Well, that was terrible. Okay then, moving on.

I'm certainly not jumping on this bandwagonesque

4/5

I only had a passing familiarity with Teenage Fanclub before. This is right up my street, some cool guitar effects and instrumental sections in the vein of Sonic Youth, but they don't get in the way of good songs and melodies. It's a little lo-fi and the vocals won't be to everyone's taste but I like them. Listened again immediately after finishing

For a band I have never heard of, they completely transported me back to the 90's. Loved every track on this album!!!!

Wow. What an album. Sad i didn't know about teenage fan club before, this is great!

I love the way the songs seems to be dragged over the line. This is an album that sounds like it was recorded in slow motion. The extra space allows for the soul to come through. It still kicks shit. It's till a five star album.

This was right in my wheelhouse and seems very ahead of its time for 1991. I will happily return to this one.

Amazing! I really liked this. Lots of guitar and very much in tbe same vein as Oasis, but less confrontational.

Great album!

Dude. I loved this so much and I will not apologize for it.

Absolutely deserved to beat out "Nevermind" in that Spin album of the year poll

i really enjoyed my time with this one. i've not explored teenage fanclub's wider material, but it's always been a name that i've heard and have been interested to listen to. it reminds me a lot of the power pop that i love - big star, particularly. big guitars, catchy hooks, a teeny bit of noise. very fun stuff!

The opening song is tremendous, the second half especially. This is good alt-rock. Their sound really scratches an itch and I don't think it has any misses.

Scottish pop perfection with a dose of grungy distortion. Teenage Fanclub are hard to beat and this may be my favorite album of theirs.

Jangle power pop done perfectly.. Perhaps not overly original but in 1991 it sure seem to be.

I love this record. Simple strummy power pop with great harmonies.

The indie rock version of Big Star. This is a great album and I'll listen to it again.

I had to listen to this one twice. The first time I was in the car and my kids were talking over it most of the time. Wasn't a fair listen but I still heard some things that I thought were good and I wanted to try again. Glad I did, listened a second time and really really liked it. Loved the guitar work. Great stuff here!

If the songs are still great despite sounding the same the majority of the time, then you've got yourself a classic album. Bandwagonesque, which I thought was Teenage Fanclub's debut for the longest time, is one of those all killer no filler classics; the kind of album that even the most forgotten about song or two will find its way into your head and stay there for a while. As it starts off with one of the best songs ever made (The Concept), Bandwagonesque operates upon a tried and true formula that never ceases until the end, proving its mettle as a worthy repeat listen and a record deserving of adoration. Is this music? You bet it is.

Great 90s alt! Glad I got to hear it.

Ok this is something I like about this project, I know a few of these songs but never bought or listened to Teenage Fanclub or this album. I think I always thought they were boring. So I don’t know if it’s nostalgia from this type of music being right in my wheelhouse, but I’m loving this album. On my second listen through, and will add to the rotation. I the end I listened to it three times through, will give it a five!

I thought I knew most 90s bands/albums worth knowing...turns out I was wrong! This is fantastic. I don't know about being bigger than Nevermind, but this album certainly has all the right vibes for the time period. Sounds a lot like Big Star but somewhat grungier? All in all, I dig it. Standout Tracks: The Concept, What You Do to Me, Is This Music?

I first heard Teenage Fanclub on the DCG Rarities Vol. 1 album with "Mad Dog 20/20" and came to discover this album through that collection. I am still bitter there wasn't a Vol 2. of this collection, but after 30 years I have finally begun to heal. I liked this album and it has a place on this list. It's a revolutionary album in that it came out when grunge was big and this is not a grunge album. I love the jangle-rock sound and this is an antidote to the incredibly serious and intense sound of other bands in the early 90's.

It's alright. A little light.

"Bandwagonesque" is the third studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub. Alternative rock, power pop, jangle pop, noise pop. Yeah, that fits. The album had substantial success in the US with three songs hitting the top twenty on the Billboard Modern Rock Charts. It also had wide spread critical acclaim. "The Concept" starts things off. Distorted guitar then layered guitars. Guitar-led power pop. A couple of extended guitar jams. Maybe, this is even stoner or slacker pop if those are words. This reminds me a lot of the Lemonheads. It's about a woman who's cool and hip, maybe too much for her own good. The third single "What You Do To Me" continues the guitar-led power pop. Harmonies are added. A nice short song. Distorted and echoing opens the first single " "Star Sign." There seems to be a pattern there. A faster pace and more prominent bass. Soft harmonies. They switch lead singers in 'Sidewinder' without a drop off. Nice harmonies. A harder guitar at the end. "Alcoholiday" continues the layered guitars and we get a welcome guitar jam and solo. The album closes with the instrumental "Is This Music?" Higher pitch guitars...encroaching fellowship countrymen Big Country territory. I really like this. I remember getting this album when it came out and not really liking it that much. It didn't have an edge I was looking for. Well, it still might not have an edge but I definitely have a much greater appreciation for it today. Nice melodies, layered guitars and harmonies. It has a sound that we would hear more of in the early 90's....see the Lemonheads. Definitely worth a listen.

Really enjoyed this. One more interesting band I've never heard about

Can I give it 6 stars?

IsThisMusic is definitely a highlight of the album. I feel like this whole aesthetic really blew up in the 00's, will listen again.

ok

I love this album. Always have. I didn't discover it until months after the initial release, either the record company had held off on putting out in Australia when it was released overseas of they were doing a push to get it out their. But anyway, it was the morning of my 19th birthday and I was watching the music show Rage ( an Australian institution), the Concept came on and I was blown away. It mixed the droney shoegaze guitars with a 70s bubblegum pop. A perfect blend. That night I went to an indie club for the first time as they were a rarity back then and was given a copy of Bandwagonesque as part of a promotion. It was meant to be

Hooks like these are my kryptonite. Just satisfying all the way through, and they have a ton of albums that achieve the same. Great underrated band.

The Concept was my introduction to Teenage Fanclub and after loving the song I've been a big fan ever since. Some of the best Big Star-inspired music I've heard in a while on their third album, they turn in a near-perfect mix of alt-rock, power-pop with crunching guitars, catchy melodies and memorable songs. I would rank 1995's, Grand Prix as their best (and personal favourite) album, but the signature sound of the band was really taking shape starting with Bandwagonesque and you can't deny it's impact on early 90's indie rock.

I’ve never heard of Teenage Fanclub before. I’m also quite unsure what to make of that album art. It’s definitely minimal-esque. It also doesn’t really give any clues as to what music lies in wait for me today. I hope it’s good, but that album art doesn’t exactly leave me hopeful. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: The Concept, Star Sign, Metal Baby, Is This Music? Holy guacamole, this truly rocked my socks straight off. This feels like it is aimed exactly at my taste in music. It’s 90’s alt-rock, distorted guitars, apathetic singing. It’s really hard to go wrong for me here, and Teenage Fanclub goes so very right. After the album finished, my only disappointment was that I wanted more as I didn’t want it to be over yet! This is a definite stand out new discovery to be added to my playlists. I loved this to the moon and back.

First album and it's already off to a great start. I feel like this band has been on the periphery of my music landscape for ages but somehow they've never crossed that threshold. If I would have discovered this 20 years ago it would have been in regular rotation and it probably will be now.

pure greatness

ONE OF MY FAVOUIRTIRE ALVUSMASUS EVVERERER

Early garage grunge! Barrel of fun

Zalige slacker-plaat. Toffe ontdekking

Awesome

This is an album I still pull out and listen to start to finish. It takes me back and makes me smile.

Exceptional 90's rock album that really pulls from the power pop classics. Influences from the Byrds and Big Star here are obvious but the album doesn't sound like a copycat since it really combines shredding alternative rock guitar. One of the 1991 an a definitive 90's rock classic. 9,5/10

I knew the band by name, but had never stopped to listen to anything of theirs... very good, I liked it a lot, and now I will listen to more!

One of the best albums of the 90s by far. Every track is superb, but ‘This is Music’ is just a perfect song.

I really enjoyed this album, some really fresh 90s indie rock

9/10 some really, really good stuff here not enough for a full 10, but still definitely a great album

Been a member of the fanclub for decades.

めちゃ可愛くてポップなアルバムでした。前向きになれる。

Good rock album

Creation Records has its finest moment.

Love this. I really should’ve listened to it when I first heard of it years ago.

Great band and great album. What a year 1991 was for music. This is one of the many great albums that came out that year, and over 30 years later it still sounds great. Great 90’s indie rock mixed with some 60’s. Given I’m Scottish this is maybe a biased voted but I believe this to be a solid 5 star album.

Fantastic!

one of the best

metal baby star sign alchoholiday guiding star satan i don't know what you do to me

They could have been massive

Fun and energy

A beautiful album which still stands up and can lift the spirits in minutes

Just some good 90s rock. The guitars were front and centre and it clicked. Liked this a lot, new one for me never heard of these guys before today. Added most of the album to playlist.

first track is good

Classic rock break down at the end of the concept is both hilarious and perfect and December and What You Do To Me both continue to satisfy.

No lo había escuchado nunca y eso que me leí una revista biográfica de esas españolas que todavía vendían en los oxxos de chihuahua por ahí del año 2009. Discazo.

Chido, sí me gustaron varias de este rock sabor haggis (porque escoceses XD). La vibrita de garage rock (but not really) de la primera canción le da un toque especiado que después se vuelve más bien melancólico, un poco desabrido, y luego vuelve a la locura con Satan y así ondula entre bandida genérica X y por partes cae pesado. Variedad de moods. Creo que las que más me gustaron fueron Star Sign, canción genérica de rock divertidilla con un bajo muy pegajoso, y Pet Rock que tiene guitarras entretenidas. Letras cagadas que siento que sí dan algo de cringe, pienso también que si estuviera en una banda escribiría pendejadas así, lol, re cursis o simplonas o ya sin sentido de plano. En fin, divertido. Mood: Rocksito bien hecho, pero tomado a la ligera y I can respect that.

Esse sim é meu estilo! Rockzin indie pra ficar de boa *-*

Heaps good - classic alt movie vibes

Loved the 90s vibe.

CREATION RECORDS.

It’s like proto Weezer mixed with Phish in the best way possible way. I loved it

I never travel far, without a 90s Big Star

Wel echt nog coole plaat en ga ik vaker luisteren

A warm blend of jangly guitars and gentle harmonies. It feels like power-pop filtered through a layer of fuzz. Hints of Big Star linger in the melodies, echoing that bittersweet brightness. The lyrics are simple but stick just enough, quietly connecting. It’s catchy, but not in a way that tries too hard. Each track rolls into the next, like flipping through a well-worn photo album.

This is one of those "All we do is write catchy pop songs" albums (and that's a good thing). They remind me of Big Star, Cheap Trick, Paul Westerberg, etc. This was a pretty good collection of tunes!

Classic garage rock, Teenage Fanclub has a good sound. Not too grungy, not too heavy, not too Dinosaur Jr., it's a sound that I enjoyed throughout. The Concept and What You Do To Me are awesome songs that I still hear on indie stations today and it certainly feels influential. I also liked December and Sidewinder. The album does suffer a little from being a little too samesy, but it's a solid sound they locked into.

The Concept is a monster song.

Very enjoyable and albums like these are precisely why I like this project.