Grand Prix

Favourite songs: Neil Jung, Sparky's Dream, About You, Discolite, Verisimilitude

Least favourite songs: I Gotta Know

5/5

I don't think I liked this quite as much as Bandwagonesque but I liked it a lot.

Solid ysäri poprock-levy! 4/5

Likely my favorite TFC album. Starts off insanely strong, and while it does tail off in the 2nd half, is still an amazing listen. 5/5

Amazing album

I think this is the most consistent Teenage Fanclub album. The high quality is evenly distributed across all 13 tracks, more so than on their other albums, which makes for a pleasant listen.
Because the quality is so excellent and everything is tightly executed, the songs can sound a bit simple and ordinary. But that tightness also lets you hear the deepest details and nuances, which is a pleasant experience. Simply excellent songwriting.
"Sparky's Dream," "Neil Jung," "Going Places," and "Don't Look Back" are my favorites.

I like Teenage Fanclub, they're pretty good. This isn't as good as Bandwagonesque, but I'll take this over most of the britpop in the world any day.

Really clean fun power pop with some great vocal harmonies. It wasn't the most groundbreaking album but I enjoyed it a lot.

Reminded me of XTC in that they're very good but somehow not essential.

This is very easy to listen to.

April 27, 2025

HL: “About You”, “Don’t Look Back”, “Neil Jung”, “Going Places”, "I'll Make it Clear"

Delightful

Today is an apology tour of sorts; in addition to hearing this for the first time, I also revisited Teenage Fanclub's Bandwagonesque (album #420). I've long been a sucker for some jangly guitar, but to quote me from 2023: "there were a few times about midway thru the record where I didn’t realize one song had ended & and another started."
And I will admit, Grand Prix can be a bit samey as well, though it shows a bit more diversity, with occasional brass and organ. But when the overall sound is so bright and melodic, how could I fault them for sticking to that sound?
Both this and their prior album have absolutely stellar harmonies, which I don't think I fully appreciated two years ago.

I remember nothing about this one day later

80s jangle-pop, from the (very) late 80s!
A blast from the past even when it was released, but a welcome one.
They are one of the most underrated bands, possibly because they were never interested in moving south.
A wee Scottish bonus point means full marks!

Love teenage fan club and this album. I think overall do prefer Bandwangesqu but this is a close second.