nstead of opting for the “let’s make some cash and put together a collection of our greatest hits”, the three members of Scotland’s beloved Teenage Fanclub have decided to be respectful to their fans and do something worthwhile with their retrospective. Deciding on making it a “short cut” to their music instead of “singles collection” (which it isn’t) or a “greatest hits” (which it also isn’t) or a “best of” (which it is closest to), it acts more like a guide throughout their history than saying, “Alright, here’s where we were good. Enjoy.”



One would think that a true Fannies fan would only really enjoy the three new tracks (Three. Get it? One from each member, brilliant!), but the Fannies have always been about quality (Yeah, I know, Thirteen was not life altering), and that’s what this compilation is about. The new tracks all sound “new”, but they always seem to modernize their sound each time around. Raymond McGinley’s tune, “The World’ll Be OK”, keeps that optimism the band has always offered going. They even show they’re still cool by using “OK” instead of “okay”. Typical. The song is a mid-tempo one with no surprises, especially since it gives you that sense of relief that the world will be okay, erm OK. Gerard Love’s number, “Empty Space” has some lovely fuzz on the guitars that are quickly muted with handclaps and a xylophone, only to just barely reappear on the chorus. Finally, Norman Blake’s “Did I Say” is akin to his classic “Mellow Doubt”—a feel good, heart warmer one would only expect from the matured Blake. Beautiful pop is all around us.

As for all of the old stuff, yeah, there are a few missing, but this isn’t a complete box set, it’s a musical welcome to Scotland’s greatest pop band. There’s one from A Catholic Education, three from the groundbreaking Bandwagonesque, two from Thirteen, five from their classic, Grand Prix, four from Songs From Northern Britain, three from Howdy!, and the three new ones. Missing are a few like “Alcoholiday”, “The Cabbage”, “Verisimilitude”, the campy Madonna cover “Like A Virgin”, and my favorite of theirs, the B-side “Broken”, but nit picking is not welcome because there isn’t a bad song here. From start to finish, there’s never a dull moment, or a time where your finger should go anywhere near the skip button unless you want to hear those new songs again.

Though they may not have had ABBA-sized hits, the Fannies have some great songs that are just as poppy, catchy and a hell of a lot more meaningful than “Money, Money, Money”. Who doesn’t want to serenade someone with “What You Do To Me”? I mean, it’s impossible not to know the words to that song. No way could you screw it up. All of “Mellow Doubt” and “About You”, that feedback at the beginning of “The Concept”, the little organ breakdown in “I Need Direction” that makes you feel all giddy when you play the air organ, they’re all classic moments from such an overlooked and influential band.

Sure, Teenage Fanclub may not have broken any sales records, had any #1 singles, or headlined stadium tours, but they have had #1 albums in the UK, played on Saturday Night Live, basically started the Buzz Bin on MTV and most importantly, written some of the greatest love songs ever. If they haven’t been heard, that’s ‘cause the world is a cruel, cruel place intent on being spoon fed. An essential album this is, especially if you know nothing about them.

P.S. And in case you’re wondering, this is not the end of the band. They admit to having at least another album in them, they just need a record deal.