Thirteen (Teenage Fanclub album)

Last updated

Thirteen
Thirteenfanclubalbum.jpg
Studio album by
Teenage Fanclub
Released4 October 1993
RecordedOctober 1992 – April 1993
Studio
Genre Power pop [1]
Length47:41
Label
Producer
  • Teenage Fanclub
  • Andy MacPherson
Teenage Fanclub chronology
Bandwagonesque
(1991)		Thirteen
(1993)		 Deep Fried Fanclub
(1995)
Singles from Thirteen
  1. "Radio"
    Released: 14 June 1993
  2. "Norman 3"
    Released: 20 September 1993
  3. "Hang On"
    Released: February 1994

Thirteen is the fourth album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in 1993 on Creation Records in the UK and Geffen in the US. It was commonly believed at the time that it was named after the song "Thirteen" by Big Star, [2] a band that has heavily influenced Teenage Fanclub. The self-produced [3] album was poorly received by critics on its release. [4] It peaked at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. [5]

Contents

Background

Recording for the album began just a few weeks after finishing the Bandwagonesque tour in 1992. "It was difficult to make", guitarist Norman Blake said in 2018. "We went into the studio and we had 40 fragments of songs. Too much information, you know?" [6] The band spent the next three to four months recording at Ca Va Sound Workshops in Glasgow, ending up with just fragmentary pieces that weren't quite finished songs. From there, the band eventually decamped to Revolution Studios outside of Manchester for another two or three months working on the material. "We kept revising it, re-recording it, and just generally trying to improve it," said bassist Gerard Love. [1] The number of songs were then trimmed down to the ones that made up Thirteen and its corresponding B-sides. [7] "We were relatively happy with it," Blake said, "but we’d become a bit disillusioned." [6]

Some of the album's song titles are working titles. Blake: "Very often what happens is we have working titles that we ended up keeping. That explains "Commercial Alternative" and "Norman 3" – that's the third of my songs that we recorded for the album." [6] In 2016, when asked about whether or not the album was named after the song "Thirteen" by Big Star, Blake said: "You know what? There were 13 songs on the record. But we were definitely listening to Big Star ... you can definitely hear Big Star’s influence in that music, along with a ton of other things at the time too." [7] When asked about why Thirteen was his least favourite Teenage Fanclub album, Blake said: "I’d say the reasons are more circumstantial than musical. That was an album that took us a very, very long time to make. ... So it’s not that I have anything against the songs, it’s just when I think of making that album it wasn’t a very pleasant experience. It seemed like a lot of hard work." [7]

Citing creative differences, drummer Brendan O'Hare left the band after touring for the album. [2]

Album cover

Geffen's art department had offered to come up with an idea for the album's cover art. Blake: "So we said, "Sure, feel free. Obviously we’ll have to think about what you come up with, but send us some ideas." A few months later the band received "this image of a girl crying with mascara running in a white t-shirt with a 13 on it." The band, however, rejected the idea as they didn't feel it represented the music. "I think they were trying to market us to teenage girls", Blake said. "But we ended up having to pay them ten grand, because they got a photographer, a studio, and models. They had to pay them off." In the end, the band put together the sleeve themselves. Blake: "Jeff Koons did an art piece with a basketball suspended in water, which I liked the look of, so I thought I’d just rip that off because he does that with other people’s ideas." [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Entertainment Weekly A− [9]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
NME 7/10 [11]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [12]
Pitchfork 7.2/10 [13]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Uncut 7/10 [16]

At the time of release, Thirteen received mostly negative reviews. Music critic Robert Christgau gave it a "neither" rating, indicating that an album "may impress once or twice with consistent craft or an arresting track or two. Then it won't." [17] Spin denounced Teenage Fanclub for making "a fetish of smothering emotion under a blanket of stoic formalism." [18] Rolling Stone , however, called the album "even sweeter than its predecessor" and praised the band as "among the best recyclers [of power pop and bubblegum rock] around." [15] Musician called it "great ear candy that we may one day learn is also nutritious." [1]

Retrospective reviews have been generally positive. AllMusic called it "an eminently worthy follow-up to the classic Bandwagonesque " [4] and Pitchfork wrote: "To this day, its reputation is far worse than the actual music." [13]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hang On" Gerard Love 5:05
2."The Cabbage" Norman Blake 2:56
3."Radio"Love2:56
4."Norman 3"Blake4:36
5."Song to the Cynic"Love3:36
6."120 Mins" Raymond McGinley 3:07
7."Escher"McGinley3:19
8."Commercial Alternative"Blake2:40
9."Fear of Flying"Love5:25
10."Tears Are Cool"McGinley3:48
11."Ret Liv Dead"Blake2:09
12."Get Funky" Brendan O'Hare 1:22
13."Gene Clark"Love6:38
Total length:47:41
US and Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."Genius Envy" (B-side from "Norman 3")McGinley3:05
15."Don's Gone Columbia" (B-side from "Radio")O'Hare1:35
16."Chords of Fame" (B-side from "Radio") ( Phil Ochs cover) Phil Ochs 3:40
17."Weird Horses" (B-side from "Radio")McGinley4:30
18."Golden Glades" (B-side from "Norman 3")O'Hare4:35
19."Older Guys" (B-side from "Norman 3") ( The Flying Burrito Brothers cover) Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon 2:40
Total length:69:25
Limited edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Goody Goody Gumdrops" (radio session) ( 1910 Fruitgum Company cover) Jeffry Katz, Jerry Kasenetz, Reid Whitelaw, Billy Carl2:50
2."Radio" (radio session)Love2:58
3."It's So Hard to Fall in Love [n 1] " (radio session) ( Sebadoh cover) Lou Barlow 2:07
4."Gene Clarke" (radio session)Love5:35
Total length:13:30
Note

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1993)Peak
position
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [21] 43
UK Albums (OCC) [5] 14
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [22] 19

Notes

  1. ↑ Titled "It's So Hard to Fall in Love" in its original version by Sebadoh.

Related Research Articles

<i>In Utero</i> 1993 studio album by Nirvana

In Utero is the third and final studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 21, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to record In Utero, seeking a more complex, abrasive sound that was reminiscent of their work prior to Nevermind. Although the singer and primary songwriter Kurt Cobain claimed that the album was "very impersonal", many of its songs contain heavy allusions to his personal life and struggles, expressing feelings of angst that were common on the band's previous album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teenage Fanclub</span> Scottish alternative rock band

Teenage Fanclub are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in Glasgow in 1989. The group were founded by Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love, all of whom shared lead vocals and songwriting duties until Love's departure in 2018. As of 2023, the band's lineup consists of Blake, McGinley, Francis Macdonald, Dave McGowan and Euros Childs.

Brendan O'Hare is a Scottish multi-instrumentalist musician, primarily known for being the drummer in the rock band Teenage Fanclub from 1989 until early 1994, and a member of and collaborator with Mogwai.

<i>A Catholic Education</i> 1990 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

A Catholic Education is the debut album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in 1990.

<i>The King</i> (Teenage Fanclub album) 1991 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

The King is the second album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, deleted on its day of release in 1991.

<i>Bandwagonesque</i> 1991 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

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 Nevermind.

<i>Grand Prix</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Grand Prix is the fifth album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in May 1995 via Creation Records.

<i>Songs from Northern Britain</i> 1997 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Songs from Northern Britain is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub. Produced by David Bianco and the group themselves, the album was released on 29 July 1997 through Creation Records. Teenage Fanclub's previous album, Grand Prix, had been seen as a comeback in their home of the UK, though its success elsewhere was limited. With more time and resources, the band recorded Songs from Northern Britain—a tongue-in-cheek title referring to their native Scotland—with producer David Bianco in Surrey. The record's lyrical themes focus heavily on love and domestic life. The album was completed at London's Air Studios, and its accompanying artwork was taken by photographer Donald Milne around the Scottish Highlands.

<i>Howdy!</i> (Teenage Fanclub album) 2000 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Howdy! is the seventh album by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub, released on 23 October 2000 through Columbia Records. With the addition of keyboardist Finlay MacDonald, the band wrote new material, eventually debuting some of it live in early 1999. Following this, they recorded their next album at Rockfield Studios in Wales, as well as Astoria in London, between August 1999 and March 2000. Shortly afterwards, drummer Paul Quinn left the band and was replaced by Francis MacDonald. Howdy! is an Americana and power pop album, recalling the work of the Hollies.

<i>Man-Made</i> Album by Teenage Fanclub

Man-Made is the eighth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released on 9 May 2005. It was released on the band's own PeMa label in Europe and on Merge Records in North America.

<i>DGC Rarities Vol. 1</i> 1994 compilation album by various artists

DGC Rarities Vol. 1 is a rarities album compiled by DGC Records and released in 1994. The songs featured on this album are all B-sides, demos, covers and other rarities recorded by bands on the label. Despite the implications of the title, plans for other volumes were shelved.

<i>God Knows Its True</i> 1990 EP by Teenage Fanclub

God Knows It's True is an EP by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in 1990 in the UK by Paperhouse Records and in 1991 in the USA by Matador Records. It was co-produced by Don Fleming, who had been introduced to the band earlier in 1990 by word of mouth, and who would also work on the band's next two albums, The King and Bandwagonesque.

<i>Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It</i> 1995 EP by Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It is an EP by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released in December 1995 on Creation Records. It reached #53 in the UK singles chart.

<i>Shadows</i> (Teenage Fanclub album) 2010 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Shadows is the ninth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released on 31 May 2010 on the band's own PeMa label in Europe and on Merge Records in North America. It is the band's first new album release in five years. The album contains twelve songs: four written by Gerard Love, four by Norman Blake, and four by Raymond McGinley. Blake's "Baby Lee" was released as a single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparky's Dream</span> 1995 single by Teenage Fanclub

"Sparky's Dream" is a song recorded by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub. The song was released on 22 May 1995 through Creation Records, as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album Grand Prix. The song was sung by its author and bassist Gerard Love rather than the usual lead singer Norman Blake.

<i>Here</i> (Teenage Fanclub album) 2016 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Here is the tenth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, released on 9 September 2016 on the band's own PeMa label in Europe and on Merge Records in North America. It was the band's final album to feature bassist and co-founder Gerard Love, who left the band in November 2018.

"What You Do to Me" is a song recorded by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub. The song was released on 27 January 1992 through Creation Records, as the third single from the band's third studio album Bandwagonesque. The song was written and sung by vocalist and guitarist Norman Blake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Concept (song)</span> 1991 single by Teenage Fanclub

"The Concept" is a song recorded by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub. The song was released on 21 October 1991 through Creation Records, as the second single from the band's third studio album Bandwagonesque. The song was written and sung by vocalist and guitarist Norman Blake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Want Control of You</span> 1997 single by Teenage Fanclub

"I Don't Want Control of You" is a song recorded by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub. The song was released on 18 August 1997 through Creation Records, as the second single from the band's sixth studio album Songs from Northern Britain. The song was written and sung by vocalist and guitarist Norman Blake.

<i>Endless Arcade</i> 2021 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Endless Arcade is the eleventh full studio album by Scottish band Teenage Fanclub. Released on 30 April 2021, it is the band's first record since the departure of co-founder Gerard Love in late 2018 and their first with former Gorky's Zygotic Mynci member Euros Childs. The album's title comes from co-founder Raymond McGinley's song of the same name, with McGinley envisioning an endless arcade as "a city that you can wander through, with a sense of mystery, an imaginary one that goes on forever. When it came to choosing an album title, it seemed to have something for this collection of songs."

References

  1. 1 2 3 Glickman, Simon; Taylor, Ken. "Teenage Fanclub". Encyclopedia.com . Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  2. 1 2 Collar, Matt. "Teenage Fanclub". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Taylor, Steve (2006). "Teenage Fanclub". The A to X of Alternative Music. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 258–60. ISBN   0-826-48217-1 . Retrieved 1 February 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Ankeny, Jason. "Thirteen – Teenage Fanclub". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 Stubbs, Dan (10 August 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: the story behind their brilliant Creation-era albums – and the time Liam mimed an entire Oasis album for them". NME . Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Lindsay, Cam (1 September 2016). "Rank Your Records: Norman Blake Merrily Rates the Ten Teenage Fanclub Albums". Vice . Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  8. ↑ Kot, Greg (28 October 1993). "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen (DGC)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  9. ↑ "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen". Entertainment Weekly . 12 November 1993. p. 64.
  10. ↑ Eccleston, Danny (September 2018). "Whatever you want". Mojo . No. 298. p. 100.
  11. ↑ Dalton, Stephen (2 October 1993). "Teenage Fanclub – Thirteen". NME . Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  12. ↑ Moon, Tom (21 November 1993). "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen (DGC)". The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  13. 1 2 Sodomsky, Sam (11 August 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs From Northern Britain / Howdy!". Pitchfork . Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen". Q . No. 86. November 1993. p. 137.
  15. 1 2 Azerrad, Michael (11 November 1993). "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 18 September 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  16. ↑ Deusner, Stephen M. (September 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs from Northern Britain / Howdy!". Uncut . No. 256. p. 51.
  17. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN   0-312-24560-2 . Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  18. ↑ Hampton, Howard (December 1993). "Teenage Fanclub: Thirteen". Spin . Vol. 9, no. 9. pp. 118–19. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  19. ↑ Lamacq, Steve (25 September 2013). "June 1993". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "NME - The Mutha Of Creation credits". discogs.com. 12 February 1994. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  21. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Teenage Fanclub – Thirteen". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "Teenage Fanclub Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.