Grand Prix b-sides

Released in 1995 on Creation Records, Teenage Fanclub's Grand Prix album is home to some of the bands most beloved songs. About You, Sparky's Dream, Mellow Doubt, Neil Jung, Don't Look Back, Verismilitude, Discolite and Going Places are among the very best of their extensive back catalogue. Not to mention Tears, an underrated gem and Say No - surely one for Raymond to consider bringing back when the band tour later this year.

Teenage Fanclub were on fire. Remarkably, a further 11 original Blake, Love or McGinley originals are spread across the b-sides of the Neil Jung, Mellow Doubt and Sparky's Dream singles! In addition, there are choice cover versions of songs by Yo La Tengo, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rutles, The Buffalo Springfield, The Creation and Velvet Underground.

Back in the 90's, record labels chose to release multiple versions of the single with different b-sides to capitalise on the huge interest in CD singles. They were great value for money, tending to cost only £1.99 if you bought them on the day of release/first week of release. 

As someone who was regularly in HMV Sauchiehall Street most Monday lunchtimes, this meant I had rich pickings! With The Grand Prix singles being a real treasure trove.

My Neil Jung single

and signed Grand Prix CD above

Teenage Fanclub were prolific through the 1990's. Releasing 7 albums (including The King) and (by my reckoning) 20 singles or EP's. 

The CD singles from the bands Grand Prix were released in 2-parts, each with different b-sides. They also had slightly alternative versions of the lead song. There is another stunning album in there! 

Reflecting on their career and particularly the era of b-sides, the band could consider a trilogy of b-sides compilation records. Or a box-set of rarities - sessions, live songs, songs that were on compilation records  ... many have never been release on vinyl. I have heard through a number of sources that Raymond has an extensive (and carefully curated) archive of everything that the Fanclub has recorded.

Teenage Fanclub recorded Grand Prix in just 5-weeks. As a result, there is a warmth and freshness to the album that also comes across in the b-sides. I'm guessing that the covers (and even some of the others) were recorded live or within a couple of takes.

Here is a run through the 18 b-sides from the Grand Prix singles. An interview from around this time suggests that the band considered a b-sides album entitled Pit Stop ... or Pits Top! 

Also, check this YouTube playlist of Fanclub b-sides and rarities. Enjoy.

Neil Jung b-sides

My Life (McGinley)

Every Step Is A Way Through (Love)

The Shadows (Blake) 

Traffic Jam (Blake)

Hi-Fi (McGinley)

I Heard You Looking (Yo La Tengo cover)

The Neil Jung b-sides see Norman sounding beautifully melancholic and reflective on The Shadows. Traffic Jam has a gorgeous sparseness to the verses, Blake delivers a really relaxed vocal performance that I love, before the song bursts into life for the chorus; things are changing, can't you see? the lights are turning green for you and me Raymond's guitar solo is glorious.

Speaking of Raymond. He delivers a couple of gems. My Life sounds almost demo like, with McGinley in typical autobiographical form. So many of his songs start with I ... Here, among other things, he is singing;

I'm tired of philosophy

I think that I know where I wanna be

Gerry's Every Step Is A Way Through is spellbinding, absolutely beautiful. I'd forgotten about this song until the band played it at Oran Mor in 2008 and I was convinced it was a cover. But no, it's a Gerard Love original that is sprinkled with the same fairydust quality of the 60's choice cuts that he loves. Look at the fun Norman is having on the outro from their Manchester show in 2018 HERE

Meanwhile, TFC's epic cover of Yo La Tengo's instrumental I Heard You Looking is 12 minutes 47 seconds of guitar heaven. Your spine will tingle as the intensity builds and your emotions will be heightened by the sound of Blake, Love, McGinley and Quinn at their very best. If you've never heard this then CLICK HERE to check it on YouTube. If you have, then I'm sure you won't need any encouragement to listen again. I'd love the band to play and jam on this live.

Mellow Doubt

Getting Real (Love) 

Some People Try To Fuck With You (Blake)

You're My Kind (McGinley)

About You (acoustic) (McGinley)

Have You Ever Seen The Rain (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

Between Us (Rutles cover) 

The Mellow Doubt CD singles contain 2 of my very favourite Fanclub flip sides. Gerry's Getting Real is a garage guitar pop banger, the band fly through it and the energy leaps out to grab you, shake you and lift you. A gem.

Speaking of gems, Norman's Some People Try To F**k With You is a sparkling example of author and band at their best. Blake has written so many songs about love that his fans can relate to. Here, he cuts to the chase with the chorus; 

Some people try to fuck with

They'll get down on your luck with you

For covers, I'm pretty sure that this was my introduction to Creedence Clearwater Revival, resulting in me buying their exceptional Chronicles compilation album.

Sparky's Dream

Burned (Buffalo Springfield cover)

For You (McGinley)

Headstand (Love)

Try And Stop Me (The Creation cover)

That's All I Need To Know (McGinley)

Who Loves The Sun (Velvet Underground cover)

God bless Teenage Fanclub and their b-sides. They turned me on to so much good music. Burned is incredible guitar pop music and resulted in me buying some Buffalo Springfield albums from FOPP. 

Try And Stop Me is a cover by The Creation (the band that gave Alan McGee the name for his label). It was really Ride's cover of How Does It Feel To Feel? that prompted me to buy their best of compilation. Norman's voice is beautiful on The Velvets Who Loves The Sun.

Raymond's For You is pretty emotional, his voice and guitar sounds really tug on the heart strings, while his That's All I Need To Know has a beautiful hook - it's your love, I dream of and that's all I need to know. I love his voice on this.

Gerry was quite simply on fire during this period. Look at his songs on the album, plus his b-sides. Headstand is a 3-minute rush with Gerry sounding chilled while singing about sunlight in your head, before a beautiful line while you get so high coming down leading into the chorus;

She wants to be thrilled by you, she wants to be thrilled by you

And every morning sun feels like number one

The Boy Hairdressers

Blake, McGinley, Lambie, McDonald and McAlinden

The Boy Hairdressers were a short lived band from Glasgow who counted Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Francis McDonald (all Teenage Fanclub), Joe McAlinden (Superstar/Linden) and Jim Lambie (contemporary artist) as their members. Paul Quinn (Teenage Fanclub) also played some shows.

Blake, McDonald, McAlinden 

The band released their only recordings via Stephen Pastel's seminal 53rd and 3rd label in January 1988. The 3-track 12-inch consisted of A; Golden Shower, B; Tidalwave, B2; The Assumption As An Elevator.

The Boy Hairdressers and their sole release have taken on something as a cult status - given what the members went on to achieve. The recordings (rough and raw, but made with love) are a glimpse of a band developing - not really quite there with their sound/style.

Golden Shower is easily the best song on the record and was shown some love and appreciation when Teenage Fanclub covered/revisited the song when they played The Barrowland in 2022. High pitched harmonies over sparse acoustic guitar start the song. Then, after a brief pause, bass, drums and keys/vibrophone/flute bring things to life. I'm pretty sure Raymond used some of his guitar work in other songs. 

Tidal Wave is like a mock English folk song. I imagine it might sound better as an Irish folk song. Although under two-minutes long, I'm pretty glad when it's finished. I'm not a fan of this one.

On the final song, The Assumption As An Elevator, I find myself asking who is singing. Is it Norman? I like the outro, with some nice guitar noodling from Raymond, while Jim Lambie creates Velvets-y effects.

When you read some quotes from interviews Norman gave following the break up of The Boy Hairdressers, it's no surprise to find him highlighting his relief that his new band (Teenage Fanclub) is just me ... being me. 

Teenage Fanclub cover an 80's band at the Barrowland

Given that The Boy Hairdressers brief existence was in a pre-internet, pre-mobiles and pre (easily available/affordable) video camera era, there is extremely limited information about the band online.

However ... I did some digging and uncovered interviews, fanzines, photos, (hazy) fan memories and stories from band members, those around the band and fans who caught The Boy Hairdressers and very early Teenage Fanclub.

Photos by Andrew Turner

Horse & Groom pub, Bedford, 17th October 1987

Norman and Raymond were interviewed in a Pastelism fanzine just after they started Teenage Fanclub. Perhaps this section of the Q&A between Stephen and Norman speaks volumes about why Blake broke away with Raymond to form Teenage Fanclub

Patelism: It seems The Boy Hairdressers were just getting a fair amount of interest and then you split up. So what happened?

Norman: The thing about The Boy Hairdressers was that no-one was really motivated to do anything. We were very badly organised ... it ended up that only me and Raymond were putting any effort in. ...

Pastelism (on the song Golden Shower): Do you think it was all a bit naive, all that sex and smutty innuendo stuff? 

Norman: Aye, I'm a bit embarrassed by it now. It was a bit stupid.

Later in the interview;

Norman: ... the new stuff (TFC) reflects more of what we are really about. We feel much more comfortable with Teenage Fanclub ... it's just (me) being me.

In 2021, Raymond and Norman spoke with Ed Nash for a brilliant interview, in The Line Of Best Fit reflecting back on pivotal moments in Teenage Fanclub.

Here is what they had to say about The Boy Hairdressers;

Norman: The Boy Hairdressers had fizzled out and Raymond and myself were the two people left standing. We'd put out a 12 inch on Stephen Pastel's label (53rd & 3rd), so we'd had a taste of what that was like. We wanted to move on and put an album out as soon as we could.

Raymond: People knew who the band were, but it wasn't like we did a lot. We put out one single and played a handful of shows. We were really frustrated by that and once the Boy Hairdressers finished we had this idea that we wanted to make a record before we started talking about what the band was.

Norman: We had a number of songs we planned to work on and that we'd played at the latter end of the Boy Hairdressers. We wanted to do stuff rather than talk about it, so we thought 'Let's put an album out, let's just go for it,' but we couldn't afford to do that. Now you've got Pro Tools on a computer, but a Portastudio was state of the art then. The embryonic part of A Catholic Education was us sat in Raymond's flat recording these very basic demos on a Portastudio. That's where it all started for Teenage Fanclub.

Both of these interviews, although short, probably tell you all you need to know about The Boy Hairdressers. They had fun and a bit of a laugh, played a few gigs, got some attention, put out a record but didn't quite gel and different members of the band perhaps had other priorities/options. 

Raymond and Norman took a few songs into Teenage Fanclub, including Don't Need A Drum and Too Involved, with Raymond funding the recording of debut album A Catholic Education after being left some kitchen appliances (including a fridge) by a neighbour. Check a previous blog on the Fanclub debut HERE

You can listen to The Boy Hairdressers 4-track demo of Don't Need A Drum below. You can instantly hear the move away from the sound of the debut EP - this is cooler and more assured - even as a 4-track recording. This, as highlighted in Norman's interview above, is really a Teenage Fanclub demo. 

Other demos that fans have mentioned (but are currently unavailable online) include Saliva (that went on to become Too Involved) a song called either Flying Helmet or Magic Helmet and a Norman song that BMX Bandits recorded - Let Mother Nature Be Your Guide - LISTEN

I asked a few people in, involved with or around The Boy Hairdressers for some information and (hazy) memories. 

Photo by Kaori Laird

Paul Quinn: It wasn't until I turned up to do the first gig I played with them that I realised Joe McAlinden and Jim Lambie were also in the band! That show was at The Volcano at the bottom of Byres Road where the club scene was filmed for Trainspotting. The 2nd show was at Fury Murry's. After the show, I was asked by Raymond and Norman about what I was planning to do and I stupidly said I was going to continue playing with the guys from Bellshill I was in a band with. I had my reasons for that decision. However, it was a stupid decision as The Boy Hairdressers didn't last long after that. They both went on to form Teenage Fanclub. 

Andrew Turner: It was my brother Nigel who promoted the Bedford (photos from the Horse & Groom above) gig way back in 1987. Norman still remembers the occasion with a certain amount of fondness - he even held up a photo of said gig during the recent (August 2025) Teenage Fanclub show in Bedford.

Duncan Birrell

Pretty sure I caught them live, I think one time may have been on a two-night charity gig for Shelter in Glasgow around 1987 at the old Volcano, at the end of Byres Road. I think the Groovy Little Numbers and The Bandits played one of those nights too - using a lager can as a guitar slide. Heady days!

Joe McAlinden

A review from our first gig. Raymond hadn't joined but was watching in the audience.

Photos from Joe's personal collection

Kevin Francis

Saw them at ULU bottom of the bill below Dinosaur Jr and Primal Scream. All I remember is that someone was sitting down, possibly Norman and there was one song that started with A Capella Beach Boys style harmonies. I loved it!

Brendan O'Hare

They were all from another planet.

Kaori Laird: The voice saying Boy Hairdresser in Japanese at the beginning of the Teenage Fanclub song Speeder - is my voice! It was recorded at Norman's Granny's house. 

After Boy Hairdressers there were rumours circulating that Norman was already working on a new band - who would become Teenage Fanclub. I asked Norman what they would be called and he said Black Watch or Old Grandfather Clock. I knew he was not serious, but it was so Norman (isn't it?).

Fraser Gillespie

The Boy Hairdresser was a terrible novel by Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. I saw them at least twice in Glasgow and also Norman's previous band The Faith Healers. Their keyboard player, Jim Lambie, did posters and filmed for Splash 1. He went on to become a very successful artist. I have a demo of Saliva which became the TFC song Too Involved - was that The Boy Hairdressers? I saw the very first TFC London gig at the Camden Falcon. It was obvious that they were going to be successful.

Graeme Williams

I saw them live supporting The Pastels at The Boardwalk in Manchester - was a great night, quite the shambolic gig to use a well worn trope, but you could tell they had something special. I have the ticket stub still somewhere.

Steph Wood

I put them on once and they slept on my floor - I still occasionally find one of those round blue Golden Showers stickers when I pull a random record out of it's sleeve ...

Antonio Navarro Ros

In Pastelism fanzine appears the first Teenage Fanclub interview ever and Norman and Raymond talk about the disband of The Boy Hairdressers. Here is the link (also see above)

Teenage Fanclub at the Old Fire Station

My friend Lorna and I decided to travel down the M8 to Carlisle to catch our favourite band on Sunday night. We have very similar taste in music! After meeting back in 2001, I really have no idea of how many times we must have seen Teenage Fanclub together over the years! Including solo or side projects, it must be over 50. Maybe even more. Seeing them play always brings a smile to our faces.

We were both thoroughly impressed by the venue - The Old Fire Station - easily accessible, situated just on the outskirts of the lovely Carlisle town centre, handy car park directly across the road, good lay out, well staffed bar (alcohol free for me) and a fantastic sound.

When Teenage Fanclub's Autumn tour dates came out, I was determined to get to one of them. Sadly, their Devils Arse (show in a cave) clashed with a work event. Carlisle was a little easier to get to.

With a standing capacity of 420, this was an excellent chance to see the Fanclub in an intimate venue before they venture to South America where they play 3 dates in Brazil and then head to Buenos Aires in Argentina - an incredible city that I was fortunate to spend 1-month in back in 2008 at the end of a year travelling around the world. I'd love to go back sometime!

Support act was Selma French who played as a duo with her cousin Anna. Their harmonies were absolutely exquisite, I'd highly recommend checking them out. 

On to the Fannies! Lorna and I managed to get a great place near the front on Raymond's side. We were immediately blown away by the sound - the Old Fire Station sound system is superb. Just three rows from the front, Raymond's guitar was on fire - what a handy venue to be in!

Opening with Tired Of Being Alone, McGinley's guitar was soon flowing and fizzing. About You quickly got the crowd bouncing and singing-a-long. There was a great group of girls near the front who danced throughout and a crowd of people in the centre of the venue who bounced and sang their hearts out.

Norman joked about the stage having a clock that included the temperature which he informed us was currently 25 degrees and asked if we could turn it up a notch.

Alcoholiday threatened to do that and when Norman checked to see if it worked he told us it was now 31.8 degrees. Then apologised as he noted 31/08 was the date!

All songs received a warm response, but Fanclub favourites, like the aforementioned About You and What You Do To Me, Neil Jung, I Don't Want Control Of You and the pre-encore The Concept were greeted like long lost friends. It was pretty euphoric and there were lots of smiles on stage to acknowledge appreciation.

Rare outings for The Cabbage and Mellow Doubt were a welcome treat. While songs from across the bands extensive discography highlighted the strength of their back catalogue. 

The opportunity to watch Raymond playing his guitars up close felt like a privilege. Playful sonic sounds - inventive chords and solos, excellent use of pedals. I'd love the band to extend the outro to Everything Is Falling Apart, with Euros keys coming to the fore to jam with McGinley and Francis.

The flowing The World'll Be OK was soothing, Norman's It's All In My Mind made me wonder if Raymond might bring out his beautiful Only With You from the same album - maybe next time.

As always, the band zipped through I'm In Love and a positive sign of the band enjoying themselves on stage is when Norman spins round to his left to smile at Dave, or further round to see Francis, Euros, or right round to see Raymond. There were several spins and countless smiles. 

Ending with the band thanking everyone for coming out for their first ever show in Carlisle followed by an epic Everything Flows - based on the audience reaction and the smiles on stage - I think they will be back.

Teenage Fanclub at the Tramway

Last night I added The Tramway to the list of Glasgow venues that I've seen Teenage Fanclub in. It's always a thrill when the band play somewhere different.

Ahead of the tour, Raymond McGinley said; "Following our most recent album Endless Arcade we did a UK / Europe tour in support of that. While it felt great to be properly back on the road again post-pandemic, we realised that for many of the venues we’d been playing those same places over and over for more than thirty years. We thought that next time we should try to do something a bit different. As part of that tour we played a couple of seated venues and enjoyed the experience. We got the feeling that the audience did too. So, for the tour this year in October and November we decided to put together a run of dates in seated venues, for the dual purpose of both playing shows in a theatre environment and in venues that are mostly places we haven’t played before. For both band and audience this tour should be an enjoyably novel experience.”

Raymond knows his fans!

And it was an extremely enjoyable experience. 

After a narrow escape on the train where I was heading to Pollockshaws East rather than Pollockshields East, I met my friend Lorna outside the venue shortly after doors opened. After grabbing a new mug and a beer, the doors to the theatre swung open and we headed in to nab good seats.

We opted for the end row 3, directly up from where Raymond was due to stand. It was great to see loads of people we knew around us, or on their way to seats. 

The venue had exposed brickwork to the sides and a huge screen behind the stage, which was pretty much floor level with the crowd then elevated above the band. I was immediately reminded of The Beatles playing in Twickenham Studios at the start of the Get Back documentary. That kind of vibe. It was like dropping in on a band rehearsal.

Sweet Baboo (Stephen Black) played a short acoustic set in support. Heartfelt stories were told to introduce several songs with Goodbye (about a neighbours dog he walked during lockdown) being a particular favourite of mine.

Black has stood in for Dave McGowan on bass a few times, so it was great that the band invited him out on tour. Baboo is promoting his latest album The Wreckage, that came out in early 2024. It's safe to say that his humour, melodies and storytelling won him new fans.

At 9pm Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Francis Macdonald, Dave McGowan, Euros Childs and Stephen Black strolled on to the stage. For the next 90-minutes, the six piece Fanclub delighted the crowd with songs from new album Nothing Lasts Forever and songs from across their career, culminating in set closer Everything Flows, their glorious debut single.

There were smiles and laughs - especially as one brave heckler shouted ELTON at Blake as he sat behind the piano for Self-Sedation. Blake took it in typical good form, joking he needed more elaborate glasses. And then when one brave soul jogged across the front of the band to go to the toilet it caused hysterics for Norman and Raymond - especially cause the guy was dressed like he was out for a run!

The sound was excellent throughout; guitars gelling, heavenly harmonies and all kinds of heart tugging moments. A double dose of Alcoholiday and Did I Say early on was worth the admission money alone, while Raymond's beautiful Only With You was an unexpected treat.

New songs - Tired Of Being Alone (set opener), Foreign Land, I Left A Light On, Falling Into The Sun, Self-Sedation and See The Light were all played, fitting effortlessly in alongside older cuts. There was an extra zip to them in a live setting, especially the first couple, the guitars sounded a little more raw and urgent.

I was gutted they didn't play album closer I Will Love You. I do hope that makes an appearance in the live set at some point. But then, with 30+ years of songs to choose from, you can't get everything!

I Don't Want Control Of You is always on the setlist and it always succeeds in lifting and moving me. I'm In Love is another song that has extra zip and zest in the live setting, while My Uptight Life was as poignant as ever.

Stephen Black played acoustic guitar, keyboard, percussion and saxaphone through the set. I thought his acoustic guitar in particular added a lot to some songs. Just that extra little layer.

Dave was super solid on bass, while Euros harmonising with Norman is a delight. 

Back In The Day is a recent favourite of mine and it sounded sublime in the encore, the chorus seemed to go on and on, the band looked like they were really enjoying it. 

Closing with Everything Flows, Teenage Fanclub left everyone feeling a warm glow that the band continue to radiate. I'll be back for more on Tuesday in Edinburgh.

I do like to stand with a beer at gigs, but do you know what, I loved this show. The Tramway was set up perfectly, can't have been a bad seat in the house.

Nothing Lasts Forever by Teenage Fanclub

I'm very glad that Teenage Fanclub have been in my life since 1991 when I discovered Bandwagonesque. Over 30-years! Nothing Lasts Forever of course, but the band are still here, still with me and still releasing music that fills me with a warm glow.

My love and appreciation for Teenage Fanclub grows stronger with every passing year. With every single, album and run of shows. With each anniversary of a classic album - happy forthcoming 30th birthday to Thirteen. With every new friend I make through a mutual love for the band - online or in person. 

Welcome to the world, Nothing Lasts Forever, the 12th Teenage Fanclub album. It is a beautiful album containing 10 songs of love, life, loss, hope and light. If Everything Arcade was reflective, then this new album is looking forward.

Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, Francis Macdonald, Dave McGowan and Euros Childs seem to have the bit between their teeth. This is the second Fanclub album in a little over 2-years. We were previously used to/frustrated by an album every 5 or 6 years.

Of course Fanclub albums are always worth waiting for. Maybe even more so, as we all get older. Speaking of which, the passing of time is a theme throughout the album. 

Norman: “These songs are definitely personal. You’re getting older, you’re going into the cupboard getting the black suit out more often. Thoughts of mortality and the idea of the light must have been playing on our minds a lot. The songs on the last record were influenced by the breakup of my marriage. It was cathartic to write those songs. These new songs are reflective of how I’m feeling now, coming out of that period. They’re fairly optimistic, there’s an acceptance of a situation and all of the experience that comes with that acceptance. When we write, it’s a reflection of our lives, which are pretty ordinary. We’re not extraordinary people, and normal people get older. There’s a lot to write about in the mundane."

And so the album begins with Foreign Land Blake singing about time, the past and moving on. His heart beating brightly again after heartache and dark times. There is a delicious run on the bass by Dave before Raymond sets his guitar to stun on the instrumental section. 

It's time to move along

And leave the past behind me

My heart was like a stone

But now it's beating brightly

Official video - Foreign Land 

Raymond's up next with Tired Of Being Alone sounding wise and wistful. Is it just me, or does McGinley's voice sound more melancholic with age. Raymond's always had a knack for finding a hook/mantra to close some of his songs and this is a gem. 

Come with me, watch the seasons go

Summer nights with the sky aglow

Fallen leaves on the ground below

Let's walk outside in the falling snow

Official video - Tired Of Being Alone

Light is a theme that runs throughout the album, with the word featuring in 3 of the 10 song titles. I Left A Light On was the first single taken from Nothing Lasts Forever, away back in April 2022 to soundtrack a tour. The piano and strings really give it a lovely post Beatles Lennon solo type feel. Blake singing of a love spiraling out of control, of being lost, but leaving a light on. It's heartachingly beautiful.

Official video - I Left A Light On

Raymond: "We never talk about what were going to do before we start making a record. We don't plan much other than the nuts and bolts of where were going to record and when. That thing about light was completely accidental; we didn't realise that until we'd finished half the songs. The record feels reflective, and I think the more we do this thing, the more we become comfortable with going to that place of melancholy, feeling and expressing those feelings."

McGinley consistently urges listeners to See The Light, an early favourite of mine. There is a gentle saxaphone in the background and plenty of warm and chiming guitars. There is a brief pause before a gloriously playful guitar solo.

I don't need to roam

I go back home

To see the light

It's Alright is positive and uplifting, like Norman has just had a big blast of sunshine happiness. The lyric to the second verse highlights he is moving forward; take a step into the mystery. Euros tinkling keys come through on repeated listens. Blake goes on to sing it's looking clearer up ahead and Raymond's guitar solo really fizzes. There is a classic going to the country lyric; 

From city street

To country lane

Life is taking hold again

There'll be no need for worry now

It's alright

Falling Into The Sun starts with some fuzzy psychedelia sounds before bursting into life, Dave's bass sounds fantastic. The middle section before Raymond's guitar solo is unexpected and delightful, as is the guitar. 

There are echos of McCartney on the brilliant Self-Sedation. The freshness, the jaunty piano and the vocal melody. Blake delivers this beautiful line in the first verse; 

I wake up before the dawn to start my dreaming of you

The double chorus is superb and there is another brilliant lyric I picked up on; from a breakdown to a breakthrough while the instrumental is pure Macca.

Chiming guitar gently launches Middle Of My Mind, Raymond sounds super dreamy. If the album is largely about moving on, for the time being, McGinley is lost in his thoughts. 

Back To The Light sounded great as a single, it sounds even better as part of an album. Blake sings of finishing a gig and heading back to his love, highlighting his appreciation in the chorus and then throughout the rest of the song.

For you, you know I'd walk a country mile

Have your tissues ready for Raymond's beautiful I Will Love You that closes the album. The slow burning, near 2-minute, intro is beautifully dreamy, leading to McGinley singing about how his love will last through all that is wrong in the world. Until the end of time. Norman's harmonies on the chorus are gorgeous.

This is Teenage Fanclub at their best - heartfelt emotion, love and hope in the face of racisim, bigotry, pollution, capitalism ... the grim reality of modern day life. Love can help. Love can win.

I will love you

Until the sunlight decides to hide

I will love you

Until the planets collide

I will love you

Raymond: "In many ways, us-and-them-ism has taken over the world. I will love you is looking for positivity but its being totally fatalistic at the same time. This shit will exist forever, what are you going to do about it? I came up with the line I will love you/until the flags are put down/and the exceptionalists are buried under the ground while i was playing the guitar. I started wondering what that was all about and where it might go. It's looking for positives within a fatalistic, negative view of human nature."

Chestnut Mare

Trust me #56
Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

I first read about Chestnut Mare by The Byrds in an old NME / Melody Maker that I bought in Virginia Galleries in Glasgow. There was a shop that sold band t-shirts, posters and old music weeklies, so I got a stack of vintage NME and Melody Maker's that featured The Stone Roses, as I was so head over heels in love with the band. I'm guessing this was in 1992 when I'd regularly head into Glasgow on a Saturday to walk round town and visit the likes of FLIP clothing and Missing Records with the £10 or so I'd make every week from a bacon round on a Friday after school.

The NME (cover below) followed the Roses out on a European tour and the journalist talked enthusiastically about the tunes and artists played by the band on their bus; Hendrix, The Misunderstood, Burning Spear and Chestnut Mare by The Byrds.

In the months ahead I bought a CD compilation of The Misunderstood which had magnificent sleeve notes that talked of a radio session where they left their guitars feeding back to walk out of the studio for a cigarette break and then returned to just keep on playing. Check their song Never Had A Girl (Like You Before). CLICK HERE 

20 Essential Tracks by The Byrds was the compilation I bought by The Byrds. What a fantastic introduction to the band! Teenage Fanclub had covered Mr Tambourine Man and I had a cassette of them doing that from the Reading Festival. With endorsements from both the Roses and the Fanclub, it was clear that The Byrds were a band I should be checking out.

Of course I fell for Roger McGuinn's chiming 12-string Rickenbacker guitar sound - just as Squire, Blake and McGinley clearly had. The Dylan covers (I'd go on to buy The Byrds Play Dylan) and the early singles were impeccable. Then you had the later day stuff like the beautiful Ballad of Easy Rider and then the song mentioned in the NME article - the stunning Chestnut Mare.

Chestnut Mare really stood out on the compilation as it sounded so different to everything else; the sound of McGuinn singing about trying to catch and tame a wild horse; always alone, never with a herd, prettiest mare I've ever seen. What a stop-you-in-your-tracks sound - McGuinn singing over his guitar before the rest of the band fall in as he sings the first short chorus, that The Byrds reach in just 18-seconds! 

I'm going to catch that horse if I can

And when I do I'll give her my brand

Things slow down again to allow McGuinn to talk about chasing this mare for weeks, 

I'd catch a glimpse of her every once in a while

Takin' her meal, or bathing

A fine lady

McGuinn then goes on to talk about the day he got real close, so he snuck up on her nice and easy, got my rope out and I flung it in the air

McGuinn's voice rises slightly with the excitement of recounting this moment, and after a second The Byrds really are in full flight for the full extended chorus. Listen to those guitars!

I'm going to catch that horse if I can

And when I do, I'll give her my brand

And we'll be friends for life

She'll be just like a wife

I'm going to catch that horse if I can

Continuing his tale, McGuinn talks about catching the mare, taking a chance and jumping on.

And she takes off, runnin' up on to the ridge

Higher than I've ever been before

His mare is then spooked by a sidewinder all coiled and ready to strike and his mare jumps off the edge, me holdin' on

Then there is a hazy psychedelic 2-verse middle section (lasting for almost a full minute from 2-minutes 16 seconds) as McGuinn and his mare appear to be gliding and riding over the moon, straight for the sun, before they start to fall ...

That glorious chorus kicks in again, before McGuinn resumes his story ... they have fallen 'bout a mile down I'd say and they land in this little pool of water 'bout six feet wide and one foot deep. I love the way McGuinn describes the force with which they hit it - we splashed it dry.

That's when I lost my hold and she got away

But I'm gonna try to get her again some day

I love the urgency in the way Roger sings that last line and then for the final chorus. McGuinn's 12-string combines gloriously with Clarence White's country-style acoustic and electric guitar picking, there is also the occasional delightful slide. Chestnut Mare is a beautifully told and sung tale, the band play sublimely and the production is simply divine. 

Revisiting this song for my Trust Me section has led to me listening to The Byrds almost exclusively for around a week. I've been adding quite a few songs to my Never Ending Mixtape, including Wasn't Born To Follow, Draft Morning and One Hundred Years from Now. 

Chestnut Mare is an incredible song, originally written in 1969 for a country rock musical that Roger McGuinn was working on. It never came about ... maybe it will some day. 

In the meantime, I hope this blog causes you to go on a Byrds binge like I have. Chestnut Mare is added to my Trust Me playlist. You can find a list of all the songs on it to date below, along with links to the blogs.

Search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify , or CLICK HERE

The Byrds - Chestnut Mare (audio - full version)

The Byrds - Chestnut Mare (live)

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

Foreign Land

Photo by 

Donald Milne

Teenage Fanclub released new single Foreign Land earlier today with no prior announcement. A couple of hours later, Monorail dropped some news about their forthcoming album Nothing Lasts Forever, due on 22nd September ahead of their comprehensive European tour.

Foreign Land begins with fuzzy guitar feedback, leading to a fast paced rhythm guitar that underpins Norman harmonising beautifully with Euros. Raymond adds little riffs at times, before taking off on a soaring solo after the second chorus. 

Blake's songwriting is mature and poetic, saying so much about how in love he was and how he now recognises it's over, equally heartbreaking and full of hope. After a heavy heart and sleepless nights, there is now recognition that the past is in the past and it's time to move on. The two line chorus says it all. 

The past's a foreign land

I did my best to understand

Teenage Fanclub are in great form, McGinley's beautiful meandering guitar solo (a cousin to Home) is deliciously playful, both mid-song and through the outro. Euros keys on the outro jam are more evident after a couple of listens, I look forward to hearing this live.

The video was filmed inside Hamilton Mausoleum, one of the largest in the world. Francis MacDonald released an album of chamber music back in 2018 that was inspired by (and recorded in) the venue. It clearly left quite an impression and it is a cinematic setting for the video, absolutely stunning!

On the single and album;

Raymond - "When we got offered ten days in Rockfield, we weren't ready in our minds but then we just thought, 'fuck it' and went for it. If you're sitting around waiting for the stars to align, you can end up never doing anything. We turned up and worked our way through ideas and came up with some while we were there. Foreign Land was born in the studio. If we hadn't gone there at that point through happenstance, that song wouldn't exist. We like to let things happen. As people, we find a deadline inspiring. We like to put ourselves on the spot and see what happens. We usually get away with it. This record is the cliche of the blank canvas, which thankfully we managed to fill."

Watch the video HERE or below.

Roll on September and the tour.

It's time to move along

Leave the past behind me

A heart was like a stone

Now it's beating brightly

The past's a foreign land

I did my best to understand

Beneath the moon and stars

I loved her most profoundly

I wandered in the night

But now I'm sleeping soundly

The past's a foreign land

I did my best to understand

Teenage Fanclub at PJ Molloys Dunfermline

 

With a couple of festival shows in Germany and the Shine On Weekender coming up to round off 2022, Teenage Fanclub booked a warm up show at PJ Molloys in Dunfermline. 

After buying tickets, my sister announced her band Poster Paints were playing a stripped back support slot! Happy days. A chance to see two great bands in an intimate 350 capacity venue in Scotland's most recently crowned city.

PJ Molloys has a delightfully dark, grubby and homely vibe to it. Vintage Guinness posters adorn the walls and the bar leads to steps down to a lower level where bands play.

Poster Paints were supporting, just over a year on from their debut shows with Teenage Fanclub. Riding high on the heaps of positive reviews their recently released album has been gathering, the band stripped back from a 5-piece to a 3-piece for the night. 

This only highlighted the tender beauty of Still Got You and the fragile wonder of Hard To Sweeten, while Simon Lidell turned his guitar up an extra notch to stomp through the brilliant flowing pop of Falling Hard and Number 1. 

Then it was time for Teenage Fanclub.

The band absolutely ripped through their set. 90-minutes passed by in no time with the band clearly enjoying themselves on stage and playing in such an intimate venue.

Home was the best I have heard it. Guitars, bass and keys gelling superbly throughout, but particularly during the long outro. It really set the tone and pace. The band were straight into a romp through Warm Embrace and then Endless Arcade before unleashing old favourites About You and Alcoholiday.

The band were on fire, full of smiles and nods to each other and to the crowd. I Left A Light On was really beautiful while McGinley's Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From was greeted by hearty roars f=of appreciation.

Teenage Fanclub absolutely ripped through their set ... like teenagers! 90-minutes passed by in no time with the band clearly enjoying themselves on stage and playing in such an intimate venue.

We were standing in front of Stephen Black (Sweet Baboo) on bass and I really enjoyed watching him play. His Rickenbacker sound was an absolute delight, he seemed to be improvising at times and it added something for me. McCartney-esque at times. 

What You Do To Me was a burst of joy, I'm In Love a dazzling light of perfect guitar pop and The Concept was .... well it was The Concept. If heaven exists, and if I get there, I want the closing instrumental to be playing as I enter the gates.

Everything Is Falling Apart was utterly brilliant, the band threatened to jam on a little, Raymond's My Uptight Life was as poignant as ever.

Coming on to an encore, Norman handed out Tunnocks Caramel Wafers from the rider! Good fun!

Back In The Day is a real favourite, so it was fantastic to hear its flowing chorus in all its glory. Norman highlighted that the band wanted Songs From Northern Britain to be a double album and that Middle Of The Road should have been on the album anyway. It breaks down into a super catchy post chorus section.

Another guitar pop romp? Oh go on then. Norman introduced The Who's The Kids Are Alright and the band played with a zip and zest, Francis was really going for it Moon style. I thought he might have been given a rest afterwards, but after declaring 'what a fucking song' Norman then introduced Everything Flows with all 5 band members singing. A glorious end to a brilliant evening.

Teenage Fanclub played with a real 

This was Teenage Fanclub's first time playing in Dunfermline and the f