{"id":29742,"date":"2020-07-07T14:03:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T19:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/?p=29742"},"modified":"2020-07-07T12:51:21","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T17:51:21","slug":"an-introduction-to-teenage-fanclub-a-catholic-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sinclairclarion.com\/home\/entertainment\/2020\/07\/07\/an-introduction-to-teenage-fanclub-a-catholic-education\/","title":{"rendered":"An Introduction to Teenage Fanclub: “A Catholic Education”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Based in Bellshill, Scotland, located just 10 miles southeast of Glasgow, Teenage Fanclub is an alternative rock band. In 1998, members Norman Blake (vocals and guitar), Raymond McGinley (vocals and guitar) and Gerard Love (vocals and bass) founded the band. Over an astounding nearly 30-year career, the group has produced an, arguably, intriguing body of work, consisting of 11 studio albums and two compilation albums that incorporates elements from an array of genres. The group draws heavily from the sounds of the sixties and seventies, ranging from The Byrds and The Beach Boys to Big Star. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Source: Flickr\/Simon Godley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Catholic Education\u201d is the debut album of Teenage Fanclub. Initially, the band wished to create and release the album themselves; however, Paperhouse and Matador, two newly established independent record companies, discovered the tapes. On June 11, 1990, Paperhouse released \u201cA Catholic Education\u201d to UK audiences; Matador, likewise, on Aug. 2, 1990, to U.S audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As previously mentioned, the group decided to create their record independently, for in the words of Blake, \u201cWe\u2019d been around a lot of people trying to get record deals, and we thought, \u2018That\u2019s too much… hard work, let\u2019s just make a record.\u2019\u201d In doing so, McGinley sold a refrigerator and washing machine left by a neighbor, and thus, generated enough money to fund studio time at Pet Sounds Studios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MacDonald left shortly after completing his contribution to continue his education. Macdonald told uncut in 2018:<\/a> \u201cI\u2019d been in The Boy Hairdressers with Norman and Raymond\u2013I\u2019d always said, \u2018I\u2019m happy to be on the record, but I\u2019ll probably go back to university and finish my studies afterwards.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite having an album\u2019s worth of material, still, the band was not content. Therefore, they recruited Brendan O\u2019Hare and re-recorded four songs at Suite 16 in Rochdale.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title, according to Blake, \u201cwas an irreverent thing,\u201d solely concocted to garner attention or generate discussion: \u201cWe thought it would get a reaction, living in the west of Scotland and we knew people would say, \u2018What do you mean, what\u2019s that all about,\u2019 kind of thing. I wasn\u2019t catholic, but I think we wanted to provoke a response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly, no one was angry with us for calling it that. We also meant Catholic in the other meaning of Catholic being eclectic and bringing a lot of influences to the and. We just thought it sounded good as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Source: Flickr\/Simon Godley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This album can be described as a delightfully delinquent. It is loose, playful, and overall, possesses a slight grit and lightly echoes grunge music, a subgenre of Alternative rock that erupted in Seattle during the mid-1980s.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHeavy Metal,\u201d the album\u2019s first track, is unapologetically loud and sloggy, establishing a distinguished and unforgettable presence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 However, one could contend that \u201cA Catholic Education\u201d describes transition\u2013rather, a metamorphosis. Below the rage, there is almost a profound self-awareness to the album. Our unnamed narrator is, perhaps, peering through the veneer of angst and realizing the untouched, raw emotion that lay behind his aggression. For instance, he is deeply enamored with a woman with \u201chair like a sea of gold.\u201d In \u201cEvery Picture I Paint,\u201d he lovingly details that her sheer \u201cpresence turns [him] dear.\u201d He continues, poetically expressing that \u201cit takes a hundred thousand colors to paint [her]\u201d and yet \u201cevery picture [he] paints doesn\u2019t capture [her].\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He needs but cannot communicate his innermost thoughts and desires, rendering him unable to connect with others. He is distraught, adrift, and utterly confused, for the formidable walls he constructed are crumbling before his feet, and now, he is left vulnerable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence, \u201cEverything Flows,\u201d a personal favorite and a sad, yet hopeful resolution: \u201cThe wind\u2019s blowing in my face. Lately find it hard to keep the pace. I\u2019m looking for a place to go, but only for a little while. Then, the feeling. I\u2019ll never know which way to flow. Set a course that I don\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon its release, \u201cA Catholic Education\u201d achieved three out of five stars from the Chicago Tribune.<\/a> Critic Tom Popson states that the album \u201coffers rich, melodic material marked often by guitar lines that sound as though they were time-warped here from a late-60s psychedelic-blues jam. The vocals are easygoing and suppressed in the mix, the songs are often taken at a relaxed or even languid pace, and the whole package has a kind of loose, friendly but still energetic feel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Source: Flickr\/ acb)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

“A Catholic Education\u201d is enjoyable and compelling in its own right, yet remains an outlier of the band\u2019s overall sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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