Songs From Northern Britain

Tracks:

Start Again
Ain't That Enough
Can't Feel My Soul
I Don't Want Control Of You
Planets
It's A Bad World
Take The Long Way Round
Winter
I Don't Care
Mount Everest
Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From
Speed Of Light

Amazon.com

Teenage Fanclub were touted as the next big thing for three minutes after its 1991 major-label debut, Bandwagonesque. That album is still the band's best--a sly, effortless approximation of Big Star, capturing most of that band's charm with only a fraction of the emotional turmoil. Six years and a few music trends later, Teenage Fanclub were still writing and singing sunny, optimistic tunes that sound great blasting from a car stereo. Songs from Northern Britain doesn't match the band at its peak, but "Ain't That Enough" is the best Byrds knockoff released in years, and "Start Again" sounds chipper enough to make you believe no romance is too doomed to be saved. The band's three equal songwriters--Norman Blake, Raymond McGinley, and Gerry Love--are all incurable romantics. When written on paper, a lyric like "can't feel my soul without you" is easy to make fun of, but when their voices melt together with obvious feel-good sincerity, only a cynic could complain. --Keith Moerer

Customer Reviews:

Being positive isn't cool , but it's easier to listen to .......2005-08-21

If you don't know anything about this band , I would say only that they will make you very glad you're not deaf .

If you enjoy harmonies and a 60's sensibility together with solid songwriting , then look no further .

The song on this album called AIN'T THAT ENOUGH is just fantastic - it is extremely uplifting and that is how the band's music affects me , though not all their songs have that sort of direction or mood .

I also recommend other albums of theirs such as GRAND PRIX , HOWDY and the latest one MAN MADE .
We need more uncool positive 'vibes' in this world and this band makes an important contribution to that , so they're actually fulfilling a purpose .
Buy and luxuriate in this band's world-view .

Their sound turns golden.......2005-01-20

I really really enjoy all their early work, and it's hard to pick a favorite from any of their diverse albums. But I feel that when they made this, they developed a sort of timeless feel that resonates through later listens. Upon first hearing it I wasn't that impressed, I thought this needs to be more spur of the moment, but then slowly and surely I realized it was great in a different way. They were experimenting and letting the sounds just simmer throughout the album, until you get to "Speed of Light" then you feel completely dumbfounded and trust wherever they wish to venture next.

Hornby opened the door..........2004-11-24

Like a lot of more recent Fanclub-fans, I was introduced to this album by Nick Hornby's "Songbook." The music in here was described as comfort-food, and the absolute antithesis to Suicide's "Frankie Teardrop." That alone got me interested. Other descriptions brought up Beatles and Byrds influences, which can only be a good thing.

Yet I held off for a while, put off by negative comments by some critics and local record store employees who seem to think that the band was playing it too safe with this one, trying too hard to sound pretty at the expense of their earlier, harder-edged sound. Then I spotted a used copy for five bucks, picked it up, popped it in my car stereo and realized just how useless rock critics and certain record store employees are.

This thing hit me like a bolt of lightning- pure goodness from start to finish. Unlike a lot of its grunge-era contemporaries, this disc actually *improves* my mood. And, like Nick Hornby when writing "Songbook," my mood is in need of improving pretty frequently these days. Without going into any detail at all, I can say that I identify with Hornby's comment that, sometimes, music should be a comfortable thing to turn to in a time of need rather than a constant challenge. Obviously not nearly every one of my many, many, many albums is what you would call "comfort food"- I have my share of music that's a bit tougher to absorb, and that will challenge expectations. But I am beginning to appreciate the value of music that you "get" right away and that stays with you over time like an old friend or a favorite worn-in pair of shoes. If you are too, you can't go wrong here.

bold statement: my favorite album.......2004-11-24

a solid record from front to back, packed with perfect heartfelt pop songs. the album revolves around central themes of love and home, which while bittersweet, are filled with optimism and never fail to improve my mood. this album has easily gotten more spins than anything else in my collection, yet i never tire of it and cannot help singing along at full volume every time. i honestly feel sorry for people who have not been exposed to this album, or who fail to take the time to appreciate its greatness. drop your prescription for prozac and pick up "songs from northern britain"

Pleasant retro folk rock.......2004-11-20

Bought this on the strength of "Aint that Enough" which was included on the Nick Hornsby Songbook CD-Book, and which sounds like the 1965 Byrds, the original masters of Folk-rock, more or less channeled (better than an imitation) very, very accurately. In fact, several songs sound remarkably like re-channeled Byrds. Several other strong classic influences are clear, including the Beatles, and even Neil Young on Mount Everest. One doesn't get too much sense of imitation though, more like homage, these guys sound quite sincere. They not vocally quite up to Crosby, Clark and McGuinn, or for that matter John, Paul and George, but the songs are cheerful, lively and musically sound.

So recommended it to older listeners like myself because of how well they keep the spirit of the original greats, and people too young to have even heard Mr.Tamborine Man or Younger than Yesterday because this is fresh sounding and musical.

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