Grand Prix (album)

1995 studio album by Teenage Fanclub

Grand Prix

Studio album by

Teenage Fanclub

Released| 29 May 1995 (1995-05-29)[1]
Recorded| 5 September–9 October 1994
Studio| The Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell
Genre|

* Power pop[2]
* jangle pop[3]
* Britpop[4][5]
* folk rock[6]
* country rock[7][8]

Length| 42:09
Label|

* Creation
* DGC

Producer|

* David Bianco
* Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Fanclub chronology
| Deep Fried Fanclub
(1995)  | Grand Prix
(1995)  | Songs from Northern Britain
(1997)

|
|

Singles from  Grand Prix

1. "Mellow Doubt"
Released: 27 March 1995
2. "Sparky's Dream"
Released: 22 May 1995
3. "Neil Jung"
Released: 21 August 1995[9]
4. "About You"
Released: 1995

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

## Album cover

[edit]

The now-defunct Formula One racing team Simtek provided the car that appears on the front cover.[10]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [11]
Entertainment Weekly| C+[12]
The Guardian| [13]
Mojo| [14]
NME| 9/10[15]
Pitchfork| 8.5/10[16]
Q| [17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide| [18]
Spin| 4/10[19]
Uncut| 8/10[20]

Upon release, Grand Prix received almost unanimous critical acclaim. Writing for The Independent, Andy Gill called it "winsome and reflective",[21] while Angela Lewis of the same publication described Grand Prix as a "breathtakingly superb (album) with finely honed dynamics, nagging harmonies and deceptively simple lyrics".[22] In 2018, Q placed Grand Prix at number 72 in its list of the "100 Greatest British Albums Ever".[23] It was voted number 624 in the 3rd edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2018).[24] In 2004, it made number 72 on The Observer Music Monthly's top 100 British albums list.[25] In 2013, NME ranked it at number 282 in its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[26]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "About You"| Raymond McGinley| 2:41
2.| "Sparky's Dream"| Gerard Love| 3:17
3.| "Mellow Doubt"| Norman Blake| 2:42
4.| "Don't Look Back"| Love| 3:43
5.| "Verisimilitude"| McGinley| 3:31
6.| "Neil Jung"| Blake| 4:48
7.| "Tears"| Blake| 2:43
8.| "Discolite"| Love| 3:07
9.| "Say No"| McGinley| 3:12
10.| "Going Places"| Love| 4:28
11.| "I'll Make It Clear"| Blake| 2:33
12.| "I Gotta Know"| McGinley| 3:27
13.| "Hardcore/Ballad"| Blake| 1:48
Total length:| 42:09

Australian bonus disc: Bonus B-SidesNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "About You" (acoustic version) (B-side of "Mellow Doubt")| McGinley| 2:49
2.| "Between Us" (B-side of "Mellow Doubt")| Neil Innes| 2:03
3.| "For You" (B-side of "Sparky's Dream")| McGinley| 3:26
4.| "Try and Stop Me" (B-side of "Sparky's Dream")| Eddie Phillips, Kenny Pickett| 2:27
5.| "Who Loves the Sun" (B-side of "Sparky's Dream")| Lou Reed| 2:41
Total length:| 13:18

Notes

* All bonus tracks produced by Teenage Fanclub. Tracks 1 and 2 recorded at Protocol Studios, London, engineered by Giles Hall, assisted by Delphine Carrier. Track 3 recorded at Protocol Studios, London, engineered by Giles Hall, and at The Greenhouse, London, engineered by Nick Wollage. Track 4 recorded at Riverside Studios, Glasgow, engineered by Duncan Cameron. Track 5 recorded at home by Norman Blake.

Grand Prix bonus 7" single

Side ANo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

|
|
|

1.| "Discolite" (demo)| Love| 3:29
2.| "Voicemail from Rodney Bingenheimer"|  | 0:37
3.| "I Gotta Know" (demo)| McGinley| 4:14

Side BNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Coffee Morning" (instrumental)| 2:55
2.| "Norman's Answering Machine Message"| 0:23
3.| "Untitled" (instrumental)| 3:22
Total length:| 15:00

Note

* First vinyl pressing with limited edition bonus 7".

## Personnel

[edit]

Teenage Fanclub

* Norman Blake – vocals, guitar
* Gerard Love – vocals, bass guitar
* Raymond McGinley – vocals, guitar
* Paul Quinn – drums

Additional musicians

* David Bianco – occasional guitar, piano and vocals
* Nigel Hitchcock – alto saxophone on "About You"
* Jamie Talbot – tenor saxophone on "About You"
* Chris White – baritone saxophone on "About You"
* Steve Sidwell – trumpet on "About You" and "Tears"
* Dinah Beamish – cello on "Tears"
* Jules Singleton – violin on "Tears"
* Sonia Slany – violin and string arrangement on "Tears"
* Jocelyn Pook – viola on "Tears"
* Dave Barker – handclaps on "Sparky's Dream"
* Chas Banks – handclaps on "Mellow Doubt"
* Jim Parsons – handclaps on "Mellow Doubt"

Technical personnel

* David Bianco – producer, engineer, mixing (at Larrabee North, Los Angeles)
* Teenage Fanclub – producer, sleeve design
* Julie Gardner – assistant engineer (at The Manor)
* Jamie Seyberth – assistant engineer (at Larrabee North)
* Stephen Marcussen – mastering (at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles)
* Marcus Tomlinson – front cover photography
* John Andrews – cover shoot co-ordinator
* Robert Fisher – "Grand Prix" logo designer
* Toby Egeinick – sleeve layout

|
|

## Charts

[edit]

Chart performance for Grand Prix Chart (1995)  | Peak
position

|

Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] | 57
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] | 33
UK Albums (OCC)[29] | 7

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | Silver  | 60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 20 May 1995. p. 14. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
2. ^ Iai (9 August 2007). "Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
3. ^ Hyden, Steven (1 May 2020). "The Oral History Of Guided By Voices' '90s Indie Classic 'Alien Lanes'". Uproxx. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
4. ^ "The 50 Best Britpop Albums". Pitchfork. 29 March 2017. p. 2. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
5. ^ Pearis, Bill (13 April 2021). "Teenage Fanclub share "In Our Dreams" from upcoming album".
6. ^ Collar, Matt. "Teenage Fanclub Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
7. ^ "Hiatus From Hype Benefits Columbia's Teenage Fanclub". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 26\. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 28 June 1997. p. 28. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
8. ^ Robbins, Ira; Kaplan, Matthew. "Teenage Fanclub". Trouser Press. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
9. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 12 August 1995. p. 15. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
10. ^ Grand Prix sleeve notes
11. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "Grand Prix – Teenage Fanclub". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
12. ^ Eddy, Chuck (14 July 1995). "Grand Prix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
13. ^ Sweeting, Adam (2 June 1995). "CD of the week: Teenage Fanclub". The Guardian.
14. ^ Eccleston, Danny (September 2018). "Whatever you want". Mojo. No. 298\. p. 100.
15. ^ Cameron, Keith (27 May 1995). "Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix". NME. Archived from the original on 14 October 2000. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
16. ^ Sodomsky, Sam (11 August 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs From Northern Britain / Howdy!". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
17. ^ Collins, Andrew (July 1996). "Teenage Fanclub: Grand Prix". Q. No. 118\. p. 129.
18. ^ Sisario, Ben (2004). "Teenage Fanclub". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 805. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
19. ^ Cohen, Jason (July 1995). "Teenage Fanclub: Grand Prix". Spin. Vol. 11, no. 4\. p. 76. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
20. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (September 2018). "Teenage Fanclub: Bandwagonesque / Thirteen / Grand Prix / Songs from Northern Britain / Howdy!". Uncut. No. 256\. p. 51.
21. ^ Gill, Andy (26 May 1995). "Review: Teenage Fanclub, Grand Prix". The Independent. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
22. ^ Lewis, Angela (2 June 1995). "Feature: Teenage Fanclub Preview". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
23. ^ "100 Greatest British Albums Ever". Q. No. 165\. June 2000. p. 64.
24. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 206\. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
25. ^ "Observer Music Monthly's top 100 British albums". The Observer. 20 June 2004. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
26. ^ Barker, Emily (24 October 2013). "The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 300-201". NME. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
27. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 276.
28. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
30. ^ "British album certifications – Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 May 2025.

* v
* t
* e

Teenage Fanclub

* Norman Blake
* Raymond McGinley
* Francis MacDonald
* Dave McGowan
* Euros Childs

* Brendan O'Hare

Studio albums|

* A Catholic Education
* The King
* Bandwagonesque
* Thirteen
* Grand Prix
* Songs from Northern Britain
* Howdy!
* Words of Wisdom and Hope
* Man-Made
* Shadows
* Here
* Endless Arcade
* Nothing Lasts Forever

Compilations|

* Deep Fried Fanclub
* Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds – A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub

EPs|

* God Knows It's True
* Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It

Singles|

* "Star Sign"
* "The Concept"
* "What You Do to Me"
* "Fallin'"
* "Sparky's Dream"
* "Ain't That Enough"
* "I Don't Want Control of You"

Related|

* Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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