Before this astonishing album, Teenage Fanclub had released a couple of pleasant singles and a whole load of generic, indie dishwater. In the middle of 1991, they went into a Liverpool studio, with Don Fleming producing, and emerged with a masterpiece. Bandwagonesque is, of course, hugely derivative--difficult to make a record with two guitars, a bass and drums that isn't. More than a few reviews at the time suggested that Bandwagonesque had gone a step further, into the realm of pastiche and plagiarism, especially in regard to Big Star. Given time, however, it became clear that Bandwagonesque wasn't a problem even on those terms--it was at least as good a Big Star album as Big Star ever made. And on its own merits, Bandwagonesque is so near perfect as to make no odds. It contains stackheeled glam stomps that Slade would have been proud of ("What You Do To Me"), exquisitely lachrymose ballads ("December"), endlessly quotable lyrical couplets ("There's a side of me unknown/Big deal", from "Starsign") and gorgeous, ringing electric guitars and still more gorgeous Byrds-esque vocal harmonies (the whole album). Bandwagonesque is the sort of album that makes you wish you owned a convertible. Utterly unimpeachable, work of genius, etc, and Teenage Fanclub have since made at least three albums which are even better. --Andrew Mueller
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