Grand Prix (album)

Grand Prix
Studio album by
Teenage Fanclub
Released29 May 1995 (1995-05-29)[1]
Recorded5 September–9 October 1994
StudioThe Manor, Shipton-on-Cherwell
Genre
Length42:09
Label
Producer
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

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

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[12]
The Guardian[13]
Mojo[14]
NME9/10[15]
Pitchfork8.5/10[16]
Q[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]
Spin4/10[19]
Uncut8/10[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

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."About You"Raymond McGinley2:41
2."Sparky's Dream"Gerard Love3:17
3."Mellow Doubt"Norman Blake2:42
4."Don't Look Back"Love3:43
5."Verisimilitude"McGinley3:31
6."Neil Jung"Blake4:48
7."Tears"Blake2:43
8."Discolite"Love3:07
9."Say No"McGinley3:12
10."Going Places"Love4:28
11."I'll Make It Clear"Blake2:33
12."I Gotta Know"McGinley3:27
13."Hardcore/Ballad"Blake1:48
Total length:42:09
Australian bonus disc: Bonus B-Sides
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."About You" (acoustic version) (B-side of "Mellow Doubt")McGinley2:49
2."Between Us" (B-side of "Mellow Doubt")Neil Innes2:03
3."For You" (B-side of "Sparky's Dream")McGinley3:26
4."Try and Stop Me" (B-side of "Sparky's Dream")Eddie Phillips, Kenny Pickett2:27
5."Who Loves the Sun" (B-side of "Sparky's Dream")Lou Reed2:41
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 A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Discolite" (demo)Love3:29
2."Voicemail from Rodney Bingenheimer" 0:37
3."I Gotta Know" (demo)McGinley4:14
Side B
No.TitleLength
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

Teenage Fanclub
Additional musicians
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

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

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

  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.
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