(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)
Artist: Teenage Fanclub Album Title: Bandwagonesque Year released: 1991 Year reissued: 2018 Details: Black vinyl, reissue, remastered at Abbey Road Studios, included bonus 7″ single “Heavy metal 6” b/w “Long hair”
The skinny: Considered at the time, one of the best albums of 1991, topping a good deal of ‘best of the year’ charts. Unfortunately, it hasn’t enjoyed the same sustained commercial success as some of its contemporaries (*cough* Nirvana *cough*). The Fannies third (?) album is a classic in my eyes, all noisy guitars, feedback, and beautiful vocal harmonies. This fully remastered reissue is one of five the band did this year (each arriving last week in post) so expect a few more Teenage Fanclub “Vinyl Love” posts in the coming month.
(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)
Artist: Ocean Colour Scene Album Title: Marchin’ already Year released: 1997 Year reissued: 2018 Details: Double LP, Translucent green, Remastered, RSD 2018 exclusive
The skinny: This sweet looking and sweet sounding piece of wax was a surprise pick up on Record Store Day back in April. “Marchin’ already” had just landed at the number six spot in a seriously loaded list when I counted down my top ten favourite albums of 1997 around that same time. Some of you might remember the track below as backing the opening credits of “Lock stock and two smoking barrels” but it had already climbed the UK charts the previous year. This and the rest of the album take traditional blue rock and soul and give it a modern bent. Brings back so many memories.
Back at the end of April, I railed on about my love for the “The ghosts that haunt me”, the debut album by Winnipeg’s Crash Test Dummies, as part of my Best tunes of 1991 series (“Superman’s song” at #24). That darned cassette definitely got a workout in both my Walkman and my stereo while at home. I played it so often that I pretty much knew all the words to all ten songs on the album, though I’m sure studying the lyrics in the foldout cassette cover didn’t hurt. It was here that I was first tipped off that “Androgynous”, track three on side two, was a cover, the lyrics attributed to a “P. Westerberg”.
It was years, though, before I made the connection between that name and the legendary American punk rock band from the 80s: The Replacements. And years still until I actually sat down to listen to the original. It was, in fact, just this past week that I brought it up on YouTube, figuring I should probably do so since I’d be writing about it. I almost felt like a cheat when I made up this covers list, including Crash Test Dummies’ version on it as one of my favourite ever, not knowing the song on which it was based. But back in the day, I loved singing along to this song so much.
“Here come Dick, he’s wearing a skirt
Here comes Jane, you know she’s sporting a chain
Same hair, revolution
Same build, evolution
Tomorrow who’s gonna fuss
And they love each other so
Androgynous”
The version I know starts off slow and plodding, folky like the rest of the album, while Brad Robert’s bass-baritone melds with Ellen Reid’s angelic textures, until it picks up to a foot stomping climax. I checked out two versions of The Replacements performing it: what I think is the original and a live version performed in recent years. Their original has a juke joint rockabilly feel, plonking piano and sing along vocals but live, it has an even more raw edge, focused more with guitars.
Given that I haven’t as yet put aside time to explore more of The Replacements’ work, I don’t know how this song even fits within their back catalogue. I do like their version as well, so does this mean I need to check them out? Replacements fans, help me out.
The cover:
The original:
For the rest of the 100 best covers list, click here.
My (life in) music lists 