This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
In 1991, Spin famously named Teenage Fanclub’s second record Bandwagonesque Album Of The Year — over Nirvana’s Nevermind. Oops. The mag is still trying to live down that one.
Meanwhile, this Glasgow power-pop quartet are still trying to live up to the shining, briefly glimpsed promise of those early ’90s glory days. Although they haven’t managed to top Bandwagonesque yet, they have put out more than their share of superb tracks over the years — many of which are gathered here on the overtitled Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-Six Seconds: A Short Cut to Teenage Fanclub. These 21 slices of pure pop showcase the lads’ long-standing obsession with the three B’s — Big Star, The Byrds and Brian Wilson — and their ability to combine these influences into crunchy power-pop nuggets like The Concept, Hang On and About You. Amid all the bittersweet teen angst, jangly 12-string guitars and lush studio production, it’s easy to see how the Spin-sters got seduced. And to end up that way yourself.
