Grand Prix (album)

(Redirected from Mellow Doubt)

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

Grand Prix
Studio album by
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

Album cover

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

Reception

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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 2022, 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

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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

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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

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Chart performance for Grand Prix
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[27] 57
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[28] 33
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 7

References

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  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.