Customer Reviews

Catholic Education

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like music (you know, tunes and that), you'll love the Fannies. Catholic Education was their first try at the big time and it's bloody great. At the time, this record - yeah I bought it on black plastic - along with their often drunken gigs, was a breath of fresh air in the midst of a shoe gazing, nerdo environment.

These guys understand tunes, hooks and a pish laugh...... Everyting Flows is a true classic. You can't quite make out the lyrics, but who cares, the washy, cheapo guitar nails it.

So it's muddy, you have to turn the treble to 11, it was recorded in downtown Maryhill for feck sake.

It's a classic, buy it and be a proud owner.

No one I know who listened to "Bandwagonesque",Teenage Fanclub's first widely released CD, before "A Catholic Education", their first release, have a lot of love for the raw production values and aggressive, punchy structure of many of the songs contained on their inaugural CD with the exception of "Everything Flows" and "Eternal Light". Most of the tracks don't have the fluid progression that cuts on later releases have (again, comparisons to "Bandwagonesque" are the first one my friends reference), and a murky sound, rather than a crystalline one.

Nevertheless, this CD is full of hook-laden material, even in its primitive setting. "Heavy Metal II" "Everybody's Fool", "Every Picture I Paint", and "Too Involved" require a few listen-throughs to sift out superficial discordancy, but they're well- constructed songs. In fact, "A Catholic Ecuation" is worth getting just to trace the genesis of the band's sound, which I feel was firmly in place on this CD, though the lower-grade production doesn't lend itself toward showcasing this. Personally, I think every fan of Teenage Fanclub should receive "A Catholic Education".

I really like this album. But then again I really like the band. I think this was the second album I bought of theirs after Bandwagonesque and I was not disappointed. Therefore I agree with M. Haverstock's observation that since this album depicts the band as a "work in progress" it's not representative of their more recent stuff. However, this album is as good as it is unique.

It will take you awhile to get to know this album, but aren't all good records like that? These songs are not pop songs like their later stuff. These songs have a kind of dark, droning, layered feel to them laid-down by great strumming dirty guitars. The songs also tend to be long and almost impressionistic (but not lacking in structure). They also have the Fanclub's trademark good melodies.

The songs are minimally produced which really lets the feel come through. Whenever I put this album on it's not to hear one track but to let the whole thing run through, sometime twice. This album is probably not for everyone, but it's definately worth a try for Fanclub fans.

Not a great album, but you it definetly laid the ground work for the future. Sounds to me like they were hanging out with Pavement while they made the record. Definetly a late 80's/early 90's feel. Critical Mass is an underrated song, I'm sure most only know Everything Flows, but there are a few other great songs on here. I'm glad it was re-issued as I lost my original copy. I would say if you own several Teenage Fanclub albums but not this you owe it to yourself to pick it up just to see the bands progression. For firstimers, I would probably stay away from it for now and start with Bandwagoneque or Grand Prix.

The people who claim this record has poor production just dont get it. This is one of my top 5 albums of all time and I have a lot of albums. If I was on a desert island, it would be there.The grooves have worn very thin indeed. I also do not feel compelled to write these reviews, but I feel the need to talk about how great this record is. I wish more records were produced with this sound.

A word of warning though. this record is very different from their others, so if you are expecting that, this aint it. But give it a chance, its way better.

But give them a break. They were broke. This is what started it all. "Every Picture I Paint" and "Everything Flows" are probably my 2 favorite Fanclub songs of all time. A lot of the stuff sounds samey, i'll admit, but it doesn't really bother me that much. The production is very very lo-fi, but that's what makes it so unique, in my opinion. If you are a Fanclub fan and don't have this album. Get it. You won't be disappointed. If you are looking for something more like "What You Do To Me", then look elsewhere. I suggest "Thirteen", or "Grand Prix".

This is the only Teenage Fanclub album I am mildy displeased with. The production of the tracks makes every song sound the same--at least the first few times you listen to them. I've given 5 stars to all their other major release albums; this one falls short.

This is Teenage Fanclub's first album, and it suffers from muddy production, half-realized melodies, and somewhat ragged musicianship. Still, it is mildly interesting in its own unpolished way, and it hints at greater things to come.

this is the ONLY teenage fanclub i'm proud to own, and i don't give my 5 stars out liberally. catholic ed is full of swirling dreamy guitars and melancholy pop melodies - like clinically depressed dinosaur (and for the record, it predates loveless for all you my bloody valentine fans). after this, they seemed to concentrate more on production and being alt-stars, and the music becomes more painfully derivative accordingly. i just wish they'd followed up on this quietly brilliant debut with something other than a regurgitation of big star.

other good stuff i own: tipsy, cat power, god speed you black emperor, young gods. check 'em out

"Everything Flows" is one of The Fannies' best-ever tracks; a great single worthy of many repeat plays. This album, however, is awful. It is downright unlistenable. Quite shocking how bad it is. Get "Everything Flows" on their "Shortcut" hits collection, and skip this. Waste of time.