Howdy

Teenage Fanclub | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 18, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B00005RDEC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #252,356 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #34 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Pop
  • #54 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > British Alternative

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Followers of Teenage Fanclub will find no surprises on Howdy, as the band members continue to cultivate material from territory seeded by classic popsters such as the Byrds, Big Star, and XTC. Evoking the past while sounding perpetually contemporary is the talent upon which this group's longevity is based, and all 12 songs on this album feature lovelorn characters and vagabond hearts paraded before backdrops of the big, bouncy pop sounds that characterized 1970s chart-toppers. In the early 1990s (circa Thirteen), Teenage Fanclub used this sound to rail against alternative music scenesterism and its tendency to make, and glorify, one-hit wonders. But three albums later, the band members' anger has blunted and their focus has turned inward, leaving them prone to sharp introspection. With sweetly intelligent lyrics, a consistently epic sound on every well-crafted song, and Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies that showcase the three singer-songwriters' enormous talents, Howdy is as good an album to own as almost any other by this enduring band. --Sarah A. Sternau

Product Description

Sixth album for Scottish alternative/power-pop act called 'the band who invented Travis' by NME. 12 tracks including the first single 'I Need Direction'. 2000 release. Standard jewelcase. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feelgood hit of the winter, January 16, 2001

By 

Dolittle (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Howdy (Audio CD)

After a 3 year brake are the singer-.songwriter trinity of Blake, McGinley and Love back with their sixth studio album. And of course, they don`t disappoint. It all starts with the imminent first single "I need direction" with ba-ba-ba backing and the airy composition we have missed on the last couple of albums. It goes on with Raymond Mcginley compositions like the acoustic "Happiness" and feel good melodys like "I Can`t Find My Way Home" and "The Sun It Shines From You". This is different from all the sad, insensitive, cynisme, that has stamped weight to much of british pop music after "Ok, Computer." Howdy is Beach Boys, Beatles, Bigstar and Byrds, but most of all it`s Teenage Fanclub.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Now That's What I Call Quite Good!, November 5, 2000

By 

Jake Ryan (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Howdy (Audio CD)

Just call me a bold-faced liar. Were I an honest man, I'd have given "Howdy!" the five-star rating it deserves. But why tell Teenage Fanclub faithful something they already know? Any self-respecting fan has already bought the album; their reading of this review amounts to little more than an afterthought. These comments are intended for the uninitiated masses; the curious onlookers compelled to explore the murky depths of the indie pool in search of something decidedly less MTV inspired. Tread these waters carefully, friends! While discovering Teenage Fanclub may not be as remarkable a feat as unearthing Scotland's more famous offspring, the experience is pretty darn close. Granted, the Loch Ness monster may generate more tourist dollars for her native land, but I'm guessing she doesn't write songs nearly half as catchy.

"Howdy!" marks the sixth commercial release for Teenage Fanclub principals' Raymond McGinley, Norman Blake, and Gerard Love. Having spent the better part of a decade with little more than indie level recognition, you'd think the Scottish power popsters would be embittered by their lackluster chart success. Far from being soured, "Howdy!" -- with its jocularly dismissive title and album cover artwork more befitting a preschool pencil sketch -- reaffirms Teenage Fanclub as premier craftsmen of joyful, unadulterated pop. This is a collection of happy songs, yes, but deceptively so. Beneath the whimsical album title and colorful melodies, the boys are clearly dragging some emotional baggage. Fortunately, the Fannies were never ones to hide their feelings.

Ever the democracy, McGinley, Blake, and Love share songwriting responsibilities, with each contributing four tracks to the album. McGinley, chronically overshadowed by his bandmates, proves himself to be a more disciplined composer with each album. "The Sun Shines From You" is a standout. With its acoustically-charged riff and cheerful melody, the song is tailor-made for carefree summer days. "I Can't Find My Way Home" and "Happiness" are mature efforts as well, though McGinley's voice does tend to wear on the listener after a few tracks. Just when I thought the Fannies had abandoned their penchant for endless fadeouts, McGinley steps up to the plate with "My Uptight Life". In the time it took this song to fade from chorus, I could have married, raised children, and put them through college. Though slightly overdone, the song is a pleasant reminder of Fannie fadeouts past.

Perhaps my expectations of Norman Blake are too high. Considering he's penned such Fanclub classics as "The Concept", "Neil Jung", and "Planets", my hopes for his latest compositions could not have been anything less than lofty. This may explain why I came away from "Howdy!" feeling slightly disappointed. "Dumb Dumb Dumb" is a bland effort that would have benefited greatly from a chorus or middle eight. "Accidental Life" and "Straight and Narrow", while not without their charm, lack the usual Blakean flare. Blake's strongest contribution, "If I Never See You Again", is an emotional acoustic piece that would fit equally as well on any R.E.M. album (perhaps the Fannies' tour with the Georgia-based lads rubbed off on Norman more than he realized). The delicate song is a fitting closer for the album. A good collection of Blake songs, but Fanclub fans have grown accustomed to greatness.

Odds are Gerard Love won't be sainted in his lifetime or beyond. However, it is a safe bet the musical gods will one day welcome him into their midst. Assuming, of course, Love hasn't already achieved a higher plane of awareness (how else can one explain Gerry's ability to write such divine music?). "I Need Direction", with its Beatlesque drum fills and 'bah bah bah' backing vocals, oozes 60's nostalgia. "The Town and the City" has a rousing enough horn section and an infectious rhythm to challenge "The Sun Shines From You" as the feel-good-track of the album. While "Cul De Sac" might initially strike the listener as a down-tempo version of Fanclub's "Speed of Light", the song is both evocative and original in its own right. "Near You" is Howdy's signature track. The song is simply euphoric, particularly during the hookline: "I get near, but I never seem to reach you." The listening experience is akin to a flying dream, where you're soaring blissfully above the heavens. Yes, the song is that good! What is even more amazing is when you peruse the Teenage Fanclub catalogue, you'll discover that Love has penned several equally inspiring songs.

"Howdy!" is very good album, an absolute must for any completist, but the band has done better. I recently reviewed Teenage Fanclub's previous release, "Songs from Northern Britain".... New fans may wish to start with this album, instead, or perhaps "Grand Prix", arguably the Fannies' catchiest collection of songs to date. In the end, it doesn't really matter where you begin your collection. Once you've listened to one album, you'll likely buy all the others as well. Then you can see for yourself why "Howdy!" really is a five-star album.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still Gorgeous, November 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Howdy (Audio CD)

In response to the review below that criticized Howdy in the face of Songs From Northern Britain, I feel the record deserves more listens. Right out of the wrapper, I agree it seemed a bit pale, but after four or five run throughs, some tracks surfaced as perfect, perfect Fanclub songs. Love's "I Need Direction" (what a chorus) and "Near You" (there are the layers the below review claimed to miss) along with Blake's "Dumb Dumb Dumb" (hit me on the third try) and "If I Never See You Again" (they still love Big Star)are fantastic.