Sundays here at TVV have been taken up in recent months by the ICA World Cup. I was so thrilled by the level of interest and the amount of interaction via the comments section that I planned, in my head, a variation on the theme for 2023.
But then I got thinking.
This is the year I turn 60 years of age. I’ve a few plans in hand that will see me travelling the globe at various times, to the extent that I won’t always be in a position to keep a check on how votes might or might not be coming in. So, sorry to say, the plans for a variation of the ICAs (it would have been on the basis of Imaginary EPs!), won’t see the light of day…well, for now anyway.
So, I’ve decided that Sundays should be turned over to the pile of 7″ singles that sit here in Villain Towers. I’ve now accumulated so many in recent years, often via second-hand markets in shops or online, that they have outgrown the space that has been set aside for them, and they are kind of crammed.
It’s now become a bit of a chore to go and fish just the one of them out for listening purposes, and what I need to do is pick up a large number in the one visit, as it makes things easier. This has led me to also make a fresh, higher-quality rip with each listen for the purposes of this new series for 2023. Here’s wiki on the one I’m starting off with:-
What You Do to Me is a song recorded by Scottish rock band Teenage Fanclub. The song was released on 27 January 1992 through Creation Records, as the third single from the band’s third studio album, Bandwagonesque. The song was written and sung by vocalist and guitarist Norman Blake.
The song peaked at number 19 on Billboard‘s Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US, and number 31 on the UK Singles Chart.
The 7″ version that sits in the cupboard has a few pops and clicks, but all that does is add to the authenticity.
mp3: Teenage Fanclub – What You Do To Me
It is actually a 4-track EP, with two songs on either side of the vinyl. Here’s what comes on straight after the two minutes that make up the single:-
mp3: Teenage Fanclub – B-Side
It’s one of Gerry Love‘s compositions, and very good it is, too.
Flipping things over to the b-side:-
mp3: Teenage Fanclub – Life’s A Gas
mp3: Teenage Fanclub – Filler
The former is a fairly faithful take on a T.Rex song, while the latter is a Raymond McGinley number (and very good it is too!) which means the EP gives you songs from all three of the principal songwriters.
But there’s more. After 1:56, Filler seems to come to a complete stop, but there’s then there’s a slight gap before a short (55 seconds) uncredited instrumental kicks off. The fact it’s just an extended drum solo could mean it’s all the work of Brendan O’Hare, in which case you’ve got original material from all four members contained with one compact piece of vinyl
mp3: Teenage Fanclub – Hidden Drum Solo
With apologies, if in fact the drum solo is the end of Filler and not a separate song!
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
From Bellshill noise-nicks to American west-coast-sound darlings Teenage Fanclub sucessfully transformed – seemingly overnight. I haven’t listened to Bandwagonesque since 1991 and often think I should revisit. Someone, somewhere will no doubt clarify the ‘drum solo’ and it’s place on the ep. I have to say, I like the mystery.
I’ve been listening to Bandwagonesque a lot recently. It’s great to come back after thirty years away from it.