A Teenage Fanclub Education: Philips Philicorda Organs

It’s dead easy to list the most obvious influences of Scotland’s Teenage Fanclub. He’s read them so often, founding band member Norman Blake can rattle them off at the drop of a tam: Big Star, Byrds, Beach Boys. Pigeonholing the Fanclub’s melodic-yet-rocking sound becomes a little more dicey. Though most of the cornerstones of power pop—Posies, Flamin’ Groovies, Matthew Sweet, Velvet Crush, Tommy Keene, Alex Chilton—don’t think much of the label, it seems to be the only one that’s stuck. If they keep this up for another five years or so, Teenage Fanclub, which opened for business in the mid-’80s when Blake met fellow Scots Raymond McGinley and Gerard Love, might surpass the Groovies for career longevity, a career award that usually precedes only the obit in a band’s publicity dossier. And yet, the group’s new album, Shadows (Merge), is as vital as anything TFC has ever cut, adding fuel to the proposition that some artists come up with their best work after turning 40. Blake and Love will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with Blake.

Norman: I first came across Philips Philicorda organs a couple of years ago. Designed and built in the Netherlands by the Philips company. Super versatile with cool vibrato and badass reverb, and it looks really great in your living room if you’re into teak furniture. (I am.) It can handle anything that you throw at it: Question Mark & The Mysterians’ “96 Tears” or Bach’s Fugue in G minor. We used it extensively on our new record. They come up on eBay from time to time but are hard to find in the U.S. Keep yer eyes peeled.

Videos after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpp6SRoPpKc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRIND7WyHEM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbRovrhDGDM