By Bruce Warren, Program Director for XPN

Teenage Fanclub’s Bandwagonesque or Nirvana’s Nevermind? That was the big question facing music critics in 1991 as they were contemplating their lists for best albums of the year.

1991 was an incredible year for music. It saw the release of some amazing records including Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend, Public Enemy’s Apocalypse 91, Achtung Baby by U2, Massive Attack’s Blue Lines, R.E.M.’s Out of Time and My Bloddy Valentine’s Loveless, and Richard Thompson’s Rumor and Sigh. For a list of the most critically respected albums that came out that year, check out the Village Voice’s Pazz and Jop poll from that year.

While most of the music critics that year chose Nirvana’s Nevermind as the best album of 1991 (and for good reason) the critics at Spin Magazine had something different in mind. Snubbing Nirvana, Spin chose Teenage Fanclub’s 1991 Geffen debut, Bandwagonesque as their album of the year. As great as Teenage Fanclub’s record was, what was Spin thinking?

In 1991 Teenage Fanclub were the buzz band of the moment. They were on “Saturday Night Live” with Jason Priestley. They toured that year opening for Nirvana and Rolling Stone chose them as Hot Band for 1992. And Bandwagonesque - with its Big Star like power pop melodies and chiming Byrds-like guitars - was filled to the brim with loads of infectious songs like “The Concept,” and “What You Do To Me.” But it couldn’t hold a candle to Nevermind - songwise and significance-wise.

Maybe Spin was rooting for the underdog that year. Maybe they thought they’d be a lot cooler to pick Teenage Fanclub over Nirvana. I loved and still listen a lot to Bandwagonesque. In its genre, it remains one of the best. But while Teenage Fanclub’s place in rock continues to fade like an old photograph, Nirvana continues to radiate significance.