''Tranzophobia'' is the debut album by the English band
Mega City Four
Mega City Four were an English indie rock band formed in Farnborough, Hampshire, who obtained popularity throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.
Mega City Four consisted of guitarist and vocalist Wiz, his brother and rhythm guitarist Danny Brown, ...
, released in 1989. Its title was inspired by the band's
Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a panel van, cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford ...
van. The album was produced by
Iain Burgess
Iain Burgess (24 November 1953 – 11 February 2010) was an English record producer and audio engineer. He helped define the sound of the Chicago post-punk music scene in the 1980s and early 1990s. Burgess worked with a number of key underground ...
and released by Decoy Records.
Mega City Four supported the album with a British tour. ''Tranzophobia'' was an independent album chart success.
Critical reception
The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' praised "the joyfully adolescent attitude," writing that "the tuneful rush of early Buzzcocks and Undertones lives on."
[ '']Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'' concluded that the production "is way too muddy, and the band's chunky sound is a little rag-tag sloppy in places, but the hooks are so ringing and the lyrics so first-rate, that, like the early Descendents, the record overcomes such troubles."NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' deemed the tracks "the most addictive pop songs created over the past year." ''Best
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* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
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* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
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'' listed ''Tranzophobia'' as the fourth best album of 1989.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
wrote that "the songs charge forth with fuzzy, rapidly chorded guitars; the upbeat vocals are buttressed by anthemic harmonies, and the lyrics are the thoughts of young men searching for ways to solidify their identity while maintaining integrity."[ '']The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' called ''Tranzophobia'' a "classic first album."
Track listing
All lyrics were written by Wiz, and all music was composed by M.C.4.
#"Start"
#"Pride and Prejudice"
#"Severe Attack of the Truth"
#"Paper Tiger"
#"January"
#"Twenty One Again"
#"On Another Planet"
#"Things I Never Said"
#"New Year's Day"
#"Occupation"
#"Alternative Arrangements"
#"Promise"
#"What You've Got"
#"Stupid Way to Die"
References
{{authority control
1989 albums
Albums produced by Iain Burgess