69 love songs

The Magnetic Fields rewrote the book of love with the kaleidoscopic musical ambition of this revisionist romantic revue.   Drawing from such diverse styles as tin pan alley, blues, punk, jazz, folk, country, gospel, electronica, experimental, and world music to create a panopoly of perspectives on l'amour, the triple album opus approaches the subject with a world weary wit and touching tenderness that is totally unique.  


Songwriter Stephen Merritt explains in the liner notes: "I didn't think of them all at the same time.  First I thought of the idea...I had been thinking it would be a good idea to get into the world of musicals, and probably easiest to get into it through a revue of songs...And I thought, well, what do I have that nobody else can do that I can turn into a revue - well, i write pretty good love songs.  Nobody else is writing modern love songs.  First I thought of it as a revue of 100 love songs, just because 100 means a lot of things.  It means a large amount, and it's a nice round number that implies manufacturing or a batch of something.  Then I realized that just at two minutes a song, 100 love songs would be 200 minutes long which is hours and hours and no one would want to sit through a revue like that, however good it was...The original idea was to have the singers be drag queens or nonsingers, some way of making it more entertaining than using four singers taking turns singing songs.  I thought it could be a competition...My mother talked me out of that one.  She disapproved very strongly...The next lowest number that had another relevant meaning was 69, which I chose as much for its graphic possibilities as its obvious relation to romance."    

'69 Love Songs' features The Magnetic Fields quartet of          Stephin Merritt on vocals, Digitech vocalist, Roland harmonizer, vocoder, ukulele, baritone ukulele, Kaholas ukulele, Admira classical, acoustic-electric 12-string guitar, lap steel, fado guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, autoharp, Marxophone, ukelin, tremoloa, violin-uke, sitar, zither, violin, musical saw, keyboards, synclavier, Moog Satellite, piano, harmonium, Wurlitzer electronic piano, organ, rhythm units, recorder, ocarina, pennywhistle, Maestro wind synthesizer, Hohner melodica, Paul Revere jug, rumba box, xylophone, kalimbas, Radio Shack 75-in-One Project Kit, drum kit, cymbals, rain stick, chimera, maracas, conga, bongos, triangle, bells, tambourine, washboard, steel drum, Chicken Shakers, finger cymbals, springs and Slinky guitar, pipes, bamboo harp, spirit chaser, sleighbells, fingersnaps, thunder sheet, cabasas, cowbells, and gong;               Sam Davol on cello and flute;              Claudia Gonson on piano; drums; percussion; lead vocals on "Reno Dakota", "Sweet-Lovin' Man", "If You Don't Cry", "Washington, D.C.", "Acoustic Guitar", and "Zebra"; other backing vocals; duet with Merritt and guitar on "Yeah! Oh, Yeah!"; arrangement on "Very Funny", "World Love", and "Busby Berkeley Dreams"; whistling on "Blue You";       and         John Woo on banjo, lead guitar, mandolin, and bass on "Time Enough for Rocking When We're Old";                with       LD Beghtol on harmonium on "Xylophone Track", lead vocals on "All My Little Words", "My Sentimental Melody", "Roses", "The Way You Say Good-Night", "Bitter Tears", and "For We Are the King of the Boudoir;" duet with Merritt on "The One You Really Love"; other backing vocals; and graphic design of box and book;              Chris Ewen on backing tracks and arrangement on "Promises of Eternity" and "It's a Crime", plus theremin on "Blue You";              Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) on accordion, keyboards, and arrangement on "Asleep and Dreaming";          Dudley Klute on lead vocals on "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side", "How Fucking Romantic", "My Sentimental Melody", "Very Funny", "Long-Forgotten Fairytale", "It's a Crime", and "Blue You;" duet with Merritt on "Underwear;" and other backing vocals;              Ida Pearle on violin on "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side";           Shirley Simms on duet with Merritt on "Papa Was a Rodeo", vocals on "Come Back from San Francisco", "Boa Constrictor", "No One Will Ever Love You", "Kiss Me Like You Mean It", "I'm Sorry I Love You", and "Strange Eyes;" and other backing vocals.   

The sessions took place at Polar West, Mother West, Polar Mother, and Sonics.  '69 Love Songs' was produced and engineered by Stephin Merritt with additional engineering by Jon Berman,  Chris Ewen,  Claudia Gonson,  Eric Masunaga,  and Charles Newman;     and mastering by Jeff Lipton.  All songs were written and composed by Stephin Merritt. 




magneticfields

http://www.houseoftomorrow.com/




"All My Little Words" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo8vW_0H_Kg




"I Don't Want to Get Over You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp5eBxU248Y




"Reno Dakota" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JuG6nRhb4




"The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhO1XlDFqxE




"Sweet-Lovin' Man" 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBbf-RCT96M




"Underwear"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQC_fROPpXw




"Busby Berkeley Dreams"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAwU1RkFqEw




"Papa Was a Rodeo"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yZ50ptDpuQ








'69 Love Songs'
full album:

Volume one




 
1. "Absolutely Cuckoo"   Stephin Merritt 1:34
2. "I Don't Believe in the Sun"   Merritt 4:16
3. "All My Little Words"   LD Beghtol 2:46
4. "A Chicken with Its Head Cut Off"   Merritt 2:41
5. "Reno Dakota"   Claudia Gonson 1:05
6. "I Don't Want to Get Over You"   Merritt 2:22
7. "Come Back from San Francisco"   Shirley Simms 2:48
8. "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side"   Dudley Klute 3:43
9. "Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits"   Merritt 2:25
10. "The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be"   Merritt 1:11
11. "I Think I Need a New Heart"   Merritt 2:32
12. "The Book of Love"   Merritt 2:42
13. "Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long"   Merritt 2:33
14. "How Fucking Romantic"   Klute 0:58
15. "The One You Really Love"   Merritt 2:53
16. "Punk Love"   Merritt 0:58
17. "Parades Go By"   Merritt 2:56
18. "Boa Constrictor"   Simms 0:58
19. "A Pretty Girl Is Like..."   Merritt 1:50
20. "My Sentimental Melody"   Beghtol 3:07
21. "Nothing Matters When We're Dancing"   Merritt 2:27
22. "Sweet-Lovin' Man"   Gonson 4:59
23. "The Things We Did and Didn't Do"   Merritt 2:11

Volume two


1. "Roses"   Beghtol 0:27
2. "Love Is Like Jazz"   Merritt 2:56
3. "When My Boy Walks Down the Street"   Merritt 2:38
4. "Time Enough for Rocking When We're Old"   Merritt 2:03
5. "Very Funny"   Klute 1:26
6. "Grand Canyon"   Merritt 2:28
7. "No One Will Ever Love You"   Simms 3:14
8. "If You Don't Cry"   Gonson 3:06
9. "You're My Only Home"   Merritt 2:17
10. "(Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy"   Merritt 2:18
11. "My Only Friend"   Merritt 2:01
12. "Promises of Eternity"   Merritt 3:46
13. "World Love"   Merritt 3:07
14. "Washington, D.C."   Gonson 1:53
15. "Long-Forgotten Fairytale"   Klute 3:37
16. "Kiss Me Like You Mean It"   Simms 2:00
17. "Papa Was a Rodeo"   Merritt, Simms 5:01
18. "Epitaph for My Heart"   Merritt 2:50
19. "Asleep and Dreaming"   Merritt 1:53
20. "The Sun Goes Down and the World Goes Dancing"   Merritt 2:46
21. "The Way You Say Good-Night"   Beghtol 2:44
22. "Abigail, Belle of Kilronan"   Merritt 2:00
23. "I Shatter"   Merritt 3:09

Volume three



1. "Underwear"   Merritt 2:49
2. "It's a Crime"   Klute 3:54
3. "Busby Berkeley Dreams"   Merritt 3:36
4. "I'm Sorry I Love You"   Simms 3:06
5. "Acoustic Guitar"   Gonson 2:37
6. "The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure"   Merritt 3:10
7. "Love in the Shadows"   Merritt 2:54
8. "Bitter Tears"   Beghtol 2:51
9. "Wi' Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget"   Merritt 1:55
10. "Yeah! Oh, Yeah!"   Merritt, Gonson 2:19
11. "Experimental Music Love"   Merritt 0:29
12. "Meaningless"   Merritt 2:08
13. "Love Is Like a Bottle of Gin"   Merritt 1:46
14. "Queen of the Savages"   Merritt 2:12
15. "Blue You"   Klute 3:03
16. "I Can't Touch You Anymore"   Merritt 3:05
17. "Two Kinds of People"   Merritt 1:10
18. "How to Say Goodbye"   Merritt 2:48
19. "The Night You Can't Remember"   Merritt 2:17
20. "For We Are the King of the Boudoir"   Beghtol 1:14
21. "Strange Eyes"   Simms 2:01
22. "Xylophone Track"   Merritt 2:47
23. "Zebra"   Gonson 2:15








live in Somerville, MA  (I was there!)

the pains of being pure at heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart found expression for romantic teenage melancholy in the crunchy sweet melodic shoegaze of this nostalgic fuzz pop euphoria.  Kip Berman, Alex Naidus, and Peggy Wang formed the group in New York.  Berman remembers:    "Alex, Peggy and I were all friends. We’d hang out a lot, go to shows and talk about music and bands pretty incessantly. I had written some songs and asked if they wanted to play them with me. At first it was pretty terrible sounding– we had a drum machine and practiced in my living room and my other roommates would walk by and shake their head and seemed rather perplexed by our attempts at music. Little by little we improved and played our first show at Peggy birthday party with our friends The Manhattan Love Suicides and Titus Andronicus.   A few months later, we realized we had gotten about as far as we could with our limited drum machine programming knowledge, and we invited my then roommate Kurt Feldman (the primary songwriter and guitarist of the now defunct The Depreciation Guild) to play drums. He had a really intuitive understanding of the sound we were going for and almost immediately all our songs felt more alive, more vital than they ever had before. He also helped with writing some of the newer songs for the first record."

The group had set up a Myspace page to upload their songs.  The site drew the attention of music insiders and led to singles being released on such diverse labels as Fortuna Pop!, Atomic Beat, Cloudberry, and Slumberland, which would release their self titled debut.  'The Pains of Being Pure at Heart' was recorded at Honeyland Studios in Brooklyn, New York, and was mixed by Archie Moore with  remastering by Jon Chaikin. The album features Kip Berman on guitar and vocals; Alex Naidus on bass guitar; and Peggy Wang on keyboards and vocals.  Around that time, they picked up Kurt Feldman on drums.  

Berman says:    "[Studio time amounted to about] four or five weekends. Mixing was a separate process. We knew all the songs really well so it was quick...some of the songs on the album we played at our very first show. But we’ve been together for two years, so some of them were really early songs... they are autobiographical or about people in our immediate lives. Every song isn’t about a member of the band, but they are based on our experiences...there’s also a strong underlying positivity [on the album] and I don’t think the sum of it is sad at all. At the end of the day, I think it’s an uplifting album, not a “woe-is-me” album ... Everyone has awkward adolescent experiences, not just kids who love obscure records - and those experiences don't end when you turn 20. We write about our lives, our experiences, the people we know and the things we feel. If anything, I hate that forced sense of prolonged adolescent identity - and moreover that perpetuation of sexless, prepubescent "twee" culture. While at one time it was a clever, political rejection of the traditional institutionalized machismo of rock music and a social world that equated adulthood with conspicuous acts of consumption (the 80s), at this point to style yourself "twee" is such an empty gesture. In an era where Owl City wears cardigans, we need to find a new visual and musical vocabulary. The only mention of sweaters on this record is that they should be removed (Anne with an e - "take your sweater off and wear your spikes againâ ). But then again, I did find a lot of hope in records when I was a teenager - so if people do feel that way from ours, it's cool. I just don't like that pandering "for the kids" gesture, when the kids can decide for themselves what's "for them." Also, I do like sweaters. I'm actually wearing an argyle one right now. Fudge."  








http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com


http://www.thepainsofbeingpureatheart.com/music/the-pains-of-being-pure-at-heart/





"Everything With You"




'The Pains of Being Pure at Heart'
full album:  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f630Fx79uUo



1 - Contender (0:00)
2 - Come Saturday (2:38)
3 - Young Adult Friction (5:53)
4 - This Love Is Fucking Right (9:59)
5 - The Tenure Itch (13:12)
6 - Stay Alive (16:57)
7 - Everything With You (21:51)
8 - A Teenager In Love (24:48)
9 - Hey Paul (28:10)
10 - Gentle Sons (30:12)

the boy with the arab strap

Belle and Sebastian filled out their bittersweet sound with the orchestral sweep of this cinematic pop introspection.  Building on the sound of 'Tigermilk' and 'If You're Feeling Sinister', 'The Boy with the Arab Strap' sees the group expanding their songwriting base.  

Stuart Murdoch considers:   "It kind of takes the heat off a little bit. You can bounce off them. I mean, ever since 'The Boy with the Arab Strap', when other people started to write, I felt good about it. It felt natural...You can't imagine what a change in dynamic that can give, and how nice it is going to a female voice and then coming back, and how everything after it seems a little bit different. On the whole, it's a very positive thing."

The sessions were produced by Tony Doogan at Ca Va Studios with Stuart Murdoch on vocals, guitar, and keyboard; Stuart David on bass and vocals; Isobel Campbell on cello, vocals, and guitar; Chris Geddes on keyboards and piano; Richard Colburn on drums; Stevie Jackson on guitar and vocals; Sarah Martin on violin; Mick Cooke on trumpet; and Ian MacKay on bagpipes.  

'The Boy with the Arab Strap' went to thirty-nine in France, thirty in Sweden, twelve in the UK, and number seven in Norway.  





http://www.belleandsebastian.com/










"It Could Have Been a Brilliant Career" – 2:23



"Sleep the Clock Around" – 4:57
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov4hWFjaoGM



"Is It Wicked Not to Care?" – 3:22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk0Xd45G3SM



"Ease Your Feet in the Sea" – 3:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuEOEJatRGM



"A Summer Wasting" – 2:06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHMh6FF04mg



"Seymour Stein" – 4:42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WfU9gzJ-fA



"A Space Boy Dream" – 3:01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ut7GhxcgSY



"Dirty Dream Number Two" – 4:14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcwua8_tjDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5BgrTLxPi4



"The Boy with the Arab Strap" – 5:14
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xORKPy6ds-o





"Chickfactor" – 3:31



"Simple Things" – 1:46
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrgeo7dvBJ0



"The Rollercoaster Ride" – 6:36
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Vx3a5Fb5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91TU--8rb_k







'Black Sessions'

burning farm

Shonen Knife carved out a place for themselves with the carefree cross-cultural cuteness of this power pop punk primer.  The trio formed in Osaka, Japan with sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano and their friend Michie Nakatani.  They were inspired by sixties groups and especially the sound of the Ramones (they sometimes perform as Ramones tribute band the Osaka Ramones).  

Naoko Yamano reveals:   “I wanted to play like Ramones or Buzzcocks...I like 70s British hard rock. I like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motorhead. Also I like to listen to American rock music, metal music...There is no band like Shonen Knife in Japan, I think. Japanese pop music is very different from our music.  The punk scene at that time was very small and also all female bands are very rare but it was very lively so there were various kinds of interesting bands in Japan.  There are some very good bands in Japan but they are always underground ... After we formed the Shoken Knife and we graduated the school and we started to work at various kind of job like office worker at machinery company or receptionist at doctor's office and also the drummer Atsuko was working at clothing company as a clothing designer. Also the drummer Atsuko is always making our stage costumes herself."

After the self-produced 'Minna Tanoshiku' (Everybody Happy) was only released as a cassette in Japan; the band began working on their debut album.   'Burning Farm' was recorded with Naoko Yamano on vocals on guitar; Atsuko Yamano on drums and backing vocals; and Michie Nakatani on bass guitar and vocals; with additional percussion provided by Kaoru Okuda, Hiroaki Fukumaru, Kazujisa Fukumaru, and Shin Hirakawa.  It was released by Zero Records in Japan and found US distribution on K Records as a cassette.  

Michie Nakatani says:   "We've always enjoyed writing songs about everyday things.  Besides, there are already enough bands out there singing about pollution, war and poverty. While we all care very much about those things, we also feel that music should be fun. You should be able to go [trills a few playful "la-la-la-la-la's"] when you hear your favorite song on the radio...Shonen Knife wants people to enjoy our show and our music, too; but, most importantly, we have to be happy being ShonenKnife. We want to have fun. We want to write songs that make us happy when we record them, and make us happy when we play them again and again."

'Burning Farm' never charted; but it established the sound of the band that would slowly grow an international audience over the next thirty years.  Naoko Yamano considers:   "When I started the band, the number of bands and clubs are not so many like today, but they were fresh. Recently there are so many and young people [who] like to listen to Japanese music more than Western rock music...People tend to like faraway things and different things from themselves. American culture and Japanese culture are totally different. That’s why people fascinated each other...I’m trying not to write songs about political ideological things. I want people [to] get happy through our happy music. Angry, sad, complaint songs [are] sometimes too much...I don’t know, but if people get happy through our music, it’s great...I’m just ashamed to sing about love ... I never feel boring. For me, time flies. I always look forward and I never look back.  I don’t like serious music. I think music should be always fun and I want to make people happy through our music.”





http://www.shonenknife.net/









"A Day At The Factory"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDxP_BvoGBk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjkehuBNqjA



"Burning Farm"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9TzBXzSJyg

The original K Records cassette version added three tracks:

"Watchin' Girl"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij8_55g1Kxs



"Banana Fish"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbmBMLlDGxs




Their cover of the Ramones' 'I Wanna Be Sedated' was included on CD versions of 'Burning Farm'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMtGunlMBps








'Burning Farm'
full album:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gGVNjhxng&list=PLACB8F44EA16A286F


http://musicmp3.ru/artist_shonen-knife__album_burning-farm.html#.UfNe5xw4EyA



All songs written by Naoko Yamano, except where noted.


A1 - Watchin' Girl (Michie Nakatani) (0:00)
A2 - Miracles (Michie Nakatani) (1:59)
A3 - Parallel Woman (4:14)
A4 - Twist Birbie" (7:13)
A5 - A Day At The Factory (9:47)
B1 - Tortoise Brand Pot Cleaner's Theme (13:28)
B2 - Animal Song (14:21)
B3 - Banana Fish  (Michie Nakatani)  (16:31)
B4 - Elephant Pao Pao (18:35)
B5 - Parrot Polynesia (20:51)
B6 - Burning Farm (23:59)