The Styrous® Viewfinder: Magnetic Fields

April 29, 2024

April 26, 2024

1,000,001 CDs 22: Magnetic Fields ~ 69 love Songs

CD front cover

I got an email advertising a performance at the Curran Theater here in San Francisco by a group I haven't thought about in years, the Magnetic Fields.

Curran Theater - San Francisco

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its release, the Magnetic Fields will perform 69 Love Songs—the 3-disc masterwork that marked a significant breakthrough for the American band— for the first time in over two decades. I love almost all the songs on this massive work but I have favorites, of course, a few are Underwear, The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side and Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long!

The instrumentation on each song is nothing like anything you've heard before and the lyrics (link below) of the songs are mind or gender bending in various ways and utterly brilliant. And there is a sizable booklet (link below) included with the CD that contains lyrics, wild and wacky photos, images and a lot of other good stuff.

Stephin Merritt, the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalis, has written the scores for the films Pieces of April in 2003 and Showtunes in 2006.

Stephin Merritt

photo by Hiroyuki Ito

The select run of dates will take place in Spring of 2024, with performances in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Greater Boston and Los Angeles and will feature all the players from the 1999 triple disc, including Claudia Gonson, John Woo, Sam Davol, Shirley Simms and composer Stephin Merritt, joined now by recent members Chris Ewen and Anthony Kaczynski. The Magnetic Fields will play the album as it was originally performed in the early 2000’s: in order over 2 nights, April 28th and 29th, 2024.

Magnetic Fields ~ 69 Love Songs CD

photos by Styrous®

The booklet (link below)

Tracklist:

        69 Love Songs Vol. 1 (MRG 166)

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

        69 Love Songs Vol. 2 (MRG 167)

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

        69 Love Songs Vol. 3 (MRG 168)

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

Notes:

The CD box set is a slipcase containing three discs in jewel cases (the versions of each volume that are available individually) and a bound interview booklet.

Made In Canada

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Barcode: 036172946921

The Magnetic Fields – 69 Love Songs
Label:    Merge Records – MRG 169
Format:    3 x CD
Box Set, Album
Country: Canada
Released: Sep 7, 1999
Genre:    Electronic, Rock
Style:    Synth-pop, Indie Rock

Viewfinder links:

69 Love Songs booklet

69 Love Songs lyrics

Stephin Merritt

Net links:

Curran Theater ~ Magnetic Fields ~ 69 love Songs

Pitchfork ~ Magnetic Fields Announce 69 Love Songs 25th Anniversary Shows

Them US ~ The Magnetic Fields Changed Indie Music Forever With 69 Love Songs

YouTube links:

69 Love Songs (complete set)

Fido, Your Leash Is Too Long

Underwear