Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs

[LemonMelon]

I am going to crack this thing. I've heard it's a near-masterpiece, and I'm enjoying it very much so far. Very creative and eclectic. Should I attempt to listen to it all at once or take it in doses?

 

[If you shout...]

Definitely in doses. The first disc is pretty consistent, the second is hit-or-miss, and the third is largely filler with a few of the most incredible songs you're ever going to hear.

I have always subscribed to the philosophy that it is the ultimate mixtape album (moreso than any bloated hip-hip record), because it literally insists that you chop it up to get rid of the bad parts, of which there are many. I had a mix called, like, 38 Love Songs which did the job pretty fuckin' well. Some of the best songs I've ever heard are buried on those three discs. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful stuff, but wonderful, wonderful, wonderful stuff for which you need a great deal of patience and perseverance to appreciate.

 

[Matt786]

yeah I made the mistake of listening to the entire thing all the way through the first time I heard it. I could tell it was brilliant at times but it got really tedious. So don't do that.

Amazing album though. It's just probably best to take it one disc at a time.

 

[LemonMelon]

So far, When My Boy Walks Down The Street, A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off, The Book Of Love, Parades Go By, and Sweet-Lovin' Man are the best. This has been a lot of fun, in spite of a few crappy songs.

41 love songs to go.

 

[Lancemc]

I've been looking at this for a while. I'll get around to it eventually.

"I's" is just about the best thing ever though.

 

[LemonMelon]

No One Will Ever Love You is incredible.

 

[If you shout...]

I've been looking at this for a while. I'll get around to it eventually.

"I's" is just about the best thing ever though.

It's called i, actually...possibly I, depending on who you ask. What do you enjoy about it, so much? I love a few songs ("Irma," "It's Only Time") and think that it's a pretty interesting concept, but I also unfortunately think it's a shit album. I don't know...I just couldn't get into the songs, I guess. It's weird. Though hardly perfect, Distortion is about 203987230 times better, in my eyes.

Edit: I hope that I don't sound aggressive, or anything, as I'm not attacking you. I'm just curious, as most Magnetic Fields fans rank it as one of his worst records. Just wondering, as I know only a few people who like the record, and they all fucking love it, you know?

 

[Lancemc]

Hmm, didn't know it was so divisive. Not sure what it is, all the songs just work for me. That said, I do need to broaden my palate of Magnetic Fields material.

 

[LemonMelon]

I finished this up earlier.

I'd say 20-25 songs are fantastic
10-15 songs could have been fantastic with some extra care, but are great as is
10-15 songs are garbage
The rest are pretty good

It's a fine album though. Glad I took the time to listen to it.

 

[If you shout...]

I finished this up earlier.

I'd say 20-25 songs are fantastic
10-15 songs could have been fantastic with some extra care, but are great as is
10-15 songs are garbage
The rest are pretty good

It's a fine album though. Glad I took the time to listen to it.

Just do yourself a favor and make sure to let this be your last voyage through the record. I go back to it (well, not all of it...who am I kidding?) at least four or five times a year for about a week at a time, and it's magical how much there is to (re-)discover, as long as you're liberal with the "Skip" button. Definitely one of my favorite records of the '90s. A hell of an achievement, as well as, from time to time, a hell of a disappointment; for me, I guess that's half the fun!

 

[If you shout...]

Just listened to the first disc, tonight. My word, what a record...had me both in tears and hysterics. A perfect statement on love--to be in, to be out, to be caught up inside of, and just what it all means. Magnificent. Just about as wonderful as music can get.

 

[u2popmofo]

The only Magnetic Fields I own is 'Holiday'.

 

[If you shout...]

This one is more than worth owning. ...Provided that you can find it, at this point.

"The Way You Say Good-Night" is one of the most beautiful and romantic of all contemporary songs. Whimsical, charming, effortless, disarming, and perfect. "I kiss you, and the sun goes down./How come it's always dark, when you're around?" I once listened to this song 32 times in two days, dancing like the stars in a Busby Berkeley musical.

"I Shatter," too, works absolute wonders with a skeletally dense, utterly inhuman arrangement. Fuck, this guy used to have it. The risks he takes and often gets away with (even just semantically, in relation to accepted norms of sexual orientation, in relation to romance/love) are almost impossible fully to comprehend, over the course of these three records. Man...there's, like, a song on here for every mixtape you'll ever make!

 

[mikal]

This one is more than worth owning. ...Provided that you can find it, at this point.

"The Way You Say Good-Night" is one of the most beautiful and romantic of all contemporary songs. Whimsical, charming, effortless, disarming, and perfect. "I kiss you, and the sun goes down./How come it's always dark, when you're around?" I once listened to this song 32 times in two days, dancing like the stars in a Busby Berkeley musical.

"I Shatter," too, works absolute wonders with a skeletally dense, utterly inhuman arrangement. Fuck, this guy used to have it. The risks he takes and often gets away with (even just semantically, in relation to accepted norms of sexual orientation, in relation to romance/love) are almost impossible fully to comprehend, over the course of these three records. Man...there's, like, a song on here for every mixtape you'll ever make!

that's my problem. i can't find it anywhere.