Yesterday’s Yo La Tengo show reminded me of the first time (technically it was the second time, Stephen played an instore earlier that afternoon) I saw Magnetic Fields when they were their opening band. Compared to the lighthearted banter and fantastic sound of the shows like this one that was recorded at Cat’s Cradle in North Carolina, they were very distant and sounded “off” live. It could have been the large venue, huge stage and nearly empty room that got to them, but it was very disappointing compared to the live recordings I had heard of them up to that point. This show and another one that I have of them from DC in ’95 are still some of my all time favorite live recordings.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Download: Magnetic Fields – San Diego Zoo (Live)
I got a bunch of e-mails about how the I Am The World Trade Center’s cover of The Jam was horrible. Then I see a ton of traffic coming from a Human League message board linking to the IATWTC’s cover of “Don’t You Want Me” that I posted and complaining about how that cover was an embarrassment. It seems IATWTC can’t catch a break. But hopefully this song will at least appease those finicky Human League fans. The song comes from the cd “Reproductions: Songs of the Human League” which has great songs by other artists that I’ve posted about before (Aluminum Group, Future Bible Heroes) plus other great bands that you may see here in the future like Ladytron, Barcelona and HollAnd.
Released almost a year before The 6ths “Wasps Nests” LP, this B-Side to the “Heaven In A Black Leather Jacket” 7″ on Merge is one of the few (only?) 6ths songs that Stephin Merritt actually sings. One of the more prolific musicians out there, The 6ths is but one of Stephin’s many musical conglomerations. “Wasps Nests” stands as one of my favorites Magnetic Fields et. al. releases.
