The Magnetic Fields: 69 Love Songs

Ah, a third appearance for this album (see 1, 2 from earlier) — I wasn't expecting that, somehow. The exact number is a little arbitrary to be honest. Checking my shelves, I see there are four copies there (a mixture of the US and UK releases). Lucy has one in her collection, too. Then there's one wrapped on my desk, a gift for a friend whose birthday was over a fortnight ago — whoops.

I've lost count of how many copies I've bought and how many I've given away. Perhaps I'll get to 69 before I die; I'd guess I'm about a third of the way to that figure so far. Most recently I sent a copy to my friend Ben Walker after buying his album, cunningly titled This is not an Album. I couldn't hear his Box Junction Heart without thinking of 69LS's Epitaph for my Heart.

Here is what Ben wrote in reply (reproduced without permission and with scant regard for privacy or copyright):

I think you're right. 69 Love Songs is worth giving to people over and over again until everyone gets it. I love the whole of the first disc (which I've now heard four times). I've been casually introduced to the second and third (one listen each so far), and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.

If you're dying to know, stand-out moments for me right now are: A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off, The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side, Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits, The Book Of Love, How Fucking Romantic, and A Pretty Girl Is Like… But that's surely just a reflection of my penchant for witty verse and a deep baritone. The fleeting charms of the flightier ditties will surely give way to a deeper appreciation of the album as a whole, but I'm enjoying being made to smile. Only new albums and really familiar ones tend to have that effect.

So: (a) yes, I like it very much and thank you; (b) No, you can't have it back.

I mentioned before the anxiety that comes with nominating your "best album of all time", where each carefully-rationed listen is anticipated by the fear that it won't sound that great this time. After nearly nine years that anxiety has passed. I listened to discs two and three on Valentine's Day: I know now that, every time I listen, 69LS justifies that accolade in spades.

MusicBrainz entry for disc 1, disc 2, disc 3 Wikipedia entry for this album Rate Your Music entry for this album Listen to bits of disc 1 at Last.fm, disc 2, disc 3 Definitive unofficial guide to the album

Comments

[mym]

69 Hurrahs from Finchley.

[Brian]

69 sláintes from Drumcondra.
I love your arcades David, I'm a regular wanderer.. Look forward to the Barbican next March.

[David]

Cheers, gentlemen, I shall see you both there.