Rolling Yo La Tengo Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by GuidedByJonO))), Dec 20, 2017.

  1. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    Let's see if there's anyone that wants to join me in an ongoing thread dedicated to Yo La Tengo, a band that somehow (imho) remains consistently underrated despite putting out at least six classic albums* and maintaining a huge influence in the worlds of indie rock and generally experimental music.

    I've been thinking about starting a thread like this for some time, since a number of the older YLT threads are locked, but I was finally motivated by two things:

    1) The band wrapping up their 8-night Hanukkah run at the Bowery Ballroom, pulling off (not quite as impressive as Phish, but still cool) not a single repeat - though they did play a couple of songs in different arrangements, as they've always been wont to do.

    2) Rumors of a new album in early 2018.

    * - I'm glad you asked, they are: Painful, Electr-O-Pura, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, I Am Not Afraid of You..., Popular Songs
     
  2. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    More specifically speaking to the Hanukkah shows, Jesse Jarnow's been keeping good track of the setlists (sadly it sounds like the band does not want these shows taped and spread around, allegedly there was some falling out with the NYC YLT taper community).

    Lots of great guests - Jeff & Spencer Tweedy, Fred Armisen, Michael Shannon(!) singing Suicide, members of Sun Ra's band, 75 Dollar Bill, among many others.

    Setlists will be shared in upcoming posts, credit to Frank & Earthy (Jesse Jarnow) for sharing Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick
     
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  3. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 1:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    12 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 1)*

    Todd Barry, Bob Odenkirk, and Miriam & Nobody’s Babies opened
    mix disc by Mike Watt
    benefit for New York Stem Cell Foundation & the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

    whole set with Mary Halvorson (guitar) and Zeena Parkins (harp), entering during “Before We Run” outro jam.

    Back in the New York Groove (KISS) (sung “Back With the New York Jews”)
    Before We Run >
    Everyday
    From A Motel 6
    Walking Away From You
    Last Days of Disco
    Saturday
    The Kid With the Replaceable Head (Richard Hell)
    Moby Octopad
    Artificial Heart
    Tom Courtenay
    I Heard You Looking

    *(encore)*
    So Easy Baby (The Zantees) (with Miriam Linna on percussion/vocals & Bruce Bennett on guitar/vocals)
    Cruel To Be Kind (Nick Lowe) (with Nick Lowe on guitar/vocals)
    Baby, It’s You (Burt Bacharach/Luther Dixon/Mack David) (with NL)
    Here Comes the Night (Bert Berns) (with NL)
    Shake That Rat (Nick Lowe) (NL on bass)
    (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding? (Nick Lowe) (with NL)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
  4. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 2:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    13 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 2)*

    comedian: Neil Hamburger
    opening act: Los Straitjackets
    mix CD: Dave the Spazz

    whole set (after 1st 3 songs) with Mary Lattimore on concert harp.

    The Evil That Men Do (Craig’s Version)
    Run Run Run (Velvet Underground) (surf instrumental version) (with Los Straitjackets)
    new song #1 (“That Guy”)
    Green Arrow
    Today Is The Day
    Gentle Hour (Snapper)
    Pablo and Andrea
    The Sea Horse
    Stupid Things
    Big Day Coming (fast)
    We’re An American Band
    The Story of Yo La Tango

    *(encore)*
    with John Doe of X on vocals/guitar/bass
    The New World (X)
    My Darling, Blue Skies (John Doe)
    Pressing On (Bob Dylan)
    Let’s Get Rid of New York (The Randoms)
    Adult Books (X)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
  5. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 3:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    14 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 3)*

    comedians: Jon Benjamin & Jon Glaser as the Brothers Italiano
    opening act: The Sadies
    mix CD: Ira

    Sugarcube
    Seven Day Weekend (Doc Pomus) (sung as “Eight Day Weekend”)
    Awhileaway
    Song For Mahlia
    new song #2 (sung by Georgia, “Blowing Ashes”)
    I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams) (with SQÜRL: Jim Jarmusch on guitar/vocals & Carter Logan on electronics)
    Two Trains (with JJ & CL)
    Shaker (with JJ & CL)
    Out the Window > (with JJ & CL)
    I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry > (Hank Williams) (drone version) (with JJ & CL)
    Ohm (with JJ & CL)
    Little Honda (The Hondells) (with JJ & CL)

    *(encore)*
    Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Bob Dylan) (with Travis & Dallas Good of the Sadies on guitars/vocals)
    A House is Not A Motel (Love) (with TG & DG)
    Tom Courtenay (Georgia version)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
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  6. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 4:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    15 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 4)*

    comedian: John Hodgman
    opening act: Half Japanese
    mix CD: John McEntire

    Cherry Chapstick
    Beanbag Chair
    new song #3 (sung by Georgia, “Shades of Blue”)
    Black Flowers
    Don’t Have To Be So Sad
    Attack on Love (with Jad Fair on guitar)
    Circus Strongman Runs For PTA President (with JF on vocals)
    Principal Punishes Students With Bad Impressions and Tired Jokes (with JF on vocals)
    Velvet Monkey Theme Song (Velvet Monkeys) (with Don Fleming on guitar/vocals and Jay Spiegel on floor tom/snare)
    Run Run Run (Velvet Underground) (with DF & JS)
    Decora
    Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind

    *(encore)*
    with Marshall Crenshaw on guitar/vocals
    You’re My Favorite Waste of Time (Marshall Crenshaw)
    Take Me For What I’m Worth (P.F. Sloan)
    A Must To Avoid (P.F. Sloan/Steve Barri)
    Don’t Dream It’s Over (Neil Finn)
    Whenever You’re On My Mind (Marshall Crenshaw)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
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  7. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 5:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    16 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 5)*

    comedian: Aparna Nancherla
    opening act: Superchunk
    mix CD: Antietam

    whole set with Amy Garapic on vibraphone/drums and Mac McCaughan on keyboard/guitar/drums/vocals.

    Our Way to Fall
    My Heart’s Reflection
    Stockholm Syndrome
    Tears Are In Your Eyes
    Damage
    The Summer
    Oh No Not My Baby (Carole King/Gerry Goffin) (MM on vocals)
    False Alarm >
    Styles of the Times
    Deeper Into Movies
    Double Dare
    Blue Line Swinger (minus MM)

    *(encore)*
    Paul Is Dead
    I Can’t Make It On Time (The Ramones) (with Jon Wurster as Marky Ramone)
    Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (The Ramones) (with JW/MR)
    Detouring America With Horns (acoustic)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
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  8. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 6:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    17 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 6)*

    comedian: Eugene Mirman
    opening act: Tweedy
    mix CD: James

    whole show with Jeff Tweedy on guitar/vocals/bass and Spencer Tweedy on drums.

    Eight Days A Week (The Beatles)
    Little Eyes
    The Point Of It
    Season of the Shark
    Mr. Tough
    Did I Tell You
    If I Ever Was A Child (Wilco) (JT on vocals)
    When It’s Dark
    My Heart’s Not In It (Russ Titelman/Gerry Goffin)
    My Back Pages (Bob Dylan) (JT on vocals)
    I Should Have Known Better
    Drug Test (minus JT & ST)
    Mushroom Cloud of Hiss (minus JT & ST)

    *(encore)*
    I’m A Believer (Neil Diamond) (minus JT & ST)
    Jeepster (T-Rex) (with Todd Barry on drums)
    Just What I Needed (The Cars)
    Take Care (Alex Chilton)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
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  9. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 7:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    18 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 7)*

    comedians: Josh Gondelman, Chris Gethard
    opening act: 75 Dollar Bill
    mix CD: Georgia

    whole show with Fred Armisen on drums.

    Here To Fall
    Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House
    Flying Lesson (Hot Chicken #1)
    Satellite
    Let’s Compromise (Information) (with Rick Brown on drums/vocals & Che Chen on guitar of 75 Dollar Bill)
    The Ballad of Red Buckets (with RB & CC)
    Barnaby, Hardly Working (with RB & CC)
    Nowhere Near
    Wonderful Again (Hypnolovewheel) (with Stephen Hunking of the XL Kings on guitar/vocals)
    Autumn Sweater
    The Story of Jazz >
    Nothing To Hide
    Heroin (Velvet Underground) (Roky Erickson arrangement) (with Tara Key of Antietam on guitar)

    *(encore)*
    Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love (Van Halen) (Minutemen arrangement)
    Walk Away Renee (The Left Banke)
    Ghost Rider (Suicide) (with Michael Shannon on vocals)
    Griselda (Antonia/Peter Stampfel)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
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  10. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    night 8:

    Yo La Tengo at Bowery Ballroom
    19 December 2017
    *(Hanukkah, night 8)*

    comedian: Jon Glaser (as Beer Joe)
    opening act: Sun Ra Arkestra
    mix CD: Derrick Carter

    members of the Sun Ra Arkestra enter during “I Feel Like Going Home” outro and stay through rest of set: Michael Ray, Knoel Scott, Vincent Chancey, Danny Ray Thompson, Dave Davis

    Big Day Coming (quiet)
    Five-Cornered Drone (Crispy Duck)
    Today Is The Day (fast)
    Upside Down
    Is That Enough
    The Weakest Part
    I’ll Be Around
    I Feel Like Going Home
    Dreaming (Sun Ra)
    Sudden Organ
    Emulsified (electric) (Rex Garvin & the Might Cravers)
    Clumsy Grandmother Serves Delicious Desert By Mistake >
    And the Glitter Is Gone >
    Nuclear War (Sun Ra)

    *(encore)*
    Rock and Roll Santa (Jan Terri)
    More Stars Than There Are In Heaven
    My Little Corner of the World (Bob Hilliard & Lee Pockriss) (with Marilyn Kaplan on vocals)

    [ If reposting, kindly credit Frank & Earthy: Ylt | Jesse Jarnow / @bourgwick ]
     
  11. Neonbeam

    Neonbeam All Art Was Once Contemporary

    Location:
    Planet Earth
    Mind if I join you? :whistle:

    I was wondering indeed what they might be because YLT have made so many albums now. Even though people most likely wouldn't bring up "Ride The Tiger" here. But ":edthumbs:Fakebook" is an early high.

    Anyway. Great band, my only "problem" would be that from "May I Sing With Me" onwards the albums start to get longer and longer. Which makes them kinda hard to digest.
     
  12. dustybooks

    dustybooks rabbit advocate

    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    I'm here for this thread! I've long felt disappointed that this amazing group didn't have a more centralized fanbase. They are probably my favorite long-running band that still exists and I've seen them eight times. In April I'll make it ten! They're clearly announcing a new record very soon and I'm psyched.

    For me the masterpieces are Fakebook, Electr-O-Pura, ICHTHBAO, And Then Nothing..., Summer Sun (controversial!) and Beat Your Ass. But I think every record save the first one is excellent. Plus a lot of their EPs. One of my big wishlist items is a vinyl reissue of the Little Honda EP, which is a great release on its own.

    I have a nicely sized collection of 7" and 12" singles and such. Would love to see what others have got.
     
  13. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    Yeah, they have terrific songs on every single release! Good call on Fakebook, I love that one, as with Genius + Love. Summer Sun I'm torn on, I used to love it when it first came out but I cooled on it over time.

    I didn't get into them until rather late, so I don't have a whole lot of the more rare stuff. Mostly just their albums proper on CD, with a few CD singles here and there.

    I'm glad to have more folks on board, they're just such a remarkably consistent and interesting band.
     
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  14. uzn007

    uzn007 Pack Rat

    Location:
    Raleigh, N.C.
    I'm on board. I'll start out by saying that YLT are, to date, the only band I've ever become a fan of via file-sharing. Back in the early 2000's, I downloaded a bunch of tracks off of Kazaa or one of those services and really liked them. I was actually listening one night while working and had a "What am I listening to?" moment where I literally couldn't remember what artist I was playing. I've bought a few albums since then and managed to catch them live once (looking forward to seeing them again in Chapel Hill this spring). Their style is so diverse that they can sound like an indie-pop band or they can sound like Can. Definitely one of the great, underappreciated bands out there.
     
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  15. hyde park

    hyde park Forum Resident

    Location:
    IL, USA
    Will be catching them when the pass through Chicago in March. Only saw them in festival settings or as an opener - looking forward to a full show.
     
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  16. Leaman

    Leaman Has a foggy notion

    Love Ride The Tiger. Very underrated.

    I also love President YLT. Although some consider it an EP at 7 songs and ~30 minutes, it’s their first truly great album to me. Hard to beat “Barnaby” and “Drug Test” as a one-two opening punch.

    Fakebook is great, of course, if a little detour in their discography.

    And although most consider Painful to be the start of their truly great streak, the prior year’s May I Sing With Me is amazing too. It’s also the album where the lineup solidified, with James McNew joining on bass.
     
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  17. Summerisle

    Summerisle Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle, WA, USA
    All good records! I would add Fakebook because that one is a underrated and wonderful record.
     
  18. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    Glad to see more traction!

    I'm really disappointed that there won't be tapes of those Hanukkah shows, the setlists look amazing! I'd usually been looking forward to times when NYC Taper would get good recordings of their live sets, I'm hoping this is just a bump in the road. Seeing them live, the first time at the Pitchfork Festival in 2009, and hearing their live sets is what pushed me into full-blown fandom. Very few other bands can swing from indie pop to Sun Ra to VU style freakouts so smoothly and effortlessly.

    I also liked their brief detour as Condo F***s, F***book was lots of fun and such an inside baseball nerdy thing to do.

    Really a big fan of their contributions to the WFMU marathons each year when they cover any song requested by a donor over a certain level. Lots of awkward fun.
     
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  19. Reamonnt

    Reamonnt Mr.T

    Location:
    Ireland
    Ive never seen them live but they have some great albums and I feel ive only scratched the surface of their discography. I think repeated listens are required to delve into their stuff in a meaningful way.
     
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  20. hyde park

    hyde park Forum Resident

    Location:
    IL, USA
    I was at the Pitchfork Fest in 09, too.

    Another time that I saw them was when the opened for Wilco in South Bend, IN in 2010. Ben Keith past away the same day or day before and they did a great version of For the Turnstiles.

    Lastly the only time my wife visited the Portland, OR area , I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your A** served as the soundtrack for much of the trip. Driving around the Japanese Gardens/The International Rose Test Gardens - Mr Tough into Black Flowers. A great time.
     
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  21. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    I ignored them in the 90s. For some reason, having never heard their music, I picked up their biography at the local library. Tales of food on the road intrigued me enough to start dabbling...

    What a dense discography, and yet not a dud in it.

    I love that they can swing from a thirty minute noisefest to something as sublime as By the Time it Gets Dark. I find many of their songs deeply moving.

    I now have all their albums, the two rarities sets, the EPs and several singles.

    Their classic run is indeed classic, but I also love Sounds of the Sounds of Science, The Today is the Day EP, and most days rate Fade as my favourite. It’s hard to think of a band who are still releasing quality material so far into their career.

    As for the recent Hannukah sets, If I Ever Was a Child with the Tweedys? I can’t imagine what YLT could do with that Wilco slow burner. Wow.
     
  22. GuidedByJonO)))

    GuidedByJonO))) Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Evanston
    Fade was great too, yes. Though I was more than a little miffed that Matador released a 2-disc "deluxe" version less than a year after it came out, and the only way to get it meant having to rebuy the original album again. Think that was more the label's doing though, as they had a similar thing with a Kurt Vile release that same year.

    That Jesse Jarnow book is essential reading.
     
  23. Crispy Rob

    Crispy Rob Cat Juggler

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    I have a hodgepodge of their albums, got into them circa 1999/2000 but have only seen them once (in 2003, with The Clean opening) and unfortunately had to leave because my wife got hit with a really bad cold that night. Speaking of the WFMU marathons, I really like the two Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics comps from those performances that they have sold through their website - sloppy, but fun.
     
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  24. Crispy Rob

    Crispy Rob Cat Juggler

    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    My favorites are Painful, I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (the first one I picked up), And Then Nothing..., and I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (one of my all time favorite album titles as well). I have the 2-CD comp they put out in the early 2000s, but only have two or three other albums besides the Murdering the Classics releases, and need to expand my collection. Very cool idea to have a dedicated all-purpose thread, and those Bowery setlists looked great.
     
  25. georgwithoutane

    georgwithoutane Forum Resident

    Location:
    Philadelphia
    Getting in on this. YLT is absolutely one of my favorite bands. Every time I listen to something I find something new and I swoon. I'd say my favorites are pretty much the classics (I Can Hear the Heart, Painful, And Then Nothing) as well as I Am Not Afraid of You, my introduction to their music. (I also dig Popular Songs, especially the final trio of epics, but I feel that people might overlook this one. Same with Fade.)

    I'm seeing them in April in Philly and I could not be more excited.
     

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