69 Love Songs

I really like this album and most of the songs on it, but having 69 songs requires removing a star.

i ain’t listening to all that i’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened

this thing is huge. haven't made it through the whole thing yet. just about 40ish songs tracks: reno dakota, luckiest guy on the lower east side, book of love, it's a crime, busby berkeley dreams, acoustic guitar

4.2 + Bought this box set when it first came out and it sat like a brick in my bedroom, and various college dorms. Before this weekend, I may have listened to it all the way through maybe once, if that. On initial listen, the songs felt dashed off, the arrangements sketchy, the vocal performances distracting. Knowing what to expect, I was able to give a more objective listen this time around and I'm left awed by the quality and quantity here. To be sure, there are a handful of annoying old-time ditties as well as a few beat-off tracks ("Love is Like Jazz", "Washington, DC"). But there's a light and casual feel to the album overall that lends humanity to the endeavor and I was consistently charmed throughout. Most of the songs I like best avoid satirizing love song clichés, and instead blend melody with interesting soundscapes. Each song presents interesting ideas, and examines genuine emotions and love song tropes. Despite its warts, it's hard to deny how much Stephin Merritt put into this project and I'd say overall it's extremely successful. I'm glad I finally invested the time, and hope to return someday.

The good tracks are good, and the lyrics are great. But this many tracks is just way too much. There's not enough stuff to tie the whole thing together which I guess means I don't get the concept of the concept album but hey.

This is a generous 3, based on some of the songs being really good - and I didn't make it to the end. But there's no excuse for making the listener do the job of editing your record down to size. Save the crappy ~55 tracks for b-sides and special editions.

made it halfway. would have been a 2 had it not been for ambition and scale.

I didn't mind this album at first...if it had been 10 songs I may have rated it higher. There was no need for 69 of these songs. Most of them feature off key vocals and instrumentation that made me feel like I was in a haunted Fun House. The longer it went on the more I grew to despise this album.

As everyone mentions, there is some filler as there are 69 songs... so why didn't they just cut the filler? I guess they weren't making an album for people who insist on listening to a different album every day! Anyhow, 34 songs in and it's not bad. Can't give it a full review as I can't set aside the time to listen properly. But as I'm dropping in and out it is actually ok in places. It's just that 69 songs of the same band in a row is getting a bit boring, even though they're mixing up the style a bit.

I understand that this album is poking fun at love songs, not love itself. And to its credit, some of the lyrics made me giggle. However, once again, the singing and music... Some tracks were great in both ways, but most tracks were grating in one way, the other, or both. This is a pretty strong "nope" for me. I'm going to leave this a strong 1 star (meaning, might be 2 stars under different circumstances).

I Don't Want to Get Over You, Nothing Matters When We're Dancing, The Book of Love, When My Boy Walks Down the Street, No One Will Ever Love You, Papa Was a Rodeo, Epitaph for My Heart

All my little words is good, otherwise sounds like sappy generic alternative/college/ Morrisey inspired music. Actually I was too harsh some of the songs are worth a listen

oof, too much of that... skipped through a dozen or so tracks, not into it enough to sit through 3 hours worth ;-p

I don't deserve love

There's a good album in here somewhere. I'm guessing a fun game to play would be to pair it down from 69(!) songs to around 15. Then we might have a 5 star album. As it is, it's just too self-indulgent.

Unlistenable.

Ambitious for the goal in mind. I applaud anyone who actually went through the entire album, as I only went through the first third and any other tracks that had a high number of Spotify plays or interesting titles. A lot of the tracks are decent, and a few work really well, mostly the folk-pop / country-pop songs. They had a lot of fun experimenting with all these different genres, and it helps keep you going through the tracklist, but they don't understand how to use these different genres. Their attempts with world music or synth only possess remnants of the music they try to represent. The sounds and instruments often clash with the vocals and seem like they're doing their own thing. Despite being gimmicky, it gave me insight on distinguishing all these genres.

wtf

This album is the epitome of using 2000 words to express a point easily made in 300 words. Most songs are not worth listening to as they suffer from the problem of little quality. It feels as if both the backing tracks and lyrics were hastily conceived in 2 weeks, and although some songs may be enjoyable or even resonate deeply with you, it's fatiguing to try and find them in the mess.

60. Tenho de te dizer, meu, foi um prazer ouvir-te. MotA: Absolutely Cuckoo "Don't fall in love with me yet We only recently met True I'm in love with you but You might decide I'm a nut"

I had a lot of fun with this album, I like the idea of an album celebrating a certain kind of song

Wow, didn't expect this to be so consistent and entertaining. Definitely some forgettable tracks but with 69 there's an amazing amount of variety and creativity here. Plus the rhymes are hilarious. Definitely no writer's block for this guy.

Seriously? 2 hours of love songs? Bleh

Didn't love it. Very weird, and occasionally enjoyable, but overall, not my thing

Nope

Funny

Despite its length and its reliance on a joke, these are some of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard. At least on Disc One. I don't care much for the second disc. The third disc didn't bring any new ideas to the table either. The abridged version of this album is to just listen to disc one, you'll get all the best songs anyways (with that in mind, my rating is based on disc one. As a whole, the album is a 1 or 2). Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 21, 22, 26, 33, 34, 40, 41, 47, and 57.

69 loves songs! 2hrs52mins. I get that these were like anti love songs but it still went on for too long and it's the first album I havent completed

Excelente, perfecto para una cita

Songs sound unfinished. Could not get past the vocals. Lyrics could use work. Maybe a second listen is warranted, but first impression is not a good one

This album is way too long. I am not a lyrics person in general so I feel like I missed a lot of what makes this album a good one. Musically wasn't anything stellar.

Meh too many songs nothing particularly remarkable. Did not finish.

Not my style

Wow, this is unfinishable for me. It's like CAKE's evil twin. Or if the jokey opening to Portlandia was an album. The lyrics are terrible, the music is not interesting or pretty, and the vocals are bizarre at best. I made it through the first third, and I just don't deserve to have to do the rest.

Good songs, a tad long

What an absolute piece of trash.

Quantity does not equal quality

Well, it's certainly a lot of effort and work for a concept like this. I feel like with such a huge list of entries songs are bound to blend together or feel under developed. Magnetic Fields' style also is likely not my bag in general, but there are some real gems to pick out of this selection. Favorite Song: Book of Love

Quirky, endless fun. Some very creative and amazing songs on here!

For a three hour album that IMO has only about 3-4 good songs, this was a let down. True, at times there’s witty charisma and at others there’s raw poignant catharses, but it was just way too long for me to enjoy. Maybe I’ll think differently listening to this when going through my next break up.

I can hear the demonstrable talent and skill in their music, and some of the tracks are musically interesting, but the vocals in both presentation and content feel too gimmicky for my personal taste.

achei gostosinho de ouvir. Algumas eram mais ou menos

An ambitious effort to have 69 actual love songs in an album, but as with anything less can be more. In this case, it would be more quality and less bloat. Some of these songs are genuinely good, but given the presentation of them in a long list, it's hard for any one to stand out among the crowd.

Every song is the exact mix of sadness and love and beauty and truth and fiction that makes my heart pump. They aren’t all hits, but they are all good.

Was so disappointed when I clicked and saw that it was literally 69 songs that I was going to give it a 1. But after listening its actually great, really funny, witty, cleverly done, makes you smile. Recognised 'The a Book Of Love', maybe from a film.

Better than any 69-song long album deserves to be. The duds in it weren't even bad, just kinda boring, and the highs were definitely very high. But still... its just so loooooooooooooooooooong.

There were some pretty good songs on here. Honestly, it was way too long and I just got burnt out halfway through.

suena como que pudieron sacar 3-4 discos de este y hacerlos más coherentes, pero también suena como que llevas tres horas escuchando mucho de lo mismo (?)

What a stupid album

Just stupid BS

too long

This album is at least 68 songs too long. Most of the tracks sound like they could have been composed and sang by a primary school band. Whoever finds this album enjoyable obviously hasn’t broadened their musical listening too much at all. El crapo! 1 Star!

nice Saved: I Think I Need a New Heart, No One Will Ever Love You, Queen of the Savages

Saved Prior: I Think I Need a New Heart Saved Off Rip: A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off Cutting Edge: a couple I have to go back through and pick Overall Notes: Very very long, didn't really have time to go through and truly listen to all of the songs as I am currently quite busy. An album I will be returning to in the summer when I have more time (hopefully). Placeholder grade of 2.

Gimmick idea (69 songs in 3 CDs of 23 songs each), but I found the results rather meh

My god this took forever to listen to, must admit it's excellent

2/5 to tell you the truth they probably decided to go with quantity instead of quality

Eclectic I think the word is!

Kinda like it. Men 69 är ganska många låtar så vi får se... The book of love och parades go by är rätt bra. Det är MYCKET konstigt tho. Ganska nice lyssning overall, hade kanske blivit 4 om den inte va så lång nu blir det 3/5 My sentimental melody No one Will ever love you Washington DC All my little words

Smooth.

A triple album that does exactly what it says on the tin. There's a range of styles here and though there is obviously going to be filler with a triple album there are some truly great songs on each disc. This is an album to dip in and out of. BT: I Don't Want To Get Over You, Papa Was a Rodeo, Busby Berkeley Dreams

Some gems on this - really lovely songs - but overall just too damn long. Yes, I get the point.

Soy fan desde hace siglos de Magnetic Fields pero nunca había escuchado completo este disco. Se me hacía un poco apabullante. Pero resulta que no, que a pesar de que sí son 69 canciones, todo vuela y fluye ligero. Este disco es bello, nutritivo como respirar profundamente o comerte una buena fruta. Sabe a guayaba. Pone de buen humor. Tiene una paleta de sonidos determinada que se aprehende pronto pero las posibilidades melódicas parece que son sin fin. Si te gusta el pop, el pop entendido como canciones de la vida cotidiana, tarareables, bonitas y pegajosas, tienes que escuchar este disco al menos una vez en tu vida. Creo que me obesioné. Insisto, son un vergo de canciones pero quieres más y más, no quieres que termine. Es un milagro este pedo.

Way too long

Aikamoinen pläjäys. Kahteen kertaan kuuntelin läpi osissa. Biisit oli sinänsä ihan hyviä, mutta paketti vähän liian tuhti. Matkan varrella oli kyllä vaihtelua, eka levy toi mieleen Belle & Sebastianin, toisella levyllä oli ehkä vähän kokeellisempaa ja ehkä konemaisempaakin settiä. Kolmas levy tuntui taas akustisemmalta ja levyn loppupuolella vähän Yann Tiersenmäistä menoa. Mikähän tässä on ollut ideana, että on pitänyt tehdä tällainen megalevy? Vähän leikittelin myös ajatuksella, että tällaistakohan se on tuottajilla ja levy-yhtiön muilla duunareilla, kun bändillä on se 69 biisiaihiota, joista pitäisi kasata timanttinen levy. En kuitenkaan jaksanut alkaa kelailemaan ja analysoimaan että mitkä biisit poimisin ja mihin järjestykseen laittaisin. Ehkä sitten joskus.

Heel veel verschillende soorten liefdesliedjes. zoals de titel al zegt. Bijzonder project en er zit wel wat leuks bij

Toooooooo long

Pedestrian

No creo que vaya a tener la paciencia de acabar hoy el disco, pero no necesariamente me estaba disgustando, sí lo voy a acabar entre mañana y pasado. En general son chistosas las letras de las canciones y creo que justo eso es su fuerte. Por ratos sin sentido, por ratos irónicas, por ratos sad con un toque despreocupado. La voz soñolienta del vocalista me agradó también, ese estilo de canto con hueva a la Valentin Elizalde meets Brendan Perry del un rock/pop indie cualquiera. Mood: haciendo memes chistosos pero muerto por dentro.

Konzeptalbum!!!! Ja, großer Wurf, die Box beinhaltet 3 CDs - ich schwöre sie nicht ein Mal komplett gehört zu haben. Und ich werd das wohl auch nie schaffen, even „not for all the tea in China“

I really like the songwriting and variety on this album. It is a beast, but a solid 9/10, and leans more to a 5 for me.

highlights - a chicken with its head cut off, i think i need a new heart, book of love, Sweet Lovin' Man, Long-Forgotten Fairytale, bitter tears (i wanted more of this, it's too short) lowlights - how f*ng romantic, a pretty girl is like This "album" is like a 30 songs in 30 days challenge; when artists do this, not everything should be kept...Sometimes greatness comes out, but a lot of filler that's best left on the cutting room floor. There are certainly gems to be found, but many are tough to listen through...luckily most tracks are short (Bitter Tears was a great track I wanted MORE), but after a while fatigue sets in and I stopped caring. Some tracks were distractingly bad (how f*ing romantic)...and overall I started to feel like Book of Love (gem) is also a review of this album...Long and boring...some of it is transcendental...some of it is just really dumb.

interesting. Didn't end up listening to all of it because it is like 4 cds long

This is the longest album that I already listened entirely. It's hard to evaluate it because it has almost all song styles and possibilities for an English love song. a kind of repetitive album, but it's not the worst thing ever, just an "ok" album with an ambitious idea behind it. Ambitious albums are almost always a good idea, but this one is not one of the best-executed ones.

Difícil não ter uma dúzia de música boa entre 69, mas a maioria é ruim ou chata.

Maemia que largo es esto ;)

Some good jams, a little long

fun and inventive songs that put a smile on my face. A band I knew in name only. Will relisten again, 69 songs is a lot to take in.

Part 1 is absolutely flawless. Maybe a top 5 all time album for me. Would put this above probably any album we've heard so far.

Quedé perplejo al ver que el título, al menos en la cifra, es literal. Otra banda de la cual ni siquiera había oído y diré que sí oiría más de ellos, con todo y que las 69 Love Songs hayan durado casi tres horas. Me dio muchas vibras tipo Belle & Sebastian, pero líricamente despojados de la cursilería o hasta a veces mojigatería de los escoceses (que tampoco es defecto para mí, los amo). No obstante el "love" de las love songs muchas veces es algo más parecido al desamor, a la melancolía y la decepción amorosa, hay varios momentos humorísticos y también de repente sonidos que descuadran del conjunto. En fin, compuesto de tres discos, si tuviera que hacer un setlist para un álbum con una duración más racional (jaja), escogería las siguientes canciones: Absolutely Cuckoo, All My Little Words, A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off, Come Back from San Francisco, Fido Your Leash is Too Long, Nothing Matters When We're Dancing, Very Funny, Washington D. C., Long-Forgotten Fairytale, Yeah! Oh, Yeah!, I Can't Touch You Anymore y How To Say Goodbye. En este listado se incluyen vibras de soundtrack de cine teen indie (Juno, por ejemplo), fantasías cibernéticas, baladitas sencillas de triste pop o canciones melancólicas con melodía sintética. En fin, el disco es un lindo esfuerzo pop, sobre todo para hacer 69 canciones. 8.5/10

Started out quite enjoying it but there is only so much annoying shit that i can take. Ended up wanting to kill myself by the end.

had never heard of this group before. it was a good listen.

The album that could have been. I liked the sound but had it been a reasonable run time, it would have had more of my attention.

I like the idea, but not necessarily the execution.

“All my little words” is an all-time favorite of mine, but, funnily enough, I was not aware it was from a 69 songs record lol... the album starts strong, some good tunes and interesting music but then it becomes more and more of the same and drags for literally hours. It changes a bit and grabs new strength starting the third record but falls again in nonsense and half backed songs. There are some good tunes but I wonder if it would have made the list if it had been a regular length record with the best say 12 songs and not just because it was a 69 songs long record.

I've tried listening to this album twice, I want to like it. This time after listening to 9 songs it killed my good mood, I couldn't imagine listening to another 60 so I put on some Fats Domino again to cheer me up. It almost worked.

Oh god it's literally 69 love songs It's 3 volumes It's 3 hours I suffered through one hour and I can't take any more. Please kill me

Great songs with much variety

Obviously this album is hella long - no album should be 3 hours long - but I can't help but admire it despite that - even because of it. The humor, humanness of the songs is addictive. It wasn't completely exhausting, because it felt more like hanging out with friends. The spare musicality, and the variety of instruments used, different vocalists, all help the cause.

Too much of a good thing?

one of the best albums. beautiful lyrics, catchy tunes, and 69 units of wit

Meh. Not my thing.

Even tho this is a week long it’s all pretty consistent

Kinda wanted to hate this but I have to give respect where it's due. Inevitably there is some filler and I thought the end was weak but it deserves its place as an Indie classic.

This might take the cake for most self indulgent album of the cd era. I find the sheer length simply unbearable. I don't hear anything in the music/concept to justify its insane demand on the listener. Most of it is so half baked that I find it almost insulting. I don't get it. Both the singing voices and lyrics are irritating to me. In trying to march onward and listen to this there are some okay tunes buried in there but as an album its unrefined/unfiltered stance is utterly preposterous. If someone put this on, I wouldn't be sticking around.

I got confused and thought this was "The Magnetic Zeroes" so I was expecting that ONE song. Oh boy, these lyrics are a bit much. The singing is a bit too saccharine to me, but that's my bitter heart. Ugh, do I wanna listen to this for 3 hours though? I am gonna skip to "The Book of Love" which is their "hit" and see if I like it. Eh, not really. I am bailing on this. Also funny their 2020 album is called "Quickies" and is 47 min long, ha. I am not opposed to the length of the album if I enjoyed it... but it's just there. 2.5 to... 3. But just barely. I wouldn't be offended if it's on, but I would prob never choose to listen to it. Could work well for background music.

I mean. I love this album. Since childhood.

Si je pouvais mettre 0 je le ferais.

I stopped about half way through the 69 love songs, cause they’re all just chill 90s love songs. Fine, but not memorable.

some classics, mostly fluff

Omituinen konseptilevy normaalisti kovasti arvostamaltani yhtyeeltä. En ole koskaan oikein päässyt tähän sisälle kestosta johtuen. Samaa ongelmaa oli nytkin havaittavissa. Parhaat kappaleet kyllä jää mieleen, mutta turhaa täytemateriaalia on aivan liikaa. Parhaat 15 kappaletta valikoimalla tämä olisi erinomainen levy, nyt vaan keskinkertainen. Jatkossakin keskityn muihin Magnetic Fieldsin levyihin.

69 is too many right? So many of these are wonderful and I think. 'The book of love' is one of those songs that is perfect and too short- just like 'Please, please, please let me get what I want'.

I already adored All My Little Words so I may be biased, but I loved this. So whimsical and witty and folksy and great. It was good hearing more of the Magnetic Fields.

Great album

Lots of filler but the good songs are so good that it gets a 5.

One of the oddest albums out there, but such a blast.

This is a very long album. I liked the song poppa was a rodeo. There are many outrageous lyrics that require you to pay close attention. Other than that probably pretty average for this list.

Listened to half of this. None of these were particularly special in any way.

It was a really long album but there were some pretty good songs. It's too long tho, 69... I like the number, but not for how many songs in an album.

This one brings me back to 2011, and to my first real heartbreak in particular. I played the hell out of "Absolutely Cuckoo" because Stacy introduced it to me, and the Book of Love has shown up on quite a few playlists. The whole project is 3 hours long, though... way too long, and not every song was great.

Wow, what an album. Clearly inspiration for so many genres and artists to come after it.

Gadly surprised by this album. Good beat, relax... I like it!

2 hr 45 min! Only listened to disc 1, but the lyrics are charming

Very impressive and a few good tunes in there but 3 hours becomes a bit of a chore

I would give it less if I could.

Love songs

Could have been a decent album if not for the ridiculous length and many filler songs

3 timer langt album! Det er simpelthen for mange sange Flere af dem er gode og han synger udmærket. Men Come on - kill your darlings!

Odd so far nice-ish first disk is ok relaxation music, kinda Disk 1 was better than 2 It's fine really. 3

This is great

seems like a gimmick?

I had a ton of trepidation going into this 3 hour listen. There's some filler, and not every song is a winner, but the bottom line is that this ambitious project worked. Stephin Merrit subverts expectations, both lyrically and musically, at every turn. It feels like the musical version of the play in Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York, a sprawling epic that grows and grows until it eats itself. I mean that in the best way. It's easy to get lost in the massive sea of songs, and I think that's the intent. Best track: The Book of Love

Dude, the songs are good,but 69???? SIXTY NINE??? By the time I finished this I was soo fed up. 6.5/10 F. T. : When my Boy Walks Down the Street

Ambitious

I am not a big fan at all, too long not too many songs that stick out

actually a 7

Too long but actually pretty good!