Name: 50 Song Memoir
Brand: The Magnetic Fields

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

0075597940909

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

5 CDs in clamshell box with 100-page book.

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Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2017-03-10

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Warner Music Group

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

Total Cap

5 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

The Magnetic Fields

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Nonesuch

Nonesuch is a US record label that was created in 1964 as a budget label for classical releases. It eventually expanded to include adventurous music from around the globe and world-premiere recordings of contemporary composers. Nonesuch has gone through various ownership changes over the years, including being acquired by Warner Communications in 1970 and becoming a sub-label of Warner Bros. Records in 2004.

Under the leadership of Jac Holzman, Nonesuch was established as a budget label for classical releases licensed from large record companies in Britain and France. Designed by Bill Harvey, the packaging emphasized affordability with releases marketed as "Recordings at the Price of a Quality Paperback."

In 1970, Nonesuch became part of Warner Communications (Kinney/WEA) and continued to release music under its own name along with other Elektra-based labels like Elektra and Asylum Records. The merger between Elektra and Atlantic labels in 2004 resulted in Nonesuch becoming a sub-label of Warner Bros. Records within the Warner Music Group.

The Magnetic Fields is an American indie pop group founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt serves as the primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist for the band. The Magnetic Fields is known for their malleable musical style, which encompasses genres such as synthpop, indie pop, and noise pop. Merritt's lyrics often explore themes of love with a touch of irony, humor, and bitterness. The band has also spawned various side-projects including The 6ths, Future Bible Heroes, and The Gothic Archies.
Named after the novel "Les Champs Magnétiques," The Magnetic Fields was established as a platform for Stephin Merritt's exceptional songwriting skills. With his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist in addition to being the main creative force behind the band's music production process, Merritt has crafted a distinct sound that defies easy categorization.
While their songs span various subgenres within the realm of pop music, it is primarily their catchy synthpop-infused melodies and cleverly crafted lyrics that have garnered them recognition. Often exploring unconventional gender roles through his songwriting approach, Merritt's lyrics are both thought-provoking and entertaining.

Meticulously curated box sets featuring exceptional audio quality, stunning visuals, and exclusive bonus content. Explore genres, eras, and artists to find the perfect addition to your collection.

Box Sets

Nonesuch Records releases the Magnetic Fields’ 50 Song Memoir, a five-CD / five-LP set that chronicles the 50 years of songwriter Stephin Merritt’s life with one song per year. It was produced by Stephin Merritt with additional production by Thomas Bartlett and Charles Newman. 50 Song Memoir is available in five-LP and five-CD editions including an extensive interview by Daniel Handler and facsimile handwritten lyrics by Merritt, and as a standalone bound book with a full-album download card. Merritt began recording on his 50th birthday: February 9, 2015. Unlike his previous work, the lyrics on 50 Song Memoir are nonfiction – in Merritt’s words, “a mix of autobiography (bedbugs, Buddhism, buggery) and documentary (hippies, Hollywood, hyperacusis).” As he says in the album’s liner note interview with Handler, “I am the least autobiographical person you are likely to meet. I will probably not write any more true songs after this than I did before, but it’s been interesting working on it.” In addition to his vocals on all 50 songs, Merritt plays more than one hundred instruments on 50 Song Memoir, ranging from ukulele to piano to drum machine to abacus. In concert, the music will be played and sung by a newly expanded Magnetic Fields septet in a stage set featuring 50 years of artefacts both musical (vintage computers, reel-to-reel tape decks, newly invented instruments), and decorative (tiki bar, shag carpet, vintage magazines for the perusal of idle musicians). The seven performers each play seven different instruments, either traditional (cello, charango, clavichord) or invented in the last 50 years (Slinky guitar, Swarmatron, synthesizer). The stage extravaganza will be directed by the award-winning Jose Zayas (Love in the Time of Cholera, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter). To date, Stephin Merritt has written and recorded eleven Magnetic Fields albums, including the popular and critically acclaimed 69 Love Songs. A song from that record, The Book of Love, has been covered by Peter Gabriel and has appeared in numerous TV shows and films; notably, the Nairobi Chamber Orchestra performed the song at an official state dinner in Kenya, before Presidents Barack Obama and Uhuru Kenyatta delivered their toasts. Merritt has also composed original music and lyrics for several music theatre pieces, including an off-Broadway stage musical of Neil Gaiman's novel Coraline, for which he received an Obie Award. In 2014, Merritt composed songs and background music for the first musical episode of public radio’s This American Life. Stephin Merritt also releases albums under the band names the 6ths, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes.

5CD - 5 CDs in clamshell box with 1000-page book.

5LP - Five-disc, heavyweight 140 gram high-performance vinyl set, plus 100 Page Book and download card.

50 Song Memoir

Music GB