The Charm of the Highway Strip
| The Charm of the Highway Strip | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Magnetic Fields | ||||
| Released | April 18, 1994 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop, synthpop | |||
| Length | 33:15 | |||
| Label | Merge | |||
| Producer | Stephin Merritt | |||
| The Magnetic Fields chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| NME | 7/10[2] |
| Q | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
| The Village Voice | B+[5] |
The Charm of the Highway Strip is the third studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released in 1994. It is the first Magnetic Fields album to have its original release with record label Merge.
Content
Its title, lyrics and musical styling are a nod to country music, though the songs of Stephin Merritt remain rooted in classic pop and synthesizers. Virtually every song deals with roads and travel, and several songs' lyrics implicitly reference vampires.
The title of the album comes from a quote by J. B. Jackson, 1959: "Let us hope that the merits and charm of the highway strip are not so obscure but that they will be accepted by a wider public."
This is the group's first full album in which songwriter Merritt also takes lead vocals. He designed the record's cover art, and has stated it is the album of his he is most satisfied with thus far in his career.
Legacy
Arcade Fire covered "Born on a Train" during a live performance on the KCRW program Morning Becomes Eclectic. Lush covered "I Have the Moon" as a B-side on their 1996 single "500 (Shake Baby Shake)". The song was also included on the B-sides collection Topolino and on the Chorus box set.
The song "Dust Bowl" was used during an episode of the television series version of This American Life ("Pandora's Box").
Track listing
All songs written by Stephin Merritt.
- "Lonely Highway" – 3:06
- "Long Vermont Roads" – 3:27
- "Born on a Train" – 3:46
- "I Have the Moon" – 2:37
- "Two Characters in Search of a Country Song" – 3:33
- "Crowd of Drifters" – 3:36
- "Fear of Trains" – 3:15
- "When the Open Road Is Closing In" – 3:39
- "Sunset City" – 4:05
- "Dust Bowl" – 2:20
Personnel
- The Magnetic Fields
- Stephin Merritt – vocals, instrumentation
- Claudia Gonson – management
- Sam Davol – cello
References
- ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "The Charm of the Highway Strip – Magnetic Fields". AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
- ↑ "The Magnetic Fields: The Charm of the Highway Strip". NME: 50. September 16, 1995.
- ↑ "The Magnetic Fields: The Charm of the Highway Strip". Q (109): 123. October 1995.
- ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 509–10. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (August 29, 1995). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 22, 2016.