Holiday

The Magnetic Fields | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 12, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B00000G1IW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,332 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #69 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo Fi
  • #88 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Lo-Fi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dry, morose, bittersweet pop for the discerning palate., December 29, 1998

By 

Alastair Thompson ([e-mail]) (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holiday (Audio CD)

Mastermind Stephin Merritt has become a cult figure--and his lugubrious voice, his deadpan wit, and his sparkling arrangements make each of his bands' efforts distinctive and worthwhile. The lyrics are simple, literate, and evocative; the instrumentation lush and careful. Holiday is among Merritt's happier albums, but of course the requisite dark side lurks in every couplet. Sounds like practically nothing else except other Magnetic Fields, or Merritt's other projects: the 6ths, the Gothic Archies, and the Future Bible Heroes. "The flowers she sent / and the flowers she said she sent / are all equally dead / you don't care any more, she said / and the books she read / and the books that she said she read / are all spread on the floor / you don't get out of bed any more."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Their Second Wonderful album...., September 26, 2003

By 

Chris "Sprout" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Holiday (Audio CD)

and arguably the best of the early ones (if not the best of all of his). Holiday is a wonderful synth pop album which ranks up there with 69 Love Songs as their best. This opened my ears to alot of synth pop music.

The album starts of with the 22 second long intro, which has a sixties-meets-synth sound to it (i think) and is followed by 13 brilliant tracks. All You Ever Do Is Walk Away is one of the best vocal performance from Stephin Merritt and also ranks as one of his best songs. Other highlights are Trouble I've Been looking For and Take Ecstacy With Me.

Buy this and 69 Love Songs for the perfect grasp of the best of this band.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Magnetic Fields...pure Brilliance, February 28, 2006

By 

Peter K. Buchhop "pete" (Cary, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holiday (Audio CD)

This is probably my favorite album. This title along with 'Get Lost' is Magnetic Fields at it's peak. The title Holiday is a play on words because the album is both elating and depressing at the same time.

The lyrics are sad, brilliant...

i can show you sadder poetry
than you ever dreamed there could be
i know all the saddest people
most of them are dead now

...and are interesting play off the sometimes upbeat hooks. But, usually, the hooks also play off upbeat/downer off each other. Easy to say, hard to do.

There is so much texture and richness in this CD, I still hear new aspects in it after dozens and dozens of plays.

Also worthy of mention is the work with Susan Anway as vocalist on The Wayward Bus/Distant Plastic Trees albums. But, I recommend starting with this one.

Personally, I was less excited by Stephen's recent 'i' CD.

If you don't own Holiday...buy it.

-Pete