The Charm of the Highway Strip

The Magnetic Fields

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 1994)
• Original Release Date: April 19, 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Merge Records
• ASIN: B0000019MY
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,086 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Sweet and sour, incurably romantic, and deeply misanthropic, Magnetic Fields' mastermind Stephin Merritt is a one-of-a-kind voice in modern lo-fi pop. This 1994 outing is a bit of a departure, with Merritt taking his trademark ABBA-styled Casio-pop for a spin in the country--literally. Awash in lush, Nashville-ready production, songs like the doleful "Lonely Highway" (which encompasses snatches of the Lee Hazelwood classic "Jackson") and "Born on a Train" are nothing short of thrilling. But much of this particular stretch of the Fields is lacking in charm, since Merritt's wry stance chafes a bit too hard against the guileless melodies. Completists may feel compelled to take a ride, but novices should probably stick to the more urbane journeys offered by Holiday and Distant Plastic Trees. --David Sprague

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, March 17, 2005

By	A. Gailey (Athens, GA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first heard this album about eight years ago, and I have listened to it several times a month since. It just doesn't get old--the more I hear it, the more remarkable it is. Many people have commented on Merritt's eclectic instrumentation, which is indeed striking. But the really fantastic thing about his music is just how great he is at turning out a tune. The instrumentations are novel, but not novelties, and the tight melodies have the charm and stay-in-your-headness of folk tunes. Stephin Merritt is just so damned smart--and not in a look-at-me-I'm-so-deep or hipster way, but in the understated, constant, prolific manner that makes for lasting songwriting. His lyrics are also smart and moving, even when, as with the 69 Love Songs trio, he insists on claiming they're ironic or meta. He's a master at wry, pithy little lines that stick with you a lot more strongly than most of the abstract, self-congratulatory crap that passes for poetry these days.

I've listened to each Magnetic Fields album several times over--I'm completely addicted to them, in fact--and while there's not a bad one in the bunch, Charm of the Highway Strip does stand out as the most consistently fantastic and aesthetically unified project. Give this album a try. You won't regret it-none of the many people I've forced this on have.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this album charmed me senseless, January 12, 2004

By	"catastrophewaitress" (Newton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Seriously, if you are a magnetic fields fan, BUY THIS. You may not prefer the more dark, country, sound of this album as opposed to the often springy 69 love songs, but i guarantee you, there is no way not to fall in love with this album. By my second listen, this album was already sacred to me, and right now it is sitting in its case after my last spurt of listenings, waiting patiently until the time is right for me to take it out again. My nightmare would be to overplay this album. Stephen Merrit's low voice will make you feel lonely as he sings of a girl's fear of trains, or a lonesome highway, but at the same time he soothes you, in making you too feel like an explorer on some vast, endless highway. The songs on this album make you feel that while you may be lonely, it's an almost noble thing to be.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sad gorgeous americana, May 17, 2002

By	C. Lattin "christybird" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I will shamelessly say that Stephan Merritt's voice soaring sadly with the lyrics "your eyes are the mesa verde/big and brown and far away" never fail to cause the little sharp pricklings behind my eyes that are the precursors of tears. This album makes me want nothing more than to drive the miles of lonely roads that these songs deal with so beautifully, in a pair of cowboy boots and a sunburn. Merritt has never sounded better, his thick voice wrapping the lyrics in warm wooly blankets of sound and not twanging too much over what are really country songs with a few indy rock effects thrown in for good measure. And why not mix country with indy rock? It's pure americana, baby, and it makes me homesick like a motha.