Memories of Love

Future Bible Heroes

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 1997)
• Original Release Date: April 29, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Slow River Records
• ASIN: B000005C41
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #141,695 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

From the Label
Future Bible Heroes began with the fortuitous meeting of Stephin Merritt and Chris Ewen on a miniature golf course in the late 80's. They formed a bond through their mutual love of chanteuse Yma Sumac, composer John Cage, and the collecting of exotic instruments and Tiki art. After many years of friendship and musical rapport, the duo bring forth their first album together, Memories of Love.

Memories of Love may be their debut as a pair, but Merritt and Ewen individually are established musicians. Merritt is the ringleader of the magnificent pop band The Magnetic Fields (Merge Recs) and also the all-star band the 6ths (London Recs), and Ewen is the former keyboardist for the 80's alternative rock band Figures On a Beach (Sire Recs). After that band dissolved, Ewen focused more strongly on composing in his home studio. At night, he studied all the forms of dance music by working as a DJ at a prominent Boston, Massachusetts club, and soon became an aficionado of all styles from 50's lounge to 90's synth-pop.

Future Bible Heroes is the fruitful product of Ewen's exotic electro-pop instrumentation, replete with samples ranging from Hawaiian birds to computer printers, overlaid with Merritt's exquisite pop songwriting and brilliant, often humorous, lyrical style.

Vocals on Memories of Love are provided by Merritt, whose somber baritone is also to be heard on three of the five Magnetic Fields albums, and Claudia Gonson, a mutual friend of the boys, whose lovely, ethereal vocals offset Merritt's low, Leonard Cohen-esque style. After completing her Ph.D. in a record one year from UC Berkeley, Gonson returned to her native New York to complete the Future Bible Heroes album and embark on the multifarious career path of pop singing.

Slow River proudly presents Future Bible Heroes, music that will appeal equally to clubgoers, indie rockers, and you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's not to like?, January 18, 2003

By	"gsdluver" (Jefferson, Wisconsin United States) - See all my reviews

This is my first FBH cd and believe me, I'm coming back for more. I am typically into heavy alternative sounds, but this band is totally addictive. Creepy yet realistic, emotional yet fresh, this cd is a very unique sound I thoroughly enjoy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspired and enjoyable, March 20, 2000

By	Blond Adonis (An Tua Nua) - See all my reviews

Unlike nearly everyone else who has reviewed this album, I had never heard of Stephen or Claudia. I had been a fan of a New Wave band called Figures On A Beach, whose keyboard player was Christopher Ewen. When I saw his name on Memories Of Love I decided to give it a listen. Glad I did! His instrumental and compositional prowess has only grown better with this new outing. Buy this album and listen to some amazing synth arrangements rarely heard in contemporary American pop music. Its a dark, atmospheric treat, this disc.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Merritt is a pop genius--no matter what he calls himself, May 30, 1999

By	Greg Shafer (Ocala, FL) - See all my reviews

The Future Bible Heroes record Memories of Love was stuck in my CD player for nearly two months. No, not literally stuck, but I just couldn't seem to get enough of it. My favorite all time Merritt track is "Hopeless," a PERFECT pop song that will sound as good on the 1,000th listen as it did on the first. On this record, he trades vocals with Claudia Gonson, and they both sing briliantly. If you've never heard a Merritt record in any of his incarnations (6ths, Magnetic Fields, Gothic Archies), you're missing out on a true genius. Get MEMORIES OF LOVE, and if you like pop music, you'll thank me for my advice.