Matador Records | Yo La Tengo Discography

Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew sound like no other band. This is not because they're contrarians, but because they're artists. I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass has everything that ever made Yo La Tengo great, but elevated to new heights, from the remarkable orchestral chamber piece "Black Flowers" to the garage-punk rave-up "Watch Out For Me Ronnie." If there's one constant about Yo La Tengo, it's that this famously restless band continues to broaden its horizons.

I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass is an album that delights in being an album. This is no mere loud followed by soft merry-go-round, but a subtle parade. Bookended by very different but equally intense ten-minute-plus guitar epics, the set has dramatic arcs that don't all build in expected ways. After a dense thicket of forest they may find a clearing, stop for a picnic, but then fall asleep, dreaming away as day turns to night. A violin (played by David Mansfield, of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue) threads its way through the heartbreakingly fragile "I Feel Like Going Home," mirroring the longing in Georgia's vocal, after which "Mr. Tough" struts in on a funky piano riff, with Ira and James singing in falsetto about the transformative power of music.

As much as the full album experience is about the big picture, Yo La Tengo are aware of the small moments. In fact, it is the slivers that make the band so hard to describe: The ambient static in the haunting instrumental "Daphnia"; Georgia's dramatic reading of the vaguely "Autumn Sweater"-esque "The Room Got Heavy"; the way the drums, bass, and tambourine turn themselves inside-out in the intro of "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind". Tracklisting
1.Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm GoodkingListen
2.Beanbag Chair
3.I Feel Like Going Home
4.Mr. Tough
5.Black Flowers
6.The Race Is On Again
7.The Room Got Heavy
8.Sometimes I Don't Get You
9.Daphnia
10.I Should Have Known Better
11.Watch out for Me Ronnie
12.The Weakest Part
13.Song for Mahlia
14.Point and Shoot
15.The Story of Yo La Tango

26 songs spread over two CDs, 'Prisoners Of Love' is a sprawling, enthralling summation of the career-to-date of Yo La Tengo. It isn't their place to call themselves The Greatest Band On Earth but it's ours. This mid-priced two-CD version crams together previously released highights from YLT's pre-Matador tenure along with the most sizzling moments from their 2nd decade in show biz. Liner notes from Byron Coley and Joe Puleo. Tracklisting
Disc 1
1.Shaker
2.Sugarcube
3.Barnaby, Hardly Working
4.Little Eyes
5.Stockholm Syndrome
6.Our Way To Fall
Disc 3
1.River Of Water, The
2.Autumn Sweater
3.Big Day Coming
4.Pablo And Andrea
5.Drug Test
6.Season Of The Shark
Disc 3
1.Stay Away From Heaven
2.Pencil Test - (previously unreleased)
3.Almost True - (previously unreleased)
4.Tom Courtenay - (acoustic)
5.Big Day Coming - (previously unreleased, demo)
6.Dreaming

This deluxe 3-CD version of YLT's greatest hits contains 42 songs, including 26 highlights from their entire career on the first two discs. The 3rd disc is the sort of rarities collection that will have you wondering why we bothered to do a two disc version. Beautifully packaged with slipcase (by our packing department), liner notes from Byron Coley and Joe Puleo. Tracklisting
Disc 1
1.Shaker
2.Sugarcube
3.Barnaby, Hardly Working
4.Little Eyes
5.Stockholm Syndrome
6.Our Way To Fall
Disc 3
1.River Of Water, The
2.Autumn Sweater
3.Big Day Coming
4.Pablo And Andrea
5.Drug Test
6.Season Of The Shark
Disc 3
1.Stay Away From Heaven
2.Pencil Test - (previously unreleased)
3.Almost True - (previously unreleased)
4.Tom Courtenay - (acoustic)
5.Big Day Coming - (previously unreleased, demo)
6.Dreaming

This 6-song EP starts off with the "rock" version of the title track (original version on the'Summer Sun' album), followed by "Styles of the Times" and "Outsmartener". All three songs are outtakes from 'Summer Sun' but feature a more "rocking" sound than the band felt was appropriate for the sensuous mood of the album. "Outsmartener" features free jazz bassist William Parker playing double reed horn. The EP also includes a gorgeous version of the Bert Jansch song "Needle Of Death" recorded in 1999 and sung by Georgia, as well as another 1999 unreleased song entitled "Dr. Crash", and an acoustic version of "Cherry Chapstick" performed just by Ira and James, and recorded by JJJ Radio in Melbourne Australia in 2000. A stunning companion piece to the recent 'Summer Sun', and one that stands in notable stylistic contrast to it. Tracklisting
1.Today Is The Day
2.Styles of the Times
3.Outsmartener
4.Needle of Death
5.Dr. Crash
6.Cherry Chapstick (Live)

The latest from the brilliant Hoboken trio of Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew finds them exploring the sunny landscapes of summer, in every imaginable mode of music. From the gorgeous "Little Eyes" to the ten-minute jam "Let's Be Still", this may be Yo La Tengo's most ambitious album to date. Tracklisting
1.Beach Party Tonight
2.Little Eyes
3.Nothing But You and Me
4.Season of the Shark
5.Today Is the Day
6.Tiny Birds
7.How to Make a Baby Elephant Float
8.Georgia Vs. Yo La Tengo
9.Don't Have to Be So Sad
10.Winter A Go-Go
11.Moonrock Mambo
12.Let's Be Still
13.Take Care

An early taster from Yo La Tengo in advance of their new album (Spring 2003), this brand-new single contains 4 renditions of Sun Ra's percussive anthem "Nuclear War." The first version is by the basic Yo La Tengo trio. It is followed by a 16-minute jam featuring Daniel Carter, Sabir Mateen, Roy Campbell, Susie Ibarra and Josh Madell. The third version features 11 young children singing along, and the fourt version is a remix by Ozone hip hop experimentalist Mike Ladd. Tracklisting
1.Nuclear War - Version 1 - Yo La Tengo
2.Nuclear War - Version 2
3.Nuclear War - Version 3
4.Nuclear War - Version 4

"Triumphant tenth album explores wintry landscapes of love, relationships and life. " Tracklisting
1.Everyday
2.Our Way to Fall
3.Saturday
4.Let's Save Tony Orlando's House
5.Last Days of Disco
6.The Crying of Lot G
7.You Can Have It All
8.Tears Are in Your Eyes
9.Cherry Chapstick
10.From Black to Blue
11.Madeline
12.Tired Hippo
13.Night Falls on Hoboken

Tracklisting
1.Return to Hot Chicken
2.Moby Octopad
3.Sugarcube
4.Damage
5.Deeper into Movies
6.Shadows
7.Stockholm Syndrome
8.Autumn Sweater
9.Little Honda
10.Green Arrow
11.One PM Again
12.The Lie and How We Told It
13.Center of Gravity
14.Spec Bebop
15.We're an American Band
16.My Little Corner of the World

Tracklisting
Disc 1
1.Evanescent Psychic Pez Drop
2.Demons
3.Fog Over Frisco
4.Too Late
5.Hanky Panky Nohow
6.Something To Do
7.Ultra-Powerful Short Wave Radio Picks Up Music From Venus
8.Up To You
9.Somebody's Baby
10.Walking Away From You
Disc 2
1.Nutricia
2.Her Grandmother's Gift
3.From A Motel 6#2
4.Gooseneck Problem
5.Surfin' With The Shah
6.Ecstasy Blues
7.Too Much, Part 1
8.Blitzkrieg Bop
9.One Self: Fish Girl
10.Enough