I'm not familar with YLT...

[Futureman]

...but will see them in concert this spring. What album should I start with while trying to get to know them?

thanx in advance

[tinobeat]

what fun!

OK, here's the path I took to YLT fandom, so maybe it would work out for you.

first I got Electro-Pura soon after it came out cos a friend told me it was great, so I took his word for it. Amazing album. Then as I waited for the next one to come out I moved backwards, getting Painful and Ride The Tiger, the former being amazing, the latter being slightly less so, but good natheless. I then found the matador reissue of the old old stuff, the President Yo La Tengo/New Wave Hot Dogs and that was really awesome.

When I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One finally came out, I was in heaven.

everything since then has been solid, but nothing hits me quite like Electro-Pura and I Can hear the Heart.... so I'd say start with those.

the new Nuclear War EP isn't good as a first purchase by the band, but its a priceless thing. get that eventually, once you've grown to love the rest..

good luck!

[johansen smith]

my fav is either Painful of Electr-o-pura

[Noah]

Ahhh, a YLT concert in the spring... I can't think of anything that sounds more appealing right now in these wintry months. From the sound of it, I should probably pick up Electr-o-pura as I loved ...heart beating as one; that album was truly beautiful.

[modicum]

I agree with the whole Electr-O-Pura thing, especially because it includes "Blue Line Swingers". I would love to be listening to that song for the first time. (It is the song which turned me into a YLT fan. I am embarrassed to admit it was during a performance at Lollapalooza '95. I didn't have a good view of Georgia, so when the singing started I thought they had hidden a singer off-stage.)

[earl grey]

"Blue Line Swinger" is great, so is "False Alarm", and I think the solo alone in "Pablo and Andrea" is enough to make Electr-O-Pura worth getting.

I started with I Can Hear the Heart... though, and it was Painful that really got me into them. Those two are still my favorites - I would pick either of them to start.

Not that And Then Nothing... would be a bad pick either....

[beekeeper]

the first one I got was Electr-o-pura, and it is my favorite one--but that record and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One are both stellar. ...Inside-Out is quite the mellow effort, Painful is a very strong disc (it kind of hits me as a slightly quieter Electr-o-pura), and some of their older stuff like Ride the Tiger, et al. is slightly different in style but still pleasant enough. Throughout their whole discography, it's pretty easy to find something you'll like with Yo La Tengo.

[gelfling]

i think that "i can hear the heart...." and "...and then nothing..." are both wonderful introductions to ylt. then from there, the entire discography is amazing.

the beachland is a great venue for them, btw. it really does them justice. just wear comfy shoes b/c they play for like 3 hours. last time they did a deadboys cover...and of course they also did devo cover. RAWK.

[interrust]

i think a good percentage of ylt fans started with ICHTHBAO, thanks to the 'sugarcube' video for me ... then i think i got the g+L comp, and built up by getting whatever i found and was amazed by the power that they are.

hoping that i'll get to my first ylt show on easter sunday in towson at the recher.

-- rusty

[Futureman]

Well, I appreciate all your guidance and advice. I am now (and have been for some weeks) the proud owner of ICHTHBAO, Electopura, and Painful. I love all of them, but like Electropura the best. It's sort of a pop version of Sonic Youth. Love the squalling guitars and feedback!

Again, thanks for the input.

[jef]

My first exposure to them was also Lollapalooza 95' Where I also discovered Pavement coincidentally. "Painful" was my first, but it didn't do much for me at first(Now of course i think it's amazing). My favorite is "I can here...."

[tinobeat]

I tend to hate it when people who have advance copies of albums get all googly eyed over music people will be waiting a month or so to hear, but goddamn. Summer Sun could grow to stand tall among ICHTHBAO and Electro-Pura as one of their greatest moments.

So yeah, y'all run get that shit when it comes out. I sure will..

[mattbot 5000]

Tino's on the YLT street team!

But seriously folks, I really like how subtle the differences are between this album and And then nothing..., Nuclear War, and The Sounds of the Sounds of Silence. Lots of small sounds from all three albums incorporated nicely (to my ears, anyway).

Can't wait to purchase the full album at retail price!

[tinobeat]

regarding my unabashed praise: its like being on the street team, but with no swag. c'mon Matador! get on that shit! I've got a music-centered weblog that has maybe dozens (13-14 is enough to make it plural, right?) readers, that's some high profile stuff. I'm important in the Matador marketing strategy!

*stretches*

[yojimbo]

I can hear the heart was my first, but Painful is the one I put on most, maybe Electropura. But my ultimate YLT moment is the cover of Sandy Denny's By the time it gets dark, which is on the Little Honda EP I think. That thing means everything to me. God bless their little cotton socks. ALthough I'm probably about 40 years younger than they are.