Michael Lee Yonkers Michael Yonkers SKU: DC580 Barcode: 0781484058014 17.00 £17.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Drag City Released Date: 20th January 2014 Buying Format: 1LP Out of stock Back Order Add to your Wishlist Description Product Info By now, the legend of Michael Yonkers has ascended to estimable levels, at last. It should have happened long ago – after all, it was over ten years back that the word got out, when his previously-unreleased 1968 Sire album ‘Microminiature Love’ was issued by Destjil and then Sub Pop. A thousand noise-rock ears pricked up, in the same fashion as in 1967, when folks heard The Velvet Underground and Nico, when those lucky enough to stumble across said sounds formed their own bands immediately. Yes, it turns out the reclusive Minneapolis dancer had just as seminally prefigured proto-punk / metal / noise though his own brand of amped-up garage rock, but no one knew. In this blog-happy latter decade, Michael has picked up where he left off, exploring blown-out frequencies with collaborators around the globe, and his work has claimed a seat next to underground legends like The Fugs, VU, Sonic Youth and even ol’ Jimi. What a lot of folks still don’t know is that Michael put aside his hand-built fuzz boxes and bellowing vocal style in the 70s to record and self-release some truly lilting homespun folk albums, where he explored the sound of acoustic guitars, layered, madrigal-like vocals, and only the most subtle applications of electricity, all in service of some truly somber and mesmerizing songs. Of these albums, only ‘Goodbye Sunball’ and ‘Grimwood’ have been reissued, as well as Drag City / Galactic Zoo Disk’s now sold-out ‘Lovely Gold’ (recorded in 1977, but unreleased until 2010). There’s yet another musical colour revealed on the uber-rare private press, ‘Michael Lee Yonkers’, which was home-recorded in 1971-72, while Michael was working in an unheated, hundred year-old warehouse. He ran the forklift and drove the truck for the company, hauling extremely heavy loads of industrial surplus and scrap metal. His co-workers almost exclusively listened to country & western music, which inspired him to create and perform an oddly countrified set on weekends, when he would play in coffeehouses and at house parties. Yonkers would do an acoustic set of original “country” and “rock” music for the first part, then he would get out an “electronic music machine” that he had built himself and play “electronic music”, according to Michael himself. ‘Michael Lee Yonkers’ is a recording of some of the ‘country’ songs he was doing at the time, as well as a few songs he wrote for the children at the house parties (like ‘Mrs. Jennings Fruit Fly Farm’, recorded live, where you can hear the kids going nuts). The tracks were recorded on a variety of tube-type, reel-to-reel tape machines, which give them a unique analogue sound that begs comparisons to outsider hillbillies like Peter Grudzien, Holy Modal Rounders and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, as well as beloved longhair outlaws like Townes Van Zandt and Kris Kristofferson (ok, even one St. Johnny Cash too). The original art and labels have been faithfully reproduced and, with a discreet remastering touch, the tracks sound better than ever. Originals go for over $60, so get these before they fly out the door and sell for almost $60, ala ‘Lovely Gold’. Artist Michael Yonkers Genre Rock And Pop Label Drag City Buying Options 1LP Format 1LP Condition New Country UK Track Listings An Easy Goin’ Country Guy My Sally Black Birds In The Sky The Nice Boy Funboots Furnace Springs Pigeon Falls Mrs. Jennings Fruit Fly Farm Donald Wheeler She Can Cry Her Tears Alone I'm So Glad You Came One Room And A Brass Bed Come A Long Share this On Facebook On Twitter Via Email More from Michael Yonkers and more from Rock And Pop View Product Quick View Michael Yonkers Microminiature Love Rock And Pop | Sub Pop | 1LP, Includes Download Code Released 5th September 2011 £12.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Michael Yonkers Microminiature Love £12.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Sub Pop SKU: SP508 Formats: 1LP, Includes Download Code Released Date: 5th September 2011 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Nap Eyes Im Bad Now (Indies Only) Rock And Pop | Jagjaguwar | 1LP, Coloured Vinyl, Includes Download Code Released 6th March 2018 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nap Eyes Im Bad Now (Indies Only) £19.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Jagjaguwar SKU: JAG318LP-C1 Formats: 1LP, Coloured Vinyl, Includes Download Code Released Date: 6th March 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Saint Etienne So Tough Rock And Pop | Heavenly | 1LP, Includes Download Code Released 25th October 2017 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Saint Etienne So Tough £19.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Heavenly SKU: HVNLP6 Formats: 1LP, Includes Download Code Released Date: 25th October 2017 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Jean-Michelle Jarre Revolutions – 30th Anniversary Edition Rock And Pop | Sony Music | 1LP, Coloured Vinyl, Includes Download Code Released 13th April 2018 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Jean-Michelle Jarre Revolutions – 30th Anniversary Edition £19.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Sony Music SKU: 19075828251 Formats: 1LP, Coloured Vinyl, Includes Download Code Released Date: 13th April 2018 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Fever Ray Radical Romantics Rock And Pop | Rabid Records | 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released 10th March 2023 £27.00 Select options Fever Ray Radical Romantics £27.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Rabid Records Formats: 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released Date: 10th March 2023 Read More Select options View Product Quick View Ry Cooder Boomer’s Story Rock And Pop | Music On Vinyl | 180g, 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released 16th August 2019 £19.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Ry Cooder Boomer’s Story £19.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Music On Vinyl SKU: MOVLP2506C Formats: 180g, 1LP, Coloured Vinyl Released Date: 16th August 2019 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Primal Scream Screamadelica (20th Anniversary Edition Box Set) Rock And Pop | Sony Music | Box Set Released 9th March 2011 £99.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Primal Scream Screamadelica (20th Anniversary Edition Box Set) £99.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Sony Music SKU: 88697811042 Formats: Box Set Released Date: 9th March 2011 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Beatles, The NME Poll Winners Concert 1964 EP Rock And Pop | 1960's Records | 7", EP/Mini Album Released 6th December 2019 £10.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Beatles, The NME Poll Winners Concert 1964 EP £10.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: 1960's Records SKU: REP038 Formats: 7", EP/Mini Album Released Date: 6th December 2019 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Nearly New View Product Quick View John Mayall Nobody Told Me Blues | Forty Below Records | 1LP Released 23rd April 2024 £20.00 Add to basket Reserve View Reservations John Mayall Nobody Told Me £20.00 Genre: Blues Label: Forty Below Records SKU: nn285482 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 23rd April 2024 Reserve View Reservations Read More Add to basket View Product Quick View Fanfarlo Rooms Filled With Light Rock And Pop | Atlantic | 1LP Released 12th March 2012 £20.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Fanfarlo Rooms Filled With Light £20.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Atlantic SKU: 7567882478 Formats: 1LP Released Date: 12th March 2012 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders View Product Quick View Mogwai Come On Die Young Rock And Pop | Chemikal Underground | 4LP, Box Set Released 31st July 2014 £54.00 Back Order View Pre/Back Orders Mogwai Come On Die Young £54.00 Genre: Rock And Pop Label: Chemikal Underground SKU: CHEM133 Formats: 4LP, Box Set Released Date: 31st July 2014 Read More Back Order View Pre/Back Orders See more in Rock And Pop Start again
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