I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass is the eleventh full-length album by American indie rock band Yo La Tengo, released on September 12, 2006 by record label Matador.
I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 12, 2006 | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | Indie rock, avant-pop[1] | |||
Length | 77:41 | |||
Label | Matador | |||
Producer | Roger Moutenot | |||
Yo La Tengo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass | ||||
|
Content
The title of the album is rumored to be a (paraphrased) quote by NBA player Tim Thomas. Sitting on the bench together during a game, Thomas was caught on tape by the MSG Network in a profane exchange with fellow Knick, point guard Stephon Marbury. Thomas yelled at Marbury, "Everyone in this organization is afraid of you, but I'm not, and I will beat your ass".[2][3]
Release
The record was released on CD and as a double LP vinyl.
A 7" single for "Mr. Tough" was released in the UK, September 4, 2006. On the B-side there is a cover of "I'm Your Puppet" by James & Bobby Purify.
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 85/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
The A.V. Club | A−[6] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[7] |
The Guardian | [8] |
Mojo | [9] |
MSN Music (Consumer Guide) | A−[10] |
NME | 6/10[11] |
Pitchfork | 8.3/10[12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
Spin | [14] |
The album has received widespread acclaim and appeared in numerous "Best of 2006" lists, including:
- a rating of 85% on Metacritic[15]
- appearing at number 13 on Metacritic's "Best of 2006" list.[16]
- appearing at number 23 on Pitchfork's "Top 50 Albums of 2006"[17]
Track listing
All songs written by Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind" | 10:47 |
2. | "Beanbag Chair" | 3:03 |
3. | "I Feel Like Going Home" | 4:14 |
4. | "Mr. Tough" | 4:06 |
5. | "Black Flowers" | 4:28 |
6. | "The Race Is on Again" | 4:37 |
7. | "The Room Got Heavy" | 5:10 |
8. | "Sometimes I Don't Get You" | 3:16 |
9. | "Daphnia" | 8:51 |
10. | "I Should Have Known Better" | 3:16 |
11. | "Watch Out for Me Ronnie" | 3:02 |
12. | "The Weakest Part" | 3:04 |
13. | "Song for Mahila" | 3:40 |
14. | "Point and Shoot" | 4:18 |
15. | "The Story of Yo La Tango" | 11:49 |
- The final track is a deliberate misspelling of the band's name — the album's CD-Text reiterating this by listing the track as "The Story of Yo La Tango", followed by the message "Yes — it should be Tango!". A recurring feature on the band's web site depicts venue marquees with various misspellings of the name.
Personnel
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound.
- Steve Herrman – trumpet ("Mr. Tough", "Black Flowers")
- Jim Hoke – saxophone ("Mr. Tough", "Watch Out for Me Ronnie")
- Bill Huber – trombone ("Beanbag Chair", "Black Flowers") and euphonium ("Black Flowers")
- David Mansfield – violin ("I Feel Like Going Home", "Black Flowers")
- Roger Moutenot – acoustic guitar ("Song for Manhila")
- Garo Yellin – cello ("Black Flowers", "Watch Out for Me Ronnie")
Art
- Cover painting: Little Pink Lady by Gary Panter
- Photos by Reuben Cox
- Inlay photo of Ira as a kid was taken by Abraham Kaplan (Ira's father)
- Inlay photo of Ira and Georgia's dog, named Sydney, was taken by Georgia
Charts
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
---|---|
French Albums (SNEP)[18] | 179 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] | 70 |
US Billboard 200[20] | 66 |
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] | 3 |
References
- Kampwirth, Kevin (December 2006). "CMJ Best of 2006". CMJ New Music Monthly (144): 26. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- Albertoni, Rich. "Beat It". ishtmus.com. Isthmus Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
- Burtch, Steve. "Burtch's top 10 of 2006". indiemusicfilter.com. Indie Music Filter. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
- "Reviews for I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass by Yo La Tengo". Metacritic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Deming, Mark. "I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass – Yo La Tengo". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Phipps, Keith (September 13, 2006). "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Hermes, Will (September 8, 2006). "I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Snow, Mat (September 8, 2006). "Yo La Tengo, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". The Guardian. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Mojo (154): 94. September 2006.
- Christgau, Robert (December 2006). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". NME: 21. September 2, 2006.
- Richardson, Mark (September 11, 2006). "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Sheffield, Rob (September 20, 2006). "I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Young, Jon (October 2006). "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Spin. 22 (10): 105. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (2006): Reviews
- "Highest and Lowest Scoring Music and Albums at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
- Pitchfork Feature: Top 50 Albums of 2006
- "Lescharts.com – Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Affraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- "Yo La Tengo | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
External links
- I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass at Discogs (list of releases)