Yo La Tengo Collection Coming In March

Matador will release a compilation spanning the career of art-rock heroes Yo La Tengo on March 22. Titled Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintilliating Senescent Songs, 1984-2003, the upcoming collection will be available as both a specially priced two-CD set and as a limited edition triple CD. Smattering features early rare singles, previously unreleased tracks and, of course, longtime Yo La Tengo favorites.

The compilation — which includes liner notes from writer/poet Byron Coley — brings together songs from such early albums as 1987's New Wave Hot Dog and 1989's President Yo La Tengo, their 1993 Matador debut, Painful, and I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, the 1997 release many claim is their best album.

Husband and wife Ira Kaplan (singer/guitarist) and Georgia Hubley (drummer/vocalist) formed Yo La Tengo in 1984. After a few years of rotating bassists, the Hoboken, N.J. group finally settled permanently with bassist James McNew in 1992.

In their early days, Yo La Tengo couldn't shake Velvet Underground comparisons. They later ventured into a variety of sonic experiments and came out with an eclectic, punk-inspired, but decidedly more quirky pop-rock sound all their own, receiving loads of critical acclaim in the interim.

The full track listing can be found at the Matador site. — Jenny Tatone [Monday, January 3, 2005]