A Century of Song

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2004 box set by La Musique Populaire

A Century of Song

Box set by

La Musique Populaire

Released| November 15, 2004 (2004-11-15)[1]
Recorded| 1999–2003
Studio| Eckhouse 2000, Evanston
Genre| Rock, chamber pop
Length| 7:29:19
Label| Polyholiday
Producer| La Musique Populaire
La Musique Populaire chronology
| Love Conquers Alda
(2003)  | A Century of Song
(2004)  |

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|

A Century of Song is a 6-CD box set by La Musique Populaire. As the title suggests, A Century of Song is a chronological overview of songs from the 20th century. Recorded from 1999 to 2003, the songs were originally available for download from their website[2] Eschewing the canonical choices that would define such a chronology, LMP recorded songs ranging from the Tin Pan Alley of the turn of the century, to rap, alternative rock and dance music at the century. As such, A Century of Songs covers a multitude of genres, including plunderphonics, krautrock, happy hardcore and country.

The songs were eventually collected in a six CD-R disc box set, limited to 100 editions worldwide.[2]

Reviews were generally positive, but some expressed bafflement at the selection of songs and the disparate styles used.

## Recording

[edit]

With the release of their EP Aunt Canada in 1996, LMP had attempted to expand their sound. Band members Ryan Bassler and Eric Haugen felt that, far from making their own Pet Sounds, they compromised their perfectionism with budgetary concerns, technical and personal limitation. Coupled with interpersonal conflicts and a simultaneous non-existent and hostile reception in their native Champaign, Illinois, LMP settled in Evanston, a suburb north of Chicago, in 1999. The move also parsed what was a 22-person pop orchestra to core members Bassler and Haugen. In their new recording space, which they called "Eckhouse 2000", they decided to shelve current projects for a new project.[3][4]

In a 2005 interview with Italian web magazine Indipop.it, Haugen said that A Century of Song was the band's attempt at "to explore a lot of different avenues of pop music and ultimately discover our own sound."[5] This was inspired from his and Bessler's interest in constructing personas, which they refer to as "fake authenticity", alongside new band names, recording locations, and imaginary personnel." Haugen lists song poem producer Rodd Keith as an inspiration to the project as the breadth, along with limited time, meant that "the aim was simply to make a finished recording as quickly as possible, and then move on to the next."[6]

Originally planned for a six-week recording schedule, it ended up taking 18 months.[4] Starting in 1999, LMP posted their progress as MP3s on their official website. After uploading the final song in 2001, they moved to other projects, which included EPs The New Body Language and Meeting Up and Making Friends, and their debut album Love Conquers Alda.[4] Because of fan demand however, LMP decided to release the sessions as a box set.[6]

## Composition

[edit]

As a chronology of music in the 20th century, LMP selected several songs that exemplified the time period. Songs such as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "She May Call You Up Tonight" were covered in a straightforward fashion, which critic Douglas Wolk calls it covers "done in the style of... LMP themselves."[7] However, the bulk of the album is made up of radical departures from their original forms, with songs of one genre transposed to another. "You'll Never Walk Alone" is composed as a sound collage, inspired by John Oswald, cutting in snippets of songs to form the lyrics.[6] Hits of '69" is a stylistic cover of the Stars on 45, as a pastiche of the form and as a medley of songs of that year.[8] An exception is "C' Howard's Gum Has the Power of Taste, an original song in the style of radio commercials of the fifties.[9]

## Release

[edit]

When recording on A Century of Song ended in 2002, LMP planned on releasing the set in December of that year. Because of production delays, LMP decided to postpone the release to another date.[10] By November 2003, the box set was still delayed, but by March 2004, it was moved to April 20 of that year. The reason given was a break from recording and moving to another studio space in Chicago.[11][12][4] Eventually A Century of Song was finally released to online orders in November 2004.[13]

Each box set came with six CD-Rs; discs one through five contained the original project, and the sixth bonus materials, including outtakes, remixes, and other unreleased materials. They came with 132 pages of liner notes, both enclosed in hand-made plastic boxes.[1][2]

## Reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [14]

Critical reception of A Century of Song was positive, applauding LMP for their inventive covers of pop songs. Michaelangelo Matos of The Village Voice said that what LMP "lack in suavity and flair they make up for with sheer doggedness and idea mongering."[8] Douglas Wolk of Seattle Weekly had the same sentiment that, despite the lack of polish, "it sounds like everyone's having a great time."[7] Much of the negative criticism was levied at the nature of the box set's release, with Greg Adams of Allmusic stating that it was disappointing "that more people won't hear it."[14]

## Track listing

[edit]

Disc 1: 1900-1922No.| Title| Writer(s)| Original artist| Length

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1.| "A Bird in a Gilded Cage (1900)"| Arthur J. Lamb, Harry Von Tilzer| Arthur J. Lamb, Harry Von Tilzer| 2:20
2.| "She's Getting Mo' Like the White Folks Every Day (1901)"| George Walker, Bert Williams| George Walker, Bert Williams| 3:13
3.| "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? (1902)"| Hughie Cannon| Hughie Cannon| 6:42
4.| "Sweet Adeline (1903)"| Harry Armstrong, Richard Husch Gerard| Harry Armstrong, Richard Husch Gerard| 3:38
5.| "Humming Chorus (1904)"| Giacomo Puccini| Giacomo Puccini| 3:05
6.| "My Gal Sal (1905)"| Paul Dresser| Paul Dresser| 2:28
7.| "You're a Grand Old Flag (1906)"| George M. Cohan| George M. Cohan| 2:46
8.| "ZIZ (1907)"| Alfred Feltman| Alfred Feltman| 2:50
9.| "Shine On Harvest Moon (1908)"| Nora Bayes, Jack Norworth| Nora Bayes, Jack Norworth| 2:52
10.| "By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1909)"| Gus Edwards, Edward Madden| Lillian Lorraine| 2:24
11.| "Come Josephine in My Flying Machine (1910)"| Alfred Bryan, Fred Fisher| Blanche Ring| 3:07
12.| "Alexander's Ragtime Band (1911)"| Irving Berlin| Collins & Harlan| 2:51
13.| "Get On the Raft With Taft (1912)"| Abe Holzmann, Harry D. Kerr| Abe Holzmann, Harry D. Kerr| 1:14
14.| "He'd Have to Get Under - Get Out and Get Under - to Fix Up His Automobile (1913)"| Maurice Abrahams, Grant Clarke, Edgar Leslie| Adele Ritchie| 2:50
15.| "St. Louis Blues (1914)"| W. C. Handy| W. C. Handy| 4:19
16.| "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile (1915)"| Felix Powell, George Henry Powell| Felix Powell, George Henry Powell| 2:00
17.| "Where Did Robinson Crusoe Go With Friday on Saturday Night? (1916)"| Sam M. Lewis, George W. Meyer, Joe Young| Sam M. Lewis, George W. Meyer, Joe Young| 5:35
18.| "Tiger Rag (1917)"| Harry DeCosta, Eddie Edwards, Nick LaRocca, Henry Ragas, Tony Sbarbaro| The Original Dixieland Jazz Band| 1:44
19.| "K-K-K-Katy (1918)"| Geoffrey O'Hara| Billy Murray| 4:29
20.| "Alice Blue Gown (1919)"| Joseph McCarthy, Harry Tierney| Edith Day| 2:32
21.| "Look For the Silver Lining (1920)"| Buddy DeSylva, Jerome Kern| Marilyn Miller| 3:38
22.| "Kitten On the Keys (1921)"| Zez Confrey| Zez Confrey| 1:54
23.| "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate (1922)"| Armand J. Piron| Armand J. Piron| 2:16
Total length:| 1:10:47

Disc 2: 1923-1939No.| Title| Writer(s)| Original artist| Length

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1.| "Charleston (1923)"| James P. Johnson, Cecil Mack| James P. Johnson, Cecil Mack| 4:11
2.| "Fascinating Rhythm (1924)"| George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin| George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin| 5:01
3.| "Sweet Georgia Brown (1925)"| Ben Bernie, Kenneth Casey, Maceo Pinkard| Ben Bernie| 7:21
4.| "Baby Face (1926)"| Harry Akst, Benny Davis| Harry Akst, Benny Davis| 3:37
5.| "Ain't She Sweet? (1927)"| Milton Ager, Jack Yellen| Milton Ager, Jack Yellen| 3:07
6.| "I'd Rather Be Dead and Buried in My Grave (1928)"| Bob Fuller| Bessie Smith| 3:47
7.| "Tiptoe Through the Tulips (1929)"| Joe Burke, Al Dubin| Nick Lucas| 3:45
8.| "Exactly Like You (1930)"| Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh| Gertrude Lawrence and Harry Richman| 4:33
9.| "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (1931)"| Mort Dixon, Billy Rose, Harry Warren| Fanny Brice| 10:53
10.| "Isn't it Romantic? (1932)"| Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers| Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald| 4:19
11.| "Carioca (1933)"| Edward Eliscu, Gus Kahn, Vincent Youmans| Movita Castaneda, Alice Gentle, and Etta Moten| 3:20
12.| "Anything Goes (1934)"| Cole Porter| Cole Porter| 3:40
13.| "Sunday Afternoon Music (1935)"| Aaron Copland| Aaron Copland| 2:00
14.| "At the Codfish Ball (1936)"| Sidney Mitchell, Lew Pollack| Shirley Temple| 5:01
15.| "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (1937)"| George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin| Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers| 3:26
16.| "Back in the Saddle Again (1938)"| Gene Autry, Ray Whitley| Gene Autry| 2:23
17.| "We'll Meet Again (1939)"| Hughie Charles, Ross Parker| Vera Lynn| 4:01
Total length:| 1:14:25

Disc 3: 1940-1959No.| Title| Writer(s)| Original artist| Length

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1.| "You Are My Sunshine (1940)"| Jimmie Davis, Charles Mitchell| Jimmie Davis| 3:12
2.| "Chattanooga Choo-Choo (1941)"| Mack Gordon, Harry Warren| Glenn Miller and His Orchestra| 3:46
3.| "Don't Get Around Much Anymore (1942)"| Duke Ellington, Bob Russell| Duke Ellington| 3:13
4.| "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year (1943)"| Frank Loesser| Deanna Durbin| 7:22
5.| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944)"| Ralph Blane, Hugh Martin| Judy Garland| 4:47
6.| "You'll Never Walk Alone (1945)"| Rodgers and Hammerstein| Rodgers and Hammerstein| 1:51
7.| "La Vie En Rose (1946)"| Louiguy, Marguerite Monnot, Édith Piaf| Édith Piaf| 2:57
8.| "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette) (1947)"| Merle Travis, Tex Williams| Tex Williams| 3:29
9.| "Boogie Chillen (1948)"| John Lee Hooker| John Lee Hooker| 2:18
10.| "Music! Music! Music! (1949)"| Bernie Baum, Stephan Weiss| Teresa Brewer| 3:14
11.| "C. Howard's Gum Has the Power of Taste (1950)"| Ryan Bassler, Eric Haugen|  | 0:20
12.| "Unforgettable (1951)"| Irving Gordon| Nat King Cole| 3:31
13.| "The Family Who Prays (1952)"| Charlie Louvin, Ira Louvin| The Louvin Brothers| 3:24
14.| "Siamese Cat Song (1953)"| Sonny Burke, Peggy Lee| Peggy Lee| 3:42
15.| "Mr. Sandman (1954)"| Pat Ballard| The Chordettes| 2:20
16.| "Singin' the Blues (1955)"| Melvin Endsley| Marty Robbins| 2:56
17.| "I Could Have Danced All Night (1956)"| Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe| Julie Andrews| 3:14
18.| "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (1957)"| James Faye "Roy" Hall, Dave "Curlee" Williams| Jerry Lee Lewis| 4:04
19.| "Yakety Yak (1958)"| Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller| The Coasters| 2:26
20.| "So What (1959)"| Miles Davis| Miles Davis| 3:09
Total length:| 1:05:15

Disc 4: 1960-1981No.| Title| Writer(s)| Original artist| Length

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1.| "Will You Love Me Tomorrow? (1960)"| Gerry Goffin, Carole King| The Shirelles| 3:55
2.| "Hello Mary Lou (1961)"| Cayet Mangiaracina, Gene Pitney| Ricky Nelson| 3:00
3.| "Cranberry Bog (1962)"| Rose Marie McCoy & Beverly Ross| Hayley Mills| 1:49
4.| "Dead Presidents (1963)"| Willie Dixon, Billy "The Kid" Emerson| Little Walter| 3:33
5.| "Downtown (1964)"| Tony Hatch| Petula Clark| 3:18
6.| "Do the Freddie (1965)"| Lou Courtney, Dennis Lambert| Freddie and the Dreamers| 2:17
7.| "Here Comes My Baby (1966)"| Cat Stevens| The Tremeloes| 2:49
8.| "She May Call You Up Tonight (1967)"| Michael Brown, Steve Martin Caro| The Left Banke| 2:10
9.| "Everyday People (1968)"| Sly Stone| Sly and the Family Stone| 2:24
10.| "Hits of '69 (1969)"| Various| Various| 9:32
11.| "Are You Ready? (1970)"| Charlie Allen, John Hill| Pacific Gas & Electric| 4:33
12.| "Maria Bethânia (1971)"| Caetano Veloso| Caetano Veloso| 7:30
13.| "Theme From Deep Throat (1972)"| Unknown| Unknown| 3:08
14.| "Touch Me in the Morning (1973)"| Michael Masser Ron Miller| Diana Ross| 4:24
15.| "Good Times (1974)"| Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Dave Grusin| Jim Gilstrap and Blinky Williams| 2:20
16.| "'39 (1975)"| Brian May| Queen (band)| 4:05
17.| "Gonna Fly Now (1976)"| Carol Connors, Bill Conti, Ayn Robbins| Bill Conti| 2:47
18.| "Sound and Vision (1977)"| David Bowie| David Bowie| 4:24
19.| "Hybrid Moments (1978)"| Glenn Danzig| The Misfits| 2:12
20.| "You Can't Change That (1979)"| Ray Parker Jr.| Raydio| 2:58
21.| "Xanadu (1980)"| Jeff Lynne| Olivia Newton-John and Electric Light Orchestra| 3:30
22.| "Feelin' Good (1981)"| Jill Gallina| Jill Gallina| 2:51
Total length:| 1:19:29

Disc 5: 1982-2001No.| Title| Writer(s)| Original artist| Length

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1.| "Nobody (1982)"| Kye Fleming, Dennis Morgan| Sylvia| 4:38
2.| "Faithfully (1983)"| Jonathan Cain| Journey| 2:57
3.| "I Want to Know What Love Is (1984)"| Mick Jones| Foreigner| 5:33
4.| "We Built This City (1985)"| Dennis Lambert, Martin Page, Bernie Taupin, Peter Wolf| Starship| 3:27
5.| "If You Leave (1986)"| Martin Cooper, Paul Humphreys, Andy McCluskey| Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark| 2:18
6.| "Pop Goes the World (1987)"| Ivan Doroschuk| Men Without Hats| 2:28
7.| "Children's Story (1988)"| Slick Rick| Slick Rick| 3:58
8.| "Happy Birthday (1989)"| Johnette Napolitano| Concrete Blonde| 2:05
9.| "Sadeness, Part I (1990)"| Michael Cretu, Fabrice Cuitad, Frank Peterson| Enigma| 4:39
10.| "Nothing Else Matters (1991)"| James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich| Metallica| 6:42
11.| "Love U More (1992)"| Paul Carnell, Lucia Holm| Sunscreem| 3:50
12.| "Lucas With the Lid Off (1993)"| Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed, Lasse Jensen, Zany King, Lucas Secon| Lucas| 4:33
13.| "La Chica del Apartamento 512 (1994)"| Samuel "Sammy" Morales, A.B. Quintanilla, Ricky Vela| Selena| 2:51
14.| "Only Happy When it Rains (1995)"| Duke Erikson, Shirley Manson, Steve Marker, Butch Vig| Garbage| 3:21
15.| "If It Makes You Happy (1996)"| Sheryl Crow, Jeff Trott| Sheryl Crow| 4:58
16.| "Chan Chan (1997)"| Compay Segundo| Buena Vista Social Club| 4:22
17.| "Aquarius (1998)"| Marcus Eoin, Michael Sandison| Boards of Canada| 5:07
18.| "Unpretty (1999)"| Dallas Austin, Tionne Watkins| TLC| 4:56
19.| "A Century of Song (2000)"| Bassler, Haugen|  | 3:23
20.| "Does Anyone Remember A Century of Song? (2001)"| Bassler, Haugen|  | 2:28
Total length:| 1:18:34

Disc 6: Holus-bolusNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Length

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1.| "Back to A Century of Song (2002)"| Bassler, Haugen| 1:38
2.| "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? (Scratchbox Demo Edit)"|  | 2:17
3.| "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? (Edit)"|  | 3:35
4.| "Sweet Adeline (Alternate Vocal Edit)"|  | 1:23
5.| "You're a Grand Old Flag (Outtake Version Edit)"|  | 1:32
6.| "ZIZ (First Section Uncut)"|  | 1:47
7.| "ZIZ (Second Section Uncut)"|  | 1:32
8.| "Charleston (Scratchbox Demo Edit)"|  | 2:29
9.| "Sweet Georgia Brown (Edit)"|  | 3:47
10.| "Sweet Georgia Brown (Bonus Beats)"|  | 1:22
11.| "Ain't She Sweet (Edit)"|  | 2:35
12.| "I'd Rather Be Dead and Buried in My Grave (Alternate Vocal)"|  | 4:21
13.| "Tiptoe Through the Tulips (Scratchbox Demo)"|  | 0:53
14.| "Anything Goes (Part 2)"|  | 0:42
15.| "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (First Vocal Take)"|  | 0:35
16.| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Outtake Version)"|  | 2:51
17.| "Music! Music! Music! (Jackass Track Edit)"|  | 1:20
18.| "Twisted (1950 Outtake Edit)"|  | 0:46
19.| "The Family Who Prays (Scratch Vocal Take)"|  | 2:07
20.| "Mr. Sandman (Vocal Version)"|  | 2:26
21.| "Hello Mary Lou (Duh Hey Mix)"|  | 0:53
22.| "Theme From Deep Throat (Jackass Track Edit)"|  | 0:43
23.| "Good Times (Original Mix)"|  | 3:19
24.| "The Rose (1979 outtake)"|  | 3:22
25.| "Xanadu (Vocal Session Montage)"|  | 2:50
26.| "Xanadub"|  | 3:35
27.| "Nobody (Original Mix Edit)"|  | 0:45
28.| "We Built This City (Intro Vocals)"|  | 0:18
29.| "We Built This City (Full Version)"|  | 4:01
30.| "We Built This City (Farm Report)"|  | 0:19
31.| "I Remember You (1989 Outtake)"|  | 5:13
32.| "Unpretty (Edit)"|  | 3:49
33.| "A Century of Song (Demo Edit)"|  | 1:11
34.| "Does Anyone Remember A Century of Song? (Scratchbox Demo)"|  | 2:38
35.| "Century Megamix"|  | 7:55
Total length:| 1:20:49

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "LMP (la musique populaire)". LMP records (Discography). Internet Archive: Polyholiday Records. Archived from the original on 26 April 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
2. ^ a b c "Polyholiday Catalog: LMP - A Century of Song cdrbox". LMP 'A Century of Song' 6-cdrbox. Internet Archive: Polyholiday Records. Archived from the original on 7 February 2006. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
3. ^ Adams, Greg (15 March 2014). "Music Weird interviews LMP (La Musique Populaire)". Music Weird. Internet Archive: Blogger. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
4. ^ a b c d "LMP history". LMP (la musique populaire). Internet Archive: Polyholiday. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
5. ^ Patti, Salvatore (February 2005). "Indiepop.it: Would-Be-Goods Interview". Indiepop.it. Internet Archive: Indiepop.it. Archived from the original on 26 February 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
6. ^ a b c Griffey, Mark (17 January 2005). "J U N K M E D I A :: A Century of Song". Internet Archive: Junkmedia Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 May 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
7. ^ a b Wolk, Douglas (5–11 January 2005). "Raiding the 20th Century". Seattle Weekly. Internet Archive: Seattle Weekly and Sound Publishing, Inc. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
8. ^ a b Matos, Michaelangelo (16 May 2005). "100 Years of Solitude Climax With Stars on 45 Partying Like It's 1969". The Village Voice. Internet Archive: Village Voice Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 June 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
9. ^ Burch, Edward. "Pamphlet :: Music". LMP - A Century of Song - Love Conquers Alda. Internet Archive: Pamphlet Press. Archived from the original on 14 May 2005. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
10. ^ LMP (La Musique Populaire) (23 December 2002). "a century of delays". LMP bla (News). Internet Archive: LMP (La Musique Populaire). Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
11. ^ Bassler, Ryan (20 November 2003). "record heartbreaking". LMP bla (News). Internet Archive: LMP (La Musique Populaire). Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
12. ^ Haugen, Eric (30 March 2004). "unfinished business". LMP bla (News). archive.today: LMP (La Musique Populaire). Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
13. ^ "Le Centurybox". LMP bla (News). Internet Archive: LMP (La Musique Populaire). Archived from the original on 22 November 2004. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
14. ^ a b Adams, Greg. "A Century of Songs - La Musique Populaire - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". Allmusic. Netaktion LLC. Retrieved 5 July 2020.

*[No.]: Number