I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Studio album by
Yo La Tengo
ReleasedSeptember 12, 2006
Recorded2006
GenreIndie rock, avant-pop[1]
Length77:41
LabelMatador
ProducerRoger Moutenot
Yo La Tengo chronology
Summer Sun
(2003) 		I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
(2006) 		They Shoot, We Score
(2008)
Singles from I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
  1. "Mr. Tough"
    Released: October 10, 2006

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.

Content

The title of the album is rumored to be a (paraphrased) quote by NBA player Kurt 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".[a][4][5][6]

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

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic85/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The A.V. ClubA−[9]
Entertainment WeeklyA[10]
The Guardian[11]
Mojo[12]
MSN Music (Consumer Guide)A−[13]
NME6/10[14]
Pitchfork8.3/10[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
Spin[17]

The album has received widespread acclaim and appeared in numerous "Best of 2006" lists, including:

  • a rating of 85% on Metacritic[18]
  • appearing at number 13 on Metacritic's "Best of 2006" list.[19]
  • appearing at number 23 on Pitchfork's "Top 50 Albums of 2006"[20]

Track listing

All songs written by Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan and James McNew.

No.TitleLength
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!". [citation needed] 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 Mahila")
  • 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)[21] 179
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 70
US Billboard 200[23] 66
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)[23] 3

Notes

  1. ^ Some contemporary sources attributed the quote to Knick Tim Thomas instead.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Kampwirth, Kevin (December 2006). "CMJ Best of 2006". CMJ New Music Monthly (144): 26. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  2. ^ Albertoni, Rich (12 April 2007). "Beat It". ishtmus.com. Isthmus Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  3. ^ Burtch, Steve. "Burtch's top 10 of 2006". indiemusicfilter.com. Indie Music Filter. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  4. ^ Jarnow, Jesse (2012-06-05). Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-58868-0.
  5. ^ Forde, Mike (2005-02-24). "Kurt Tweaks Marbury". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  6. ^ Isola, Frank (2005-02-04). "Kurt, Knicks Showing Fight". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  7. ^ "Reviews for I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass by Yo La Tengo". Metacritic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Deming, Mark. "I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass – Yo La Tengo". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Mojo (154): 94. September 2006.
  13. ^ Christgau, Robert (December 2006). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  14. ^ "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". NME: 21. September 2, 2006.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Sheffield, Rob (September 20, 2006). "I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (2006): Reviews
  19. ^ "Highest and Lowest Scoring Music and Albums at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
  20. ^ Pitchfork Feature: Top 50 Albums of 2006
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Affraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ a b "Yo La Tengo | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 29, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2017.