Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

I have read a few 33 1/3 books over the years and they area always interesting and give a more full appreciation of the albums they cover. "ITAOTS" is no exception. I grew up around the same time as Jeff and his friends, and although not a musician myself, my close friends played in bands in and around Baltimore and their early adventures resonated with me. It's good to know that such soulful, earnest music was made by a group of people who were so talented and dedicated to each other and their art. There were a couple things that I want to mention, however. There are very few references to experimentation with drugs, which I was sort of surprised with. There is one instance where Jeff is on MDMA and is musically inspired, and there is another where some of the band recall their horn player accepting a joint on more than one occasion which affected his playing. I wasn't expecting NMH to be like Led Zeppelin when it came to substance abuse, but taking into account their ages and that particular time and place (i.e. college towns, early 1990's) it is hard to believe that consumption of various substances along the way may have had a affect on their creative process and the music they made. The other is the repeated critically toned apologies of the writer when it comes to Jeff Mangum's musical profession of love for Jesus Christ on the epic 2nd track of "ITAOTS". When I first heard the song, I was struck with the lyric because one doesn't often hear Jesus name checked in rock and roll (sorry, I despise the term "alternative rock"). In the book however, it is pointed out that Jeff's upfront high regard for Jesus was met with disdain by some in the band and that it required a moderate leap of faith for some of his contemporaries to get past such an apparent outrage. Later it is brought up again that, at the time, fans of NMH had to "get past" that lyric when first hearing the album, especially those who may have been "anti-Christian" or at least something along those lines. I don't doubt that the author was documenting real occurrences and genuine reactions, but I really do find it sad that even among these open minded, creative young people a simple shout out to Jesus would be such a burden. I can't help but wonder if Jeff had instead mentioned Vishnu, Allah, or the Buddha would the reaction have been the same? I don't look to rock music to be proselytized to and the faith based contemporary music I have heard has little to recommend it, even to a Christian such as myself, but the fact remains that the people who balked at Jeff's lyric decades ago have easily become the majority voice in a popular culture that often chooses to denigrate Christianity whenever possible. I could be off the mark but it was just something that struck me while I was reading. I recommend this book without reservation!

Billed as the ultimate indie-geek dissertation on one of the seminal albums of the '90s, Kim Cooper's book is actually much more. The first portion offers an insightful overview of the Elephant 6 collective, from its childhood origins to its communal lifestyle and creative process. Casual fans will be inspired to delve deeper, and even hardcore NMH devotees will find plenty here they never knew or even considered. One minor criticism: The chapter on the actual recording process seems thrown together and lacks the narrative flow of the rest of the book. There is too much tech-speak here and not enough anecdotes. Overall, though, this is a well-researched and loving testament to a timeless album. If you cherish "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," you simply must read this book.

I found out about this series relatively recently and decided to go with this book as an introduction. It was a deliberate choice - I was vaguely familiar with the album beforehand - so I could gauge the overall effect of the book, how much I learned, how much it changed my outlook on the music It was generally very informative. Apparently this is not necessarily the "norm" for the series, but Cooper's little volume gives a moderately detailed background of the band's members, friends, and communities. You'll learn a lot about the spirits that inspired and carried the work through to completion. I would have preferred a more detailed discussion of the album's tracks themselves, but I had a good time with the reading regardless. The writing isn't great. It's sometimes overly simplistic. But then again it's a brief history and discussion and not a dramatic interpretation, so you can't really expect expressive writing. I've read that some 33 1/3 books are overly expressive or off-topic, so in retrospect I'm glad Cooper stayed focused. If you're looking for a definitive, concise take on Mangum's album, look no farther. You'll find most everything you need to know here.

The 33 1/3 series of music books has to be one of the most entertaining, inspired and informative sets of music and cultural writing ever to come out. And Neutral Milk Hotel was perhaps one of the best indy bands ever to record. So it only makes sense that a 33 1/3 book about NMH would be an amazing experience. And it is. The mastermind behind NMH, Jeff Mangum, is famously elusive and his lyrics are beautifully mysterious. So if ever an album cried out for an explanatory book to be written about it, it's "In The Aeroplane Over the Sea". Yet, at the same time, I was slightly hesitant to read this book - I'm always afraid that learning about a song's lyrics (even sometimes learning exactly what the words are) might ruin my deeply personal enjoyment of the music itself. But you needn't worry about that with this book. I came away from it appreciating NMH all the more. Kim Cooper does an excellent job of describing the unique coming together of people, places and ideas that created one of the most unusual and inspired albums of all time. I especially enjoyed learning about the other members of NMH - something that's not often talked about because of the deification of Jeff Mangum, however well-deserved. And this book does what the best books about cultural phenomena do - it demystifies its subject without ruining the wonder and beauty of the music itself. Thanks, Kim Cooper!

this book has value as a collection of details surrounding the rise and enigmatic end of the band. for fans, it is a trove of information about not just NMH but the associated E6 group also. as a book, the writing and storytelling is subpar. poorly edited and narrated, with lacks any grab for any reason than the one that drove us to buy this book. this mishmash of anecdotes is better presented on a website for free than as a 10$ book

This is a really great chronicle of the band's origins, paths crossing and diverting then merging again, and the story of the album's making and the band's short existence thereafter. I got it as part of my research for a NMH mural I made for an Athens public art project, and it was incredibly useful and engrossing. I think I read it twice in 3 months, no problem!

This was so well written and now I can tell everyone I know random facts about Neutral Milk Hotel. Really a must read for fans of the band as it does far more than just give information on the album. It gives an in-depth history with interviews and lyric analysis as well as photos.

This book is awesome because... a) It presents a meticulous history of the band's history b) The recording process of the album is discussed in full, and broken down song by song c) Nearly all of the people involved with the album and the band contribute commentary, so, you get a VERY multifaceted portrait of very REAL people d) After reading it, you will want to listen to the album several times over to pick out the subtle innuendo laced throughout...which the book talks about in depth

While this review may be a little biased, as I am a massive Neutral Milk Hotel fan, I can safely say that this book accurately, and tastefully described them, from Jeff Mangum's little quirks, to the replacements of the zanzithophones, to the stoned trombone players. There is not much to say about this book if you haven't heard the album, but if you have, be prepared to be amazed. I never knew there to be this much story behind an album, or that it was as personal to Jeff as the author, Kim Cooper describes it as. Its a whimsical journey full of ups and downs, following the near-hippie experiences of a tight-knit group of friends that just want to make something that sounds good, and my God it sounds good. Everything seems as if you were a part of the band, and simply gathering in some local venue to recount tales of old. i may have never met Jeff Mangum, and by the looks of it I never will, but this book made me not only in a sense, "befriend" him, but Laura, and Julian also. It may not be as poetic and sad as the album is, but it sure takes you through the same emotional rollercoaster.

The 33 1/3 series is clearly a major contribution to discussion of popular music - excellent contributions thus far include Joe Pernice's 'Meat is Murder', Michaelangelo Matos' 'Sign'O'the Times', Andy Miller's 'The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society' & Bill Janovitz's 'Exile on Main Street.' There are some great titles in the series I'm going to get to at some point - 'Let It Be', 'Endtroducing', 'Murmur' and upcoming books on 'Loveless', 'Daydream Nation', 'Doolittle' & 'There's a Riot Goin' On'. Clearly devoting a book to one album is a great idea and antithetical to the listy phase of things at present or the fairly brief articles these days. Though I'm not sure books on 'Abba Gold' or 'OK Computer' are particularly interesting - everything has a flaw? Kim Cooper's meticulously written book focuses on "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel, a record that surfaced in the late 1990s and became extemely culty. It is only with its reissue on Domino records last year that this cult has been addressed - its following in America is immense and it has become the kind of record websites and their cyber musings amass around. Personally the first time I heard the record I was slightly confounded, more to the seemingly cut-up lyrics which appeared to allude to WWII - I wondered if comprehending the lyrics would involve smoking something illicit and watching as much of 'The World at War' as is possible. Perhaps then things would be illuminated? So, Cooper's book is probably an ideal primer to a great record - like some books on 'Ulysses' it can help crystallise certain ideas going on here. Cooper's book isn't a conventional track-by-track analysis like the 33 1/3 on '...The Village Green Preservation Society'- it focuses on the bohemian Elephant 6 collective that included not only Neutral Milk Hotel, but other acts such as Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control Apples in Stereo & The Minders. It's a reminder of an alternative commune like scene where people are into art rather than commerce and the array of influences that stimulated the artists behind Neutral Milk Hotel: Sun Ra, Robert Wyatt, obscure Folkways recordings, Alfred Jarry, John Coltrane, Amos Tutuola, Yoko Ono, Voltaire, John Cage, Haruki Murakami ('The Wind Up Bird Chronicle'), Steve Reich, They Might Be Giants, 'Pet Sounds/the original Smile', Os Mutantes, The Kinks, Charlie Haden, Beat Happening etc. Listening to "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" this makes sense. Cooper traces the development of the conceptual band around Jeff Magnum and his colleagues, towards the NMH debut 'On Avery Island' (1996) and towards the album under focus. It's interesting to note how Magnum & co developed some of these songs live and also anecdotes like the girl who might have been the ghost of Anne Frank. Yes, Anne Frank - how does she come into this? As long-time and not that long time listeners of "In the Aeroplane..." are aware, the album is a conceptual piece centred around the tragic figure of Anne Frank who left her timeless diary to the generations that followed. 'The Diary of a Little Girl' (the definitive edition) is the other book of supportive reading that will bring this album out for the listener. Cooper then follows through the story to the point Jeff Magnum wanted no more - and NMH ceased to exist. This book celebrates one of the great albums of recent years and a cult classic with a sizeable following the world over. Probably the best book of this excellent series I've read so far... What album would I like to write a 33 1/3 on? - I'd probably plump for Swell Maps...in "Jane from Occupied Europe", Ride's 'Nowhere', Associates' 'Sulk', Dexy's 'Don't Stand Me Down', baader meinhof, Scott Walker's 'Tilt', American Music Club's 'Everclear' or Echo & the Bunnymen's 'Crocodiles'...

Uno de los mejores libros de la serie 33 1/3, pues se adentra de una manera muy completa en la historia de Jeff Mangum y Neutral Milk Hotel, Elephant 6 y toda la gente y las situaciones que ocurrieron durante la historia de la banda, sobre todo durante la grabación de In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. Hay un montón de información valiosa e interesante, tanto del album en si como de la banda en general, y de su enigmático vocalista y mente maestra. El libro cierra con un panorama detallado sobre por qué Neutral Milk Hotel no pudo continuar, narrando las dificultades de Mangum para asimilar el éxito que In the Aeroplane Over the Sea fue acumulando gradualmente, hasta ser reconocido como una obra maestra de la música indie, con una influencia mayúscula en las bandas que le siguieron. El libro tiene varias fotografías en blanco y negro de la banda y otras personas que les acompañaron en el proceso de grabación de In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

well written and comprehensive account of this great album

All you need to know about Neutral Milk Hotel and the making of In the Aeroplane into the Sea, from the genesis of the band to the recording of the album, to its aftermath. Comprehensive interviews with members of the band, friends and producers. Well written and captivating, all fans will enjoy deeply.