Yo La Tengo: Information from Answers.com

Yo La Tengo was in many respects the quintessential critics' band: in addition to its adventurous eclecticism, defiant independence, and restless creative ambition -- three qualities that virtually guarantee music press acclaim -- the group's frontman, , even tenured as a rock scribe prior to finding success as a performer. So frequently compared to that they even portrayed the legendary group in the 1996 film I Shot Andy Warhol, the Hoboken, NJ-based unit explored the extremes of feedback-driven noise rock and sweetly melodic pop, shading its work with equal parts scholarly composure and fannish enthusiasm. Prolific and mercurial, Yo La Tengo ultimately transcended its myriad influences to ensconce itself as a beloved institution of the indie community.

The core of Yo La Tengo (Spanish for the outfielder's cry of "I've got it!") was comprised of singer/guitarist and his wife, drummer/vocalist Georgia Hubley. After forming the band in 1984, they placed an advertisement seeking other musicians to round out the lineup, requesting applicants who shared their fondness for , Mission of Burma, and 's .

A number of bassists and lead guitarists passed through the band's roster during its formative years, but after bowing in late 1985 with the single "The River of Water," backed by a cover of 's "A House Is Not a Motel," Yo La Tengo's membership appeared to stabilize with the additions of guitarist and bassist Mike Lewis prior to the sessions for 1986's full-length roots pop debut, Ride the Tiger, produced by former Mission of Burma bassist Clint Conley.

However, both and Lewis exited in the wake of the record's release, leaving to assume lead guitar duties. Bassist Stephan Wichnewski signed on for 1987's New Wave Hot Dogs, a more assured outing that brought the group's obsession to the fore via a cover of the early composition "It's Alright (The Way That You Live).

" Not only did 's introverted, half-spoken vocals and buzzing guitar work closely recall , but Hubley's rock-steady drumming and breathy backing turns simultaneously conjured memories of vintage . Even better was 1989's , recorded with producer and guest bassist Gene Holder; opening with the droning squalls of the stunning "Barnaby, Hardly Working," the record spotlighted the group's sonic schizophrenia by including two Jekyll-and-Hyde versions of the track "The Evil That Men Do" -- one a gorgeous instrumental, the other a blistering feedback freakout.

returned to the fold for 1990's , a remarkable acoustic folk-pop journey through 's record collection and a virtual family tree of Yo La Tengo reference points.

A wonderfully low-key collection of covers ranging from forgotten nuggets ( ' "Oklahoma U.S.A.

," ' "You Tore Me Down," 's "Tried So Hard") to absolute obscurities (Rex Garvin the Mighty Cravers' "Emulsified," ' "The One to Cry," 's "Yellow Sarong"), also included a handful of outstanding new originals as well as luminous retakes of the previous record's "Barnaby, Hardly Working" and New Wave Hot Dogs' "Did I Tell You?" The superb That Is Yo La Tengo EP previewed 1992's , the first effort to feature permanent bassist James McNew (formerly of ). A return to noise typified by the hot-wired nine-minute feedback saga "Mushroom Cloud of Hiss," the record balanced out its extremist tendencies with the occasional sidestep into melodic beauty ("Detouring America With Horns") and infectious indie pop ("Upside-Down").

A move to the Matador label predated the release of 1993's , another winner informed by the atmospherics of shoegazer drones and dream pop. Bookended by radically opposed renditions of the track "Big Day Coming" -- the first an organ-driven mood piece, the other an edgy guitar outing -- the record pushed Yo La Tengo in a multitude of new directions, significantly expanding the trio's palette of sounds and textures. Released in 1995, Electr-O-Pura continued the progression, zigzagging from dead-on British Invasion re-creations (the sparkling "Tom Courtenay") to shimmering folk (the Hubley-sung "Pablo and Andrea") to bracing sonic experimentation ("Decora").

After 1996's , a two-disc compendium of B-sides, compilation tracks, rare singles, and unreleased material, the trio resurfaced in the spring of 1997 with I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One; followed in early 2000.

The group also performed a three-night stint as the backing band for on his 2000 U.S.

tour, and in 2002 released , a soundtrack to the undersea documentaries of French filmmaker Jean Painleve. That fall, they released the single, which featured several versions of 's epic, and that winter performed their second annual Hanukkahpalooza, an eight-night musical festival at Hoboken, NJ's Maxwell's, which also featured a special limited-edition EP of Christmas songs. Yo La Tengo released in spring 2003, and that year Georgia Hubley performed in , an avant-garde rock opera by 's .

In 2005, Matador Records paid homage to the band's 20th year as recording artists with the career-spanning compilations Prisoners of Love: A Smattering of Scintillating Senescent Songs: 1985-2003 and . The band returned the following year with the strong all-new album . ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Yo La Tengo is an band, albums released over a period of twenty years, they have demonstrated unusual longevity for the indie-rock scene.

While they are a critical favorite with a devoted fan base, they have achieved limited mainstream success.
Their name comes from a anecdote. During the 1962 season, centerfielder and shortstop found themselves colliding in the outfield.

When Ashburn went for a catch, he would scream, "I got it! I got it!" only to run into the 160-pound Chacón, who spoke only Spanish.

Ashburn learned to yell, "¡Yo la tengo! ¡Yo la tengo!" which is "I've got it" in Spanish.

In a later game, Ashburn happily saw Chacón backing off. He relaxed, positioned himself to catch the ball, and was instead run over by 200-pound leftfielder , who understood no Spanish.

However, it still irks them when they are asked the origin of the name. The band once performed a cover of the Mets theme song " " during a benefit appearance on radio station 's pledge drive. A track on I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass is called "The Story of Yo La Tango" in apparent reference to an all-too-frequent misspelling of the band's name.

and , a husband/wife duo, garage band The A-Bones throughout his tenure in Yo La Tengo) for their debut recording, "The River of Water". In was released.
Schramm and Lewis left the band, and Stephen Wichnewski joined, with Kaplan taking on the role of lead guitar.

establish the band's reputation among rock critics, though it sold poorly. ( ) continued this trend, with rave reviews yet poor sales.
Cravers, The Escorts, The Flamin' Groovies, The Scene Is Now, , , , and several songs by Yo La Tengo themselves.

( ) since. ( ), ( ) and ( ) marked a steady progression towards a sprawling, multi-faceted style, which included such disparate elements as folk, , , long instrumental noise-jams and oriented songs. was also the beginning of the band's fruitful creative relationship with producer Roger Moutenot, who has produced every subsequent Yo La Tengo album release.

During these years their cult grew and, thanks to almost constant touring and unrelenting critical praise, they became one of the most prominent American bands. They released in and in .
plays live on the New Jersey freeform radio station, , as part of its annual fundraising marathon, performing (with guitarist Bruce Bennett of A-Bones, and call in to pledge money to the station.

In 2006 the band released an album compiling performances from the marathons between 1996 and Kelly Reichardt's award-winning 2006 feature film "Old Joy." Three songs from May I Sing With Me? ("Always Something", The group collaborated with as well on the 2003 album "Wig in a Box, Songs From and March of 2005 saw the group release a 2-disc greatest hits package, entitled Prisoners of Love.

A bonus edition included a 3rd disc of rarities and unreleased tracks.
The album " " followed in September 2006.
The group provided the soundtrack to , which starred .

The film is to be released in the UK on the February 26, 2007.

The band was mentioned in a 2002 front-page headline for the satirical newspaper, ( ). They were later asked by the newspaper to perform live at a staff party, and re-enacted the events of the article at the end of their set, complete with a staged roof collapse.

The Simpsons theme that appears at the end of the episode . Actor (the voice of ) was present during the recording of the theme.

Their song "Today Is The Day" is featured on the Major League Baseball 2k6 soundtrack.

chrome now, blazin' out Yo La Tengo...