The Wayward Bus (album)

The Wayward Bus
Studio album by The Magnetic Fields
Released	1992
Genre	Indie pop [1] synth-pop [1] symphonic pop [1] pop rock [1]
Length	28:39
Label	PoPuP, Merge
Producer	Stephin Merritt
The Magnetic Fields chronology
Distant Plastic Trees (1991) The Wayward Bus (1992) The House of Tomorrow (1992)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B+ [3]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	7/10 [4]

The Wayward Bus is the second studio album by American indie pop band The Magnetic Fields, released in 1992 by the band's own label, PoPuP Records. ^[5]

As with the band's first release, Distant Plastic Trees , Susan Anway sings lead vocals on The Wayward Bus. The Wayward Bus is the last album featuring Anway, as she left the band to move interstate; ^[6] Stephin Merritt subsequently assumed vocal duties. ^{[7] [8]}

Merritt composed all of the album's songs but collaborated with a number of other musicians in recording the album, and they play various acoustic instruments. The Wayward Bus is unlike Distant Plastic Trees in this regard; the earlier album was synthesiser-based, and this synthesised instrumentation was performed exclusively by Merritt. ^[7]

Merritt acknowledged the influence of Phil Spector on the first half of the album: "It's a comment about Phil Spector songs. The second half is whatever I had lying around. Most people listen just to the first half of the record and assume it's all like that, a Phil Spector tribute or something, which it really isn't." ^[9]

The front cover was painted by Wendy Smith, the girlfriend of Stuart Moxham from Young Marble Giants,^{[ citation needed ]} and the title of the album is taken from the John Steinbeck novel The Wayward Bus .^{[ citation needed ]}

Release

In 1994, The Wayward Bus was released by Merge Records in a compilation with the band's first album, Distant Plastic Trees. ^[7] In 2016, Merge reissued this compilation as a double LP set. ^[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Stephin Merritt.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"When You Were My Baby"	2:43
2.	"The Saddest Story Ever Told"	2:12
3.	"Lovers from the Moon"	2:52
4.	"Candy"	2:32
5.	"Tokyo Á Go-Go"	3:12
6.	"Summer Lies"	2:59
7.	"Old Orchard Beach"	2:54
8.	"Jeremy"	3:01
9.	"Dancing in Your Eyes"	2:56
10.	"Suddenly There Is a Tidal Wave"	3:18

Personnel

• Stephin Merritt  – songwriting, instrumentation and production
• Claudia Gonson  – cocktail drums
• Sam Davol  – cello

Additional personnel

• Susan Anway – vocals
• Johny Blood – tuba, horns
• Wendy Smith – album cover

References

1. Unterberger, Richie (2003). "The Magnetic Fields". In Buckley, Peter (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. pp. 630–631. ISBN   978-1-84353-105-0.
2. Orens, Geoff. "The Wayward Bus – Magnetic Fields". AllMusic . Retrieved February 22, 2016.
3. Christgau, Robert (2000). "Magnetic Fields: The Wayward Bus". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s . Macmillan Publishers. ISBN   0-312-24560-2 . Retrieved February 22, 2016.
4. Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide . Vintage Books. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
5. "First two Magnetic Fields albums to be released on vinyl for the first time". The House of Tomorrow. September 28, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
6. Holiday - The Magnetic Fields | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic , retrieved December 15, 2021
7. Caldwell, Rob (December 21, 2016). "The Magnetic Fields: The Wayward Bus / Distant Plastic Trees (Reissue), PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
8. Minsker, Evan (September 9, 2021). "Susan Anway, the Magnetic Fields' First Singer, Has Died". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
9. "Stephin Merritt". The A.V. Club . June 4, 1997.