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
Released	September 12, 2006
Recorded	2006
Genre	Indie rock
Length	77:41
Label	Matador
Producer	Roger 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
"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 Tim 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".^[1][2]

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 4th 2006. On the B-side there is a cover of "I'm Your Puppet" from James & Bobby Purify.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The A.V. Club	A−[5]
Entertainment Weekly	A[6]
The Guardian	[7]
Mojo	[8]
MSN Music	A−[9]
NME	6/10[10]
Pitchfork Media	8.3/10[11]
Rolling Stone	[12]
Spin	[13]

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

• a rating of 85% on Metacritic^[14]
• appearing at number 13 on Metacritic's "Best of 2006" list.^[15]
• appearing at number 23 on Pitchfork's "Top 50 Albums of 2006"^[16]

Track listing

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

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!". 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 Manhila")
• 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.

References

1. Albertoni, Rich. "Beat It". ishtmus.com. Isthmus Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
2. Burtch, Steve. "Burtch's top 10 of 2006". indiemusicfilter.com. Indie Music Filter. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
3. "Reviews for I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass by Yo La Tengo". Metacritic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
4. Deming, Mark. "I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass – Yo La Tengo". AllMusic. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
5. 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.
6. Hermes, Will (September 8, 2006). "I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
7. 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.
8. "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Mojo (154): 94. September 2006.
9. Christgau, Robert (December 2006). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
10. "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". NME: 21. September 2, 2006.
11. Richardson, Mark (September 11, 2006). "Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
12. Sheffield, Rob (September 20, 2006). "I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
13. 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.
14. Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (2006): Reviews
15. "Highest and Lowest Scoring Music and Albums at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
16. Pitchfork Feature: Top 50 Albums of 2006

External links

• I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass at Discogs (list of releases)