During the band's final years, Murphy was accompanied by Al Doyle (guitar, percussion -- also of Hot Chip), Tyler Pope (!!! / Out Hud) (bass), Nancy Whang (keyboards) and Pat Mahoney (drums). Members that played live with Murphy under the LCD Soundsystem name before this time include Phil Mossman (guitar, percussion) and Phil Skarich (bass).
LCD Soundsystem gained attention with its first single, "Losing My Edge". The song, which sounds like the boastings of a music geek put to an electronic beat, received acclaim in 2002. Murphy released a double album simply titled LCD Soundsystem in February of 2005 to critical acclaim. The first disk of the album contains new music and the second contains re-releases of songs previously released as singles. The opening track "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" entered the UK Top 40 in March 2005.
On December 8, 2005 the group received nominations for two Grammys in the Electronica category for their self-titled album and in the Dance category for "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House". This album was also chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.
In March 2007, the band released their second album entitled Sound Of Silver. The album has spawned four singles including "North American Scum", "All My Friends", "Someone Great" and "Time To Get Away". Sound Of Silver saw a move towards a more traditional song writing approach whilst still maintaining the production values of their eponymous debut effort. This has resulted in the album appearing in numerous critic's end of year lists and another Grammy nomination for best electronic/dance album of 2007.
On November 18, 2008 Al Doyle seemed to suggest in an interview with 6 Music that the band would soon be discontinued. However, the following day both Doyle and James Murphy quashed this rumor, with Murphy indicating a new LCD Soundsystem album was on the way. Murphy began recording in the summer of 2009 in Los Angeles. Possible song titles mentioned at that time included "Why Do You Hate Music?" and "Love in LA." For the 2009 Record Store Day the band released a cover of Suicide member Alan Vega's song "Bye Bye Bayou".
On February 23, 2010, the official LCD Soundsystem website announced that the album had been completed. The first single was set to be "Drunk Girls" and on March 25, a stream of the song was put on music site One Thirty BPM. The title of the album and the cover were revealed on the DFA site on March 30. The album, titled This Is Happening, was released in the UK on May 17, 2010 and in the US on May 18, 2010. Prior to the release Murphy promised that it will be "definitely better than the other two." Murphy also stated that it was likely to be the last LCD Soundsystem album.
On February 5th, 2011, Murphy announced the band's breakup, citing an interest in pursuing other projects as a record producer. The same day, the band's final performance was announced -- their biggest headlining show ever at New York's Madison Square Garden on April 2nd of 2011. In the show's controversial onsale, the arena sold out in seconds due to scalpers allegedly buying tickets in mass amounts, and denying the opportunity for most fans to buy tickets. After public outrage, the band announced four more shows at New York's Terminal 5, to take place the week before the final show at MSG.
On January 5th, 2016, James announced the band's reunion, a new album to be released 2016, and a tour, "not just playing coachella. we’re playing all over".
Official site: http://lcdsoundsystem.com
Watch the Tapes
LCD Soundsystem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
I get all confused when you mix up the dates
Whoa
Don't gimme the pretend you come for the weekend
And you stay for the week
Just to keep it oblique
We're both high high high, high high on lemon sips
We're all suh-suh-suh sucked-in-by parlour tricks
Oh the people deceive you the kids never leave
'Cause you make them at home
You try to appease them and they show you the stick
But still you pick up the phone
But hey man, you can take it
As long as they don't shove you out in the cold
It's not getting better, no it's not getting better, man
It's just getting old
Ah ooh, we do what we're programmed to do
Hey we do what we're told
Ah ooh ooh
I never remember to carry my book when I get on the bus
You never forget it's your time to collect
When they are making a fuss
We're both high high high, high high on lemon sips
We're all high high high, high high on wiggling hips
And ah ooh, you break off your plans for the weekend
And ah ohh, you can tell them the dates
But that don't mean they're letting you go
Ah ooh ooh
Go
Ah ooh ooh
Don't gimme the pretend you come for the weekend
And you stay for the year
Avoid all the plans cause we're making our day jobs
Into a steady career
We're both high high high, high high on lemon sips
We all claw claw claw, cli-climb-on to sinking ships
And ah ooh, avoid all the cold sideways glances
And ah ooh, celebrate, celebrate, celebrate
And then turn to stone
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
You turn twenty-five and now you're all out of escapes, c'mon
Hey the rock writer told me to tell you
"Though you're great and you're brave
You still lack that which makes you a star"
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
We all get a little drunk and then we act like apes
Ow
The lyrics of Watch the Tapes by LCD Soundsystem seem to criticize the music industry and the way it shapes and molds artists into marketable products. The first verse talks about reading pamphlets and watching tapes, which could be interpreted as doing research and studying the past to try and create something new. However, the confusion that the singer feels suggests that this effort may not be effective, as everything begins to blend together and lose its originality. The second verse talks about how some musicians pretend to be aloof and anti-establishment, but in reality, they pander to the system to maintain their careers. Meanwhile, the audience is also being deceived with cheap tricks and gimmicks that are designed to attract attention.
The third verse describes the struggle of trying to please everyone and failing, as the artist is torn between their desires and the expectations of others. It seems that the people in power hold all the cards, and the artist can only follow the rules or be cast out. The chorus repeats the line "read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes", as if to emphasize the futility of trying to stand out in an industry that is already saturated with talent. The final verse mentions a "rock writer" who criticizes the singer for not having that special something that makes them a star.
Overall, Watch the Tapes is a scathing critique of the music industry and its tendency to chew up and spit out artists who aren't deemed marketable enough. It suggests that the pursuit of originality and artistic integrity is often fruitless, and that success is determined more by those in power than the artists themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Educate yourself by reading and watching information from all available sources
I get all confused when you mix up the dates
I become disoriented and unsure when things are not in the proper order
Don't gimme the pretend you come for the weekend
And you stay for the week
You say that you hate it but that's how you made it
Just to keep it oblique
We're both high high high, high high on lemon sips
We're all suh-suh-suh sucked-in-by parlour tricks
Do not pretend to take a short visit when you really plan to stay longer, and try to make it mysteriously ambiguous. We are both happy and easily manipulated, as if on a high from sugary drinks, and we fall for the illusions people sell us.
Oh the people deceive you the kids never leave
'Cause you make them at home
You try to appease them and they show you the stick
But still you pick up the phone
But hey man, you can take it
As long as they don't shove you out in the cold
It's not getting better, no it's not getting better, man
It's just getting old
Ah ooh, we do what we're programmed to do
Hey we do what we're told
People will lie to you, and your children will always depend on you, even when they make unreasonable demands. You will try to please them, but will always be subject to their emotional blackmail. But if you can handle it and avoid being completely alienated, you just go along with what you're supposed to do, and what you're told.
I never remember to carry my book when I get on the bus
You never forget it's your time to collect
When they are making a fuss
We're both high high high, high high on lemon sips
We're all high high high, high high on wiggling hips
And ah ooh, you break off your plans for the weekend
And ah ohh, you can tell them the dates
But that don't mean they're letting you go
I forget my important things, while you always take advantage of opportunities to get paid, even if people are protesting. We are both euphoric, and we ignore real matters like working out and trust, but can't necessarily cancel our weekend plans or get out of out commitments.
Don't gimme the pretend you come for the weekend
And you stay for the year
Avoid all the plans cause we're making our day jobs
Into a steady career
We're both high high high, high high on lemon sips
We all claw claw claw, cli-climb-on to sinking ships
And ah ooh, avoid all the cold sideways glances
And ah ooh, celebrate, celebrate, celebrate
And then turn to stone
Don't pretend you will only stay for a short time, and then end up staying for an extended period. Avoid setting limitations, because we're trying to turn our ordinary jobs into prolonged careers. We're both high on sugary drinks, and we're both trying desperately to hold on to our slowly sinking jobs. But still, we try to pretend we don't care about people disapproving, and then we end up indifferent by celebrating until we're numb.
Hey the rock writer told me to tell you
"Though you're great and you're brave
You still lack that which makes you a star"
Hey, the music critic told me to share that, although you're talented and brave, you still lack that certain something that would make you a true success.
We all get a little drunk and then we act like apes
We all have moments of indulgence and carefree behavior.
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read all the pamphlets and watch the tapes
Read and learn as much as you can from various sources to gain knowledge and insight.
We all get a little drunk and then we act like apes
We all have moments of indulgence and carefree behavior.
You turn twenty-five and now you're all out of escapes, c'mon
At twenty-five, you may suddenly find yourself without any more escape routes or options.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: James Jeremiah Murphy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind