I think that most of us would agree (or maybe not), that Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 release In The Aeroplane Over The Sea is one of the classic releases in indie-rock history and the story that followed only ads to the album’s status and curiosity.  As the album’s success thrust the band into the spotlight, singer/songwriter Jeff Magnum uncomfortable with the situation that he found himself in, began to withdraw from the public eye, eventually dissolving the band before the end of 1998. A few acoustic shows, and guest appearances is all that Magnum has managed since, and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea has seen an increase in popularity and status while selling 100,000 copies.

Merge Records just announce the availability of both Neutral Milk Hotel recordings On Avery Island and In The Aeroplane Over The Sea on 180 gm vinyl available now in the Merge store.

The Merge site also has posted these two videos claiming they are Neutral Milk Hotel performances @ The Knitting Factory in NY, but the date doesn’t coincide with the band’s tour history. The date could be wrong, or they could be rare Mangum acoustic sets. Either way, enjoyable.

Videos after the jump.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009 at 11:25 am and is filed under Releases, mp3's, not quite forgotten, recommended, video.