69 Love Songs: A Magnetic Fields Marathon

Sheffield musicians are being asked to cover a song each from The Magnetic Fields album 69 Love Songs to raise money for the Snowdrop Project.

"I'd like to say it came to me in some feverish dream, but unfortunately like all good ideas the internet probably influenced it," organiser Stan Skinny told Now Then. "It's not an original idea but it is one that I have long held ambitions to do in Sheffield, and thankfully we're finally making it happen."

All 69 of the album's songs will be performed live at DINA on 16 February.

Musicians who want to get involved are being asked to message the project's Facebook page with their contact details.

Released in 1999 on three CDs, the album has become a cult classic thanks to the inventive lyrics and genre explorations of writer Stephin Merritt.

"I don't know many other albums with that many tracks, and certainly that many good tracks," said Skinny when asked about the record's enduring appeal.

"It's just a brilliant pop album that has 69 songs about something we're all most familiar with - love. It really deserves a great deal more attention and for more people to discover it."

Based in Sheffield, the Snowdrop Project empowers survivors of human trafficking to live lives no longer defined by their past.

When asked to name his favourite song on the album, Skinny said that it was "very hard to pick one."

"I suppose 'The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side' has a special spot in my heart. On long car journeys alone I like to try and sing along to it. It has a particularly long note that [singer Dudley Klute] holds for about 30 seconds, and it's quite the challenge to emulate," said Skinny.

"Good luck to the person covering that. Oxygen will be on hand."

'Sheffield does 69 Love Songs' takes place at DINA on 16 February, with proceeds to the Snowdrop Project.

Sam Gregory