LD Beghtol
LD Beghtol, known lovingly as "Uncle LD," was an American art director, musician, and writer. He is best known in the music industry for being a singer on 69 Love Songs as well as writing the 33 1/3 field guide for the album. Beghtol was born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was a founding member of the experimental pop ground Flare, a death-pop outfit called LD & the New Criticism, and the music collective Moth Wranglers. Stephin described LD as "a friend of a friend of Claudia's who was in the acoustic goth band Flare. I liked their song "Celebrate The Misery" and I did a remix of it and we became friends. He can sing in ways that I can't." He went on to serve as a designer, art director, and writer for publications such as The Village Voice, Time Out, and chickfactor. Beghtol unfortunately passed away at the age of 55 in December of 2020.
Shirley Simms
Shirley Simms has been collaborating with Magnetic Fields members long before she officially joined the band. She and Stephin were the founding members of the studio project Buffalo Rome that transformed into the Magnetic Fields with the help of Claudia Gonson. Even before that, Simms collaborated with Gonson and Therese Bellino in Boston in the group Lazy Susan. Despite these past projects, Simms didn't actually appear on a Magnetic Fields album until working as a guest vocalist for 69 Love Songs. She didn't appear on an album again until Distortion in 2008 but has been a member of the band ever since. Stephin Merritt has stated repeatedly that “Shirley is the best living pop singer.”
Dudley Klute
Dudley Klute is a Manhattan-based vocalist and songwriter originally from the Boston area. He is best known for his work on 69 Love Songs, as well as working with Belgian musician Jean-Marc Lederman as new wave band Kid Montana. Klute also collaborated with LD Beghtol and Stephin Merritt on a live-only trio called The Three Terrors. Merritt has expressed admiration for Dudley's voice, comparing him to Colin Blunstone of The Zombies.