From: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org (avalon-digest) To: avalon-digest@smoe.org Subject: avalon-digest V9 #287 Reply-To: avalon@smoe.org Sender: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-avalon-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk avalon-digest Tuesday, November 9 2004 Volume 09 : Number 287 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [AVALON] Triptych etc. [LottieStreeter2@cs.com] To leave the list, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon-digest ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Nov 2004 07:25:02 EST From: LottieStreeter2@cs.com Subject: [AVALON] Triptych etc. J writes : I'd be interested in any discussion on this song in particular and Ferry's religious beliefs... I believe he is Anglican....he has said in interviews that he likes the "ceremony and ritual". Don't know much beyond that, his being an intensely private person would make him unlikely to discuss his spirituality in interviews. Roxy never seemed to me to be a band with Religion high on the agenda so Triptych seems a very weird piece to include on the Country Life lp, especially given the infamous cover art..... It is an interesting contrast, isn't it? Well I'm not sure about religion, but morally speaking, they all seem like "family" men to me. They were never one of those bands with groupies all over the place... Was he doing 'a Bush' and using Religion as a way to break into the US market? I definitely don't think so, most Americans would not associate Gregorian chant with religion as they know it, anyway. What about Psalm? Now there's an extremely religious song, a gospel song, really. From this, I would gather that Ferry must have deep religious convictions. And of course he did Amazing Grace on Taxi too, dedicating the album to his mother.... However, I don't think adding a religious song, or even a gospel song, makes a shred of difference in an album's popularity in America. Americans expect a high level of morality and good example from those in leadership positions, but not from their rock stars. Look at the amazing popularity of the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elton John, Aerosmith, all known to have led decadent lives... I continue to wonder why it is that Roxy never caught on with mainstream America, just the "cognoscenti". Virginia Plain, their first big hit, sounds a bit rockabilly, which should have had broad appeal, but I have to conclude that it's Ferry's vocal inflections and stream-of-consciousnessness lyrics, delivered in a sardonic manner, that would trip most Americans up. I also think the glam outfits would have thrown people, they looked right on androgynous types like Bowie but arguably not on our boys, who are all straight and masculine-looking. Jagger would dress and dance in a downright effeminate manner, however Keith Richards' driving guitar riffs, combined with Jagger's voice and lyrics of a truck-driver, caused everyone to make allowances. Hey, who really ever knows? Interesting to discuss, though....(-; ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe avalon ------------------------------ End of avalon-digest V9 #287 **************************** ======================================================================== For further info, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info avalon-digest