From: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org (basia-digest) To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V4 #53 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Sender: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. basia-digest Saturday, February 27 1999 Volume 04 : Number 053 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Basia songs we love to hate... or hate to admit we love ["Brian Cundi] Re: Clear Horizon [Gorskiceap@aol.com] Re: Waters of March ["Leslie Brown" ] Re: Basia songs we love to hate... or hate to admit we love ["Leslie Brow] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 21:32:47 +0900 From: "Brian Cundieff" Subject: Re: Basia songs we love to hate... or hate to admit we love From: Leslie Brown Date: Thursday, February 25, 1999 01:44 >I'm suprised to hear that! I mean, TSI was in the top 10 there, at least >#6 I think! Wow, bummer. Japan loves idol singers, but thousands have come and gone. I imagine the vast majority are forgotten quickly, especially those who only produce new material ever four or five years. >As in the United States.... gee, if it were 1990 I wonder if that would >be thae case... Probably. Although I was still hearing her occasionally on top 40 stations in Dallas as late as 1988-89. >Yeah, some of them made you kinda wonder. Like Promises, that song makes >little sense to me, but it works well with the music. Frankly, sometimes it's almost like listening to songs in a foreign language you don't know. It's more about the music and the sound of the singer's voice than the actual words. I don't understand "Promises" either, but it evokes some feeling within me that I enjoy. >But the truth is, now I think she can kick the pants off a lot of >native-speaking-English songwriters when she's at her best (for example, >a lot of TSI- wow) (not Clear Horizon tho') Agreed. Some songs are more brilliant than others but as a whole, that album is absolutely awesome. Great instrumentation AND lyrics that are poetic and also make sense! Time and Tide had a lot of very solid, catchy tunes, but strange lyrics. LWNY had very complicated lyrics, but so many of the songs sounded like a therapy session with background music. "Crusing for Bruising" - 'Let's break up....' "Best Friends" - 'But we can still be friends.' "Brave New Hope" - and so on... I kinda felt like she was hitting her groove with TSI and that she's really start being more prolific after that. However... >Luckily Forgive and Forget redeemed that. (for me, anyway) Well, at >least it's obvious why it was left off the US release! Someone should have smuggled a big electromagnet into the studio the day they recorded "Give Me That." >Actually, in the middle. but, yeah, that sucks too. Well, I had to listen to the song again. Thanks a LOT, Leslie. ;-) That riff really is terrible. Thank God it's short. waka-waka-waka! >I was gonna ask you about that... Does 'Not an Angel' give bad vibes >too? Sorry... Hah! Actually, when I first bought the CD, I hated "Not an Angel," but not because of the use of the word, "angel." At the time, my problem was that she was an angel to me, and I didn't like what I thought that song was implying. I have gotten a life since then, and I have no strong feelings about the song either way. >Now I can't stand a lot of that stuff. A few guys I still like a lot- >Pat, David Sanborn, Michael Franks, Spyro Gyra, but a lot of that music >makes me cringe now. I stopped keeping up with the contemporary jazz scene after my area's one true jazz station switched to album rock and the 'smooth jazz' (I hate that term.) station started playing mostly R&B, Celine Dion, Disney songs, etc. Some of those artists just seemed to run out of ideas. For example, my absolute favorite saxophone player used to be Richard Elliot. But after What's Inside, a lot of his music sounded recycled, using a lot of old riffs. I have a hard time imagining Basia letting herself do that. >>Anyway, if you have the new BNH, you're not missing anything. > >it's the lure of the one that got away, I think. :) And I thought *I* was obsessed! ;-] - -Brian* ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 08:24:03 EST From: Gorskiceap@aol.com Subject: Re: Clear Horizon In a message dated 22/02/99 11:09:25 Central Standard Time, Leslie writes: << And don't even talk to me about "Drunk On Love" remixes and singles! >> Right on! I was so excited to get the "Drunk on Love" remix CD at a great music store in Chicago - then I listened to it. I love the picture, though. Worst songs? Hate to be a joiner, but I must admit that "Give Me That" is my least favorite Basia song, and in fact is one of my least favorite songs, period. And again going along with the crowd, I'll put "Prime Time TV" right up there with it. Hey, off the subject, I had a strange blast from the past (don't worry, at least this is music-related...) - "Metro", a weekly alternative paper in Milwaukee, last week ran a story on our old beat coffeehouses with a cover pic of the inside of our best place, the Avant Garde, which went out of business in 1968. And there, right in the middle of the shot, sprawled out on the window ledge, was the 17-year-old Marianne! Freaked me right out. That was two kids, a husband, and about a hundred pounds ago, so I had a hard time convincing some of my co-workers that it was I. What a trip! ~MG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 10:12:29 PST From: "Leslie Brown" Subject: Re: Waters of March >"I can see why you don't like "Waters of March. YUCK!! And I thought I >couldn't carry a tune. This guy really sucks. I cannot say enough bad things >about this tune. LOL! Now I understand why the anti-WOM sentiment! >Well, maybe I should go back and listen to it a few times in a row. I can't be >that wrong, can I?? > >Jim P. Give it a shot, then get Red Hot and Rio CD for another really good version by Marisa Monte and David Byrne. - --Leslie (your little sis sounds like my little bro) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 10:34:55 PST From: "Leslie Brown" Subject: Re: Basia songs we love to hate... or hate to admit we love >Japan loves idol singers, but thousands have come and gone. I imagine the >vast majority are forgotten quickly, especially those who only produce new >material ever four or five years. Eeek, Basia an idol singer? Gosh, I hope not...wait, she can actually sing! >Probably. Although I was still hearing her occasionally on top 40 stations >in Dallas as late as 1988-89. I heard her lots in 1990-1991. Those were the days... (LOL) >Frankly, sometimes it's almost like listening to songs in a foreign language >you don't know. It's more about the music and the sound of the singer's >voice than the actual words. I don't understand "Promises" either, but it >evokes some feeling within me that I enjoy. Interesting little nuggets here and there in that song. The intriguing thing is that it was written by the guy that actually knew English well! (As opposed to what Basia said about her English at the time- not too good) Some of the songs she actually wrote were more understandable than his (Peter Ross). (altho' the TSI songs he wrote made more sense) >Agreed. Some songs are more brilliant than others but as a whole, that album >is absolutely awesome. Great instrumentation AND lyrics that are poetic and >also make sense! Time and Tide had a lot of very solid, catchy tunes, but >strange lyrics. Yeah, it was charming in a way tho'. But TSI is just so kick butt. Not to mention entirely underrrated. Their loss!!!! LWNY had very complicated lyrics, but so many of the songs >sounded like a therapy session with background music. >"Crusing for Bruising" - 'Let's break up....' >"Best Friends" - 'But we can still be friends.' >"Brave New Hope" - and so on... Yeah, but that got me into Basia more. LWNY was the first album I bought (though I heard quite a few T&T songs, I didn't own it) and when she was talking about the story behind it, I became more attached to the record than if it were just sinply songs. I think there was an interview in some fashion magazine with her talking about her, her and Danny, emigrating- small potatoes compared to what we have now, but as a kid the fact that she was approaching her music from such an emotional angle really impressed me. So I have an attachment to LWNY for that same content. Plus, really, it's quite a breakup album. (LOL) >I kinda felt like she was hitting her groove with TSI and that she's really >start being more prolific after that. However... DON'T WE WISH!!! I thought she was *this close* to hitting the perfect (for her) sound. She almost nailed it right on. I just hope this new drum-machine record isn't a step backward (tho' I'll love it anyway.) Amazing that I did not like TSI when I first heard it! >Well, I had to listen to the song again. Thanks a LOT, Leslie. ;-) That riff >really is terrible. Thank God it's short. waka-waka-waka! Less torture, huh! ;) >Hah! Actually, when I first bought the CD, I hated "Not an Angel," but not >because of the use of the word, "angel." At the time, my problem was that >she was an angel to me, and I didn't like what I thought that song was >implying. Then 'Give Me That' must have *really* ticked you off back then! (ha!) >I stopped keeping up with the contemporary jazz scene after my area's one >true jazz station switched to album rock and the 'smooth jazz' (I hate that >term.) station started playing mostly R&B, Celine Dion, Disney songs, etc. Yeah, interesting how Celine et al. suddenly qualify as 'jazz' (smooth or otherwise). Basia, Spyro et al. pushed that pretty far in the '80s as it was, and they sure got flack for it (witness Basia's "I never said I was jazz!" diatribe in Jazziz in 1990) The purists are rolling in their graves! >Some of those artists just seemed to run out of ideas. For example, my >absolute favorite saxophone player used to be Richard Elliot. But after >What's Inside, a lot of his music sounded recycled, using a lot of old >riffs. I have a hard time imagining Basia letting herself do that. She would get bored. :) From all indications anyway... Okay, here are my flame-proof pajamas, but I've got to say that I see Peter White doing the same thing (please don't hurt me). I like Peter lots, but man, that Brown guy is just sapping every bit of, well, anything out of his music. It is sounding more and more generic. I'll get out Reveillez-Vous, then Perfect Moment, and I want to cry. (although I still listen to Perfect Moment- hey, can't help it) I'm still a fan, but... >And I thought *I* was obsessed! ;-] Hey! - --Leslie ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V4 #53 **************************