Errors-To: owner-ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu Reply-To: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu Sender: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu From: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu To: ecto-request@ns1.rutgers.edu Bcc: ecto-digest-outbound@ns1.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto #426 ecto, Number 426 Monday, 8 February 1993 Today's Topics: *-----------------* Shepherd Moons Re: Shepherd Moons the business of being between 3 and N (spoilers?) Miranda Richardson oh happy day! Suzanne Vega single Re: Happy faces all round. Laurie Freelove. Re: waaa still no Equipoise Hello Ecto! ======================================================================== From: Scorpii Subject: Shepherd Moons Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 17:19:10 EST You people need to watch that Shepherd Moons-bashing... ...because I thought it was an extremely enjoyable album with undeniable merit. To annoy the people who hate non-list-artist discussion and please those enlightened individuals who appreciate the value of a critical argument supported by reasons, here's why: 1.) Beautiful songs. If there's anyone who can tell me that "Caribbean Blue," "Ebudae," "Book of Days," and "Afer Ventus" are NOT gorgeous to the ear, I will be very worried about the Happy fan's aesthetic sense. 2.) Uplifting mood. This is an extraordinarily euphoric album, despite the occasionally sentimental moment. It's got this quiet charm, like sitting inside on a rainy summer's afternoon. 3.) Interesting lyrics. HUH?? OK, I'll admit they're nowhere near the standards set by Watermark (I can't judge the Gaelic ones, since I don't read Gaelic), but they touch on some interesting subjects that Watermark didn't, for all their poetic inferiority. Not "Caribbean Blue," maybe, but "How Can I Keep From Singing?" makes up for its melodic mediocrity by making itself a possible anthem for Amnesty International. Very current, if nothing else. "Angeles" seems innocent enough, but there's a hidden skepticism there. "Evacuee" is comparable to any lament from Watermark, and "Marble Halls" is as delightfully fanciful as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)." Now, admittedly the question of whether Shepherd Moons measures up to Watermark is a bit trickier, but I think it's a bit dismissive to dump on Shepherd Moons as a "bad Enya album." It's eminently decent in its own right and I listen to both equally often. Why get pedantic? Drewcifer ======================================================================== Subject: Re: Shepherd Moons Date: Mon, 08 Feb 93 17:28:57 EST From: Angelos Kyrlidis Drewcifer complains about Enya-bashing... I speak for myself, but my Shepherd Moons bashing originates from the fact that it sounds totally uninspired, and cliche'-ed, compared to 'Watermark'. It's repeating the formula, not exploring new ground. >I will be very worried about the Happy fan's aesthetic sense. Granted the songs are nice as aural wallpaper. But see previous paragraph for the reasons they don't provide aural gratification to me at least. There is *one* artist who sure knows how to do that! :) Angelos ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 17:47:41 EST From: Greg Bossert Subject: Re: Shepherd Moons Drewcifer sums up: >Now, admittedly the question of whether Shepherd Moons measures up to >Watermark is a bit trickier, but I think it's a bit dismissive to dump >on Shepherd Moons as a "bad Enya album." It's eminently decent in its >own right and I listen to both equally often. Why get pedantic? i will assume that the final question is rhetorical, and happily agree with the rest... _shepherd moons_ may offer little in the way of new ideas, musical or lyrical, not that _watermark_ could stain the pages of the least of Happy's musical musings... but it is the aural equivelent of a cuppa (earl grey, of course) and your favorite old book by the window on that rainy summer's afternoon Drewcifer mentions... which is simple to say, i like it :) filling any spare bandwidth with footahsity, i am -greg -- bossert@vizlab.rutgers.edu -- == i have never been afraid to change == Happy == the circumstances of the world == Rhodes ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 08 Feb 93 14:50:23 CST From: a most Happy fella Subject: the business of being between 3 and N (spoilers?) I arrived home Friday wondering whether the day's incoming snailmail would include the vaunted package from AG. As I turned the key in the lock, I recited the conclusion to myself that I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't, inasmuch as many of those who had waxed rhapsodic about it in these pages for much of the day had sent their orders in significantly earlier than I; but that when all was said and done, it could go either way. To my pleasant mild surprise, there it was, sent first class from Albany on Tuesday. I put Casper the Overdependent Cat off for a few more moments, as he started hitting on me for his supper, and opened the package. I can no longer remember the time ordering of my noticing two things. One of these was the sticker on the wrapper, to which Jessica has already alluded in her own contribution to this series of reminiscences and impressions. The oth- er was the wallet-sized card that was enclosed with the package. On one side were tiny reproductions of all six of Happy's album covers. On the other was a photo of The Person Herself, her face set in an almost Kabuki-like glower which reminded me of a typical Jade Warrior album cover, though the actual resemblance seemed closer to a cross between an older Mayim (_Blossom_) Bialik, and Margaret Hamilton in _The Wizard of Oz_. All these impressions, be such as it may, were preceded in time by the subjective sense that something was missing. A week earlier, I had given Vickie's post a rather fast and cursory reading, and come away with the impression that by acting now, as they say on late night TV, I'd receive a number of bonus insertions, possibly including a specimen of monster art. So when I dashed off a cover letter for my check the following day, I included a vague statement that I'd appreciate receiving the pictures or other bonus insertions that Vickie had alluded to. When I found only the single card augmenting the CD, I immediately began to wonder what I'd done to offend Happy and Kevin. Was it something I said in the cover letter, or something in my segment of the HGP tape? I unwrapped the CD very carefully, so as to be sure of preserving the aforesaid sticker. I examined the booklet, and concluded that in theory, it could be all three things the sticker said; but was unsure why they thought the print job had been botched. There is an area on the cover where the dark ink looks a bit mottled, but it seems okay otherwise. Nonetheless, I think I'll take them up on the offer, both in the sweet name of having a backup copy just on general principle, and in the hope that Happy might be capable of being talked into autographing it, which Vickie noted in her post could be done on request, but which apparently they don't do spontaneously even for possibly known Ecto- philes. To make a long story longer, I then began to play the disk, following along in the booklet, but really hoping to simply get an overview that would set me up for a more serious listen later. I listened, and I got some preliminary impressions, and I reached a firm conclusion that I continue to stand behind to this day: *** I like it every bit as much as the next ectophile. *** Yesterday (Sunday), I finally got around to listening to it more carefully and critically. For every track, I first read the lyrics, then listened to the song itself, in each case taking notes as I went along. Since Casper was taking a catnap at the time, the whole thing was easier than usual, inasmuch as I didn't have to cope with him trying to climb up the cord on my headphones. Herewith, some of my impressions. [alleged spoilers about here] RUNNERS: I'm uncertain if the message of this rumination on the environment, and/or on product health and safety, is one of hope for transcending the status quo, or one of the inevitability of surrender to it ("eatie the food that gonna make me last" is paired with "wear a hat to make up for the ozone/better yet, I'm never gonna leave home"). The music is an interesting blend of sprightly pop and Kurt Weill. The electronic accompaniment facilely replicates a string- dominated orchestra, and Happy's vocals alternate intriguingly between the high and low registers. HE WILL COME: I couldn't pin down whether it was the ballad of a woman's fant- asy of a man, or of longing for a real separated man. The tune is pleasant, with its electronic strings and its wave sound effects. THE FLIGHT: A direct lead-in from "He Will Come." A strange sort of _ballad noir_ in which the man of the former returns to find himself drawn irresistably into a doomed relationship, from which he must exrtricate himself. Some pass- ages in the lyrics have a subtle subtext of vampirism. OUT LIKE A LAMB: The attention here turns from a man who must get out of a relatinship, to one who has already dumped his partner--who seems rather forgiving about the whole thing. The somewhat dissonant electronic tune pro- vides a clear contrast with the more consonant melodies of the prior cuts. SAVE OUR SOULS: An appeal to Intelligent Life Off Earth to reassure the people of this planet that they're not beyond redemption. The synth trumpet riffs show off the versatility of that machine. The lyric "We give to you a disc of gold/it transcends the dreams we hold/ We'll tell our children what to do/we'll show them how to listen for you" sounds, if you look at it right, like a utopian scenario of Happy getting a gold record. CLOSER: The Weill influence returns to the music in this song of a woman chafing in an abusive, stultifying relationship and almost, but not quite at the point of pulling out. TEMPORARY AND ETERNAL: A rumination on aging and the hindsight it can bring. COHABITANTS: It starts out like the narrator might be an abusive woman, sort of the flip side of some of the other cuts on the album. It soon becomes apparent that the narrator is actually the personification of depression, or at least some other kind of emotional dysfunction. The offbeat tune, almost pure electronic music, is very effective. PLAY THE GAME: Arguably the most explicitly ideological song on the album. A feminist anthem set to pleasant, consonant music. This track marks an abrupt transition in the emotional tone of the album from pessimism to optimism, the former having apparently come to a head with "Cohab- itants." MOTHER SEA: With an acoustic piano accompanying the synth, the lyrics rather abstractly continue the dominant mindset of the last few tracks, expressing a sense of optimism about life's possibilities, that carries still further the lifting of the depression expressed in many of the earlier cuts. I SAY: The album's finale seems almost like an autobiographical statement at times, a rejection of role playing and a summation of the quest for authentic self, in which she appears to have every chance of success. General comments: _Equipoise_ continues the trend of the 1st5 in general and _Warpaint_ in particular: sophisticated but not obscurantist musical arrange- ments, and literate lyrics that express a viewpoint without being polemical. This one is Happy's best chance for significant airplay beyond her current radio base (along with the other good things that will bring), particularly the cuts with the more consonant melodies. It should appeal to stations with progressive and--of all things--new age formats. On the other hand, the long average length of the songs could be a hindrance when it comes to those commer- cial stations with tight playlists. Upon completing this critical listening, I phoned Vickie to compare notes, and learned that I had, in fact gotten the full bonus package. She noted with interest my exegesis of "Cohabitants"; her detailed reaction, of course, app- ears earlier in these pages. My next move, of course, was to tape the new album for listening on the move. When side 1 ran out in the middle of "Clo- ser," and starting side 2 with that whole song caused "I say" to be similarly chopped, I conceived what may or may not be a brilliant solution: I back- tracked a few seconds on the player, and essentally started side 2 with the second part of the same song. This has enabled it to fit on a c-60 with over one minute to spare; in splitting a selection in the middle, my tape joins the select company of records of Berlioz's _Symphonie Fantastique_, which also both split the third movement, and deal with the composer's private demons. Mitch ------------------------------ In memory of Arthur Ashe ======================================================================== From: rhogan@chaph.usc.edu (Ron Hogan) Subject: Re: Shepherd Moons Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 15:11:05 PST Angelos responds to Drewcifer's complaints about Enya-bashing. > I speak for myself, but my Shepherd Moons bashing originates from the fact > that it sounds totally uninspired, and cliche'-ed, compared to 'Watermark'. > It's repeating the formula, not exploring new ground. Exactly. Some of the songs are good compared to the rest of the music spectrum. But compared to what Enya *can* do, it's a pale album. As if she were coasting on the success of Watermark. This may be a selfish attitude, but one expects more from those of whom one has a high opinion. And even if Enya's mediocre albums are better than fifty other musicians' best albums, I see no particular reason to get excited over mediocrity. All of which is spoken only for me. Ron Hogan ======================================================================== From: boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au (Christopher Boek) Subject: Miranda Richardson Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 11:35:55 EST SLF (steve) writes ... > > On Mon, 8 Feb 93 at 12:59:46 EST, as010b@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Scorpii) wrote: > > BTW, I fell in love with Miranda Richardson after seeing her in Blackadder > > II, and was stunned at her acting versatility as displayed in this film. > > One hell of a woman, one hell of an actress. > > She certainly is. On stage she's even more of a knockout! > Have you seen 'Die Kinder', the British mini-series type thing ? I saw a couple of them because Miranda was in it, and I really liked it. I missed most of them though ... Chris. -- | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | ||Christopher Boek - boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | || Dept Elec Eng Univ of Melbourne Australia | | | | | | | | | / "Anybody remotely interesting is mad in |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| \_/\_/\_/\_/\__/(:*- some way or another" ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 21:23:38 EST From: woj@remus.rutgers.edu (l.l. cool bean) Subject: oh happy day! well, it came. i'm on my second listen now. since everyone has really gone fairly in depth on many of the songs, i'll just scribble a few impressions. i don't like "runners" too much. i love "he will come" and "the flight". yummy! the jury is still out on everything else though...still digesting (so to speak). i will say that after two listens, i'm not overwhelmed as i was when i first heard _warpaint_. will it eventually overcome me? i dunno, maybe... Angelos Kyrlidis sez: >He will come - The flight > >A diptych about vampires, inspired I presume by Bram Stoker's 'Dracula', i'm not sure about that - there are no gabrielles in _dracula_. i suspect that it's a weird pastiche on _interview with a vampire_, though i don't know that for sure as i've not read anne rice's stuff yet. i don't think that it uses actual chracters from said novel, but that it was inspired by it. oh, i definitely like the live version a *lot* more. Greg Bossert sez: >and a disk with the hard-to-find songs/versions > Dials, Crushed, The High Monkey-Monk, Oomingmak "dials" was an extra track from _heaven or las vegas_ which they used to open the concerts they did in support of the album. "the high monkey-monk" originally appeared in a rough trade sampler and is fantabulous. "oomingmak" is an instrumental version of the same song (which first appeared on _vic- torialand_ if memory serves). >speaking of "lonely is an eyesore", did anyone see the video? i don't own the original, but i have a dub of it and an assortment of other 4ad videos as well. the _lonely is an eyesore_ video is great. promise. >the 4AD CD release of _garlands_, however, contains the >lullabies EP and some john peel tracks (not in the box set, alas), and bzzzt. _garlands_ does not contain the "lullabies" ep. those extra tracks on _garlands_ come from the john peel session and from something else that i can't remember the title of - i think it was a compilation though that "from some other aeon" first appeared on though. woj ======================================================================== From: boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au (Christopher Boek) Subject: Suzanne Vega single Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 10:19:37 EST Jeff writes ... > > Some of you may recall a time a couple of months ago when I was gushing > over Suzanne Vega's b-side "Men Will Be Men" which was on the back of the > domestic cassingle for "Blood Makes Noise." > > I _finally_ found the song on CD today. It's on the British single for > "99.9F^o" which makes it unfortunately expensive. I know it's not on > the domestic "99.9F^o" and I was never able to find a domestic CD single > for "Blood Makes Noise". > I picked up a CD-single for 'Blood Makes Noise' yesterday, and it does have 'Men Will Be Men' on it. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet though. It also has 'Bad Wisdom' which I presume is just the album version. I haven't seen any other Vega singles as yet. Chris. -- | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | ||Christopher Boek - boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | || Dept Elec Eng Univ of Melbourne Australia | | | | | | | | | / "Anybody remotely interesting is mad in |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| \_/\_/\_/\_/\__/(:*- some way or another" ======================================================================== From: boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au (Christopher Boek) Subject: Re: Happy faces all round. Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 11:13:55 EST Vickie wrote > > Martin wrote ... > > > > ..No wonder we love her so. I hope she becomes World President. > > Me too! > > Vickie > > ps, don't you just hate "me too" posts? > Hate 'me too' posts ? Me too. Chris. P.S. Don't you hate it when someone tries to be clever by replying to a 'don't you hate me too posts' post with a 'me too' post ? I do. *:) -- | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | ||Christopher Boek - boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | || Dept Elec Eng Univ of Melbourne Australia | | | | | | | | | / "Anybody remotely interesting is mad in |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| \_/\_/\_/\_/\__/(:*- some way or another" ======================================================================== From: boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au (Christopher Boek) Subject: Laurie Freelove. Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 11:01:40 EST Angelos wrote: > I also had good luck finding used CDs! Got a Caterwaul CD for $2.99 (!), > I forget its title but I was *very* impressed. They reminded me of > Psychowelders but they had a distinctive edge to their sound which IMHO > was somehow missing from _Inertia_. I also found a 4-song Laurie Freelove > promo-sampler from Smells like Truth for a $.99. She most certainly has a > distinctive voice, and all songs on it are great!!! And finally I found a > promo of Laura Nyro's Live at the Bottom Line, which was IMHO much better than > _Eli_ which was my previous exposure. I think I've heard Laurie Freelove's name mentioned before. I was at a CD sale a little while ago, and I discovered a disc by Laurie Freelove (this is before I'd heard the name), and it was only $4.95, and I liked the cover (now anybody who knows me knows I have a reputation for buying things in that precise situation - it's cheap and I liked the cover *:) and $4.95 is CHEAP!! ) so I bought it. I listened to a little bit of it once and put it away, almost forgetting about it. It's the 'Smells Like Truth' album. Now that it's appeared on Ecto with good reviews, I'll have to listen to it a bit more methinks. Chris. -- | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | ||Christopher Boek - boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | || Dept Elec Eng Univ of Melbourne Australia | | | | | | | | | / "Anybody remotely interesting is mad in |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| \_/\_/\_/\_/\__/(:*- some way or another" ======================================================================== From: boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au (Christopher Boek) Subject: Re: waaa Date: Tue, 9 Feb 93 11:27:28 EST Martin writes ... > > Steve V writes: > > I'm not usually the type to whine or throw tantrums, but I've > > never been able to skip spoilers, and I've read all your reviews, > > and I probably speak for many of us who are topologically farther > > away from Albany, NY in SnailMailNet when I say: > > > > I WANT MY EQUIPOISE! NOWNOWNOWNOWNOW! WAAAH! > > IWANTITIWANTITIWANTIT! WAAAH! WAAAH! WAAAAAAH! > > Yes, exactly.... I'm just trying to avoid thinking about it altogether... > 8-P > > Martin > And like, I feel really sorry for the ones who took longer than a _week_ to get their copy. ... *:) *:) *:) [that enough smilies people ...?] I'm suffering from ecto-equi-envy. *sigh* 8-\ Chris. -- | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | ||Christopher Boek - boek@mullian.ee.mu.oz.au | ||| ||| | ||| ||| ||| | || Dept Elec Eng Univ of Melbourne Australia | | | | | | | | | / "Anybody remotely interesting is mad in |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| \_/\_/\_/\_/\__/(:*- some way or another" ======================================================================== Subject: still no Equipoise From: klaus@inphobos.w.open.de (Cosmic Vagabond) Date: Mon, 08 Feb 93 23:38:00 GMT Looks like Jessica found the perfect solution to the question about when to send out digests. Not one daily digest, but three each day. :) We are still awaiting our Equipoise, which is still at least a week ahead. No, Klaus think positive ... it will _only_ be one more week. Anthony gave us some insight on the Wombles: > popular, and so they put together an album of Wombling Songs (also > written by Mike Batt). There followed two more albums: Remember You're > A Womble and Super-Womble (a double album). As pop stars they were I haven't heard those albums except for one or two songs which were also popular over here at that time. But, Mike Batt is still a favourite artist of mine. In addition to writing very catchy pop songs, he is very good (IMHO) in combining pop/rock songs with classical music and instruments. One of his albums (either "Zero Zero" or "Tarot Suite", depending on the mood when having to do the selection) will aways be on my desert island top 10. Vickie asked: > Dr. Toby Mountian did the digital mastering of Equipoise. Kevin said > he *loved* it. Mountain is quite well-known in his field. He's worked > for Rycodisc, I know. Does anyone else know more about him? What things > he's worked on specifically? (Besides Warpaint, that is.) ======================================================================== Dirk revealed: > I only had a singles collection before (which included some nice ABBA > records, and Smokey, and The Sweet, and ... I think I should stop here :) Oh yes, my The Sweet collection. My very first favourite group. It's funny that they, not as much as ABBA, but anyway, are becominng popular again. People start looking at old veterans like me with respect again. Er ... aren't they? :) ... and > It's very annoying that very often the worst songs are running > through my head and I can't get rid of them, like Modern Talking, The last week "LIttle Drummer Boy" kept running through my head constantly, after hearing Tori's version of it just twice. I wrote: > week, to the effect that I'm missing 2 ecto digests. That's no problem as > I can get them from the archive (as soon as they are there (hint hint)), Found them now; thanks Jessica. Off I go for a pillow of sleep. Keep those reviews coming! ... Klaus. ___________________________________________________________ . * | "Tell me all the plans you have for the great beyond. | _ . * .* . | Will you be physical again, or be a cosmic vagabond." | (_) . | --- Happy Rhodes --- | . . o | Klaus "cosmic vagabond" Kluge klaus@inphobos.w.open.de | <== ======================================================================== From: r.lovejoy1@genie.geis.com Date: Mon, 8 Feb 93 22:17:00 EDT Subject: Hello Ecto! Hello Jessica! With any luck I've made it to yhe Internet! Please enroll me as a member of Ecto, and send any digests you may have! I am more than an average fan of Ms. Rhodes, as I seem to have some sort of psychic connection, which I'll get into later! For now, suffice it to say the new album is great and I'm looking forward to finding out what Ecto's all about! I think my internet address will be R.LOVEJOY1@GENIE.GEIS.COM ... Hope to hear from you soon! Best wishes, Bob Lovejoy ======================================================================== The ecto archives are on hardees.rutgers.edu in ~ftp/pub/hr. There is an INDEX file explaining what is where. Feel free to send me things you'd like to have added. -- jessica (jessica@ns1.rutgers.edu)