From: owner-ecto-digest To: ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto-digest V2 #96 Reply-To: ecto@nsmx.rutgers.edu Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, 5 May 1995 Volume 02 : Number 096 The Ecto digest is now being generated automatically. Please send problems and questions to: ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: kcd@romulus.cray.com (Kevin Dekan {x66440 CF/DEV}) Date: Thu, 4 May 95 11:43:13 CDT Subject: Re: live live On Wed, 3 May 1995 Neal Copperman wrote in part: > I've never heard anything by Portishead before, and was only mildly > impressed. A concert setting might not be the best introdcution though. > They were a 6 piece band, with guitar, various basses, drums, > synths/treatments, a dj and the singer. They did a fine job making > textured, moody music, but it didn't make for a very captivating live > show. Perhaps if I had been familiar with the music, it would have struck > me more. There was some pretty cool virtuoso turntable manipulations, but > most of the time the music was all of the same mood, sort of mildly funky > but airy, kinda reminiscent of Julee Cruise, but with cooler music and > better vocals (good comparison there). I could imagine myself rather > enjoying it at home, or laying in a field, but crammed into an auditorium > with a few hundred others it seemed kind of one dimensional, and the mood, > though evocative, got kind of old. I suspect that a lot of the > interesting layers/textures/effects/whatever that come out on repeated > listenings at home just floated by me live. The final song was probably > the only one that broke that mold, and it was stunning. Everybody in the > band went wild, and the lead singer was screaming and shrieking like she'd > been possessed by the spirit of Diamanda Galas (though luckily not also > blessed with the same voice!). I thought that was a great note to end on, > I just wish they would have mixed a few more songs like that into the set. > And an opening act would be nice for a show this short. Neal, you make many good assessments of the show here and I agree, it really was too short. This is most likely due to the fact that they just don't have that much material to work with yet. Geoff Barrow, the frontman for Portishead has said that the thought of touring did not appeal all that much to him and would prefer to stay in the studio. This showed in their relative nonchalance on stage. I only recall Beth Gibbons briefly saying something to the audience that I couldn't even make out. First tour jitters I would imagine. Perhaps they will become more comfortable on stage with more experience. One could also sense that the crowd didn't really know how to respond to them. Appreciative but restrained. At least at the show I attended. The final song was the only one that really got a rise out of them. And as you say, I believe if you had been more familiar with PH's music before the show, you would have enjoyed it much more. I had given their debut album quite a few listens beforehand and was in a decidedly *grim* mood that day which I think helped my appreciation of the show. ;-) Seriously though, familiar with them or not, it may be that I just like them more than others might. Portishead is definately not for everybody. I read a funny comparison somewhere; "Portishead is like listening to Sade on Prozac". Says it pretty well I think. I like your take on the last song they did "Sour Times". It really took the CD version a wild step further. Beth just went crazy wailing "Noooobody loves Meeeeee!" as the band jammed hysterically around her. Definately the highlight of the show. Like you say, it's too bad there were not more moments like that one. They are supposedly working on a new album and I for one will be looking forward to it. It should help fuel their future live performances as well. TTFN, Kevin D. ------------------------------ From: "Robert P. Keefer" Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 14:12:45 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Karen Farr I'm listening to Karen Farr's "Sistine," which I've seen mentioned here maybe once. It's really nice. It's not jump-up-in-your-face startling, but she has a fine voice and writes nice songs, as well as covering Elvis Costello's Riot Act. I've seen Farr with her old band a few times (I forget the name), and she was very good live. I'm glad I finally get this (and liked it) because I have an odd connection; one of my best friends from high school is Farr's ex-sister-in-law. Anyway, gentle, guitar & piano & percussion stuff. Worth a listen, but not ground-breaking. Back to correcting finals! bob k. - ----------------------- --------------------- ---------------------- Robert Keefer Psychology Department And we know that we're Mt. St. Mary's College (301) 447-6122 alive, If we weren't Emmitsburg, MD 21727 keefer@msmary.edu sure before/I reach - ----------------------- --------------------- for you by my side [Speaking for myself.] and soar. - B-52's ---------------------- ------------------------------ From: "Chandra L. Sriram" Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 14:28:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: ani difranco and joan osborne i don't think this has been posted yet. if so, sorry for the duplicate. the free summerstage schedule is out, and july 1 is ani difranco and joan osborne, for anyone interested. chandra "what is it you want? look at it. do you want to go for a walk? do you want me to dial the number for you?" --jane siberry ------------------------------ From: Mike Mendelson Date: 04 May 95 14:51:39 EDT Subject: Innocence Mission - tonight In Chicago, at Schubas -- Thu. May 4. I just called and the show is $6 in advance or at the door (it better not sell out! :-), and it starts at 10pm. Hope to see *some* ecto representation there! If you need a ride, I will be driving from downtown, and then back to evanston. call me at 708-459-8000 ext 101. - -mjm ------------------------------ From: Irvin Fei-Chiang Lin Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 15:58:17 -0500 (CDT) Subject: NY Times review... (fwd) i thought maybe people might be interested in this article it came via the liz mailing list... Liz Phair at Town Hall April 28, 1995 Liz Phair Progresses Beyond the Awkward By NEIL STRAUSS "Weave my disgust into fame, and watch how fast they run to the flame," Liz Phair sang on Tuesday night during the second of two sold-out solo concerts at Town Hall. This line, from Ms. Phair's 1993 debut album, "Exile in Guyville," has turned out to be a blueprint for her career. Ms. Phair's disgust, expressed in songs about being taken advantage of by so-called friends and lovers, has helped her grow from a bedroom musician to a college-radio favorite in two years. In fact, fans are so drawn to the flame of her bad memories that while she was singing a song about regretting a one-night stand, one male fan yelled, "Marry me, Liz." Two years ago, watching Ms. Phair perform was like watching a wounded bird trying to fly. One took pity on her, but knew that some day she would learn to soar. On Tuesday, she was no longer awkward, just uneasy at times. A look of relief spread across her face after each successful guitar solo. The music, filled with melodies that seemed to be influenced by overdoses of classic-rock radio, sounded as if she was performing rough versions of songs for a demo tape. Her guitar playing was simple and unadorned, and she often flubbed chord changes and fell off tempo. But imperfect music only heightened the effect of songs about imperfections. There seems to be a handful of emerging female songwriters, including Ms. Phair, Lisa Germano and Jill Sobule, who have found a way to come to terms with the social and sexual mistakes they made in the past (particularly as teen-agers) in songs that mix maturity, regret and revenge. Ms. Phair, a 27-year-old raised in Chicago's suburbs, wasn't afraid to show the wounds of high-school insecurity and college dormitory politics. Though she sang many of her songs with a sneer rather than the cool deadpan that she uses on her two albums, she didn't always play the role of suburbia's enlightened victim. In explicit expressions of desire like "Supernova" and "Flower," Ms. Phair showed that bad experiences haven't extinguished her sexuality but have instead taught her how to be comfortable with it and sometimes even use it to her advantage. Copyright 1995 The New York Times Transmitted: 95-04-28 12:24:00 EDT ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 17:12:09 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Question... On Thu, 4 May 1995, Matt Bittner wrote: > So true. I sometimes think I'm in the music minority, and some > jerk-off who can't spell music controls what gets heard and what > doesn't. Hey, what does spelling ability have to do with musical taste? I feel almost personally insulted :) Neal ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 17:18:05 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Perfect Irony-Mary Black Review Wow, what a great story Mike! OF course, from everything I've heard, the music produced by the Rankins perhaps deserved a bit more credit, but I can certainly relate to the experience. By the way, the recent Rankin Family show at the Birchmere in Alexandria was also a surprise sell-out, and worthy of enough note to be mentioned in the rave review of the show in the Washington Post. Mary Black plays there 2 nights next week. NEal ------------------------------ From: elisheva@netaxs.com Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 19:20:57 -0400 (EDT) Subject: in defense of Mariah. Yes, I like most ecto-goddesses, and yes, I also like Mariah. Mariah, in my opinion, has one of the best voices in the genre (soul/gospel). I would agree that most of her songs are shlocky formula-songs, but her voice and musical interpretation (on the ballads at least) is top-notch and inspired. Her phrasing (again, only in her ballads) is unbelievable. Most of the singers she's compared to (like Whitney Houston) have similar voices, but their phrasing and musicality can't compare. Alot of people just hear Mariah's gimmicky top-40 hits and assume that all her stuff is that crappy, and never give her ballads a chance. I hate to rag on someone's personal life, but I have always thought that her musical intelligence is immense, while her "general" intelliegence is sub-par, as evidenced in her song choices. Sort of like an "Idiot-Savant". (Oh god, Jon, that was nasty!) - -Jon ------------------------------ From: SBI!200HUBBARD!AMYD@lmbinc.attmail.com Date: Thu, 04 May 1995 13:16:00 +0000 Subject: random thoughts Imagine - Amy beeing so pressed for time she can't post a marathon commentary! eeek! Quickly - MJM - Great story! I think you and I should write our own "Tales of the City" - but based on Chicago (and elsewhere) adventures in concert-going. :-) I had a similar experience of good fortune at the Park West several years ago - but I won't clog Ecto about it because it involves a definately non-Ectoish band. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- Matt Bittner - I think Jill Sobule's name has been bantered about here recently - AND she's playing in Chicago this weekend and I can't get out to see her!! (waaaaaa). I don't know too much about her except for the fact that she has a pleasant - but not "unusual" voice - and in the past has backed up Joe Jackson on tour. I love that video for "Kissed A Girl". As I said - look back a few weeks in the digests (if you get them)- I know someone has talked about her before. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Everyone else who has been carrying on this discussion about the Meaning of Music.... I have my own commentary (GEE AMY WHAT A SURPRISE!) about that - but I will post that in a day or so - when I can do it outside of work. (seems as tho some busybodies have been monitoring my typographic oceans of e-mail going out!) oh well... they need me around here.... I'll be posting under my alter-ego - RedGtrGirl@aol.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- oooh one more thing..... surfing the "net" or exploring the www with a 2400 baud modem is like surfing with a inflatable "duckie" doing the doggie paddle. :-) (AOL has their new WWW interface in test mode) Later all. Amy ------------------------------ From: Nicholas Hill Date: Thu, 4 May 1995 21:38:51 -0400 Subject: Jewel on CBC Radio Saturday I still havent heard her but thought some of you might want this info , Hope its not redundant- Iv' been out of touch I never caught up after 2 and a half weeks gone. Nick Jewel will appear on CBC Radio this Saturday, May 6. ******************************************************************** SATURDAY 06 May 95 Jewel will be on RealTime at around 8:15 PACIFIC time (9:15 mtn, 10:15 Central, 11:15 Eastern, 12:15 Atlantic, 12:45 Newfoundland) ******************************************************************** Robert said: >This is a LIVE performance in our studio. Leora Kornfeld is the host of >RealTime and she'll be talking with Jewel as well. > >RealTime is on CBC Stereo and heard across Canada: >here are the frequencies: > >ALL FM: >CBC Stereo Frequencies: [ALL FM] > >British Columbia: Metchosin 105.1, Vancouver 105.7, Victoria 92.1 >Alberta: Calgary 102.1, Edmonton 90.9, Lethbridge 91.7 >Saskatchewan: Regina 96.9, Saskatoon 105.5 >Manitoba: Brandon 92.7, Winnipeg 98.3 >Ontario: Kingston 92.9, London 100.5, Ottawa 103.3, Peterborough 103.9 > ThunderBay 101.7, Toronto 94.1, Windsor 89.9 >Quebec: Montreal 93.5 >New Brunswick: Fredericton 101.5, Moncton 95.5, Saint John 101.5 >Nova Scotia: Cape Breton 105.1, Halifax 102.7, Middleton 93.3, > Sydney 105.1 >Newfoundland: St. John's 106.9 >NorthWEst Territories: Yellowknife: 95.3 >Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown 104.7 > >****And on many many cable carriers...check with someone on how to hook >up and how to find us**** I suggested to Robert that he take questions for Jewel from people on the 'net, and he thought it was a great idea. So think up some good questions for Jewel, and e-mail them directly to the RealTime e-mail address below, with the subject line "Jewel Question". Realtime@cbcStereo.com He said they need the questions ASAP, and obviously before the show starts. >BTW: people in the U.S. can hear our show IF they have access to a >satellite receiver: >look in our web site under Techno Time > >http://realtime.cbcstereo.com >-robert > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > RealTime Web Site http://realtime.cbcstereo.com >------------------------------------------------------------------------ - -------- >David Gilbert's RealTime MUSH telnet: realtime.pci.on.ca 6125 >IRC #RealTime (undernet and effnet: fer sure saturday nights only) Reprinted without permission or fuul credits ------------------------------ From: THE OLIVE-LOAF VIGILANTE Date: Thu, 04 May 1995 22:21:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: various replies Hi! Klaus klaused: >Try to make some of those noises (in the unlikely event that you >can produce them) at a dinner party and be asured that you won't >be invited again, while somebody surely calles for a doctor. Hey! I'll have to remember that, next time I'm stuck at the house of someone I really don't like. :) Rick Sheppard mused: >Here's an interesting thought: what if beings from >other worlds found the Vogager discs and thought that the messages WERE an >SOS? Then Fox Mulder would be the happiest human alive, and Dana Scully would feel pretty damn stupid. ;> >"Don't panic! We're here to rescue you! Please proceed in a calm and >orderly fashion to the awaiting lifeboats!" Do we stay or do we go? Dunno 'bout you, but if they seemed friendly I'd be the first in line to go. > I am currently residing in the quaint little town of Winter Park, just >northwest of Orlando. A nice looking town, but a decidedly un-ecto place to >live. Ah yes, I know the area well. Again, my condolences. Unfortunately the only reasonable radio station in the state of Florida succumbed to Reorganization a couple years ago and is now the blandest of bland NPR affiliates (mind you, I know some *seriously* cool NPR stations, but WFIT is *not* one of them), so I can't even recommend that to you... I don't live around there, but my parentals do (on the coast in Melbourne Beach) -- next time I visit I'll drop you a line! Ethan corrected: >> Isn't Liz Phair on Matador? > >Yep, but distributed through Atlantic, or so my addled brain tells me. So >she sort of counts. Aha. All is clear now. Or something. >It's time for Footah Fun Facts! Ooh, boy!!! >* Suddenly, Tammy!, performance at Vintage Vinyl ...which woj and I had on our calendar but completely spaced on. :P :P :P >Footah Fiery Fervour Flashback of Day: > > * Tribe, _Here at the Home_ I was driving home listening to _Abort_ the other day. Great album to drive through, especially through construction on I-95 in Connecticut. > and i, of course, agree with Meth. Of course you do. ;> > all sleek aerodynamic fiberglass and entirely spotless gleaming > white. until Dave Kershaw used it as a handy writing desk to sign > a poster. with a Sharpie "permanent on almost any surface" (tm). > oops. ;) Apparently this truck was later sighted without any spots on its gleaming white surface whatsoever. Scary what acid rain can do, hm? >* Meth categorizes: Keep in mind that my "categories" were clearly meant for those who are so inclined to categorize. I do not count myself one of those. :) > look, i remember the Blake Babies first singles, and i remember > Throwing Muses first singles, and i remember everything since, and > even if Tanya isn't half the group she used to be, she's surely > earned the dignity of not being compared to Ms. Hatfield. Ouch!!! > the editors' (highly highly recommended) > introductory essays in each volume list, amongst other things, > albums and musical performances with fantastic subjects or > overtones. i have yet to see Happy mentioned. surely we > Ectophiles can address this oversight. i believe that there are > several short paths between Ecto and the aforementioned editors -- > perhaps someone could send a tape or at least a recommendation? Hmmm... I could do something about that, I think... I have Terri Windling's US address somewhere, I seem to recall -- but if I don't, then I know where to get it. Amy noted: >Sounds like the things people used to make fun of Yoko Ono about. I've >always had respect for singers that stretch their voice to beyond that of >conventional "singing" - i.e. Lena Lovich, Siouxsie (Sioux), and even Kate >sometimes (like on "Get Out of My House"). Don't forget Diamanda Galas! I am very pointedly staying out of the does-John-like-Happy-and-who-cares-if- he-doesn't debate, since everything I might have said has been posted here already. I will add, however, that I find it interesting that I can only think of one instance prior to this one when an ecto semi-lurker of some duration finally heard Happy for the first time and wasn't exactly overwhelm- ed, and that one turned into the only bona fide flamewar ecto has ever seen. (Granted, said former semi-lurker wasn't exactly tactful in his dismissal of Happy's music, but normally people around here don't rise to bait like that.) So John didn't go orgasmic over "Collective Heart". I fast-forward past "He's Alive" every single time I listen to _Rhodes I_. What's the big deal? Hm. Did a fine job of staying out of it, didn't I? :} Anthony Baxter reviewed The Freedom Sessions: >The audio tracks - I like 'em. In general, the rougher versions on FS >appeal more to me than the versions on FTE, but maybe it's the appeal >of the new. Interesting. I like the versions on TFS, but really the only track that I prefer over the album version is "Mary". After that and the live version, the one that made it onto the album sounds like it should have been the demo. What were Sarah and Pierre thinking?!?!? I'm just getting over the discovery of this one flaw on _FtE_ -- it's taken me a while, believe me! :) >On another subject, does anyone have any suggestions for some more, I >dunno, 'upbeat' ecto-fodder? Bjork. Danielle Dax. I know there are more, but my brain shut off a few hours ago, sorry! Laurel wondered: >There are cool Happy sampler tapes out there? probably on the >tape dubbing project? Yepperdoodle. It's a bit out of date (pre-Equipoise, if I remember correctly), but The (Un)Official Happy Sampler, as compiled by yours truly, was still on the Dubbing Project list last time I checked. Has anyone updated it to include the last two albums? (Yes, I know, RTFFAQ. :P) >I should get one for myself, make lotsa copies and >distribute. That's what it's there for! Chris Sampson inquired: > A while back, somebody...Gregg? Mitch?... started a thread about >Jane Scarpantoni, the cellist (or, as John Lurie would have it..." the >jello on the cello, Miss Jane Scarp-an-TONI"). Mention was made as to her >appearances on various CDs...I was wondering if some kind soul...perhaps >the original individual?... would steer me in the direction of the various >projects that she's been a party to... Throwing Muses, Nirvana, Sarah McLachlan (as in, "Fear (Jane's Mix)"), and scads more I'm blanking on right now. Possibly Indigo Girls, but I'm too lazy to check the liner notes for _Swamp Ophelia_. Ask woj -- he knows all (and if he can remember some, you'll be in good shape :>). Kim Justice noted: > There's an interview with Eno in the current issue of Wired magazine, where > he reports that (as an experiment) he made a short (less than a minute) > tape of city traffic noise. He then listened to it over and over again, and > after some time he began to regard it almost as a piece of music; he'd look > forward to *that* door slam or *this* honking horn. > kj Can we say John Cage? I *knew* we could. :) Right there you have basically the center point of his philosophy toward music. The best example of this is his (in)famous piece "4:33", which consists of four minutes and thirty- three seconds of silence. The whole point is for the audience to concentrate on the ambient (in the true sense of the word) sounds of the space -- traffic on the street below (and car alarms :), the squirming and coughing of the other people in the room, etc. etc. etc., and *that's* the music. Works for me. :) Sue Trowbridge recounted: >That Eno piece is very intriguing and worth checking out. In it, he cites >a statistic that the average CD is only listened to two and a half times. >Has anyone heard this before? Well, if you looked at the collection in our house and averaged the discs that get played incessantly against the multitudes that we've listened to once and just not gotten around to again, the number you'd come up with might well be 2.5. :} Matt Bittner queried: >There is a song playing on the local alternative station called "I >Kissed a Girl" by (please forgive my spelling) Jill Sobule. Anybody >know anything else about her? It's not too bad. Kind of upbeat. She's been mentioned a lot here, yes -- she was opening for Robyn Hitchcock recently, and is now performing on her own. I just saw her video for "I Kissed A Girl" last night -- I really liked it. :) When I saw her open for Robyn, eMpTV had just accepted the video into their rotation that day, and she was pretty excited -- she had some hysterically funny things to say about Fabio, too. ;> Sorry this is so long mid-week, but I've been accumulating this in bits and pieces for the past three days. :} Have a good weekend, all! +==========================================================================+ |Meredith Tarr meth@delphi.com| |Boonton, NJ USA finger info at: mtarr@eagle.wesleyan.edu| +==========================================================================+ | "Turnips do not invite fan members to sit on their couches on stage." | | -Irvin F. Lin | +==========================================================================+ ------------------------------ From: doylem@iia.org (M.Doyle) Date: Thu, 04 May 1995 23:05:45 -0400 Subject: Have you been to the Middle East? Hi, I'm new to this list and I must say that I'm overwhelmed at the amount of traffic on it. Seems enough for a newsgroup or two! Also seems like a cool community. So I was wondering if anyone here attended the Happy Rhodes show in January this year at the Middle East in Philadelphia. It would be neat to know if I shared physical space then with those with whom I'm sharing cyberspace now. Also, are there any Area/Moon 7 Times fans here, or fans of the now deceased Big Hat? Finally, there's a lot of talk about Tribe here. I've only heard Sleeper by them -- liked it ok, but wondered if any of their other albums were better. Bye for now, Michael ------------------------------ From: wombat toga party Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 07:10:33 -0400 Subject: Re: Question... "Matt Bittner" sez: >There is a song playing on the local alternative station called "I >Kissed a Girl" by (please forgive my spelling) Jill Sobule. this is from her second album, which i believe is self-titled (i can't find it - it was just on the shelf a few minutes ago! honest!). her first was on mca records, entitled _things here are different now_ which was produced by todd rundgren. the first album was more lushy pop, while the second is a bit of a foray into guitar pop. the tunes tend to be goofy/silly, but, surprisingly, don't grate too much since they're lots o'fun. she's an utter goof on stage. i've heard rumors of a zeroth album on some local label in denver (which is apparently where she is from), but no one seems to have a copy of it. ah well. woj ------------------------------ From: wombat toga party Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 07:22:18 -0400 Subject: Re: Have you been to the Middle East? doylem@iia.org (M.Doyle) sez: >So I was wondering if anyone here attended the Happy Rhodes show in >January this year at the Middle East in Philadelphia. there were some ectophiles at the thursday show and a lot more there on friday. let's see...if i forget anyone, well, you know the reason. ;) meredith, footah!, jeff wasilko, mike curry, anja, bob brown, bob lovejoy, neal copperman, paul cohen, the woozle (what was her name? shelley something...), valerie nozick, oh my brain hurts - i can't remember who else was there. oh, i was. ;) >Also, are there any Area/Moon 7 Times fans here, or fans of the now >deceased Big Hat? most assuredly. >Finally, there's a lot of talk about Tribe here. I've only heard Sleeper >by them -- liked it ok, but wondered if any of their other albums were >better. i'd say that _abort_ is a more direct, easier to get into album. the first five songs on _abort_ are probably the best arrangement of songs on one side of a non-concept album that i've ever heard. _here at the home_ is the rawest - and rarest - of the tribe albums. _abort_ is, essentially, a rerelease of the songs on _here at the home_, with some songs re-recorded (including "abort," which is much better on _here at the home_). _sleeper_ is more complex and took me some time to grow accustomed to it, but it still is quite fantastic, nonetheless. woj ------------------------------ From: John Shepard Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 11:34:01 -0500 (EST) Subject: Various replies to Re: various replies On Thu, 4 May 1995, THE OLIVE-LOAF VIGILANTE wrote: > I am very pointedly staying out of the does-John-like-Happy-and-who-cares-if- > he-doesn't debate, since everything I might have said has been posted here > already. I will add, however, that I find it interesting that I can only > think of one instance prior to this one when an ecto semi-lurker of some > duration finally heard Happy for the first time and wasn't exactly overwhelm- > ed, and that one turned into the only bona fide flamewar ecto has ever seen. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself. We know my reputation for starting "incidents" on FTE. Just for the record, I'm not crazy about Tori Amos either. I know if I gave it an effort, I could have grown to like Little Earthquakes, and when it initially came out (before I had money to get it) I would have. But several months later, when I actually got it, I was of the mind that the rewards just wouldn't be worth the time and emotional drain it would have taken to get into it. This may be taken for precisely 87% of what it's worth. > (Granted, said former semi-lurker wasn't exactly tactful in his dismissal of > Happy's music, but normally people around here don't rise to bait like that.) A few weeks of exposure to me and that will change. :-) > So John didn't go orgasmic over "Collective Heart". I fast-forward past > "He's Alive" every single time I listen to _Rhodes I_. What's the big deal? > > Hm. Did a fine job of staying out of it, didn't I? :} I can easily understand the folks here on Ecto being defensive/protective of Happy. I can think of a time when I'd have personally beat the shit out of anyone who dared to criticize Sarah McLachlan. But then, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd be criticizing Sarah. And actually, I think Sarah and Happy both want listeners and fans, not worshippers and self-appointed moral guardians. (I know, I know, look who's talking.) The following is not necessarily a dream, but you may read it as if it were from a dream. It is from the bowels of my imagination, a nightmarish exaggeration of facts which may not exist, presented here for your amusement, NOT as flamebait. Picture the scenario: Happy is sitting in a lawn chair, reading a book or something; seated on the grass around her are some fifty people from Ecto, quietly discussing amongst themselves how great she is. No problem, right? From the back is heard a nervous voice saying "Well... I really didn't think Collective Heart was that great a song..." Immediately 49 people get up and lynch the guy who said that. Then they all turn to Happy, and say, "We're sorry about that guy, he just doesn't understand." To which Happy just shakes her head and sighs. This is, of course, _very_ exaggerated; in reality, only about three or four people would be lynching the guy (so far I've only been lynched by one or two), and everyone else would either rise to the guy's defense or run for cover. Seriously, I doubt Happy is so vain that her feelings would be hurt by one listener delivering an honest (if snap) opinion. If she were, her personality would be so obnoxious she would neither have nor deserve fans like those here on Ecto, and the whole issue would be moot. Now, had I said something like "HAPPY R0D3Z IZ ST00PID" then I would most certainly have deserved a lynching. On the other hand, I doubt anyone of the B1FF mentality (D00DZ!) would be intelligent enough to figure out how to get on a mailing list, and would certainly not last long on a list like Ecto. My first impression of the incident is that I was merely being snapped at by an FTE alumnus, who left FTE precisely because of me, and is enraged to see me posting here; hence the belief that what I said was out of line, because at the time they left FTE, everything I was saying was out of line. I hope that's all it is, and it will go away; I'd like to be able to participate in legit discussions here without being accused of flaming at every turn. > Anthony Baxter reviewed The Freedom Sessions: > > >The audio tracks - I like 'em. In general, the rougher versions on FS > >appeal more to me than the versions on FTE, but maybe it's the appeal > >of the new. > > Interesting. I like the versions on TFS, but really the only track that I > prefer over the album version is "Mary". After that and the live version, > the one that made it onto the album sounds like it should have been the demo. > What were Sarah and Pierre thinking?!?!? I'm just getting over the discovery > of this one flaw on _FtE_ -- it's taken me a while, believe me! :) A flaw? On _FTE_? IMPOSSIBLE! :-) Really, I think I noticed this too, that the demo sounds better than the "final" version. Still, the thing I like about the album version of FTE is that it was the first time I'd heard a Sarah song on the radio. Particularly unusual because the station in question is _not_ the type to play that sort of music, they're usually a classic rock/AOR station, and even since, I haven't heard any more music of that genre played. Someone in the programming department was having fun. But that was quite a moment, hearing that drum machine, a week before I got FTE, wondering "It's not Streets of Philadelphia, and WJAA is playing it, so what is it?" Then all I needed to hear was "Mary walks..." and I recognized the voice. > > Kim Justice noted: > > > There's an interview with Eno in the current issue of Wired magazine, where > > he reports that (as an experiment) he made a short (less than a minute) > > tape of city traffic noise. He then listened to it over and over again, and > > after some time he began to regard it almost as a piece of music; he'd look > > forward to *that* door slam or *this* honking horn. > > kj > > Can we say John Cage? I *knew* we could. :) Right there you have basically > the center point of his philosophy toward music. The best example of this > is his (in)famous piece "4:33", which consists of four minutes and thirty- > three seconds of silence. The whole point is for the audience to concentrate > on the ambient (in the true sense of the word) sounds of the space -- traffic > on the street below (and car alarms :), the squirming and coughing of the > other people in the room, etc. etc. etc., and *that's* the music. Works for > me. :) Like that episode of ST:TNG where Data is exploring the poetry of an alien civilization: "But Data, there's nothing on the screen." Precisely the point: those poems are sometimes days in length, during which time the audience is "invited to explore the emptiness." > Sue Trowbridge recounted: > > >That Eno piece is very intriguing and worth checking out. In it, he cites > >a statistic that the average CD is only listened to two and a half times. > >Has anyone heard this before? > > Well, if you looked at the collection in our house and averaged the discs > that get played incessantly against the multitudes that we've listened to > once and just not gotten around to again, the number you'd come up with might > well be 2.5. :} In my case, the CD gets listened to 2 1/2 times, then dubbed onto a tape for the car, and that tape gets listened to until it breaks. :-) I have a few CDs that have been listened to fewer than 2.5 times, but they're way back in the back of the drawer, and I forget they're there. :-) Like Little Earthquakes. (Ow! That hurt!) :-) | John Shepard IUPU Columbus, Indiana | | The opinions expressed above are my own, and some of the facts too | | An Amiga owner and a Sarah McLachlan fan... God help me! | | "going going forgive us Lord we're going going down" -Jane Siberry | ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V2 #96 ************************* ======================================================================== Please send any questions or comments about the list to ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu