From: owner-ecto-digest To: ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto-digest V2 #318 Reply-To: ecto@nsmx.rutgers.edu Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, 26 December 1995 Volume 02 : Number 318 The Ecto digest is now being generated automatically. Please send problems and questions to: ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: anthony@xymox.apana.org.au (Anthony Horan) Date: Mon, 25 Dec 95 12:51:55 EST Subject: Re: Request help with Sarah Mclaughlin's Multimedia CD >>A friend of mine just bought the Sarah Mclaughlin CD with the >>multimedia track. We haven't had much luck getting anything but audio >>from it. Unless he lost some of the directions, the only ones I saw >>said to skip track one if you don't have a CD-ROM. Using Windows95, >>when we put the CD in, 95's CD Player program takes over and plays the >>audio of the first track. >Yeah -- get a real operating system. Back in the knife drawer with you.... :-) >All I can think of is that you ought to disable the auto-launch thingy >that's making Win95 play CD's when you stick them in. Win95's stock-standard auto-insert CD player shouldn't be a major problem; it depends which one you're using as to how you deal with it. Quickest is to simply hit "Stop" on the software CD player and then go looking through the disc's data section. You can also stop any kind of auto-run action when inserting a CD by simply holding down the Shift key until the CD-ROM drive light goes out. To disable the supplied-with-Win95 player's auto-play function, go to Control Panel, Run the "System" applet, go to the Device Manager tab, select your CD-ROM drive (not the driver, the drive itself) and double-click, and on the Settings tab, uncheck "Auto Insert Notification". If it's the "Powertoys" program FlexiCD that is bothering you (it's the one that puts a little round icon in your system tray), remove FlexiCD from your system - it's not especially good anyway, and it's damn-the-consequences attitude towards playing audio CDs when you insert them is downright annoying. - - Anthony (now THAT was a bit technical for an Ecto post! :-) - -- - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anthony Horan, Melbourne Australia - anthony@xymox.apana.org.au http://daemon.apana.org.au/~anthony/ Physical mail: P.O. Box 40, Malvern 3144, Victoria, Australia "The red sky was bleeding glimpses of heaven, in sections of seven..." - Rose Chronicles reaching lyrical perfection on "Awaiting Eternity" - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ From: ariel_b@pipeline.com (Ariel Brennan) Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 03:54:50 -0500 Subject: Yet Another Top Ten Of 95! Well, with all the top ten lists floating around cyberspace about now, I might as well throw in my hat. ;) FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 1995 10. Heather Nova - Oyster A pretty, angellic Tori Amos-in-a-blender-with-Sarah-McLachlan voice, and some pretty bloody good tunes tune through this pretty celtic flavored alternarock album. Favorite Track: Walk This World 9. Joan Osborne - Relish Joan's voice is strong and powerful, her music rock, blues, folk, defying categorization. The thing keeping her back here? Lyrics! Her lyrics are pretty good, but sometimes they really grate on me. "Cept for the Pope maybe, in Rome"?? Ugh. :) Favorite Track: St. Theresa, One Of Us (tie) 8. Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories - Tails A crystal clear voice, and simple, pretty songs with good, if somewhat unclear lyrics. Lisa Loeb has extreme potential, and I think this is a great debut album, at the very least. ;) Favorite Track: Hurricane 7. Madonna - Something To Remember Stop looking at me funny, she's a mainstay in my musical tastes. While I'm not fond of most of M's dance music, I am wild about her ballads, so so this compilation of ballads old, new, and reworked was a treat for me. M's got a beautiful, smooth voice and simple but good lyrics. Plus, there's an ACOUSTIC ONLY Madonna track here! Whoa. :) Favorite Track: One More Chance (new), Something To Remember (old) 6. Jonatha Brooke And The Story - Plumb My first exposure to Jonatha Brooke came through this album, which was so good, I had to buy The Story's earlier album, "Angel In The House". Jonatha's got a strong voice, but more importantly, some great lyrics. :) Favorite Track: Nothing Sacred 5. Dar Williams - The Honesty Room What a great debut album! One of the best debut albums I've ever heard, pure, perfect, finger plucking folk music. Dar's got a nice, sweet voice, and a terrific lyrical skill, and is a talented guitarist as well. Great album; I love every track, with the exception of that song at the very end, whatever it's name is. :) Favorite Track: You're Aging Well/This Is Not The House That Pain Built/I Love I Love (3 way tie? :) 4. Alanis Morissette - "Jagged Little Pill" BRIILLIANT debut album for the best sort of new artist of the year. There's been much arguing over Alanis's integrity, and talent, but whatever. This is an incredible album, full of gritty reality, sweet romance and bitter pain, sung by the Big Voice From Hell. :) So swallow it down - what a jagged little pill. It feels so good swimming in your stomach. Favorite Track: You Oughta Know (of course!) 3. Melissa Ferrick - "Willing To Wait Take Ani Difranco's guitar, cross it with Alanis Morissette's voice, and Dar Williams' accent, and you get a guitaring playing, great voiced sack of nothing. Take all those things and add a great talent for songwriting, and you get Melissa Ferrick. Wonderful, mostly acoustic compositions of love, loss, politics and pain. Favorite Track: Willing To Wait 2. Happy Rhodes - "The Keep" How do you argue with that VOICE? You don't. You put it 2nd on a list of tremendously wonderful albums. Terrific acoustic redoes of already great songs. They feel warmer on The Keep than on her albums (it's probably the guitar), and I generally prefer them here. INCREDIBLE previously unreleased songs. Drooool. Favorite Track: Prey Of The Strange 1. Ani DiFranco - "Not A Pretty Girl" Now, I might be biased, as I am obsessed with the musical genius of this woman, but this is, IMO, the best album released this year, bar none. Incredible lyrics (the best in the biz!), incredible guitaring (almost the best in the biz!), and a great honey and venom voice make for 14 awe-worthy tracks of emotional rollercoastering. Wonderful stuff. Favorite Track: This Bouquet Honorable Mention: The Pocahontas Soundtrack (I'm serious. ;P) Best bets for next year's top ten: Ani's new album Happy's new album (there IS one coming, right? Right?! :) :) :) Tori Amos ; Boys For Pele Dar Williams ; The Honesty Room Aimee Mann ; I'm With Stupid Ariel - -- "I don't care, cause sometimes, I said sometimes, I hear my voice, and it's been here..." - Tori Amos ------------------------------ From: ariel_b@pipeline.com (Ariel Brennan) Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 04:21:19 -0500 Subject: Ah, the weekend's ectophillic acquisitions, plus! Well, we all celebrate Christmas some way, right? Well, being depressed as I was this weekend (holidays are a downer, man :), and seeing as how I have no one to buy presents for, I decided to... BLOW $160 ON CD'S! Hahaha. Anyway. So, I went over to HMV on 72nd street in Manhatten, which, by the way, is an awe-inspiring store, indeed. I once saw every Happy album there. Under "Rhodes, Happy", no less! Other HMV's are considerably less impressive, in NYC, to the point of actually NOT HAVING a Happy section. But I digress. I went, armed with a list of artists to check out and the order in which to check them out. I then weeded out what I couldn't afford (painfully placing Mary Lou Lord and Shawn Colvin back on the shelf. Was that a good thing, or a bad thing? Opinions please?), picked up another 100 CD disc book, and proceeded to spend $112.50 ("How are you?" said the cashier. "Fine" said I. "You won't be in a minute", said the cashier). Then, I happily trodded off to Tower down the street, intent on buying one Bette Midler album, walking away with three CD's and no Bette. Anyway, enough babbling. My acquisitions of this weekend: The Story "Angel In The House" This is an incredible album! I just listened to it straight through for the first time, and fell in love. It's so beautiful, with the pretty harmonies and excellent, acoustic music. I must, however, say I can understand why Jennifer Kimball left the group. You can barely tell she's there. Jennifer has a beautiful voice, though, and I anticipate her own solo work with much gleeful happiness. ;> Meryn Cadell "Angel Food For Thought" I hadn't heard of this artist before my ex suggested her to me, saying it was "less musical" than most of my stuff, but I might like it. I love it! This is the star of my recent acquisitions. Thing is, I don't know if it qualifies as ecto-fare. Basically, you get this woman (with a powerful, versitile voice and large range) either singing (acapella or with minimal instrumentals), or talking (either alone with with minimal instrumentals). A lot of spoken word poems and cute little stories, some great funny moments, and a couple of very nice songs. Meryn's got a terrific voice, and would make a damned good voice over actress, judging from the various voices she uses through this album, depending on the story. Aural Gratification Vol 1 and 2 TOWER had this! Woo hoo! Well, it's interesting, to say the least. I can't say I'll be listening to it all that much, but it's good background music at least. Sinead O'Conner "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" I like this album more than I expected to, but not as much as I wanted to. Make sense? Pretty voice, but bit too quiet for my taste. Not enough actual music, too dirge slow for my general tastes. A nice album to play in the background, except for that one about the grave, which is rather loud. ;) 10,000 Maniacs "Our Time In Eden" "MTV Unplugged" I already had these on tape last year, before I bought my CD player, but I might as well share my thoughts at this rediscovering of the Maniacs. Well, they're not as good as I remember, but still good. I remember when I had these albums on tape, I was seriously impressed by Natalie's voice, but now, compared to Tori, Happy, Jonatha, and Meryn, and everyone else, she rather pales, and the texture of her voice really bothers me. Still, she's a great lyricist, and I don't regret the purchase. XTC A Testimonial Dinner After hearing all the raves about Sarah M's version of "Dear God", I had to listen to this at Tower on the station. Excellent tribute album! That good tribute album thing going around needs this thrown on it. I could actually listen to this tribute album relatively often. Sarah's Dear God is the best of the bunch, but I also love They Might Be Giants' 25 O'clock. I'm unfamiliar with XTC themselves, but this tribute made me want to buy their stuff. ;> Well, that's it. Except the plus, which is: Does anyone have any opinions on Shawn Colvin, and Mary Lou Lord. And Gwen Swick too (I saw her in the Ladyslipper catalogue and I'm considering getting her album just from the description of the album. ;>) Comparisons? Stuff like that? I know there was a short discussion on Colvin here recently, but I wasn't paying much attention ;) Thanks for listening to the babble! Ariel - -- "I don't care, cause sometimes, I said sometimes, I hear my voice, and it's been here..." - Tori Amos ------------------------------ From: "Matt Bittner" Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 07:50:29 -0500 Subject: Re: Request help with Sarah Mclaughlin's Multimedia CD On 24 Dec 95 at 17:26, Joanna M. Phillips typed diligently: > At 12:31 AM 12/24/95 -0800, Chris wrote: > > A friend of mine just bought the Sarah Mclaughlin CD with the > >multimedia track. We haven't had much luck getting anything but audio > >from it. Unless he lost some of the directions, the only ones I saw > >said to skip track one if you don't have a CD-ROM. Using Windows95, > >when we put the CD in, 95's CD Player program takes over and plays the > >audio of the first track. I tried to play it with "Media Player"...no > >luck. I looked at the CD with file explorer...no .exe files, nothing > >but .cda files. Can anyone out there point me in the right direction? > > > >Thanks in advance, > > > >Chris > > Check in the liner notes. On one page of it there are "Freedom Sessions > CD+MM Installation Instructions". Happy viewing! Well, since no one else has spoke up, and since I'm feeling a bit anal this morning, I wanted to point out that it's Sarah - ready? - M-c-L-a-c-h-l-a-n. Sarah McLachlan. Matt - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Matthew Bittner WW1 Modeler, ecto subscriber, semi-new dad, meba@cso.com PowerBuilder developer; Omaha, Nebraska Disclaimer: opinions expressed by me are my responsibility only. "but it's like santa claus, your parents have to help a Little bit and show him where to buy the stuff and write your name on it in their handwriting after he wraps it." - Anna Sunshine Ison, talking about what's real and what isn't - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ------------------------------ From: "Matt Bittner" Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 07:50:29 -0500 Subject: Re: Hi I'm back... On 25 Dec 95 at 17:14, Ulrich Grepel typed diligently: > > - Loreena McKennitt - The Mask And Mirror (Australian ltd. ed. with > live in SF CD) > > The first time I've heard LMcK live at all - and she's awesome! Anyone got > the full 9-track promo CD for sale for a decent price? ;-) You can order the Live CD direct from Quinlan Road. If interested, I can get the addresses for you. Matt - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Matthew Bittner WW1 Modeler, ecto subscriber, semi-new dad, meba@cso.com PowerBuilder developer; Omaha, Nebraska Disclaimer: opinions expressed by me are my responsibility only. "but it's like santa claus, your parents have to help a Little bit and show him where to buy the stuff and write your name on it in their handwriting after he wraps it." - Anna Sunshine Ison, talking about what's real and what isn't - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ------------------------------ From: "Matt Bittner" Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 08:33:02 -0500 Subject: Latest acquisition Having "won a major prize" (ala the best holiday movie ever, _A Christmas Story_, which had scenes shot in one of the best cities - Cleveland) at the local gag, uh "alternative" radio stations, I thought I would share my feelings. I walked away with $30 worth of lunch, two CDs and one tape. I got to choose the "music" I wanted; however, the ecto picks weren't many, there being plenty of Bush, Oasis, Green Day, gag, hack ptoooie. The pickings were definitely slim. The tape was a "promo" for The October Project, with two songs from their latest. Unfortunately, not only do I forget the name of the full length work, but also the two songs that were on the tape. Needless to say, hearing these two songs just made me want to go out and buy everything from them. Now to find the money... One of the CDs was a single for "Longing in Their Heart" (or something like that) from Bonnie Raitt. I primarily picked this one because my wife likes Bonnie, and it was in a neat case, that had a "for radio only" type label on it. Well, on to the real reason for this post. The "full length" CD I walked away with was the self titled debut (?) from Poe. I asked the list about this earlier, but got no response. Well, wait, and ye shall receive. I've only been able to track through it twice, and unfortunately left it at home, so I don't have track info, or anything like that. However, I do have impressions. It's not a bad disc. It's definitely on the "poppy" side, and a bit "experimental". Most lyrics are ectoish, but the music is a bit more upbeat. There are times where - musically and vocally, since she overdubs (right word?) herself - she reminds me of mary's danish. There are other times where she reminds me of Nan Vernon. It's quite difficult placing a finger on the type of style she has. I like it. I'm to the point where I can probably say I like it better than Nan. My biggest problem with Nan are the lyrics. They tend to be a bit "simple" at times. Whereas with Poe, she can be "complex". I definitely do recommend it. However, with all music, I also recommend you track through it and listen before you buy. It just might not be your cup of Earl Grey. Matt - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Matthew Bittner WW1 Modeler, ecto subscriber, semi-new dad, meba@cso.com PowerBuilder developer; Omaha, Nebraska Disclaimer: opinions expressed by me are my responsibility only. "You cannot make anything foolproof, because the fools are so ingenious." - Christian Walters - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ------------------------------ From: "Matt Bittner" Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 09:19:13 -0500 Subject: Best of '95 My "top ten" list is more of a "favorite purchases for the year" than anything else. I don't like rating albums because my rating won't be the same as anyone elses, and is usually more disparate than others. Also, I've made comments on everything I've purchased this year, so you'll see some "older" stuff here, as well. So, in order of "personal importance": Jewel - Pieces of You Overall, my favorite artist for the past year was/is Jewel. Although she hasn't made an appearance locally - and won't until February - I would have to say the one of the most unique live artists around. I would even venture to say the live recordings I have from various sources are better than _Pieces of You_ - but I still enjoy this disc. suddenly, tammy! - (we get there when we do), SpinART! debut My second favorite artist of '95. Helped me get through my wife's "long distance" pregnancy. I enjoy () more, but I still like the debut more than other discs. jehova waitresses - perfect impossible A must buy for all people. Most on ecto know they're friends of mine, but this disc takes them to new heights. Ectoish, if there ever was a band. Joan Osborne - relish A surprise for me. I listened to a couple of tracks at one of the listening stations around town, and thought, "Nah." Well, saw it at one of the used places, and decided to pick it up. Hey all you Alanis fans, this is what "hard edged female rock" should sound like. And it's blues tinged, as well! If I had to pick a favorite song, I can't get enough of "Spider's Web". Loreena McKennitt - the mask and mirror, The Visit, a winter garden Nothing needs to be said. She's amazing. If you need a "holiday type" CD, _a winter garden_ is it. One of those artists that you tend to buy without listening to first. Sarah McLachlan - Touch, Solace Ditto my comments about buying "sight unheard". Sarah just is, that's all. I wanted to complete my Sarah collection, and bought these two, and will never regret it. Different than _fumbling towards ecstasy_, but still well worth the purchase. Happy Rhodes - The Keep, building the colossus Again, Happy just is. Sure, with these two it only brings up my collection of Happy to three, but as money becomes available, one of the artists that you must have everything of. I enjoy _The Keep_ more, but only because it's more "accoustic". _building the colossus_ is still amazing, and an aural gratification. ;-> Katell Keineg - O Seasons O Castles Another whim buy that I'm pleased with. Some of the songs take some getting used to, but her voice definitely helps things out. If I had to choose a favorite song, it would be "O Seasons". Kate Bush - The Red Shoes Having been a Kate fan from years back, I was shocked that I hadn't picked this one up until now. I guess less-than-favorable reviews kept me away. My liking of Kate waned for awhile. Well, opportunity presented itself, and the purchase was made. It's not as bad as everyone was letting on. Sure, it's not as great as _The Dreaming_ or _Hounds of Love_, but it's worth listening to. The Neilds - Bob on the Ceiling A definite ecto recommendation. Quite pleasing, and some wonderful music. I'll admit, though, that it took a few listens to "grow" on me, but I'm liking it more and more as the listens continue. PJ Harvey - "the latest one" Unfortunately, I can't remember this one's name. My first venture into the "world of PJ". It's not bad. A definite harder edge than most other stuff on this list, but it's an edge that helps with the right mood. For me, a definite mood collection. Mae Moore - Bohemia I heard "Bohemia" on the radio a couple of years ago, and stumbled across the disc at a used CD place. A good listen, one to help mellow the mood. Poe The self-titled debut from Poe. I really like this one. If I was to separate my list into "pop" and "non-pop", then this would go to the top of the "pop" list. A good debut. The Juliana Hatfield three - become what you are I have a Blake Babies disc (_Sunburn_?), and like it, so I added this to my always-growing CD want list. Well, my sister "pilferred" my list last time I was home, and I have "anything by Juliana" on that list. So, she found this one and sent it for Christmas. Unfortunately, it's down this "low" because I've only listened to it once, but I like what I hear. As time goes on, this would probably move up. Lisa Germano - Geek the Girl Another used CD whim, again based on ecto-comments. I like this, but unfortunately the more I listen to it, the less I like it. It's a great concept disc, but maybe that's where it fails for me. Don't know, maybe my opinion will change back the other way over time. Nan Vernon - Manta Ray Once more, whim used CD buy. And once again, the more I listen to it, the less I like it. Part of the problem with this one, though, is that when I first got it I listened to it so much, I think I got myself sick of it. Maybe after I let is sit and collect dust for awhile, it will move towards the top. disappear fear The biggest disappointment for me. Another ecto-comment whim, and the only one that hasn't done anything for me. My biggest problem is that one of the Cleveland bands - Odd Girl Out - and df sound too similar. However, I *really* like OGO, but can't stomach df. Maybe because OGO is (was) a trio, and df was just a duo? Hard telling. Matt - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Matthew Bittner WW1 Modeler, ecto subscriber, semi-new dad, meba@cso.com PowerBuilder developer; Omaha, Nebraska Disclaimer: opinions expressed by me are my responsibility only. "You cannot make anything foolproof, because the fools are so ingenious." - Christian Walters - -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 11:20:20 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: Ah, the weekend's ectophillic acquisitions, plus! Can you tell it's a boring day at work here? I think about 4 of the 40 people in my area showed up. That would be a golden opportunity to get a lot of work done undisturbed, if I were at all inclined to do such a thing. Ecto seems much more entertaining though... On Tue, 26 Dec 1995, Ariel Brennan wrote: > > BLOW $160 ON CD'S! Hahaha. Always one of my favorite ways to spend a holiday. I failed for Christmas, but I think I see something similar on the horizon for New Years. > > Meryn Cadell "Angel Food For Thought" > Thing is, I don't know if it qualifies as ecto-fare. I'm always amazed at how often people put qualifiers on their purchases like that. It seems to me, and I've read it here before, that ecto-fare is not a particularly limiting category. It doesn't consist solely of Happy, Tori, Sarah and Kate. (Besides, not every ectophile likes every one of those artists anyway.) And with threads covering NIN and Diamanda (both of who have a decent following on ecto), it seems weird to have to put disclaimers on artists like Meryn Cadell. If ani and Laurie Anderson belong here, then Meryn and a host of others obviously do to. I know I'm flogging a dead horse (lovely phrase, no?), but it seems good to say every once in a while. BTW, I love Angel Food For Thought. Her second album, Bombazine, is also pretty good, but has never grabbed me the same way. It's more song oriented, and less distinctive. You can frequently find either disc marked way down in the throwaway bins in used stores. At least, that was true a year or so ago. I guess I haven't seen them as much recently. > Thanks for listening to the babble! ditto, Neal ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 11:04:27 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: xmas greetings and 2 questions On Tue, 26 Dec 1995, petite piquet wrote: > Also, I rully need to find out very soon about Ani in Oz, because it's > supposed to be in January or so. Does anyone know anything about dates > etc, or where I can find out? The ticketing agency here doesn't know > anything at all... > While browsing around the web, I tried checking on ani's tour schedule. There are a lot of different schedules listed, and they all agree that she will be around the western and norhtwestern parts of the US and Canada from February through May. She was also in the US during December. None of them have any mention at all of whether she is touring or taking time off in January. Has there been some indication that she is actually in AUstralia? (Not that the info I found is conclusive, but they gave no hing of an Australia tour.) Neal ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 11:11:14 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: Yet Another Top Ten Of 95! On Tue, 26 Dec 1995, Ariel Brennan wrote: > 8. Lisa Loeb And Nine Stories - Tails > A crystal clear voice, and simple, pretty songs with good, if somewhat > unclear lyrics. Lisa Loeb has extreme potential, and I think this is a > great debut album, at the very least. ;) > Favorite Track: Hurricane I doubt I"m going to make a top 10 list this year, and this certainly wouldn't be on it, but I had made some disparaging remarks about it after reading over the lyric sheet, so I felt it deserved some comment now that I"ve actually heard it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the sound of the album. It was more varied and entertaining than I expected. I'm not much of a lyrics person, but there are a lot of lyrics here that drive me up the wall. In fact, I think over time the lyrics would make the album unlistenable for me, since I find myself really annoying walking around humming "don't stultify". Still, there are a few catchy songs that aren't hampered by annoying verse. I think "Garden of Earthly Delights" is one. So, my view of Lisa Loeb went up a little bit, but still isn't all that high. > 1. Ani DiFranco - "Not A Pretty Girl" > Now, I might be biased, as I am obsessed with the musical genius of this > woman, but this is, IMO, the best album released this year, bar none. > Incredible lyrics (the best in the biz!), incredible guitaring (almost the > best in the biz!) Wow, there's a comment I wouldn't have expected to see emerge from Ariel's fingers :) So who beats her in your book? (Not that I really want to start a best guitarist thread, I'm just curious.) Neal ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 11:47:55 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: Best of '95 On Tue, 26 Dec 1995, Matt Bittner wrote: > disappear fear > > The biggest disappointment for me. Another ecto-comment whim, > and the only one that hasn't done anything for me. My biggest > problem is that one of the Cleveland bands - Odd Girl Out - > and df sound too similar. However, I *really* like OGO, but > can't stomach df. Maybe because OGO is (was) a trio, and df > was just a duo? Hard telling. As a longtime disappear fear fan, I always feel compelled to point out that the self-titled album (their most recent), is also IMO their worst. Mostly it's just erratic. Half the tracks I really like, while the remaining half are either mediocre of just plain annoying. I'd recommend Live at the Bottom Line as a best bet, with deep sould diver right behind it. If you bought either of those first and didn't like it, then I'd say just give up, but I'd give them another chance after "disappear fear". (Matt, I loved how you didn't seem to really like about half of your top ten list!) Neal ------------------------------ From: maeldun@i-2000.com (Michael Doyle) Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 12:52:06 -0500 Subject: My Top 10 I can't do a top 10 list of 1995 releases. I acquired 28 discs this year, but only a handful were released in 1995. While many of my favorite purchases this year were released in 1995, they total no more than five. I find it very difficult to do a top 10 list of 1995 _purchases_, too. I was rarely disappointed in what I picked up this year. Nevertheless, I will adhere to the form: 1. Ars Poetica, (self-titled) A passionate, dreamy album that has become fully integrated into my heart. It is now one of my top 5 albums *ever*. 2. Mellonta Tauta, _Sun Fell_ Beautiful realization of what Cranes might be like if they were from South America. 3. Garbage, (self-titled) (1995) Pow! Bang! Killer grungy trip-hop pop. *Favorite* release of 1995. 4. My Scarlet Life, _Reliquaries_ (1995) Quirky, fun, distressing. A worthy new project from Preston Klik of Big Hat. 5. REM, _Monster_ So it took me until January of 1995 to realize what everyone else had in 1994. This disc kicks. 6. Stone Roses, _Second Coming_ (1995) Damn, can John Squire play the guitar. It isn't the first album, but it is far, far from crap. 7. Oasis, _Definitely Maybe_ Another 1994 album that took me a while to decide upon grabbing. Once I had grab it, it didn't take long for it to grab me. I also acquired their new album, _What's the Story Morning Glory_, which is great, too. 8. Smitten, (self-titled) (1995) My first 100% blind, ecto-faith purchase! I love it! When asked what kind of music it is, I can only say, it is *exactly* the kind of music I like. Thanks to those who first mentioned it here (I think Vickie was among them). 9. Cowboy Junkies, _Essential Junk_ This compilation rekindled my passion for death country and obviated the need for me to acquire the rest of the Cowboy Junkies albums. 10. lovesliescrushing, _bloweyelashwish_ Beautiful, haunting, ethereal noise. These guys were surprisingly good in concert. Done! - - Mike Michael Doyle maeldun@i-2000.com =================================================================== "You sleep like a haiku: You're still; you move. It's that simple." - - C-Cat Trance ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V2 #318 ************************** ======================================================================== Please send any questions or comments about the list to ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu