From: owner-ecto-digest To: ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto-digest V2 #361 Reply-To: ecto@nsmx.rutgers.edu Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, 25 January 1996 Volume 02 : Number 361 The Ecto digest is now being generated automatically. Please send problems and questions to: ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Xenu's Sister" Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 17:47:15 -0600 (CST) Subject: New Suspended In Gaffa/Ecto Artists page Hey, this http business isn't so bad after all! I'm working on yet *another* project now. It's in betatest (or whatever it's called) and so I'm not ready to announce it to the world, but those in ecto and on alt.music.ecto can take a look at it. I'm hoping for suggestions, corrections, additions and whatnot, so take a look and give me some feedback. Please? :-) Zip on over to: http://miso.wwa.com/~vickie/artists/artists.html And let me know what you think. Thanks! Vickie vickie@wwa.com http://miso.wwa.com/~vickie/ ------------------------------ From: Kerry White Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 17:44:19 -0600 (CST) Subject: A Warning (fwd) Hello, For what it is worth: - ------------------------------ From: pHp@Gong.net (Capt. Beyond) Date: 25 Jan 1996 11:09:49 GMT Subject: ********************* WARNING TO ALL CD-BUYERS: AVOID BUYING ANYTHING FROM S O U N D C I T Y 2 0 0 0 !!!!! ************************** This company is the definition of the word RIP-OFF!! They ripped off myself and 4 of my friends of our valuable money by not sending us our requested CD's. How many others out there have they stolen from, and how do we put an end to their existence? Please post your comments here so others can be forewarned. They seem to care less when you call them, and apparently are getting rich and delivering nothing!! Amazing!! Only in America!! As any avid CD-buyer knows, purchasing import CD's from overseas can take about 6 weeks to arrive at your home, because of all the legalities involved. SOUND CITY 2000 uses this as a means to swindle purchasers. When I eventually realized that I wasn't going to get my disc, I called my credit card company and they said that the original order occurred to far in the past to refund my money. Oh, by the way, another tactic that SOUND CITY 2000 uses is to send no refund back to purchaser until THEY DECIDE THAT THE DISC IS OUT OF PRINT!!! That's the only way to get your money back. In my case, they said that they had no record of my order, even though I still have the original purchase order. I've since reported this to the FCC, but they have not gotten back to me as of yet. here's 2 other companies that deliver what they promise: CD Europe - cdeurope.com CD Connection - cdconnection.com ONCE AGAIN, WARN ALL YOUR FRIENDS.....S O U N D C I T Y 2 0 0 0 IS A RIP-OFF!!! AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS!! (no pun intended) ........................................................................ A public service announcement (if true) from the department of redundencies department. KrW "They said it couldn't be done but sometimes that doesn't work either" ------------------------------ From: 32 flavors and then some Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 19:18:09 -0500 Subject: morena slidje? can anybody help this poor soul? cc your reply to me since i'm curious now... woj >From owner-allmusic@AMERICAN.EDU Thu Jan 25 18:52:12 1996 >Date: Thu, 25 Jan 96 22:35:41 UT >From: "Mark Stuttard" >To: ALLMUSIC@AMERICAN.EDU >Subject: Morena Silje? > >Hi, can anybody help me out with a little problem? I'm desperatly looking for >ANY information on Morena Silje, a female artist. I don't really know anything >about her, but I have heard some of her songs and I just want any details >about her, anything and everything! > >If anybody out there can help me, then please post a message either to this >mailing list, or (preferably) to my email address. > >Thanks in advance! > >-Mark >mark_stuttard@msn.com > ------------------------------ From: 32 flavors and then some Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 20:08:00 -0500 Subject: ectori VNozick@tribune.com sez: >In short, I'm extremely disappointed in the photo of a pig suckling Tori's >breast in the CD booklet of BfP. hmmm. i find this photo intriguing...not as much for the pig or tori's open shirt, as for the look on tori's face. there's longing, melancholy reflection in her face that draws my eyes away from her chest and out the window to her right. regarding the pig, i think doug was spot-on regarding it being symbolic for men. i'd guess she's going for the "chauvinistic pig" link that most people would easily focus on, but i tend to doubt that she's trying to make a statement about all men...just the men in her life. she's said as much that this album is about her relationships with men and how they have changed in the past two years. specifically, she has said that she has moved away from defining herself in terms of the men that she was involved with. to me, the pig picture ties into this. doug also mentioned the blood-milk thing, but i see more of a role reversal thing instead: she's also talked about how she's been a vampire towards men - boy blood, or some similar statement. this picture might also symbolize a healing on her part - instead of sucking their blood, she is nourishing them at her breast. anyways, i'm not offended and find it vey lovely. jeffy@wam.umd.edu sez: >Well, I'm with meth on this one...the new album is just *phenomenal*. it's still sinking in for me. i've been listening to it in spurts driving to and from work - a much shorter drive than meredith's. my impressions of it are very hazy, but i have a few anyways. first of all, why is anyone describing this album as "inaccessible"? i may be jaded by other music i listen to, but i don't find this album at all hard to listen to. it's fluid and easy on the ears. yes, it may not appeal to the "mainstream" (whatever that is anymore), but i'd be hard-pressed to say that this album is *difficult* to listen to. is this just a misunderstanding of terminology? second, i don't think this record can at all be described as tori's "the dreaming". yes, she's doing some odd things here and there and, yes, there are some differences between this record and her previous ones, but the gap between _under the pink_ and _boys for pele_ is nothing like the jump from _never for ever_ to _the dreaming_. i just don't see it at all. third, i rather like the change in tone from the beginning of the record to the end. it begins fierce and ends on a very quiet, perhaps timid (i may have to revise that statement if i ever start paying attention to the lyrics), note. she could have called this record _march_. fourth, what's the big hang-up that folks (reviewers mostly, but some lay listeners as well) have with the lyrics? i understand that most people focus on lyrics as opposed to music (as i do) and that finding a connection to the words is often key to liking a song...but the phrase here and there that i've caught, while cryptic, aren't utterly opaque. tori has a logic to her choice of words, and it's not straightforward by any strech of the imagination, but it's not mud. it's just poetry. some may claim that poetry (or any form of expression) without communication of ideas is pointless, but it's as important for tori to say what she says for herself as it's important to those who grasp her lyrics and vest them with some personal meaning. (i think that rant is more aimed at the critics and reviewers who dismiss tori merely on the basis of the method of her madness, so no one should feel like i'm singling them out!) okay, enough impressions, just a few more comments to go... >Tori's style was just *made* for the harpsichord...funny how I never >noticed it before. ;-) this point is so true it bears repeating. thanks jeff - this thought had been gelling in my mind, but you beat me to the punch. "jeffrey hanson" sez: >I must admit that I'd actually become quite burnt out on Tori. i wasn't at all excited or looking forward to this album. that is not to say that i was dreading its release - i was just rather neutral on the whole concept. >I find myself liking it, being drawn in, wanting to uncover just what it is >she's trying to say. i've already babbled at length about the music/lyrics thing, so i'll just add that there is a ton of musical neatness going on here (from the obvious harpsichord to the subtle piano-through-guitar-effects- pedals) to keep us toneheads happy for a long while. :) anthony@xymox.apana.org.au (Anthony Horan) sez: >The only possible explanation, therefore, is that Meredith and myself are >twins. :-) for my sake, i hope not! ;) bis spa"ter, ectoids... woj ------------------------------ From: jeffy@wam.umd.edu Date: Thu, 25 Jan 96 21:05:39 EST Subject: Re: ectori woj sez: >second, i don't think this record can at all be described as tori's >"the dreaming". yes, she's doing some odd things here and there and, >yes, there are some differences between this record and her previous >ones, but the gap between _under the pink_ and _boys for pele_ is >nothing like the jump from _never for ever_ to _the dreaming_. i just >don't see it at all. I disagree with this, though not completely. Just this evening I was describing BfP to a friend, and said, "I don't want to compare it to _The Dreaming_, but there's a definite, "Ooh, I'm doin' this one all by my self and I'm gonna *play*" that both albums share. To my ear, there are plenty of songs on BfP that sounds completely unlike anything Tori's done before. It's mostly in the arrangements... particularly the use of brass. Even when Kate was at her most produced, she and Paddy were using all sorts of weird instruments. When it came time for _The Dreaming_, the innovations in her style showed up in other places (for instance, there's nothing overly odd about the instruments used in "Sat in Your Lap," which is one of those songs which just sends *me* bolt upright!). I think this album shows major experimentation for Tori, both in her keyed instruments but also the rest of the arrangement. Right now, "Father Lucifer" is one of my favorite tracks, and the trumpet really adds a tremendous amount to the piece. Very non-Tori, but geez, how it works. BTW, anyone else notice a lot of Beatles influence, particularly in "Mr. Zebra" (also a great track)? Jeff (sinking back into "Blood Roses" now for the 2nd or 3rd time today) ------------------------------ From: abartgls@redrose.net (Ann & Alan Brodrick) Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 21:08:04 -0500 Subject: Re: ecto-digest Please unsubscribe us from the digest. Thanks! ------------------------------ From: VNozick@tribune.com Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 21:16:57 -0600 Subject: Re[2]: ectori >woj said: >>second, i don't think this record can at all be described as tori's >>"the dreaming". yes, she's doing some odd things here and there and, >>yes, there are some differences between this record and her previous >>ones, but the gap between _under the pink_ and _boys for pele_ is >>nothing like the jump from _never for ever_ to _the dreaming_. i just >>don't see it at all. and Jeffy replied: >I disagree with this, though not completely. Just this evening I was >describing BfP to a friend, and said, "I don't want to compare it to _The >Dreaming_, but there's a definite, "Ooh, I'm doin' this one all by my self >and I'm gonna *play*" that both albums share. I side with woj, for several reasons. First of all, even though this album is different from mainstream music, there are a lot of similarities between BfP and her first two albums. Mr. Zebra, seems related in tone to Happy Phantom and The Waitress. All of those songs are Tori's 'fun' songs. Sure, they have dark tones in the lyrics, but the music is silly. Similarly, there's a parallel between the tone of God and Professional Widow. Both songs are where Tori gets to experiment with her harder sound (she also did this on If 6 Were 9). Also, Tori hasn't diverged significantly from the emotion of her first two albums, at least not in the same way that Kate did. Never For Ever was a 'nice' album -- Kate did a _complete_ reversal in emotion between those two albums, whereas Tori is still angry (albeit angrier and more biting) on BfP. Musically, I'll admit that she is experimenting a lot on BfP, but not nearly as much as Kate did on TD. Finally, I'm not sure whether we can measure any one album in relation to a person's opus until several albums have passed. BfP might just be a stepping stone in Tori's oeuvre (god, I've always wanted to use that word!). Her next album might be more of a "Dreaming"-type album than BfP. Tori has a long way to go. Looking back at Kate's career (so far), TD sticks out because it is so different and so angry IN COMPARISON TO HER OTHER ALBUMS. Kate never repeated that style (although I wish she would) again. We can't make those same comparisons with Tori yet, because we haven't seen where her music is going to take her on the next album(s). Perhaps in a few years, after a few albums, BfP will turn out to be the album-that-sticks-out-as-a-dreaming-album (tm). But until then, I've had enough of this discussion. :) Is BfP a great new turn for Tori? You bet! I hope she continues down this path, although with Tori, she'll probably go in a different direction next time. However, to paraphrase Meth, I hope she gets f**ked around with more often if this is the result. :) >BTW, anyone else notice a lot of Beatles influence, particularly in "Mr. >Zebra" (also a great track)? Yup. It reminds me of Eleanor Rigby. Can't explain why...I think it's the way the music (hornish) appears out of nowhere. Also the Ms. Crocodile reference sounds like primo Beatles-psychedelia stuff. Favorite tracks so far: Blood Roses, Professional Widow, Mr. Zebra. However, this isn't because they've grabbed me -- it's just that I've only listened to it at work, and it's extremely rare that I'm not interrupted before the end of MZ. :P ==> Valerie ------------------------------ From: abehrend@direct.ca (ariane behrend) Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 19:17:13 -0800 Subject: Her Dar-ness Just a little note, from an admittedly *very* biased, obsessed fan: Do yourself a favour and run to your nearest store to buy Dar Williams' 'Mortal City' - an absolutely *brilliant* album!!! I bought 'Boys for Pele' as well and may get around to listening to it in about a month or so when I *may* be able to force myself to take Dar off repeat ... but... I like the pig picture >:) Ariane ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ariane Behrend ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Vancouver, Canada ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The waves are perfect and the sun will always shine, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ But there's got to be more to death than surfing all the time ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Dar Williams ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ------------------------------ From: Steve Molla Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 23:11:28 -0500 Subject: Tori CD photos With all the talk about Tori's 'pig' photo, I'm surprised there isn't the slightest controversy about another photo in the booklet: the one where she is on all fours on the mattress. My first thoughts when I saw this photo was that perhaps she wished she could be 'mounted' by one of the cows. I know that sounds strange, but it must be a combination of the position she's in, and the pig photo on the preceeding page that gave me that idea. Anyone else come up with this? Steve ------------------------------ From: MATH TRIED ERR Date: Thu, 25 Jan 1996 23:37:44 -0500 (EST) Subject: toribabble (longer than you'd probably like :) Hi! Wow. I shoulda known a new Tori album would get all of ecto a-buzzing. :) (If anyone wants to viciously slag Tori and the album, get thee over to love-hounds/rec.music.gaffa -- sheesh! :P) I have now had several more listens to let things sink in further. Interest- ingly enough (to me, anyway) my first impressions haven't really changed all that much. I still think it's one of the best albums I've *ever* heard, and I'm still in such a good mood over just how good it is! (Good thing, too -- this has turned out to be a heluva week. :/) I've got a lot to say to people who have had a lot to say, so you all have been duly warned! :> steve dissented: >Well, I hate to be the only one, but I'm not real impressed >with Boys for Pele so far. Admittedly, I bought it yesterday, >and have only had time to listen to the first 4 songs. I'll chime in with the "you gotta give it a chance" crowd here. I was discussing BfP with a fellow rabid Tori-fan friend last night, and he noted that no matter where you are in the album, you're never far from one of the very best tracks thereon. If you hit one that doesn't quite strike your fancy, just hang on and you'll get your socks totally blown off again in a few minutes. (Sounds like the weather in New England. ;) >But, >I couldn't help but wonder what happened to Tori to cause >her to create this 'stuff'? Eric dumped her halfway through the last tour. Never Piss Off A Songwriter. (This is a corollary to the Never Piss Off An Author rule, btw.) Jeffy noted: >Tori's style was just *made* for the harpsichord...funny how I never >noticed it before. ;-) True!!! I hope she sticks with the harpsichord for a few more albums to come (as opposed to the now-you-hear-it-now-you-don't foray into prepared piano) -- there's LOTS more she can do with it, I'm sure. >The album isn't for everyone. I don't think it's nearly as accessible as >earlier albums. I, too am mystified by this perception. Yeah, there's some weird shit going on (especially in "Professional Widow", which continues to totally crack me up -- goddess, I love that song!), but it's all quintessentially Tori, even when she's delving into piano blues later on. She's not doing anything that's going to make most people run screaming from the room (unless you can't handle anything involving the harpsichord, I guess). I think she's created some of her most haunting and beautiful melodies yet, and musically she's not doing anything really different from what we've come to expect from her. Hell, if anything she's taken a few things away -- we don't have any virtuoso piano-wanking a la "Precious Things" or "Cornflake Girl" on this album, for example. >Lyrically, it's still a mystery to me. I'm starting to >get ideas of what some songs are about, but it'll take a while to sort >through what the hell she might be talking about. I'm starting to pick up little bits of the "novel", but she's still totally losing me after the "Agent Orange" segment. Dunno if I'll ever figure it out completely -- "Space Dog" continues to elude me to this day. :) Kevin wondered: > So... is BFP more like Little Earthquakes or Under The Pink? It's like neither. Well, there are some songs that pack the emotional punch of _LE_, but I don't find much of anything _UtP_-like on it at all. (Hmmm. I'll have to listen to _UtP_ again now, to see if I still like it nearly as much as I did before.) > Meth gives a rave review but so far Steve is a bit disappointed. I guess > I'm not quite ready to cough up the cash... Find a listening station that will let you stand there for 70 minutes. :) Anthony Kosky recommended: >I think it needs more than one listen to "get", but I also think that >this is one that you'll need to listen to right the way through as a >whole album. Yes, definitely. My aforementioned Torifan friend said he's going to make a tape of it for someone he knows who only likes a certain Tori-mode (the "Baker Baker", "Mother", "Hey Jupiter" mode), putting the songs in that mode first, then rearranging the remainder in a manner that will bring her through the album so she gets to the stuff he knows she's not going to like last. The very thought of disturbing the track order gave me a chill -- that would be like rearranging the chapters of a book and expecting it to still make sense. This is *not* a shuffle-play album!!! >My recommendation is to sit down with your eyes closed and listen >right the way through a couple of times. If you still don't like it >then the interface between your ears and your brain may be faulty, and >you should see about getting it repaired under warrantee. Hee! :> >Actually I thought some of the other photos were much more >provocative. It seems like her hand falls naturally to a suggestive >area in the stagecoach picture (though it's obscured by text a bit), Erm, unless the back of one's knee has suddenly become an erogenous zone, I think you'd best look again... ;> >and on the back cover. Okay, I'll give you that one... >Still getting over hearing a harpsicord rock... Jeff noted: >Well, I also bought Boys for Pele last night. So far my impressions are >mixed. Even after reading the review Neal so thoughtfully posted, and >carefully sitting down to listen to the album with the lyrics sheet, >I don't have a clue as to what the album is really about. It's her "the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with suddenly dumped me and turned my entire world upside down and this is the only way I can think of to deal with it" album. Based on what I've heard her say about it so far, it's mostly about the place where you go when you're going through a really unpleasant time -- your own personal hell, or private Idaho or whatever. In this case the unpleasant time was brought about by a man, which led her to think about the relationships she's had with men throughout her life (from "Ed is watching my every sound" straight through to "you sure are pretty when you're putting the damage on"), and by association that got her to thinking about the whole patriarchal religion thing again ("Muhammad my friend/it's time to tell the world/we both know it was a girl/back in Bethlehem"). She's said it's a novel about the journey down into that place and back, and I think this story has a happy ending: "But I can see that star when she twinkles/and she twinkles/and I sure can/that means I sure can". >Musically, >as well, this album does not offer much that is immediately accessible. ??? >No >real toe-tapping radio-friendly numbers, Listen to "Caught A Lite Sneeze", "Little Amsterdam", "Talula", and "In The Springtime of His Voodoo" again and try, just try to say that again with a straight face in the morning. :) >and no particularly beautiful >ballads. Ditto with "Hey Jupiter", "Doughnut Song", and "Putting The Damage On"... >Instead we get an amazingly complex work, rooted in its >mythology, that will give people plenty to discuss and analyze. As you can see, I'm in total agreement with you there! ;> >though I would seriously question anyone but >Tori who tried to give definitive interpretations, (and to be honest, I'd >probably also question Tori's interpretations). I guess I should reiterate here that the little analysis I just gave above is entirely based upon what I've heard/seen Tori say about the album herself so far. There's no way in hell I could have figured out all that on my own by now. :) >And, with her lyrics, she >seems to be building her own personal mythology--usually symbolism, musical >snippets, and lyrics borrowed from previous songs, and others. Yes!!! (Just who the hell IS Marianne, anyway?!?) Hey -- did anyone else pick up on the first two lines of "In The Springtime Of His Voodoo"? "Standin on a corner in Winslow Arizona and I'm quite sure I'm in the wrong song" -- that's an Eagles song she's referencing, right? Ariane recounted: >Well yesterday after work I went running around NYC (parts of the >village) looking for the limited edition Boys for Pele which I read >about on a web page. Were you thinking of the limited edition UK CD single, or the limited edition clear vinyl version? >I ended up buying the cd where I started >off at. I bought it at Tower for $11.99. I don't think any of the >stores I went to had it on cassette. The Circuit City I checked in first turned out to have it on cassette. Since I only have a CD player in my car, that was not an option. :) Amy mused: >I suppose I *understand* in a way why this album may differ from her previous >work.... this is a different wound open for her. This is the kind where the >person you love cuts your heart out and sticks it on a stake in the >backyard.... all before you realize what is going on. Then it's over and >you're left with the pain and a big hole in your chest. Bingo. That's *exactly* what spawned this album. >One last thing....Does she.. or does she not... have a ring-o-thorns style >tattoo on her right upper arm.? I don't know. I'm *really* confused now. My guess is that all the photos et al. that we've seen were done at least a few months ago (I have this vague memory of getting an update from Richard and Missy Caldwell, the fanzine editors saying that Tori was in Louisiana for a photo shoot towards the end of the summer sometime, but it's entirely possible that I'm hallucinating again), and the Q photo and cover shot of the teaser promo CD that came out in December were taken after that. However, as I noted the other day the sleeves she was wearing on SNL last weekend were short enough so that we should have been able to see it clearly, and there was nothing there (unless for some bizarre reason they put makeup on her arm to obscure it). I was hoping she'd be wearing something sleeveless on 120 Minutes to solve the mystery once and for all, but wouldn't you know it for the first time in her life she wore a sweater on camera. :P Why this whole is-she-tattooed-or-isn't-she question is bothering me so much, I have NO idea. Dan posted: >There's nothing like time alone in the car >to completely immerse yourself in the music! It's really worth putting a >good system in the car if you spend much time on the road as I do. Hear, hear! Just a word of warning though, as someone whose first listen was in the car: it's *very* difficult to drive safely when your brain is undergoing a series of little implosions and you're melting into a jiggling pool of butter for over an hour. :} Ariel mentioned: >If it counts, I haven't played ANYTHING else since I bought it. Not even >the new Dar Williams... I didn't even bother to look for Dar's new album -- I knew it would be a lost cause. :) (However, the songs from _Mortal City_ that I've been hearing on the radio have me slavering for more, so I think I'll have to break down soon...) >I disagree! Caught A Lite Sneeze is very radio friendly (which is why it >was chosen as the single, I guess, heh :), and I think Talula, and to a >lesser degree Professional Widow, are radio friendly as well (maybe not >toe-tapping, but radio friendly). "Talula" is on the little "featuring" sticker on the front, isn't it? That usually indicates which tracks they're planning to release as singles. As for "Professional Widow" (which is playing as I type this :), I don't think it'll be seeing any radio play in the US anytime soon. Lines like "Slag pit/ Stag shit ... Starfucker just like my Daddy" don't go over too well with the boys at the FCC. :) I think she should release "Little Amsterdam" as a single, just to confuse the hell out of Joan Osborne fans. ;> >Honestly, I find BFP far more accessible than Under The Pink was. Maybe I'm >just weird. Nope. Anthony Horan posted from down under (where it takes a REALLY long time to download a .gif, I'll have you know): >Actually, such reviews aren't unique to Rolling Stone. I've always had a pet >hate of record reviews that say the music's fine but then can the whole thing >because the reviewer couldn't understand what the lyrics were about. It's so obvious that the RS reviewer listened to the album in the background while he was doing dishes or something, then glanced at the lyric booklet very briefly before sitting down to write the review. It's also obvious that he hasn't really listened to much of Tori's music at all in general. "Hey Jupiter" is NOT a hymn to the Roman god, sorry dude. >I doubt that this album will win Tori many new fans; in fact, I'd even go so >far as to say that it'll probably lose her a fair few of the ones gained with >"Under The Pink". Good -- maybe it'll be easier to get tickets to see her play than I'm fearing. ;> >There was one, and I have both a full-size colour poster of it (courtesy >Warner Australia being a little too keen to print posters before art was >approved!) and an Atlantic release info sheet featuring the cover, which came >via a helpful Ectophile who shall remain anonymous lest I get into trouble. >:-) So... what does it look like?!? >The only possible explanation, therefore, is that Meredith and myself are >twins. :-) Y'know, that could explain a lot! woj ruminated: >hmmm. i find this photo intriguing...not as much for the pig or tori's >open shirt, as for the look on tori's face. there's longing, melancholy >reflection in her face that draws my eyes away from her chest and out >the window to her right. The first time I opened that page of the booklet, I glanced off to the right of the picture before I even realized which photo it was. >doug also mentioned the blood-milk thing, but i see more of a role >reversal thing instead: she's also talked about how she's been a >vampire towards men - boy blood, or some similar statement. this >picture might also symbolize a healing on her part - instead of sucking >their blood, she is nourishing them at her breast. I think that's probably the closest to the truth. (FWIW, Neil Gaiman reportedly described the photos in the booklet as "Southern Gothic". I'm not sure if he was quoting Tori or not, but there you go...) >second, i don't think this record can at all be described as tori's >"the dreaming". yes, she's doing some odd things here and there and, >yes, there are some differences between this record and her previous >ones, but the gap between _under the pink_ and _boys for pele_ is >nothing like the jump from _never for ever_ to _the dreaming_. i just >don't see it at all. I agree with you there, but I do have to say that some spots on the album do remind me of _TD_ musically: this backing vocal here, that masked track lurking behind everything else there. And other spots remind me of parts of _The Ninth Wave_ (in particular the backing vocal on "Doughnut Song" brings to mind "Watching You Without Me"). I know damn well that this is all purely coincidental, but it comes to mind anyway. While I'm on the subject, anybody else thing the way she sings "gonna strike a deal make him feel like a Congressman" in "Professional Widow" is very Joni Mitchell? >third, i rather like the change in tone from the beginning of the >record to the end. it begins fierce and ends on a very quiet, perhaps >timid (i may have to revise that statement if i ever start paying >attention to the lyrics), note. she could have called this record >_march_. Not timid, no. She ends it in "Twinkle" with the resigned voice of the survivor who has just come to the realization that she can make it through this, she *will* come out all right in the end. Like I said earlier, this novel does have a happy ending. >fourth, what's the big hang-up that folks (reviewers mostly, but some >lay listeners as well) have with the lyrics? I can't figure it out either. The lyrics in _UtP_ are MUCH more opaque than the ones here. She's still uttering some pretty damn goofy things, but at least this time you know what she's getting at anyway. >i wasn't at all excited or looking forward to this album. that is not to >say that i was dreading its release - i was just rather neutral on the >whole concept. ... like you are with everything else in the universe. (Note to the gallery: woj was giving me a very hard time about being so excited about this album's impending release! If it had come out even a day later than it did, I think I would have imploded from holding it in at home... sigh.) Yipe. It's way past this ectophile's bedtime! Happy listening, folks... +===========================================================================+ |Meredith Tarr meth@delphi.com| |Boonton, NJ USA http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/meth/| +===========================================================================+ | "well you'll never gain weight from a donut hole" - Tori Amos | +===========================================================================+ ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V2 #361 ************************** ======================================================================== Please send any questions or comments about the list to ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu