From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V3 #40 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, October 14 1997 Volume 03 : Number 040 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Who is singer on Ally McBeal? [Greg.Jumper@Eng.Sun.COM (Greg Jumper)] Neil Gaiman's STARDUST [neile@sff.net (Neile Graham)] Reviews (very long) [JEFFREY_HANSON@NSDGATE3.nsd.fmc.com (JEFFREY HANSON)] Mila Drumke @ Fez tomorrow night [Paul Blair ] John Denver Dead [Heather Russell ] Women musicians (was re: Sarah Slean) [Heather Russell ] Central Jersey ["Mitchell A. Pravatiner" ] Re: John Denver Dead [Philip David Morgan ] oops bad url [Steve Ito ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 09:08:18 -0700 From: Greg.Jumper@Eng.Sun.COM (Greg Jumper) Subject: Re: Who is singer on Ally McBeal? Michael writes: I have seen three episodes of that show now, and she is in each one, plus singing the theme. The singer is Vonda Shepherd (she even appeared in one of the two episodes I've seen). I highly recommend her second album; her first, not so much. Sorry, I can't seem to retrieve the titles at the moment... Due to baseball playoffs, the show hasn't aired much here in the Bay Area yet; I'm looking forward to more, as Calista Flockhart (Ally) is completely adorable :). Greg ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 09:24:30 -0700 From: neile@sff.net (Neile Graham) Subject: Neil Gaiman's STARDUST Neil Gaiman/Charles Vess fans heads up! Apparently, the first (of 4) issue off their collaboration, STARDUST is out from Vertigo. It's described as more of an illustrated novel than a comic. The ecto-content is that this is the one where Neil makes Tori a tree. - --Neile, whom Eileen Gunn thought had said "Neil Gaiman" when I introduced myself to her as "Neile Graham" at an (ecto-content!) Cindy Lee Berryhill concert. See all the tie-ins? n.r. Helen Humphries, _Leaving Earth_ (not out in the U.S. yet, but a wonderful story of early aviatrix. n.p. (on the inner radio) Bjork's _homogenic_, specifically "Hunting" - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Neile Graham ..... http://www.sff.net/people/neile ..... neile@sff.net The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music .... http://www.smoe.org/ectoguide - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 10:36:27 -0500 From: JEFFREY_HANSON@NSDGATE3.nsd.fmc.com (JEFFREY HANSON) Subject: Reviews (very long) I've been wanting to post reviews to ecto for a while, but haven't had the chance so I finally took the time at home to write up a slew of mini-reviews. This is going to be lengthy, as EWS has become a recurring problem. Sarah Slean - Universe - Thanks to Steve Ito, I got a copy of this tape, and am quite delighted. I feel sorry for her because I see its going to be hard for her to escape Tori's shadow, but this cassette is like findting a whole set of Tori Amos Little Earthquakes-era B-Sides. However, Sarah is no pale imitation of Tori, she's a rather stunning singer/songwriter in her own right, who just happens to play a mean piano, have a soaring voice, and write poetic, but rather vague, lyrics. I can't wait for a full length CD! Emm Gryner - The Original Leap Year - Thanks again to Steve for this one. A pretty solid CD, but it didn't grab me nearly as immediately as Sarah Slean. Her voice reminds me at times of Joy Askew, and at other times of Lauren Christy. None of the songs stand out as immediate hit singles, but the album is solid and well worth listening in. I'd love to see her perform live. Loreena McKennitt - As many have said, this is a solid, beautiful album, but nothing really new. Loreena does win points though for her high quality CD booklets and liner notes. I especially like the song "Dante's Prayer". Very beautiful and lush album, and Loreena's voice is more intelligible to me than on any of her previous albums, understandable even without lyrics, and staying more in her lower range but sounding better than ever. Joe Jackson - Heaven and Hell - These concept albums with lots of guest stars always sound like such a great idea but never seem to fulfill their potential. This album is no exception, primarily for the lyrics, which just don't seem to carry the weight or depth required of an album talking about such lofty concepts as the Seven Sins and Heaven and Hell. I would have loved to see Jane Siberry write the lyrics to this album, but we do get to hear her vocals on one of the standout tracks - The Bridge. Sarah Brightman - Time to Say Goodbye - Definitely a departure from Dive, and from her Broadway work. This album will most likely be found in the classical section, and is recorded with The London Symphony. It is most similar to her duet with Jose Carerras for the 1992 Barcelona Games, "Amigos Para Sempre", as it includes several foreign or foreign/English language duets, "Time To Say Goodbye" with Andrea Bocelli, "There For Me" and "Just Show Me How to Love You" with Jose Cura. Also included is a cover of the Gipsy Kings "Tu Quieres Volver", who aren't credited on the album, but someone male is definitely singing on the song. A few English tunes also appear, including a cover of Brian May's "Who Wants to Live Forever." It also includes a number of classical arias from composers ranging from Mozart to Orff. Sarah's voice shines in the duets and throughout the album. She seems to have gained significant confidence and this album does well to show off her beautiful breathy soprano. Patti Smith - Peace and Noise - Somehow I was expecting this album to be happier than "Gone Again", the album recorded immediately after Fred Smith's death, but it carries on in the same vein, but with less emotion. It is a rough, almost grunge rock n' roll album that plods along with out the punk spirit Patti's early albums had, or the rare hopeful optimism exhibited on "Dream of Life." Even lyrically, the album seems to fall short of Patti's poetic talents. Next time out, I hope Patti spends a little more time in the studio (this album was released only one year after Gone Again) and comes up with something a little more ambitious. Portishead - Portishead - One of my biggest complaints with Portishead's first album, Dummy, when I first heard it, was that Beth Gibbon's breathy voice was just too weak. However, I soon grew to love that voice and the hurt sensitivity it displayed, particularly on the songs "Sour Times", "Roads", and "It Could Be Sweet". However, my first complaint with the new album, is that now Beth Gibbons voice sounds too forced, too strong, as if she's in a religious fervour channeling Billy Holiday or Erykah Badu. I also found the music to be too crisp and harsh. However, on repeated listens, the album is growing on me, particularly the most "Dummy"-like tracks, like "Mourning Air". Hooverphonic - Stereophonic Sound Spectacular - This album almost sounds more like Portishead than "Portishead", but is a little too repetitive and derivitive, particularly in its use of samples. While definitely a good album, Hooverphonic doesn't take a whole lot of risks, but fits nicely in to the new genre defined by bands like Portishead and Tricky. The lead vocalist Liesje Sadonius has a pleasant voice, but lacks the uniqueness to really make you take notice of the lyrics, which is probably a good thing. Instead, she comes across almost as ethereal as Liz Fraser, until you notice that you can actually decipher lyrics if you try to. Overall, the album makes great background or mood music, with nice driving beats, but a few of the sample sounds (like the CB chatter and "the new stereophonic sound spectacular") are more annoying than enhancing. kd lang - Drag - I almost didn't buy this album until I finally realized that the main reason I didn't was because I'm not fond of cigarettes, and couldn't imagine a whole album with smoking as a theme. However the album far outweighs her last effort, All You Can Eat, and shows off her lovely voice in some great arrangements. The highlights for me are the Siberry-penned "H'Ain't it Funny?" and the straight-faced but campy "Theme from the Valley of the Dolls." Dee Carstensen - Beloved One - After hearing so much about Dee on ecto and on trajectory, the Veda Hille list, I picked up this album when I found it used. After checking with a few of her fans, I realized this, her first album, was not the album to buy. Way over-produced and amazingly bland, it reminds me of most of Private Music's vocal productions (in other words, it pretty much sucks, despite the talent of all involved). However, Dee's potential can be seen in the songs with the simplest produced songs, such as the song she sings with just herself on piano accompanying her, "The Wish." On the few songs she plays harp, for which she now seems to be most famous, the harp is almost buried in the arrangement. Having heard such rave reviews, particularly of her live performances, I'd be willing to try another Dee album or try seeing her live, but this album should definitely be avoided. Marianne Faithfull - 20th Century Blues - This album, primarily of Kurt Weill songs, recorded live with just piano accompaniment, shows Marianne Faithfull at her best--dramatic interpretations of songs. This album includes the best "Pirate Jenny" I've heard--you can actually believe that Faithfull could be friends of pirates. Not an album I'd ever play a lot, but interesting nonetheless. Beth Nielsen Chapman - Sand and Water - This album is the first BNC album I've bought, but I'm fairly impressed. Written after the death of her husband from cancer, the album focus mainly on that event, and what it has meant to her both during his illness and afterwards. However, the album is not as depressing as it may sound, as Beth's lyrics affirm her wonder at the cycle of life and show her appreciation of beauty in all things, including death. Lori Carson - Everything I Touch Runs Wild - Lori Carson is interesting to say the least. Her voice can be pathetically weak and whiny, and yet, after a few listens, you find yourself absolutely loving it--particularly in certain self-pitying moods. This album is a beautiful, haunting album, both lyrically (despite the moroseness) and in the masterful arrangements. Few singers could lyrics like "I don't want to fuck up anything/ I want to be your girl/ I know you think I'm kind of strange/ I just want to love you/" or "I've never had anybody worth a damn/ And I don't know why/ I am the way I am/ But I'm so sick of being the way I am", without being laughed, ridiculed, or quickly advised to take some Prozac or Lithium, but Carson actually makes us relate, and recognize in ourselves own insecurities and longings for love. Lauren Christy - Breed - Not impressed. Actually turned off by the title track and "I Want What I Want", which seem to be blatant only for shock value or to capture the Alanis Morrissette market. However, the song "The Night I Saved Peter Ustinov" almost makes up for them, and would make a great pair with local Minneapolis singer-songwriter Marlee McLeod's "Me and Shelley Winters". Renaissance - Songs from Renaissance Days - The best post-Renaissance or Annie Haslam album to date, this song mostly contains songs recorded during the Renaissance days (as suggested by the very unoriginal but appropriate title). It includes concert favorites like the Paul Simon cover "America" and "DreamMaker", as well as others that all show off Annie Haslam's amazing voice. Some of the songs ("The Body Machine") are a little too much like the much-criticized electronic Renaissance album, "Time-Line", but overall the album is a refreshing blast from the past, including only one previously released song, a re-recorded version of "Northern Lights." Also available is a two-disc concert form the King Biscuit Flower Hour (is that the name?) Anyone heard this? How does it compare to the Carnegie Hall album? Richard Shindell - I can't say enough good about this album, but I can't really explain why I like it so much either. Right now this is probably the album in the top spot for album of the year for me, which totally surprises me. However, I just relate to Richard's songs so much, and keep find myself returning to it. Both lyrically and musically, everything seems to make sense on this album. Nothing is overdone or flashy, but everything comes together in great, tight, powerful little songs. I love "The Next Best Western" and its expression of yearning for faith one doesn't have. I also particularly like his cover of Lacy J. Dalton's "Darkness, Darkness". For many ectophiles, this album may be too male, too folk, too country, but to me it makes sense. Carmel - Set Me Free - I found this Japanese import album used, and almost didn't buy it, as I already have two other albums by her ("The Drum is Everything" and "The Falling") and rarely listen to those. However I'm glad I bought it anyway. This is by far the best album of hers I've heard, perhaps because of the influence of producer Brian Eno. Carmel slows things down here, letting her voice shine and the emotion through. A cross between a torch singer and a Motown girls group, Carmel's voice raises above the lush, but well-done arrangements. Well worth tracking down. Tarnation - Mirador - The sophomore effort from Tarnation, this album takes some new directions for the group, including a more Spanish influenced feel and more straightforward rock n'roll, while still sounding like they're really not doing anything they didn't do on their first album, Gentle Creatures. However, in the process, vocalist Paula Frazer, seems to have lost some of its distinctive appeal. The album is also one where they should have ended it at the end, but instead they included several hidden tracks, including a version of "The Well" that appeared on the first album, and a bunch of instrumental noodling and fooling around that doesn't add any value to the album. This is one case where I think shorter would have been better. Julia Fordham - East West - I was really peeved to have missed her recent concert appearance here due to lack of advertising. Julia puts on a great show. However, I was a little disappointed in this album. I'd heard that it was being produced by Michael Brooker who's worked with Jane Siberry, and that he was stripping things down, which was a good sign, since Julia has suffered from over-production in the past. It also boded well for me, since it was going to be a "post-breakup" album, and I tend to love sad songs. However, Julia Fordham's earnest singing detracks from the emotion of many of the songs. She often sounds like she's working so hard to hit each note and sing beautifully that she forgets what the songs are all about. There are moments though that transcend this, and the emotion comes through as her voice cracks or whispers, but overall, this album doesn't quite live up to my expectations. Sarah McLachlan - Though not impressed at first, I've actually come to like this album quite a bit, and one of the songs I most like is the song that appears on the bonus second CD available with a few of the early releases at Borders. That song is "The Prayer of St. Francis", which has always been one of my favorite prayers (not that I have a long list of favorite prayers, or even know of many prayers, but between this and say, THe Lord's Prayer, St. Francis's is better!) The song is simple (the prayer is simple), but this short little piece really shines with Sarah's voice. Dar Williams - Although I absolutely love "Are You Out There" and "What Do You Hear in These Sounds", and actually like "My Friends" and while not really caring for "The End of the Summer" (exactly opposite of Meth), and don't mind the silly humor of "Party Generation" and "Teenagers, Kick Our Butts" or the politics of "Bought and Sold", and find myself unable to not feel better after listening to "Better Things", I find myself not listening to this album much at all, after the first month of owning it, while I still return quite frequently to Dar's earlier works. Perhaps its because all of the songs on this album are pretty immediate--it's easy to understand what they're about and all the emotions therein, while her previous albums were like rosebuds, blossoming with repeated listens, each time revealing more layers and more beauty. Still, Dar's songwriting skill is undeniable, and I really love the verse from "What Do You Hear in These Sounds" --- "I'm lucky because I am like East Berlin/ I had this wall, and what I knew of the free world/ was that I could see their fireworks and I could hear their radio/...but then the wall came down/ and there they stood before me/ with their stumbling and their mumbling/ and their calling out, just like me." If that doesn't capture the essence of self-acceptance, I must not yet have grasped it. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 18:31:04 -0400 From: Paul Blair Subject: Mila Drumke @ Fez tomorrow night meth queried: >:) What time does Mila's show start? Do you know if there's anybody opening? Here's what the "upcoming shows" tape at Fez says (I couldn't make out the last two namesvery well): "On Tuesday, October 14, we have Mila Drumke, Lionfish, Elissa Peimer and Michael Ect. Doors open at 7 and the cover is $7." A note from Mila assures me that she's going on at 10pm. Looks like Elissa Peimer at 7pm, Lionfish at 8, and Michael Ect (?) at 9pm. Cheers, Paul ***************************************************************************** "Let her out? But she's a killer!" "No she's not. And give her your coat." SINED "Why me?" "Because you're perfect." Paul Blair "You have a point there..." psfblair@ix.netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 07:55:11 -0400 From: Heather Russell Subject: John Denver Dead I just herd on the radio this morning that John Denver died in a plane crash yesterday... Heather - -- |***********************************| | Heather Russell | | http://www.freecloud.com/heather | | hrussell@bellsouth.net | |___________________________________| ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 08:22:22 -0400 From: Heather Russell Subject: Women musicians (was re: Sarah Slean) >Female vocalists have enjoyed a >surge of popularity recently in music in general, >but women playing any >other instruments in bands still seem to be distressingly uncommon, >even in >a "celebration of women's music" like Lilith fair. >Steve Yeah, that's why I was particularly impressed seeing Joe Jackson's performance on Sessions, as the majority of his orchestra/band were composed of female musicians: keyboard, percussion, strings... As I recall, the only Lilith Fair acts I saw that had a (non-vocalist) female musician were the Indigo Girls (bass, and guest appearance on guitar by Sonja of disappear fear) and Joan Osborne (guitar/bass). I like seeing a mix of men and women in bands, more so than just one or the other. When I was growing up, Fleetwood Mac was such an inspiration because they were a rock band with men and women equally participating in the process. I think that's one of the reasons they had so much more staying power than the other groups of that era. I don't know of anyone else from back then that are still able to do a special on MTV and stay in the Top 10 for several weeks. :-) Heather - -- |***********************************| | Heather Russell | | http://www.freecloud.com/heather | | hrussell@bellsouth.net | |___________________________________| ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 19:42:17 +1100 From: anthony@xymox.apana.org.au (Anthony Horan) Subject: Re: _Portishead_ On 9 Oct 97 at 21:17, Neal Copperman wrote: > > Choosing "Portishead" as the name of the album seems to imply > > they are a band pretending to be a band called Portishead. They are making > > a fiction of themselves. > > And I thought it was just a lack of imagination! I'm glad to dig into Ecto for the first time in ages and see some reality - - most of the local industry here is going ballistic about the Portishead record, telling all who'll listen that it's the "album of the year" and the like. Needless to say, my print review of the album didn't go down too well... I've included it below. Hope everyone's well - I'm just going through recent Ecto messages which have been building up in the folder here, and it's nice to see many of the old faces still around. While I'm here, I'll shamelessly plug what I'm currently up to: http://www.lpr.com.au/wendy/ So there. :-) Incidentally, I'm going to be handling Max Sharam's web page in the future, it seems. Those trying to find her page can access it on my server (http://www.xymox.net.au/max/), though the content is still, for the moment, just a copy of the old official site. I'm trying to get Max to sit in front of her computer long enough to email me some news and updates, but Los Angeles keeps distracting her. :-) - - Anthony Portishead Portishead (Go! Discs/Polydor) It can't be easy being Portishead. Virtually single-handedly responsible for creating a genre that has, since the release of their debut album "Dummy", been appropriated and reworked by countless artists, all of whom likely hoped to tap into the magic formula that turned Portishead into a virtual household name. It's not that easy, of course - where Portishead were feeling their way through still-forming ideas and attempting to get them onto tape for as little money as possible, others have opted for the mega-production route, completely missing the point that "Dummy" was so interesting and essential because it sounded completely natural, unforced and without precedent. Now the legacy Portishead have inadvertently found created around them has come back to haunt them. Following up such an individual album while still living up to the expectations of critics and fans meant a need to try something new had to be balanced against a desire to stay familiar. The working method for this album is the subtle change - instead of sampling others' recordings for their loops and effects, Portishead went to great lengths to create their own, cutting backing tracks onto vinyl and sampling themselves. That serves to recreate the sound (and certainly saves the time and expense of sample clearance) but in the process, main men Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley have lost sight of much of the subtlety that made "Dummy" so compelling. The two tracks released prior to the album - "Cowboys" and "All Mine" - open the album, both suffering from the same problem, one which carries over to third track "Undenied". The scratchy, noisy samples that make up the bulk of the song and lend it its atmosphere are over-the-top, going beyond authentic into the land of pure annoyance. Beth Gibbons, meanwhile, throws every vocal trick from the entire last album into the first ten minutes of the record. The end-result is the overwhelming impression that Portishead have become a parody of themselves. Things do get better from there, though - "Half Day Closing" sounds like it could have been dug out of a recently-discovered archive of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, while the restrained use of a lone plucked-guitar sample as the anchor for the mournful "Over" is hugely effective. But the over-use of vinyl surface noise and pure pain-inducing distortion reappears constantly, "Seven Months" the greatest culprit from the album's second half. Beth Gibbons' smokily delicate voice is still in fine form, too; the songs that voice sings here are less compelling than their predecessors, but Gibbons puts enough into the vocals on many tracks here to make the whole experience worthwhile. It's apparent that Portishead aren't taking their success lightly, and have chosen this time out to try pushing the boundaries of what they've done to date. In that, it's successful - this record takes the entire Portishead ethic to its logical conclusion, where hopefully it will be discarded for something new in the future. In the meantime, though, they're giving people what they want - genuine Portishead rather than a second-hand copy. But when even the genuine article starts sounding tired, you know it's time for a change. (Anthony Horan, InPress Magazine, Melbourne, October 1st 1997) - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anthony Horan, Melbourne Australia - anthony@xymox.apana.org.au http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palms/4904/ Physical mail: P.O. Box 40, Malvern 3144, Victoria, Australia - ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 09:29:53 +1000 (EST) From: Sherlyn Koo Subject: Re: Who is singer on Ally McBeal? Hey ectofolk, Greg Jumper said: > The singer is Vonda Shepherd (she even appeared in one of the two > episodes I've seen). I highly recommend her second album; her first, > not so much. Sorry, I can't seem to retrieve the titles at the > moment... Okay, I have to ask - what's Ally McBeal? Lots of people have been talking about it on the Indigo Girls mailing list because Vonda Shepherd has played with the Girls on a few occasions... I still have no idea what the show is though... Happy happy, sherlyn - --- Sherlyn Koo - sherlyn@fl.net.au [Currently at work or someplace.] "But the wall came down, and there they stood before me, With their stumbling and their mumbling and their calling out, Just like me..." - Dar Williams ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 18:33:11 -0500 (CDT) From: "Mitchell A. Pravatiner" Subject: Central Jersey WRT the query on places to perform in central New Jersey: There is an outfit called Outa Sights and Sounds, in Hightstown, which has put on concerts by some relatively blue-chip artists for a promoter whose performance space is a high school auditorium. While the kind of music our questioner deals in may well prove to be a little more alternative than most of the artists this entity presents, it is always worth a try--in the worst case, they may be able to make a referral at least. Their email address is tay@pharmacop.com . Mitch ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 20:37:39 -0400 (EDT) From: Philip David Morgan Subject: Re: John Denver Dead Good Evening, Heather: > I just herd on the radio this morning that John Denver died in a plane > crash yesterday... That was the very first item on NPR's _Early Morning Edition_, and the one I heard revised the most as time wore on... very sad. I know at least two people - Janice Buckner and Wendy Sayvetz - who perform some of his songs. Like him or not, the man had an impact. A huge shocker. If Cassini had been launched - and had it exploded mid-air - - it'd be a really black Monday. (We still have the damn space gamble in two days...) Philip David (what were the nuke scientists thinking?!) 10/13/1997 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 01:25:46 -0400 From: Steve Ito Subject: oops bad url Hiya it's been brought to my attention that the url I've had in my .sig file for the Sarah Slean and Emm Gryner web pages is incorrect. The correct URL is given in my revised .sig file. Many apologies to those this may have inconvenienced. Steve ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Steve Ito Check out Toronto artists Sarah Slean & Emm Gryner: Toronto, Canada http://psych.utoronto.ca/~stephen/tomusic/tomusic.htm ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V3 #40 *************************