From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V4 #1 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, January 2 1998 Volume 04 : Number 001 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Top Tens [Richard ] Today's your birthday, friend... [matthewm (Mike Matthews)] My faves of 1997 [afinney@ozonline.com.au (Tim Finney)] Lists, lists, lists [Philip David Morgan ] Ten fave albums of 1997 [Bill ] The best of 1997 [Michael Curry ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 01 Jan 1998 01:58:43 -0400 From: Richard Subject: Top Tens Top Ten Albums New to Me This Year in no particular disorder: * means I found it because of this list- Thank You Philes!!!! Maria McKee- LIFE IS SWEET* Such sweet thunder. Land Of The Blind- OUT OF CHAOS* Serendipity treat, better than opium. Susan McKeown- BONES* Very VERY charming. Heather Nova- BLOW* Hard rock with a soft center. Or vice versa. Jonatha Brooke- 10 CENTS WINGS Damn near brilliant. Emily Bezar- MOON IN GRENADINE* Brilliant. Dar Williams- END OF THE SUMMER* Even MORE brilliant. Beth Orton- TRAILER PARK My vote for Debut Album Of The Year. Victoria Williams- LOOSE* NO idea why I like it.. but I do. big time. Top Ten Live Performances: John Hammond Jr. at Morganfield's, Portland ME (Jan) Prague Chamber Orchestra at The State Street Church, Portland ME (Jan) Happy Rhodes at The Tin Angel, Philadelphia (Mar) Dr. John at The Music Hall, Portsmouth NH (Jun) Eddie Palmieri Latin Jazz Ensemble at The RegattaBar, Cambridge MA (Jun) Elliot Fisk at Portland H.S. Auditorium, Portland ME (Jul) The Nields at Bart's CD Cellar, Boulder CO (In-store performance) (Aug) Dar Williams Band at The State Street Church, Portland ME (Sept) Sarah McLachlan/Barenaked Ladies at Boston City Hall Plaza, MA (Oct) Hilary Konrad/Rachel Hackett at New Years Portland, Portland ME (Dec) Top Five Memorable Taste Treats: Lemon/pomegranate granita- GRANITA, Malibu CA Grilled vegetable platter- BISTRO HENRI, Manchester Center, VT Iowa prime beef, home style- Home of Barb & Keith Lippincott, Des Moines IA Gulf shrimp enchiladas- CACTUS GRILL, Overland Park KS Jerk chicken w/fried plantain & mango- COTTON STREET CANTINA, Portland ME Happy HAPPY New Year to everyone here!!! Richard n.p. JavaHo@aol.com- JAVATOONS: Scary Songs - -- ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + RGB VISUALS Drum Scanning and Digital Image Editing Sevices + + 34 Portland Street - Portland ME 04101 + + 207-772-5700 voice - 207-772-6417 fax - rgbviz@gwi.net + ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ___________________________ Once a year the holidays come swinging at your head, Feast until you're full of pain again ---Jonatha Brooke ___________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 03:00:14 -0500 From: matthewm (Mike Matthews) Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ******************** Marvin Camras (no Email address) ********************* *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Marvin Camras Sat January 01 1916 Tapehead Jeanne Schreiter Tue January 03 1967 Capricorn John Sandoval Wed January 04 1967 Capricorn Paul Cohen Tue January 05 1954 Capricorn Tony Garrity Mon January 08 1962 Pool of Life Greg Bossert Tue January 09 1962 OfTheTimes Troy J. Shadbolt Thu January 14 1971 Capricorn Chris Sampson Wed January 15 1964 Void where prohibited Dennis G Parslow Fri January 17 1964 ...of the Saint Ross Alford Thu January 17 1957 Positive Nancy Whitney Mon January 19 1959 slippery when wet Sarah Noelle Pratt Ferguson Tue January 20 1970 Seanympf-Aquarius Terry Partis Sun January 22 1933 Rocker Sarah McLachlan Sun January 28 1968 Aquarius Ilka Heber Mon February 01 1965 Mermaid Bob Lovejoy Sun February 02 1947 Aquarius Diane Burke Sat February 02 1963 slow children Timothy S. Devine Tue February 03 1970 Aquarius Stephen Thomas Fri February 04 1966 Aquarius Doug Burks Tue February 14 1956 Blank Jim Sturnfield Thu February 18 1954 Aquarius Juha Kannisto Wed February 18 1970 Aquarius Joel Siegfried February 19 Penguin Crossing Linda Saboe Tue February 20 1951 aimless Michael Curry Fri February 24 1967 Pisces Paula Shanks Mon February 25 1952 Pisces Brni Mojzes Fri February 26 1965 the vanishing boy Pamela Pociluk Fri February 28 1964 Pisces Tim Steele Fri March 08 1963 Pisces Matt Bittner Thu March 12 1964 Pisces kIrI Hargie Fri March 13 1970 Pisces Bob Dreano Thu March 13 1958 Pisces Randall K. Smith Sat March 15 1969 Pisces Jessica Skolnik March 16 Pisces Alan Sodoma Thu March 18 1965 LuckyLurker Barry Wong Thu March 19 1970 Merlin Graham Dombkins Fri March 19 1965 Pisces Ian Young Wed March 19 1969 Squiggol Jeff Wasilko Wed March 19 1969 Pisces Geoff Carre Sat March 20 1954 Pisces John Stewart Sat March 21 1970 Aries Bob Brown Thu March 22 1951 Ham Valerie Nozick Thu March 25 1971 Aries Tom Proven Sat March 27 1971 P.T. Jennifer Albert Wed March 30 1966 Aries (w/Cancer rising!:) Warpaint Mon April 01 1991 Brilliant! Michael Pearce Wed April 03 1946 Pegasus Michael E. Bravo Mon April 05 1971 Dandelion Wine Brion McIntosh Sun April 06 1958 Aries Marcel Kshensky Thu April 06 1950 Aries David Dixon Tue April 07 1970 Aries Klaus Kluge Sun April 10 1960 Unicorn Steve VanDevender Sun April 10 1966 Racer Art Liestman Fri April 10 1953 Repeat Stephen Golden Sat April 10 1971 Jokey Michael Bowman Wed April 11 1962 Aries Wolfgang Ullwer Fri April 11 1969 Widder Janet Kirsch Thu April 11 1974 Aries Jerry Tue April 13 1971 Aries Stuart Myerburg Mon April 14 1969 Aries T-Bone Wed April 15 1992 happy cat Jeff Hanson Sat April 16 1966 Aries Michael Klouda Mon April 17 1967 Aries Harry Foster Sat April 21 1956 NiceGuy Angelos Kyrlidis Fri April 22 1966 Taurus Kjetil Torgrim Homme Thu April 23 1970 Taurus Pablo Iglesias Thu April 23 1964 Positive Jeff Burka Thu April 24 1969 GoFlyAKite Christine Waite Tue April 25 1972 Taurus Matt Adams Thu April 26 1962 Taurus Brad Hutchinson Tue April 28 1964 What sign? Geoff Parks Sun April 30 1961 Taurus Barney Parker Fri May 02 1986 happy cat Gray Abbott Tue May 03 1955 Suprised Tamar Boursalian May 03 Taurus Joe Dembski Wed May 07 1952 Rumple Richard A. Holmes May 07 Taurus John Warren Mon May 08 1961 Taurus - the Ox Steve Ito Fri May 08 1970 DA Bull... Brian Gregory Thu May 09 1963 Eclectic Patrick Varker Wed May 12 1954 Torius Steve Fagg Tue May 13 1958 Nightwol Karel Zuiderveld Fri May 13 1960 Stier Michael Colford Wed May 16 1962 Taurus Christopher Boek Tue May 19 1970 Taurus Yngve Hauge Fri May 21 1971 Gemini Lisa Laane Tue May 22 1973 Gemini Jewel Kilcher Thu May 23 1974 The Gem Chandra Sriram Thu May 27 1971 Gemini Urs Stafford Thu May 31 1973 Give Way Perttu Yli-Krekola Thu June 02 1966 Kaksoset Alex Gibbs Thu June 08 1967 Betelgeuse Gleb Zverev Tue June 09 1964 Gemini Sonja Juchniewich Mon June 10 1963 Pegasus Joerg Plate Mon June 12 1967 Gemini Chris Montville Tue June 13 1978 Gemini Ectoplasm (original name) Mailing List Thu June 13 1991 Fuzzier blue Mark R. Susskind Wed June 15 1966 Gemini Mike Matthews Mon June 16 1969 SAFH Albert Philipsen Mon June 17 1968 Gemini Neal R. Copperman Thu June 17 1965 Gemini Susan Kay Anderson Tue June 17 1969 Gemini Ecto-The Mailing List Tue June 18 1991 Fuzzy blue Tracy Barber Mon June 18 1956 Gemini Greg Dunn Thu June 18 1953 + Paul Blair Thu June 18 1964 Objectivist David Lubkin Fri June 20 1958 OurLady Marisa Wood Fri June 20 1969 Gemini Cheri Villines Sun June 20 1965 Gemini-Pisces Ray Misra Sat June 20 1970 Gemini Nik Popa Sun June 22 1969 Cancer Teresa VanDyne Thu June 23 1960 Cancer Dave Torok Mon June 24 1968 Cancer Ethan Straffin Thu June 24 1971 Cancer Kevin Dekan Mon June 27 1960 Cancer BunkyTom Tue July 02 1968 Cancer Anders Hallberg Tue July 03 1962 Cancer Kevin Harkins Thu July 05 1973 Cancer Laurel Krahn Mon July 05 1971 Cancer Jim Gurley Mon July 06 1959 Cancer Courtney Dallas Fri July 09 1971 Catte Michael Peskura Sat July 09 1949 HallOfFamer Finney T. Tsai Sat July 09 1966 Cancer Marion Kippers Tue July 13 1965 Kreeft Ellen Rawson Thu July 13 1961 Double Cancer Mitch Pravatiner Mon July 14 1952 Cancer Rich R. Wed July 14 1954 Cancer John Zimmer Sun July 16 1961 Cancer Dan Stark Sun July 16 1961 Cancer Cathy Guetzlaff Mon July 18 1955 Cancer Vlad Sat July 18 1970 Warning: severe tire damage Jani Pinola Thu July 20 1972 Jonquil Tom Johnson Mon July 25 1966 Leo Alvin Brattli Sun July 27 1969 Lefthanded Christy Eger Smith Thu July 27 1944 Horse Crossing Rob Woiccak (woj) Sun July 28 1968 children at play John Relph Sat July 28 1962 Leo Bob Kollmeyer Wed July 28 1971 Leo Steve Lusky Tue July 29 1952 Bike! Kate Bush Wed July 30 1958 God Chuck Smith Wed July 30 1958 Reboot Yves Denneulin Fri July 30 1971 Lion-Heart Joel Kenyon Wed July 31 1963 Leo Eli Brandt August 05 Leo Martin Bridges Sat August 08 1970 BigGuy Happy Rhodes Mon August 09 1965 HolyGhost Michael Stevens Sat August 12 1967 For Sale or Lease Vickie Mapes Wed August 15 1956 WretchAwry Martin Dougiamas Wed August 20 1969 Positive Tori Amos Thu August 22 1963 Leo Sam Warren Tue August 22 1961 Leo Henk Van Wulpen Sat August 22 1970 Leo Kerry White Wed August 22 1951 Exact Leo/Virgo Don Gibson Wed August 26 1959 Virgo Marcel Rijs Mon August 31 1970 A rose growing old Meredith Tarr Wed September 01 1971 Virgo Mary Lou Rowe Sat September 03 1960 Virgo Scott Zimmerman Mon September 04 1972 Virgo Mike Mendelson Fri September 04 1964 Virgo Richard Dean Wed September 06 1967 Virgo David Blank-Edelman Sat September 09 1967 Neon Holly Tominack Thu September 10 1970 Virgo Sharon Nichols (Rhodeways) Wed September 11 1963 Victim of Christianity Heather Russell September 11 Total Virgosity Troy Wollenslegel Mon September 18 1972 Virgo Joyce Wermont Sat September 18 1954 Virgo Mark Frabotta Sun September 19 1965 Don't even THINK about parking here Joe Zitt Sat September 20 1958 Will Hack for CDs Ani DiFranco Wed September 23 1970 Virgo Paul Kim Sat October 01 1977 fetal position Susan Krauss Tue October 04 1960 Libra Dan Riley Sun October 08 1961 Libra Neile Graham Wed October 08 1958 pen Quenby M. Chunco Tue October 08 1968 Crunchy Frog Mike Garland Wed October 08 1952 Creature_of_the_Night Irvin Lin Tue October 09 1973 Libra Michael C. Berch Wed October 10 1956 No parking Chris Gagnon Sat October 10 1970 Libra Wolfgang Drotschmann Thu October 13 1966 Waage Gracescape Fri October 13 1967 unbalanced Brian Bloom Tue October 14 1969 spam Erik N. Johnson Tue October 16 1962 Handle with Care Kim Klouda Tue October 17 1967 Libra Anthony Amato Sat October 20 1973 Libra Dave Steiner Sat October 24 1959 Scorpio Tara MacLean Thu October 25 1973 Scorpio Jessica Koeppel Wed October 29 1969 Scorpio Kathy Clark Sat November 01 1969 Bunnies Katie Dougiamas Sat November 02 1974 Scorpio Anthony Horan Fri November 04 1966 Positive Michael Sullivan Mon November 05 1962 Scorpio Jens Brage Sun November 08 1964 Scorpio Rising Lynn Garrett Sat November 08 1958 Scorpio Sam Murgie Fri November 08 1957 Scorpio Rachel Kramer Bussel Mon November 10 1975 Scorpio Ken Latta Sun November 11 1951 Scorpio Michael Doyle Wed November 12 1969 Scorpio Neil K. Thu November 14 1968 Grocible Dave Cook Mon November 15 1971 Scorpio Jeff Pearce November 16 Orpheus Naama Avramzon Mon November 18 1974 Scorpio Jeff Smith Mon November 19 1962 Crash Kevin Bartlett Fri November 21 1952 Scorpio Claudia Spix Wed November 23 1960 Schuetze Anja Baldo Tue November 23 1965 Garbanzo Tommy Persson Wed November 25 1964 Sagittarius Pat Tessitore November 26 Sagittarius Justin Bur Fri November 27 1964 Sagittarius Sue Trowbridge Sun November 27 1966 Skytten Ward Kadel Tue November 29 1977 Sagittarius Mirko Bulaja Sat November 30 1974 Block Chip Lueck Thu December 05 1968 Sagittarius Ken Hoyme Sun December 08 1957 Sagittarius Michele Wellck December 08 Sagittarius Jeremy J. Corry Fri December 11 1970 Sagittarius Renee Canada Tue December 13 1977 Sagittarius Julie C. Kammerzell Sun December 15 1968 Sagittarius/Scorpio combo Gloria Jackson-Nefertiti Sat December 15 1956 Sagittarius Damon Harper Tue December 16 1975 COOL BANANAS Laura Clifford Tue December 17 1957 Sagittarius Dirk Kastens Tue December 17 1963 Sagittarius Milla Wed December 17 1975 Sagittarius Chris Schernwetter Tue December 17 1974 Sagittarius Sherry Haddock Sat December 17 1960 Sagittarius Tracy Benbrook Tue December 18 1973 Sagittarius Uli Grepel Wed December 25 1968 Steinbock Joseph Wasicek Sat December 25 1976 Brown Eagle Stuart Castergine Mon December 30 1963 You Are Here ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 21:32:15 +1000 From: afinney@ozonline.com.au (Tim Finney) Subject: My faves of 1997 I'm new here, but I thought I'd start off by posting my favourite albums of 97: 1. Bjork - Homogenic: Bjork gets serious, and ever so beautifully. Melody and dissonance perfectly intertwine to make the best album of her's so far. 2. Radiohead - OK Computer: Over-hyped, but worthy. Genuinely affecting album that helped show that intelligent guitar bands can survive in the nineties. 3. Depeche Mode - Ultra: Danceable mope music. The new album not only updated their sound, but, in the dance explosion, showed that they were right all along. 4. Jonatha Brooke - 10 Cent Wings: The equal best lyrics I heard this year, and the tunes are crackers too. Experiments also work exceedingly well. 5. Portishead - S/T: The perfect nineties funeral: Somewhere in a dark lounge over a martini, with Beth Gibbons wailing out of the speakers. 6. Deborah Conway - My Third Husband: Perfect stylish guitars and very now beats, with the other best lyrics this year. Too cool for the likes of me. 7. Rickie Lee Jones - Ghostyhead: Trip-hop poetry from the beat generation? What's going on here? Whatever it is, its beautiful and haunting. 8. The Verve - Urban Hymns: Bitter Sweet Symphony was a battle cry, and the rest of the album lived up to expectations, between slow ballads and sonic rockers. 9. Spiritualised - Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space - So technically brilliant I find it hard to listen to. Its like eating a really really rich chocolate cake. It's just too much... 10. Mono - Formica Blues: Like one long coffee jaunt. Bacharach, brilliant vocals and beats. Life In Mono & Silicone are both perfect singles. Other stuff I listened to and loved, but not from 97: Stina Nordenstam, Kate Bush, Happy Rhodes, Jane Siberry, Lamb, The Cure, Maria McKee, Paula Cole, My Bloody Valentine, Sinead O'Connor, The Auteurs, The Paradise Motel. Tim Tim Finney = - ---------------------------------------- "I can only conclude that I'm paying off my Karma at a vastly accelerated rate" **************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jan 1998 11:40:57 -0500 From: Philip David Morgan Subject: Lists, lists, lists Good Morning, all: It must be the obligatory season of list making, so here's mine. Not always adding up to ten, but there you go. Fave albums (all made in 1997 unless otherwise noted)... * _Red Hand_ - Ingrid Karklins (Willow Music) *_Dispepsi_ - Negativland (Seeland) *_The Book of Secrets_ - Loreena McKennitt (Quinlan Road/WEA) *_One Heart - One Mind_- Elizabeth Von Trapp (Von Trapp Music, 1996) *_Through the Bitter Frost and Snow_ - Susan McKeown & Lindsey Horner (PRIME CD remake) *_Voices from the Sky_ - Dadawa (Warner Music Taiwan/UFO import) * _Stewed Tomatoes_ - Oliver Schroer (fiddler) (Big Dog Music Canada, 1996) *_Mediterr=E2neo_ - Fortuna (self-published, Brazilian import, 1996) Fave films (all but one not yet released to home video) *_The Long Way Home_ (documentary on the plight of Judaic people following WWII and their efforts to reach what would become Israel) *_A Life Apart: Hassidism in America_ (documentary) *_Angel Baby_(Austrailian drama about two mentally ill people and their troubled relationship, 1996) (USA tape from Republic Pictures) *_The Ice Storm_ *_The Pillow Book_ (Peter Greenaway) *_Female Perversions_ *_Broken English_ Things I could have done without: Radio stations that brag about "the best and most variety" or who cut their local music shows down to a half-hour... teen singers groomed by their parents to make money with "ohmygawd-he's-gone- and-how-am-I-going-carry-on-anymore" drivel...the creation of yet more shopping centres on Long Island... I'm looking ahead to the new year with a brighter sense of promise... Philip David 1/1/1998 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jan 1998 15:19:42 -0800 From: Bill Subject: Ten fave albums of 1997 Hello, and Happy New Year. Here are ten albums that I discovered in 1997, or at least that I played lots and lots during the year. They are listed in the order they popped into my head. 1. Lori Carson - Everything I touch runs wild. I was ordering some espresso coffee at a local Starbucks, when this album caught my eye in they CD bin by the cash register (can you imagine, now they get ya when you go in for latte); she immediately caugh my eye. So I took a chance on her and brought her home; and I like her. Playing this album reminds me of sitting in a bar in San Francisco that only serves expensive wines, and where people come in all dressed up just to sip and listen. Lori plays with you with her voice, the mellow (almost boring, in my irreverent opinion) accompaniment being there just to keep the rhythm and bind the rhyme. I thought I would get bored with the album after a few plays, but it has turned out to be a case of having a goold old friend whisper a few sweet things in my ear. 2. Lauren Christie - Breed. I was at the Tower Records in Burbank, California carousing the listening stations (thank you Tower Records for those) when I came across Lauren's album, and it was love at first hearing. Being on a business trip at the time I had to wait till I got home to indulge in playing the whole album, and the suspense was driving me mad. The album is a bit heavy for my taste, Lauren's side-kick liking to show off his overdriven guitar a bit too much. But, her voice, oh, her voice, makes my socks melt. I love the little girl in her. (a figure of speech, of course; hold the feminist flames). Lauren's lyrics are whacky ("I got soil, I got seed / I got 21 god damn days until I bleed"), and the overdriven guitar in every track spoils the moment, but, her voice, oh, her voice. 3. Sarah Mclachlan - Surfacing (and anything else she has ever done). I was happy to see Sarah come out with a new album, one with a decisively new sound (although with her same signature flavors). I believe (and I believe so does she) that it is always going to be a challenge to top the excellent work in Fumbling Towards Ecstacy; yet, Surfacing grows on you in a similar manner. Come think of it, listening to Surfacing, and then going back and listening to, say, Touch, really allows one to see how good her early works were, and how good her latest stuff is, and the path of maturity in between. I love Sarah, and it has nothing to do with having eaten chocolate chip cookies baked by her. *grin* 4. Lara Fabian - carpe diem I was at an independent record shop in Montreal, Quebec doing my obligatory out-of-town CD buy, when I asked the clerk for a female voice, one combining torch singing with good pop music, and out he brought Lara. Boy, can she sing. In her carpe diem album there is a track, Je Suis Malade, which begins with a rather pompous orchestral arrangement, and where in the middle of it all she goes a-capella; boy, what lungs. To me, Lara's carpe diem album is an excellent example of good pop music and excellent musicianship. My hormones secrete for you, Lara. 5. Merril Bainbridge - The Garden I spent a few glorious days in Melbourne, Australia in March of '96, and while at my hostess's apartment I heard a female singer that I really liked, but failed to capture her name. Upon returning home to the US I went on a CD buying binge, hoping to find that sound that I so missed. In doing so I ended up discovering Merril Bainbridge, of, all places, Melbourne. My wife equates Marril's music to "music in a Hong Kong elevator", but, hey, what do you expect from someone who thinks that Michael Bolton's singing is "sweet". To me, Merril can sing, her arrangements are happy and interesting (in the correct sense of the word), and listening to her music is quite an uncomplicated joy in a world saturated with needless complication. I eagerly await Merril's second album; if you live in Australia and find out Merril Bainbridge has an album other than The Garden, do not delay, send it to me! (remuneration being a minor detail). 6. Sophie B. Hawkins - tongues and tails In searching for that sound that had captivated me in Melbourne, I also purchased Sophie B. Hawkin's tongues and tails album, which, as most music lately for me, at first did not seem like anything great, but definitely grew on me in the long run. Sophie's arrangements are well done, with other instruments besides her voice actually playing a part and not just merely filling in. And the lyrics are worthy of recognition too. As it turns out, that sound I had been looking for is in Sophie's second album, Whaler, which, to me, although a good album, is not as artistically creative as the first one. 7. Susan Aglukark - This Child I was in Vancouver, BC doing my traditional birth day CD shopping, when I came across an album by this young female talent from Canada's North West Territories. Although Susan's music is not as kick-ass to me as other entries in this list, she nontheless deserves an honorable mention. Her silky smooth voice feels good on your ears, and her kindness shows through in her songs. There is a track, Dreams For You, where Susan sings of being told by the world that she could not go anywhere (tacitly because she was a little young woman from the far reaches of Canada), and how her preacher father inspired her in a sermon to persevere on, and how here she was singing to him from her lofty perch of musical achievement. Other tracks on the album, albeit not "torchy", exhibit some good sounds of the Inuit culture. 8. Sweet Virginia - Sweet Virginia This is good ol' rock-and-roll, as I hadn't seen in a new edition in a long time. I was doing some IVR (Interactive Voice Response) work at one of San Francisco State University's studios as students were taking finals for a production class, and they were using Sweet Virginia's Sweet Virginia track as the lab target. I was immediately mesmerized by Hilary Webb's torchy singing in a rock-and-roll setting of acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums. Yet, no one seemed to know how to get a hold of this album, so I left SFSU dreaming of Sweet Virginia, hoping to find the metaphorical her again. A search on the Web yielded the group's home-grown Web page, and a few days later I had this debut album in my sweet hands. As I said, good ol' rock-and-roll... with a bluesy, torchy flare; an excellent effort by an up-start band. "So you're leaving now sweet Virginia / freedom calls you far from home" ... 9. Patsy Cline - Heartaches I am too young to have indulged in Patsy Cline's singing when it first came out, but a visit to a Tower Records listening station revealed to me just how good her singing is. Yes, the arrangements are very dated, yet, her voice is just as good. Heartaches is a recent edition of her more achie-breaky songs, and one that will fit the bill nicely when the time comes to weep by the fireplace over that glass of red wine. I'm crazy for loving you. 10. Toni Braxton - Secrets Here is another case of a great voice coming from a genre that perhaps does not do her justice. Toni's "funky" music is enjoyed by many, but it is her throaty rendition and the well-suited accompaniment in Un-Break My Heart that places her in this list. The way she tunes her voice high without squealing, low without breaking-up, and anywhere and everywhere in between is a true sign of a great torch singer, or of any singer for that matter. Un-Break My Heart is a truly romantic piece of work, and I happen to be a sucker (for romance). May 1998 bring music to your hears, and peace to your soul. - - Bill. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 19:33:57 -0600 (CST) From: Michael Curry Subject: The best of 1997 Hi all, Well, here are my end of the year lists. Top 11 albums of 1997 (in no particular order): Solas -- Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers Though it may not be "pure drop" Irish traditional music, I think this album is absolutely brilliant and it seems to find it's way into my cd player on a regular basis. Richard Shindell -- Reunion Hill Another amazing release from this master storyteller. Susan McKeown and Lindsay Horner -- Through the Bitter Frost and Snow I loved the tape, so of course I love the expanded and reworked cd version even more. Johnny Cunningham -- Peter & Wendy What do you get when you take the wonderful music Johnny wrote for the stage production of Peter & Wendy and have it performed by people like Susan McKeown, Seamus Egan and Johnny himself? A truly magical cd that I enjoy more every time I listen to it. Merrie Amsterburg -- Season of Rain A great debut album by this talented singer-songwriter, and one that I was surprised not to see on more ecto top 10 lists. Merrie is my pick for the best new artist of 1997. Sleater-Kinney -- Dig Me Out This album rocks! A bit more melodic than their last one (_Call the Doctor_), but only a bit. The Moon Seven Times -- Sunburnt Another amazing effort by this talented band. There are a couple of missteps, but they are far outweighed by some of the best stuff M7x has done to date. Mila Drumke -- Illinois I've only had this cd for a few weeks, and I absolutely love it. Dervish -- Live in Palma This 2 cd set does a great job of capturing this brilliant Irish trad band live. Dar Williams -- End of the Summer Another wonderful album by Dar. Ani Difranco -- Living in Clip Yeah, the editing isn't very good and a couple of the track choices are a bit questionable, but I still love this long overdue live cd. Disappointments of the year: Sarah MacLachlan -- Surfacing 10000 Maniacs -- Love Among the Ruins Top live performances of 1997: Susan McKeown and the Chanting House, lots of places, lots of dates I saw Susan perform with various incarnations of the Chanting House about 15 times in 1997, and every show was great... so rather than try to pick out one or two as being the very best I'll just lump them all together and say that they were amazing. Emily Bezar at S.O.S. Studios, NYC (January 25th) I was, to say the least, a casual fan of Emily's before this show. I had heard _Grandmother's Tea Leaves_ a few times and liked it, but hadn't gotten around to getting a copy of my own, and didn't have any particular plans to buy _Moon in Grenadine_. Then, after meeting Emily and hearing her perform at this intimate little show, I bought both cds. I'm not a casual fan anymore. Throwing Muses at Tramps, NYC (February 21st) Though this evening at Tramps also included the horror that is Vibrolush (aieee!), being able to see this show by TM was worth the torture of the opening acts. Kristen was in rare form, playing requests and doing plenty of older TM material. The Nields at the Iron Horse, Northampton, MA (April 11th) The Nields always seem to save some of their best shows for the Iron Horse. This show was especially good because it was also the first time I got to hear Merrie Amsterburg, who did a great opening set. Veda Hille at CB's Gallery, NYC (May 29th) This was my first time seeing Veda perform live, and I was just blown away by how brilliant she was. Solas at the Iron Horse, Northampton, MA (July 21st) As amazing as I find this band's recorded stuff, it hadn't prepared me for the sheer energy of their live show. Kristen Hersh at Fez, NYC (August 1st) Actually, this were two shows that night (and I went to both), but in my mind it sort of blends into one big show. It was one of the most extraordinary concert experiences I've ever had. Melissa Ferrick did two great opening sets, and Kristen was just... astonishing. Dervish at the Iron Horse, Northampton, MA (August 3rd) See my comments on the Solas show. So that's it for 1997. The new year is already looking promising, and I'm especially looking forward to new releases by Tori Amos, Susan McKeown, Kristen Hersh, Ani Difranco, Suddenly, Tammy!, and Innocence Mission. Mike np: The Sundays -- Static and Silence nr: The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan | Michael Curry / mcurry@io.com / mcurry@compuserve.com | | http://www.io.com/~mcurry | | Am I bitter? Do I sound bitter? -- Veda Hille | ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V4 #1 ************************