From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V6 #4 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, January 6 2000 Volume 06 : Number 004 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Today's your birthday, friend... [Mike Matthews ] Best albums of 1999 ["Marcel Rijs" ] Kat Bjelland and Mimi [anna maria "stjärnell" ] grammys [dave ] About the new Velvet Belly releases [Yngve Hauge ] Re: Kat Bjelland and Mimi [John Drummond ] NYC area LRC: Jason Mraz [Dan Stark ] More year end lists (longwindedness warning!) [neal copperman Subject: Today's your birthday, friend... i*i*i*i*i*i i*i*i*i*i*i *************** *****HAPPY********* **************BIRTHDAY********* *************************************************** *************************************************************************** ********************* Paul Cohen (pmcohen@netaxs.com) ********************* *************************************************************************** -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 David Beery Tue January 20 1976 drum 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 - -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 09:40:40 +0100 From: "Marcel Rijs" Subject: Best albums of 1999 Hi all, It's time for my yearly roundup of my favourite albums. The criteria are simple: the albums must have been released this year and I must have played them a lot! Of course, the first criterium has been bent a little... 1. Vedergallningen - Garmarna Very inexpectedly, this has become my favourite album of 1999. During a visit at my place by my friend Marion I heard two or three tracks from this CD which she'd just bought and I was fascinated instantly. It didn't take long for me to buy this CD and then I played it almost non-stop throughout July and August. I've listened to this almost 100 times already and I'm still not tired of it. A truly outstanding piece of work. 2. Tuesday's child - Amanda Marshall As heavy as the debut album but a lot more interesting lyrically. Amanda Marshall wrote some highly passionate lyrics which I'm not going to cite here because some of my friends might wonder why I'd want to dedicate some of the songs to them. 3. Human being - Seal Released in 1998, but November releases always end up in my favourites lists for the next year. Take this one: I got it in December and only started playing it in January. It lay untouched for a while after that but then I rediscovered it in March and since then it's been one of my very favourite CD's of the year. Always thought it would end up as no. 1, but it's close. 4. Innamoramento - Mylene Farmer I didn't think this one was as good as Anamorphose at first, but soon reconsidered upon hearing "Dessine-moi un mouton", "Pas le temps de vivre", "Serais-tu la?" and the excellent title track. I don't understand French but to my own surprise I can recognise some of the used words. Of course I have to think back to the concert in Brussels in October with many fond thoughts. A wonderful show by a wonderful woman. 5. The Accused - Colin Vearncombe The return of Black was The highlight of the year for me. Using his own name for this fifth album after and absence of five years, this album was a fine example of what this man does best: straightforward songs with passionate lyrics. This album slipped back to no. 5 only because of the fact that the album does not contain any big surprises and is simply too short! 6. De ballade van de Dromedaris - Frank Boeijen Released in January, the sixth solo CD by Dutch singer Frank Boeijen contains a few instant classics such as the title track and "Nijmegen bij zonsondergang" ("Nijmegen at sunset"). The track "Vertrouwen" ("Trust") is simply awful, but the rest is awesome. 7. Earthling - David Bowie The only album which shouldn't really be on this list because it's two years old. Despite that, I put it here because it's one of those albums I kept playing this year. I discovered it very late, but at least I did... 8. To Venus and back - Tori Amos Tori, Tori, Tori, what are you doing. A worthless live disc, which is tainted by the presence of the American audience, and a studio disc with a few very sub-standard songs. My appreciation of this disc was further marred by the dismal promotion day in Holland. "To Venus and back" was narrowly saved by the tracks "Datura" and "1000 oceans" as well as a few other jewels on disc 1, but if she were any other artist I don't know if I would've placed it in this top 10. 9. Intimate and live - Kylie Minogue Yes, Kylie Minogue. It's amazing how she's transformed from a dumb pop bimbo to someone who can actually carry a whole live show. I was attracted to this by her last album, which was quite good as well. Didn't think this would be this good, though. 10. Killing time - Tina Cousins Yes, it's fill-up time. I chose this album because it's a good representative of the rest of the (new) albums I bought this year: pop music by pop people such as Geri Halliwell and (gulp) Britney Spears. I swear, I can listen to it. Well, in the latter half of this year anyway, when my life turned all sunny and bright. Let's hope life stays that way for a while. Finally, I'd like to add that I have totally fallen in love with "Falling father in" by October Project. It has taken four years! I played this album now and again since I bought it in October 95, but it's taken a long time until I finally fell for it. Since early 1999 I have re-discovered this album and played it almost constantly. I didn't want to put it in my top 10, but if I had to, it would end up somewhere between no. 1 and 5. It's a great loss this band does not exist anymore. You can read the top 10 and most of the tracklistings of these CD's on http://members.xoom.com/walmarket/collection . That is also where I keep track of my CD collection. Kind regards, ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 02:10:19 -0800 (PST) From: anna maria "stjärnell" Subject: Kat Bjelland and Mimi Hi.. It seems that Kat Bjelland(Babes in toyland) has collaborated with Mimi Goese for the soundtrack to Witchblade..Has anyone heard this album? Anna Maria __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://messenger.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 06:52:50 -0500 From: dave Subject: grammys Just had a look through those grammy nominations.. was surprised to see Diana Krall's 'When I Look In Your Eyes' nominated for album of the year.. maybe there's hope after all.. then again, the Backstreet Boys will probably win it. I also see my favorite album of '99, Jaci Velasquez 'Llegar a Ti', made it into the Latin category along with the Chris Perez Band (Selena's widower) who covers Maria McKee's 'Shelter' and her brother Bryan Maclean's 'Alone Again Or'. - -- +-----------------------------------------------+ + dave + + Sideshow Bob's House of Wax and Waffles + + Female vocalists, Christian, and Polish music + + http://www.magpage.com/~sspan/ + +-----------------------------------------------+ + irc.dal.net #tori #ecto + +-----------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 17:21:01 +0100 (CET) From: Yngve Hauge Subject: About the new Velvet Belly releases Good news about the releases listed in the norwegian newspaper yesterday ... Kai Jarre, VB's manager, posted this to Velvet Station today : Yes - its true. Last fall Velvet Belly and Biosphere collaborated on tour in Norway. It worked really well and the shows was recorded. It sounds great by the way. Those of you who attended any of the shows will know what a cool twist to the VB songs the Biosphere involvement made. The tentative plan is to release the material in april if everything goes according to plan. For the Norwegian vb station regulars: Album "Lucia" will be rereleased 14th. of feb. This is the international version (new sleeve) incl. the Kate Bush cover "The Man With The Child In His Eyes" and the Boilerhouse Mix of "Easy". So it is final it seems ... so it means 2 new releases + a EP this year, and I know that they've been working in the studio with new material as well, but I have no idea when a new studio album will be released. I did say Feb 7 for the release earlier I think, so that is corrected now. *hugs* - -- Yngve ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 11:16:33 -0800 From: "Bill" Subject: Trading Post - Round 2 Ectophiles: I have been asked (by an Ecto "VIP") to protect the Ecto Trading Post pages with a single, generic user ID and password, rather than by giving each person a unique user ID. While I believe that this will afford security against spammers which is less than ideal, I have gone ahead and granted this request. Hence, the Ecto Trading Post can now be accessed as follows: URL: http://www.wagill.com/tradingpost/ecto/ User ID: happy Password: mwabt Be aware, though, that I have no tolerance for spam, so once the site gets spammed again we will surely have to go with unique user IDs, or not have a trading post at all (at least not one hosted by me). Those of you that already have unique user IDs may continue to use those, or may use the new generic one. Those of you that have asked for user IDs and to whom I have not yet replied may use the new generic ID, or may ask again for a unique one. I apologize for the hassles and confusion, but such is life. And, by the way, Happy new year! :) - - Bill G. np: Chet Baker - The Best of Chet Baker Sings (you want torch? you got torch!) nr: (nuthin') ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jan 2000 11:57:33 -0800 (PST) From: John Drummond Subject: Re: Kat Bjelland and Mimi > It seems that Kat Bjelland(Babes in toyland) has > collaborated with Mimi Goese for the soundtrack to > Witchblade.. WHOA... that's um THE most unlikely combination I've ever heard of... hmm... maybe soon, in the light of this relese, we'll hear that legendary Baby Spice + Diamanda Galás track, "Spice Galás"... ;D John n.p. Lauren Hoffman _From the blue house_ (It's sick, I'm still utterly besotted with this album) ===== [hilarious] Witty exchange of the day : (in parting) HIM: xo ME: xoxo HIM: xoxoxo don't try me __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 22:43:03 -0500 From: Dan Stark Subject: NYC area LRC: Jason Mraz Hi Folks, This Friday, San Diego up-and-comer Jason Mraz will be performing a "Living Room" show at our home in Jersey City, NJ (just over the Hudson River from NYC). As you have probably deduced from the name, Jason is not a female artist - However, his brand of intelligent acoustic music fits nicely into the Ecto spectrum in my opinion, so I would like to invite those of you in the area to join us for an evening of fun and music! Jason was actually "booked" into our Living Room by a friend of ours who is a member of the Jewel list (among others) who didn't have room in her own apartment to host the show. To be honest, I don't know a whole lot about Jason other than what she has told us. She saw him play in San Diego at a Jewel event called the "Gathering of Angels," and tells us that after his set he was hired on the spot to play the Newbreak Coffeehouse every Friday night. Later that evening, he played again on the side stage at Jewel's Chula Vista show. Luckily for us, Jason is home in Virginia for the holidays and has offered to drive up and play for us before he goes back to California, and after hearing his just-released indie EP I can tell you we are excited to have him performing here. When it comes to male artists performing acoustic music, they have to rise above the pack or I don't tend to give them much of a chance. Jason's EP shines though - he has a great voice and strong songs. Our place is an easy ride via the NYC Subway->PATH for those of you in NYC. The show should get underway around 9pm. Jason has set the admission price at the extra-low price of "Free", although I'm sure donations would be welcome. :) We will offer some hors-d'oeuvres and soft drinks, and you are welcome to bring along your own brand of refreshments as well, if you wish. If you can come out this Friday, please RSVP to me. Hope to see some of you here! Best! Dan & Leif ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000 00:46:20 -0500 From: neal copperman Subject: More year end lists (longwindedness warning!) In case you aren't all bored of these things yet... I tend to play fast and loose with the whole year end list thing. In fact, my typical view of a year is an amalgam of concerts, cd's and bootleg tapes, and all of that leads to a general impression of the artists who stand out the most for me that year. It's usually really easy for me to pick the artists, as they leap into my mind. While this year didn't seem like a particularly bad year for music, looking over the discs I bought didn't really spark the kind of enthusiasm that usually accompanies instant classics. And I haven't been all that impressed with some of the more popular ecto favorites of the year, like Lamb and Kym Brown. I like them well enough, but neither of their discs would show up on my top 10. Also, for the first year ever, I bought less discs than the previous year. It's not really that dramatic, since I bought about 96% as many cd's as last year. And I did start the new year off by buying 30 discs at a big sale (spending only a bit over $100!). Anyway, the standout winner of the year in my mind was: 1. Mia Doi Todd - When I had to think of the best concert of the year, her opening set immediately sprang to my mind. Perhaps it was because it was so unexpected, but she was such a clever songwriter and quiet but intense singer. It's been a while since I was so totally struck by a concert. Her CD Come Out Of Your Mine perfectly captured the thrill of the concert. An amazing find. 2. Kristin Hersh - Even though the KH concert I saw this year wasn't as strong as previous ones, it was a year where I seemed to be particularly into her music. Special kudos for her Works in Progress series on her web site, even if I only participated in it after the fact (thanks for helping with that Jeff). That collection, combined with Sky Motel, last years Murder, Misery and Good Night (which I bought this year), and the fun covers on the Echo single helped her a lot. 3. My Friend The Chocolate Cake - I must have discovered them last year, but this was the year that I traded for almost their whole catalog from Andrew. Excellent Australian folk-rock with male vocals (!), violin and cello. Beatiful instrumentals, stirring ballads and reasonably entertaining more rocking moments. Now I can start tracking down those side projects! 4. Iva Bittova - Iva stunned me in concert last year, but this was the year I bought my first discs of hers, and probably my last for a while since my IB collection quickly jumped to 8 discs. Practically indescribable avante-garde singing and violin playing in Czech. Some albums are jazzier, others have (inexplicable to me) literary themes. One album is with a classical string quartet, and another is a children's album. Last night I was making a tape for my niece, so she'll now be the only 2 year old with a tape containing Betty, Tori, The Nields, Ella Fitzgerald, Zap Mama and Iva Bittova! 5. Veda Hille - you do not live in this world alone. I'm not sure why this album has been slow to grow on people. From the moment I heard it, I thought wow! Granted, it is noisier than I was expecting, but in an exciting and exilerating way. Veda never ceases to amaze me, and has definitly vaulted into my pantheon in the last few years. 6. Pavo Cristatis - Another find from Australia courtasy of Andrew, who was scepticle I'd like it. Not sure why, as it seems right up my alley. It's pretty tough to describe music. Largely instrumental with often wordless vocals sounding a bit like Diamanda without the anger and bitterness. Heavy strings, shifting rhythms and transcendant vocals. The whole album blends together into a single powerful song. 7. Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 (or the last remains of the dodo) I'm always happy to see an Aimee Mann concert, and this years show was no exception. Good solid fun, even if they don't surprise me like they used to. This limited edition preview of her upcoming album contains a lot of brilliant new tunes that highlight some of the best of Aimee's songwriting. I liked I'm With Stupid, but this feels more like Whatever, which I preferred. 8. Mary Jane Lamond - Suas e! Ok, it's a 98 release, but I got it at the end of the year and really love it. It's one of those great meldings of Irish and modern music that holds on to so much of the tradition and spirit of the original music while giving it a little push. Almost the perfect follow up to the first Mouth Music album. 9. The Duck Room - Carrie Newcomer/Mississipi Nights - Dar Williams and Katryna & Nerissa Nields I got this pair of bootlegs from Bob Kollmeyer after he came out for the Happy show in Philly, and they are forever tied together in my mind. Great shows that I listened to a ridiculous number of times this year. I've probably listened to each of these shows more than the actual albums by the artists. Thanks Bob! 10. Tori Amos - Venus and associated singles. Ok, I haven't really listened to this all that much, but it's another 5 Tori discs, so it seems like it must have some sort of impact. Plus, I thoroughly enjoy the live versions, sometimes even more than I did the show I saw on the tour. The new songs haven't struck me too much, though there are a few that are kind of fun. I'm hoping this is one that will be growing on me. Honorable mentions: Amy Denio's Greatest Hits - Can't put my finger on what it is about this odd mish-mash of music that is so appealing to me. It's all over the map, with strange art/jazz/rock stuff. Sometimes reminds me a bit of Amy X Neuburg, sometimes Iva Bittova, sometimes lots of others. Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs. Possibly too much of a good thing. Brilliant in small doses. The most requested music by people who are talking to me on the phone. Not sure what it is about it that sounds so good over the telephone lines. Sonna - these windows are pistons. Perfect instrumental chill-out music from some former art students in Baltimore. It's all layers and texture that don't seem to go anywhere, but are so wonderful to ride on top of. =============================================================================== Live music: There were some great moments this year that I didn't mention above that are certainly worth remembering. Sloan Wainwright & Susan McKeown's duet on the Fairport Convention's "Take Me To the Ledge" (I think that was what it was called) was the highpoint of ectofest. Did anyone record this?????? The whole Folk Alliance thing in Albuquerque provided me with so many hours of amazing music that it's impossible to consider them as separate concerts. But seeing people like Laura Love, Molly O'Brien, Frifot, Casey Neill, Cordelia's Dad, Vasen, and many more had me in heaven for a week. Yungchen Lhamo - If you've ever heard any of this Tibetan singers discs, you have an idea what I'm talking about. The music was even more transendant live. Afro Celt Sound System - A perfect blend of traditional music with electronics. Hands down the best dance concert of the year. =============================================================================== Special event: Peter & Wendy - Quite possibly the best "play" I have ever seen. This imaginative puppet show with live music by Susan McKeown and Johnny Cunningham and others was so beautiful. So much originality and talent. A must see if it is ever shown anywhere near you. =============================================================================== May as well round out this list, since these other things are all pretty short. Books: I read 2 perfect books this year: Michael Cunningham's The Hours and Toni Morrison's Beloved. I thoroughly enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible too, though I thought the last quarter was fairly week, knocking it down a notch from The Hours and Beloved. Movies: This was a stupendous year for me at the movies. Topping the list was American Beauty - which keeps popping into my mind months after viewing it. The films of Richard Bresson (The Trial of Joan of Arc, Angels of Sin, Pickpocket, A Man Escapes, Four Nights of a Dreamer, Diary of a Country Priest, Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne, L'Argent, The Devil Probably) - a fascinating retrospective in Santa Fe. Berlin, symphony of a Great City (Steven Garling)/ Steamboat Bill Jr (with Anne Wats & Boister) - classic films with amazing live music accompaniment. Shakespeare in Love - Ok, 1998 again, but I saw it in early '99, so there. The Dreamlife of Angels Election Three Kings Being John Malcovich Neal np: Lucinda Williams at the Recher Theater nr: Crossing To Safety - Wallace Stegner ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V6 #4 ************************