Errors-To: ecto-owner@ns1.rutgers.edu Reply-To: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu Sender: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu From: ecto@ns1.rutgers.edu To: ecto-request@ns1.rutgers.edu Bcc: ecto-digest-outbound@ns1.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto #999 ecto, Number 999 Friday, 4 February 1994 Today's Topics: *-----------------* Re: "I Should've Known" ectopics Happy at Tower Talked to Kevin... Re: Talked to Kevin... Red Shoes Posters subscribe Falling Joys but is it good? Re: It's not normal (long, moderately technical) Re: ecto #996 Hips and Makers Las Vegas, anyone? VANCE GILBERT!!!! YAY!!! ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 3 Feb 94 16:03:43 PST From: tsai@ikos.com (Finney T. Tsai) Subject: Re: "I Should've Known" Jeff writes: :> The first time I saw them tour in support of _A Momentary Lapse of Reason_ :> in 11/87 changed my life. No, really! The next day I rushed out to buy :> _The Wall_ and _AMLoR_. Others followed later. By the time I saw the tour :> again in 06/88 I viewed music--both recorded and live presentation--a lot :> differently. Just a quick note: By chance I got to know one of Pink Floyd's backvocals, Veronica. She's in the '87-88 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' tour. If you have seen the video tape, she's there! Anyway, she's now working on a music MA degree in Houston. She has a studio at home. She makes tracks with local musicians once a while. I had tried to persuade her to send me some samples but was *kindly* refused! :) Well, what I really want to say is she will get an Internet account soon and she may join Ecto! Think about you can get an authority answer about David Gilmour's shoe size from Ecto! I have been extremely busy with the project. My design goal is to make my babe prototype 20 times faster than the previous product! Crazy engineer? I know I know... Really, I have no time to write down my 1993 top-10 pick. I did have gone through each top-10 post, though. Most were very close to my list. However, there still are some great discoveries I'd like to bring out. As usual, I would only talk about female singers/songwriters here: Kate Price, The Time Between For those who love Loreena McKennitt, don't miss this one. There are many elements common between Kate and Loreena. The music is simply peaceful and gorgeous. Yet, sorry, not Celtic music this time. It's a combination of Mexican folk and Indian chant, but sounds very Celtic. Interesting? Kate is pretty local to CA(Santa Barbara). Some many have problem to find her album. Kate Jacobs, The Calm Comes After She's from Hoboken, NJ, but very Nashville. Smart lyrics. Overly passionate and bitter sometimes. I feel she's like a tuned-down Rickie Lee Jones. Overall a balanced and honest effort. Mouth Music, Mo-Di Mouth Music? Isn't everything from Mouth Music all done by Martin Swan? Yep, you are right, but this time some songs are actually co-written by Martin and a new comer, Jackie Joyce. Most songs are dance tracks in the album. But, hey, Jackie's voice is so adorable. I even think she's the loveliest voice of '93! Emily Bezar, Grandmother's Tea Leaves Has D^2 mentioned about her before? She's from Berkeley, CA! The first time I heard of her music, I said, geez, is this Kate Bush? Then I listened to the second song, nauh, it should be sort of industry music. After I finished the whole album, well, she was almost another Tori Amos! I started wondering if 'Bezar' was her real name? :) Anyway, it's a very experimental and academic work. I really like it, but don't recommend it to everybody. For those Tori Amos fans, if you feel interested, I'd love to show you how much Emily is close to Tori. BTW, she plays better piano than Tori does! :) Reissues: Definitively, the first one comes to my mind is Victoria Williams'es 'Happy Come Home.' So when will they reissue 'Swing the Statue?' Another notable mention is Kate & Anna McGarrigle's 'Kate & Anna McGarrigle.' Last weekend a friend checked my collections and screamed: Geeeeez, finney, do you just keep listening to these angry and frustrated women(P.J. Harvey, Tori Amos, Melissa Ferrick...etc)!!!! O well, I said, so this is the 1993! :) -finney tsai@ikos.com tsai@cs.stanford.edu "If you don't like my story get out of the punt." - James Joyce ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 3 Feb 94 22:42:02 EST From: woj@remus.rutgers.edu (world serve your own needs) Subject: ectopics Joe Zitt sez: >Anywho, this problem may go away soon as I'm hooking up with a system >called NJLink that seems too good to be true. i see that your address changed so i guess it's too good to be true. mind filling the rest of us in on the deal? and how did the kcrw interview go? i conked out last night 12:30 am and thus missed it. probably should have set up the deck to dub it all but that's difficult to do whilst sleeping. :) brage@sphere.home.id.dth.dk (Jens P. Brage) sez: >Btw, have you seen a paperback version of "Chanur's Legacy"? it's out in america - greg and i both have our copies (though i have not gotten to reading it yet - i'm slow). anthony baxter sez: >by someone, I think they were called Kirsten Hirsh? The spelling is almost >certainly wrong. Anyway, it was quite good - anyone heard anything about >this person? kristin hersh. she's the frontwoman for throwing muses whom i hope you've heard of. her solo debut was released this week but i have not gotten to it yet as i've been obsessing over _under the pink_ instead. incidentially, i have an interview with hersh that was conducted by christine sievanan (seattlephiles should recognize that name). if anyone would like a copy, just drop me a line. jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu sez: >Hunh? the Caldwells don't approve of dubbing a CD for the car? i dunno really, but considering the flammage on rdt recently, i'd not be surprised if richard thought so. >Of course, now I've heard the whole thing (now in the midst of my second >listen) and there's still absolutely no question that this is vastly >superior to _Fumbling Toward Ecstasy_, [jeffy is of course talking about _under the pink_.] hmmm. having clicked with both albums (they fight for space in the cd player hourly), i can't really say that one outdoes the other. they are too different: sarah is earth and water; tori is air and fire; sarah is chthonic and sensual, tori is cerebral and emotional; where sarah deals with relationships on a physical level, tori is playing mind games. this inherent difference between what they sing about is as apparant from the music as it is from the lyrics. no, i can't pick one over the other.... tsai@ikos.com (Finney T. Tsai) sez: >Kate Jacobs, The Calm Comes After yeah! somewhere around here, i have some live recordings of her that were broadcast on wfmu at least two years ago. i've been meaning to get some of her work, but having gotten around to it. is this on bar/none records? Neil K. Guy sez: >It's kind of strange, though... bagpipes have >this mysterious sound that's hard to locate... the sound drifts in and >out and you can't pinpoint where on earth it's coming from one of the folks at work is a piper and on sunny lunch hours in the summer and fall he dresses up in his kilt and plaids and walks around the site piping to his heart's content. i walk at lunch too and know the feeling you describe, neil: lofting over the buildings is this wail and you keep thinking that bill'll just come wandering around a corner and then you realize he's on the other side of the site, a half mile away. +woj ======================================================================== From: Stuart Myerburg Date: Thu, 3 Feb 94 23:12:51 -0500 Subject: Happy at Tower This evening, I went to Tower to grab a copy of Tori's "God" single. While there, I made the obligatory investigation of the Happy Rhodes section. Not only have they finally learned that she goes under "R" and not "H," but they have also restocked. They had 2 Rhodesongs, 2 Equipoise, 1 Rhodes I, 1 Ecto, and *4* Warpaint. The best thing is that the Warpaint were sitting up on the shelf where they display CDs that they have chosen to feature. I was very pleased. There must be a Happy fan behind this. --- Stuart ___________________________________________________________________________ Stuart Myerburg "I need more things. I need more money. Emory Univ. Law School Don't want to work. Want things for free." labspm@emoryu1.cc.emory.edu -Jane Siberry _o_ |< ___________________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== Date: Thu, 3 Feb 94 23:19:08 EST From: WretchAwry Subject: Talked to Kevin... Well, for about 3 minutes :-), but I still got a few interesting tidbits from him. Most importantly, Happy's spending most of February in pre-production for the next album, and they hope to go into the studio (which one, or ones, is undecided) at the beginning of March to begin recording. Yes! There will be a new newsletter going out within a week, with a lot more tidbits and interesting trivia (which is one reason why he didn't want to give everything away now) and should be out to everyone (hopefully!) by the end of next week. Newer Ectophiles...listen up, because this isn't in the FAQ (I know, I know) so you don't know about it. If you want to be on the Aural Gratification mailing list, and receive the newsletter, you need to send $2.00, to help cover postage and printing, to this address: Aural Gratification Newsletter P. O. Box 380 Bearsville, NY 12409-0380 and give them your name and address. You'll receive the latest issue of the newsletter, and any that come out within the next year, plus any updates that might happen to be sent out. Overseas residents should double that, so it can be airmailed to you. (While you're at it, be sure to tell H&K that you're an Ectophile, and tell them a bit about yourself. How you heard of Happy, what you have so far, where you got it...whatever you think they'd be interested in hearing...and *believe me*, they are definitely interested in you!) Aural Gratification has a new member of the "household" and her name is Cathy. Since Kevin has been busy with his work, and Happy is busy writing songs and getting them ready for recording, they've hired Cathy to help out with the newsletter and various other duites around the office. Happy may or may not be able to answer letters personally with a note...but she still reads everything that comes in, so go ahead and say hi to Happy & Kevin, but don't forget Cathy too. Say hi, since she's part of the AG "family" now. I don't have much else to pass on, since there'll be info in the newsletter. I did tell Kevin about the Bowie rumour (thanks Angelos!) and Kevin is definitely going to check into that. I agree that if there is a Bowie tribute album...it would be a *crime* if Happy weren't involved. I passed along Kuyper's info about finding _Warpaint_ in South Africa, and Lorrie Morgan's upcoming album called _Warpaint_ (Kevin was familiar with her, but not that she was going to be using that title). I passed along best wishes from Ecto and told him that it's big, strong and growing every day. Whenever I talk to him I tell him that more and more folks are finding Happy in record stores, and that I'm still sending out FAQ's left and right (5 just today!) He was familiar with CDS in England offering Happy, because someone had already sent him the ad from Q. (Pami, was that you? *HUG* to whoever it was) Reminds me...could someone *please* pretty please send me all the info on CDS so I can add it to the FAQ? Address, phone #, any and all pertinent information would be appreciated. Thanks! Silly collector's item alert! They have signed with a company in Taiwan, of all places, to release _RhodeSongs_ and the lyrics will be in Chinese! I am not making this up :-) and I'll pass along more details as I get them. First South Africa, then Taiwan...Global alert indeed! S'it...bye... Vickie ======================================================================== From: Tim Cook Date: Fri, 4 Feb 94 08:57:16 GMT Subject: Re: Talked to Kevin... > CDS in England offering Happy, because someone had already sent oo-err Vickie you're in trouble ;-) :-), Compact Disc Services is in Dundee which is in SCOTLAND. You'll have Schottish Dave jumping up and down if you're not careful (or playing out of tune bagpipes outside your bedroom window). Compact Disc Services Magnum House 140 Seagate Dundee DD1 2HF SCOTLAND Phone: (0382) 76595 (+44-382-76595) FAX: (0382) 736702 (+44-382-736702) Oh, and they take Access (Mastercard) and Visa ======================================================================== Date: Fri, 4 Feb 1994 9:07:31 -0500 (EST) From: Chris Sampson Subject: Red Shoes Posters Hello all, Have been lurking...and sporadically, at that....as work has been absolutely nuts....now the Mac Printer is done, so I have to rush. I think that ___________'s idea about want ads is good. It reminds me.... I was at University Music (across the street from UCONN) last week, and in their box of "free stuff", they had about 30 8.5" x 11" promo posters for The Red Shoes (due out in October of '93, on the back)....Anyone interested? I thought so.....email me and be prepared to wait a little while for a response....gotta go. *HUGS* all around. .----------------------------------------------------------------------. | Most of the things we were told in Indonesia turned out to be false; |. | sometimes immediately. The only exception to this was when we were |\| | told that something would happen immediately, in which case it turned |\| | out to be false over an extended period of time. |\| | .-----------------------|\| | -Douglas Adams | Chris Sampson |\| | (From "Last Chance to See") | chris@neuron.uchc.edu |\| `-----------------------------------------------`-----------------------'\| \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\| `------------------------------------------------------------------------' ======================================================================== From: JGO.SYSTEMS@mhs.unc.edu (Greg O'Rear) Date: Fri, 04 Feb 1994 09:33 EST Subject: subscribe Jessica, Please resubscribe me. ========================================================================== = Greg O'Rear Computer Consultant IV Administrative Data Processing jgo.systems@mhs.unc.edu University of North Carolina (919) 962-0821 440 West Franklin Street Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1150 ========================================================================== = ======================================================================== From: p.cohen@genie.geis.com Date: Wed, 2 Feb 94 07:27:00 BST Subject: Falling Joys New Falling Joys album? Wow! That's a must get, in my book. Hope I can manage to get an Aussie import. +########################################################################+ +###+ Paul Cohen, Philadelphia, PA +###+ +########################################################################+ +###+ P.COHEN@genie.geis.com +###+ PMCOHEN@aol.com +###+ +###+ 70703.3126@compuserve.com +###+ PMCOHEN@delphi.com +###+ +########################################################################+ ======================================================================== Date: 04 Feb 94 11:31:01 EST From: Mike Mendelson Subject: but is it good? Val Nozicks: >Gee...after that post the other day (which had me writhing, I must >admit), that's a hard call. :-) Writhing is good, yes? -mjm :-) ======================================================================== Subject: Re: It's not normal (long, moderately technical) Date: Fri, 04 Feb 94 12:02:08 -0500 From: Dan Riley Neal Copperman writes: >Perhaps someone out there can answer this taping question. I've been >using chrome and metal tapes for years, and can't remember the last >time I touched a metal tape. I just bought a walkman/recorder, which >will play any type of tape, but only record on normal, or so it claims. >I tried recording on metal, and it sounds horrible, but normal sounds >much better. So what's going on behind the machinery here (briefly)? >And can I make half decent music recordings on a normal tape? From >calling around, the next step up is another $100, and I'm not that >dedicated. Since no one else has popped up to answer this, I'll spill what I know, or think I know, and hope someone more knowledgable will correct the more egregious errors. Neal: sorry, it isn't as brief as you might have hoped... Background: magnetic tape works by using a magnetic field to realign magnetic particles--if the magnetic field is strong enough, regions (I believe the tech term is "domains") of the magnetic particles on the tape align themselves with the field and the stay in that alignment. Playback uses a coil to detect the alignment of the magnetic domains and convert that back into an electrical signal. Less expensive (two-head) tape decks use the same head (same coil) to play and record. More expensive three-head decks have separate record and playback heads, which optimize the head design and position for the different functions, and let you monitor what is recorded on the tape while you record (great for setting bias levels). First bit to know is that it takes a stronger magnetic field to realign the domains on chrome and metal tapes, which means a higher quality record head and a higher current through the record head. The tech term for the size of the field needed is "coercivity". Metal in particular has a very high coercivity because the magnetic domains are built into the structure of the tape (i.e., the tape itself is metalic), not the ferrous particles deposited on a mylar substrate used in normal and chrome tape. I would guess the higher quality record head is where most of the additional expense of chrome/metal recording capability lies. Second bit to know is that it gets harder to realign the magnetic domains at high frequencies--higher frequencies change more rapidly (that's what high frequency means), so the applied field has less time to change the alignment of the domains. To overcome this, tape recorders apply a constant supersonic "bias" signal that loosens up the magnetic domains, making it easier for the write signal to realign the domains. Chrome and metal tapes need a higher bias signal, so you'll often see them labeled "high bias". The optimum bias signal actually varies between different tape formulations, so high end tape decks will have variable bias, or even automatic bias optimization. Too low or too high bias makes high frequences to quiet or too loud, and can degrade the quality of the reproduction in other respects. Third bit to know is the equalization is different for the different types of tapes. I don't know the details of the eq, except that it is applied on both record and playback, and isn't particularly expensive. The primary advantage of high coercivity/high bias tapes like chrome and metal, that I can think of offhand, is less random realignment of the domains by stray fields, and hence better signal to noise and less print-through (print-through is where the signal on a layer of tape on the take-up reel realigns some of the domains on a piece of tape wound below it or above it on the reel, causing a weak "echo" of the signal)--which also translates into a wider dynamic range and more headroom. The minimum domain size also has some effect--a smaller minimum size means better high frequency reproduction--but I don't really know how the various kinds of tape compare on domain size. I would guess chrome and metal are better in this respect too, since their basic advantage is that the magnetic particles have a stronger tendency to stay where you put them. You can certainly make half-decent recordings on a high quality normal tape with a good quality recording system. For anything close to CD-like signal-to-noise and dynamic range, you need metal tape; normal tape is probably more like a high quality FM stereo signal--limited signal to noise, limited dynamic range, but still quite listenable. For concert recordings, unless you've got ideal recording conditions, things like background noise and mediocre sound systems will probably wash out the differences between normal tape and chrome, assuming a high quality tape and recording system. Attempting to record on metal tape with a deck set for normal will indeed sound terrible--just not enough field to make a firm impression on the tape, and the bias and eq will be all wrong so the frequency response will be completely off. "Chrome" or high-bias tape won't be as bad, but still won't be particularly good. -dan ======================================================================== From: dbburke@mit.edu Subject: Re: ecto #996 Date: Fri, 04 Feb 94 12:22:40 EST Hey, HAPPY B-DAY BOB LOVEJOY (a wee bit late) and STEPHEN THOMAS. And thanks to all who wished me well. On my birthday I was given UTP. I plan to listen to this at least ten times before I utter a peep about it. Last night we went to the _Freight and Salvage_ which is in a warehouse here in Berkeley. A bard named Robin Williamson was playing. I'd never heard of him before, but it was a good time. His harp. playing was positively enchanting and while he played he told stories of Lear and Branwyn (sp)and Branwyn's *large* brother. He described these stories as being somewhere between mythology and folklore. Too bad I was not able to ask him "what is mythology...etc." Being the real thing, he also told alot of in jokes about Scotland and Ireland which, I, being an african-american, did not get. The jokes I did get were funny... :-) (I don't think got them either, actually. Angelos said, "what jokes?" :-P Any ohter bards out there I should know about? I know there are Loreena McKinnit fans out there. So, last night I heard Happy B-day tapes and got tohear what Steve Fagg, Mitch P, Dave, Meredith, and Ken Descocteaux sound like. Anyway...time for breakfast. Diane ======================================================================== From: David Koehler Subject: Hips and Makers Date: Fri, 4 Feb 1994 09:51:03 -0800 (PST) Hello Ectophiles, With all the furor lately over Sarah's FtE (got it) and Tori's UtP (not) I'd like to put in my 2 cents for the new Kritin Hersh album that was released this Tuesday. While I adore Throwing Muses I realize that they're a little outside "typical" Ecto fare. The new one by Kristin, called _Hips and Makers_, is a different breed all together. All the songs are acoustic -- mostly guitar with some piano, cello and sparse percussion. Kristin's voice is sweet and delicate, and often seems on the verge of cracking. This fits the songs perfectly, since they are classic Kristin (ie. lots of angst and pain). REM's Michael Stipe sings back-up on the first track and actually does a decent job (my personal bias against his regular band notwithstanding). :-) While there are a couple of weak songs, I find it to be remarkably strong, especially considering the limited instrumentation. Anyone who likes the Muses, particularly Kristin's lyrics, should definitely get this album. If you like intelligent, well-written songs with a good dose of emotional pain you might want to pick it up as well. Cheers! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ David R. Koehler "Just being alive -- drk@leland.stanford.edu it can really hurt" Kate Bush ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ======================================================================== From: Mike Matthews Subject: Las Vegas, anyone? Date: Fri, 4 Feb 1994 13:02:35 -0500 (EST) Are there any Ectophiles that are in Vegas, or will be come May 1 - May 7? I'm going to be on a business trip (INTEROP/Networld) then. It's not a boondoggle, really... (seriously!) ------ Mike Matthews, Mike_Matthews@sgate.com (NeXTmail accepted) ------ Resisting temptation is easier when you think you'll probably get another chance later on. ======================================================================== Date: 04 Feb 94 12:22:24 EST From: Mike Mendelson Subject: VANCE GILBERT!!!! YAY!!! Mitch awesomes: > Great News Item #2: Barbara [Kessler] and Jonatha Brooke sing backup on > Vance Gilbert's > new CD, produced by Jonatha's jazz pianist/producer husband Alain Mallet. > Hopefully some of you can enlighten me about whether this is a CD that is > already available, or when it will be released, and on what label. I know > of Gilbert's music from my days as a student in Cambridge, MA in 1980-84, > when he and Greg Greenway were favorites at The Nameless Coffehouse in > Harvard Square. Anyone know if The Nameless still exists? Mitch you are an awesome man, though you may not know it. The reason this is interesting has nothing to do with the story! Vance Gilbert (!!!) is finally releasing a CD!!! Excellent. Vance opened for Shawn Colvin in Chicago 2 years ago and I thought he was easily going to steal the show (except she was so amazing that she single-guitaredly overtook him completely). I bought his cassette and have loved it ever since. In fact, I think I'll repost the review I wrote of that show, rather than try to remember what I said. Do you know whether the CD is widely available? Is it on a major label (it should be). Any details would be appreciated. I cannot recomment this guy enough. I would subscribe to the folk group but they don't mail out digests, which is the only form I can logistically swallow. Mitch, if you notice anything else about Vance, please forward to me. That Jonatha is singing BVs is just icing on the proverbial cake. Now I *am* excited. -mjmohboy! ------------------------old post-------------------- To: ecto From: Mike Mendelson Subject: shawn colvin/vance gilbert rvw Date: 11/20/92 Time: 9:17a Last night I was one of about 100 lucky Chicagoans to get to see what was probably about the best solo acoustic show I have ever witnessed. I will keep this short, but up front I would like to encourage you all to check out Shawn Colvin and her surprisingly fresh opening act Vance Gilbert (from Boston). Vance Gilbert is an African American Folk singer/songwriter/guitarist. He is a master technician, and uses more different chords than any other folk musician I've seen. His folk is jazzified, funkified, fortified and amplified. He has a brilliant theatrical voice (he did one song a cappella, and it was more like a short play!). He uses his black visage to enrich his musical persona, singing one song about country-western rap. The audience, who by in large had never heard of him, brought him back for two encores. He has produced a solo tape called Face to Face and unfortunately, that is all the recorded material he offers (it was a home-spun project). He is touring with Colvin and he himself was *easily* worth the relatively low price ($13+2) of admission. Any other performer might have been hopelessly overshadowed by such an outstandingly strong opening act. In fact, I had only seen Colvin once before, opening for Richard Thompson, and she was somewhat lost in the crowd there. Last night this was not to be. Holly and I managed to secure second row, center seats, and my neck was a little stiff after the show from watching. I can say with glowing confidence that *every* *single* song Shawn played beat the album version hands down. No contest. You have not experienced this artist until you have seen her live, close-up. Everything they say about her is true. She produces a complete, polished sound, using the guitar as 4 different instruments, base, rhythm, lead, and beat. It is a wonder to behold the veins in her strumming arm pulsating with every wrist flick. And her song-writing is a perfect match for her talent. She played all the "hits" from the first album (incl. shotgun, diamond, steady on) plus most of the new album. Fat City, the title track, was a hilite in a show that contained nothing but hilites! And for encores she played ample, stark covers of the Talking Heads (This Must Be the Place) and the Police (Magic). Well, you have my opinion. As you can see I am still drooling over this evening of music. You can see the dripping on your screen... :-) If you like fine guitaring, well-written songs, and enjoy being mesmorized, I heartily recommend you check out this tour when it comes your way. -exhiliratedandhappytobealivemjm ======================================================================== The ecto archives are on hardees.rutgers.edu in ~ftp/pub/hr. There is an INDEX file explaining what is where. Feel free to send me things you'd like to have added. -- jessica (jessica@ns1.rutgers.edu)