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 #1043 ecto, Number 1043 Monday, 14 March 1994 Today's Topics: *-----------------* Happy happy happy Ecto Shmecto part 1 Translation News most marketable songs Linda Brady Re: most marketable songs HaPpY Birthdays New KT, Spinanes, NIN, etc on MTV How I spent my weekend For Bob Kollmeyer _Mexican Moon_ -- Concrete Blonde Happy from CDC & Brazil Revenge of the Happy sampler Hellay & Bday ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 08:41:28 +1200 From: Philip Sainty Subject: Happy happy happy Birthday to Kiri! Have a blue fuzzy day! :) Philip ======================================================================== Date: Sun, 13 Mar 94 16:45:13 PST From: kyrlidis@templeton.cchem.berkeley.edu (Angelos Kyrlidis) Subject: Ecto Shmecto part 1 Hi, Hmm, I wonder why people haven't been getting the newsletter. In any case it should be in the archive, and it will take some effort to get it typed in, unless someone can scan it and put the gifs of it in the archives. (Because there are drawings in it). But, for your reading pleasure, and since I am sick of playing Maelstrom when I should be reading about Path integrals, I present the following excerpts: ALBUM COVERS Doing an album is more work for me than just writing and recording the music. Because I'm my own Art Department, I'm also responsible for the general layout, the disc design and the photos and/or paintings that grace the cover. This is my pleasure, but it's a lot of work. For instance, now is the time that I have to start considering what the cover of my next album will look like. It doesn't matter that I don't even have a title for it yet. So, ...once again, I'm dealing with the dilemma... P H O T O O R P A I N T I N G Or both? I personally like to see a photo of the artist I'm listening to. It doesn't have to be on the cover though. I also like brilliant colors and original artwork.[You can tell she's a YES fan, eh? :-)] Professionals in the marketing field would no doubt opt for the photograph approach (I've been told some of my album cover ideas had the potential to hurt my sales [I wonder why.. :)]). Well, I'd like for that not to happen, but at the same time, I'm not interested in a 'formula' album cover. I sometimes lament the fact that vinyl records became obsolete-only because of the fantastic artwork you used to see. I guess we'll all know soon enough what my next cover will look like. It it's a photo, you can bet it will have some strange twist to it. It it's a painting ................it'll probably be a nice, tame, winter landscape............. Comments in [] are mine. The rest was written by Happy, I presume. Interesting. Well, that's all for now, got to get to work. Angelos ======================================================================== Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 20:40:12 -0500 (EST) From: Robert Lovejoy Subject: Translation News Hello, I heard this morning that Tori Amos will be on Letterman 3/29, then will be on Good Morning America 3/30. It may have been posted already, just wanted to be sure. Iago asks of the phrase in question: It's "Godspeed our journey and bless our goodness." Happy needs it translated to Russian and German. I sent private mail to Dirk and to Mike Bravo, so far no replies from them so if any of you would care to translate, it would be helpful! It might be nice to include a literal translation of the proper idiomatic phrasing. Also a phonetic version might help Happy to properly pronounce it. Alternative phrasings are also welcome if identified as such, and please include literal translations of them. Thanks for your help. Godspeed Our Journey and Bless Our Goodness! Bob the quizmaster PS Just heard from Mike Bravo that he sent a russian translation, but it hasn't been delivered. Probably held up somewhere on the net... And Paul Antonov checked in too! I sent him a note as well. Thanks to both of you for being here to help! ======================================================================== From: ezust@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca (Alan Ezust) Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 01:03:24 -0500 Subject: most marketable songs Why is this phrase so scary? I mean, I've read hundreds of posts on Ecto over the past few years that say something along the lines of: Happy really should have a record contract with a big label, so she can get more exposure. Is Happy satisfied with the amount of distribution she is getting now? Are we all satisfied with her distribution? People post about how she's not getting enough airplay, and how her records aren't in enough stores. Well, if she has enough airplay, and is stocked in enough stores, this means her stuff is being MARKETED better! Plain and simple. If her songs aren't marketable, major record labels won't pick her up. Major record labels are in the business to MARKET music, and that's all they do. Only if you are content with happy being an obscure hard-to-find and harder-to-classify musician who rarely appears on radio and is a bitch to find in record stores, should this phrase bother you. In my experience, no musicians put out better music after they get picked up by major record labels. Their best stuff is the stuff they did for themselves, rather than for the masses. But I am not stating my opinion here, just questioning what appears to be a bit of hypocracy on ecto. -- | Alan Ezust ezust@cs.mcgill.ca Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |------------- McGill University School of Computer Science ----------------| "Where is this L.L. Bean University anyway? It looks like lots of McGill students transfered from there!" ======================================================================== Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 22:01:20 -0800 (PST) From: David Dixon Subject: Linda Brady My friend Linda Brady's album is finally coming out! I got a preview copy today, and it sounds great! I put one of Linda's songs on the 1993 Happy Birthday Project ("Rented Tuxedo"). How would I describe her music? Basic girl-with-guitar, often sarcastic lyrics, great hooks; her record company is trying to market her as a "new Carly Simon", but she's a *little* different. In any case, check out her album on Son of Berserkley Records, available in stores April 11th. D^2 ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 22:48:37 +1200 From: Philip Sainty Subject: Re: most marketable songs I think the point is that someone as talented as Happy deserves success! The way to success in the music industry is through wide distribution which is most easily accomplished by the big record labels... If the big labels are not interested in talent, then that is another matter entirely... but the big labels have the ability to give the wider distribution she deserves. Also, there is no reason for an artist to change their ways after being picked up by a big label... I see no reason for someone to suddenly begin writing 'for the masses' if that was not what they were already doing... It all seems like a matter of artistic freedom... If there are no such labels around, then that is a great shame... Philip .________________________________________. ._______. | __ _ ___ _ __ __ |\________/| | | / / | / \ | \ | | | | / | _ _ | _O_ | | \_ | | | | |__/ |__| | | \_ | / \/ \ | |/ | | / | | | | | | | | | / | \ / | |\ | | \__ \_ | \_/ | | | | |__ \__ | \ / | T W W | |________________________________________| \/ |_______| \ sainty_p@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz \________/ / `-------------------------------------------------------' ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 94 07:51:51 -0500 From: Mike Matthews Subject: Re: most marketable songs Philip Sainty sez: >I think the point is that someone as talented as Happy deserves >success! Who defines success? >The way to success in the music industry is through wide distribution >which is most easily accomplished by the big record labels... OK, usually that sounds reasonable. And? Some might say that's not necessarily success, but rather doing what the big labels want. >If the big labels are not interested in talent, then that is another >matter entirely... but the big labels have the ability to give the wider >distribution she deserves. At what price, I think is the next question. >Also, there is no reason for an artist to change their ways after >being picked up by a big label... I see no reason for someone to >suddenly begin writing 'for the masses' if that was not what they >were already doing... If big label wants something, big label will probably get it, else you lose big label. Ugh. >It all seems like a matter of artistic freedom... >If there are no such labels around, then that is a great shame... I think we basically agree, here. I don't think, IMHO, that we should blindly say "Happy should be on a big label." While it would definitely be nice for her to get more recognition, I would think she'd want it done without compromising anything. >Philip Just being cynical. Mike ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 94 12:51:38 +0000 From: Terry Partis Subject: HaPpY Birthdays Heres wishing HAPPY Birthdays to Randall K. Smith and Tod Flak on March 15th. Have a great day folks Terry === Only in your eyes lies your soul ========================= Happy Rhodes === _ __ Jolly Hockeysticks _ __ / `-' ( ,,, / `-' ( ,,, | I I ||||||[:::] Terry (Tel Boy) Partis | I I ||||||[:::] \_.-._( ''' (tgp@ukc.ac.uk) \_.-._( ''' With a smile and a song - I'm HaPpy Let me sleep awhile and dream of Avalon and the Beltane fires.................. ............................................our souls entwined for all eternity ZZ ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 06:17:41 -0700 From: "Alex Gibbs" Subject: New KT, Spinanes, NIN, etc on MTV Part of this was posted to gaffa by me: -=<*>=- "And So Is Love" was played on US MTV's 120 Minutes. I'm pretty sure it was directly from the film but I have not been reading the summaries of the film (to avoid spoiling it for me) so I can't be 100% certain. Briefly this is what was in it: Kate in a room lighting a lamp and singing. Later a bird flies about the room and she is able to hold it and then sets it free, only to have it crash into a window and die. Very simple and different for US MTV. (yay!) After the video they showed a brief clip of her talking about making videos and the parallels between them and making music. She was wearing a grey shirt and a necklace with a crescent. She said at the end "So in some ways I think I'm intrigued about the idea of making a film of some kind that would incorporate music and visuals." Obviously this sounds old. Anyone seen this before? I can transcribe the rest but it's not much. After that they said ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about her film! &$*%@&!!!! What Lewis Largent *did* say was "Just can't get enough of old Kate. >From her album _The Red Shoes_, the 3rd video from that album, ASiL." (old? Well, who knows what he really meany by that but it didn't come off well.) I'm really glad and surprised they played it but what the hell is going on here? Is this some sort of weird marketing strategy for the film? Is Sony not wanting it mentioned because they don't have the rights to it now or are they trying to "build up to it"? Read my initials: ARG!!! -=<*>=- This part is for ecto eyes only: ;) _The Spinanes_ were given a profile treatment and a second video was shown by them: "Sunday" (?). I liked the song they showed previously better, but this is a first impression too. However, I am still interested in them and think they have ectopotential. Also of note was the new NIN video for "March of the Pigs." It was a basic non-audience performance for the cameras, with no effects. The audio may even have been directly from their performance: live audio. They sure wanted it to sound that way anyhow, since you hear the mike slam against the ground. I wasn't impressed in comparison to PHM on first impression. Perhaps the album version is better. Apparently Kennedy will be talking to Trent Reznor on Alternative Nation on Monday and Tuesday night from San Francisco. Juliana Hatfield's "Spin the Bottle" (right?) video was on, and has been shown before. After seeing it though I realized just *how* bad the Leno appearance was. Kristin Hersh was seen doing a spot for 120 Minutes. /-\ |_ |= >< arg@kilimanjaro.opt-sci.arizona.edu (MST=GMT-7) MST3k 42 KT "I'm trying to figure out which lie to believe." -- The X-Files "It's time the network took a stand on this kind of mur/mur/murder... preferrably against it." -- Max Headroom "The night is my companion; the solitude my guide." -- Sarah McLachlan ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 09:37:47 -0500 (EST) From: Sam Warren Subject: How I spent my weekend Well, I had a rather emotionally eclectic weekend, musically speaking. Friday I went to see the Broadway version of "Beauty and the Beast." It's a big, fat, splashy, wonderful smash! Since I love tragic romance, it made me cry big time. It's got "Best Musical" written all over it! Then Saturday, I went shopping. Bjork's new single, "Violently Happy," is out. I'm not very impressed with the mixes, but maybe they'll grow on me. I do like the two most "clubby" mixes, but I'm disappointed that they leave most of the lyrics out. I also bought Me'shell NdegeOcello's album, _Plantation Lullabies_, on the strength of the single ("If That's Your Boyfriend, He Wasn't Last Night"). She seems to think it's hip hop, but I'd call it jazz rap. Terrific music, but she talks too much. I prefer singing (although what she has to say is thought provoking and pleasantly poetic). I got home to find my copy of _The Walking_ arrived from The CD Bar (thanks again, Neile!). On first listen, I'd say you're all right. It's a great album! But I'm having some trouble understanding it. It's going to take a lot of studying to get the lyrics, I guess. I prefer more direct communication, but it seems like this is an ablum that requires some "work" on the listener's part. Sunday, thanks largely to Michael Colford's recent post, I picked up Nine Inch Nail's _The Downward Spiral_. I was a big fan of _Pretty Hate Machine_, but cared not a jot for _Broken_. I figured this was his new direction, and I should just be happy with one good album. But wait! TDS goes back to the feel of PHM, and builds from there. Thanks a lot, Michael, for pushing me to buy this disc! You said in your post on Friday that "big man with a gun" is "not for the politically correct." However, I think PC people will understand that he's not condoning violence, merely describing it. And if we don't look at, how will we understand it? Out of 14 tracks, I love 11 of them. My favorite is "Closer" (no, it's not a Happy Rhodes cover). Very primitive. An interesting depiction of self-hatred leading to prurient desires in the hope of finding salvation. Is this an indictment of the male ego? Fascinating album! Reminding all of us not to give up on artists who have one album you dislike, -Sam ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 07:51:22 +0700 From: dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu (Doug Burks) Subject: For Bob Kollmeyer Greetings, Sorry to bother everyone with this, but ... Bob Kollmeyer, please send me your e-mail address (I forgot to write it down. :( ). I have a couple questions for you. Returning you to your regularly scheduled programming, I remain ... Doug Burks _O_ @>->--- dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu |< She really is!! ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 1994 07:50:59 +0700 From: dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu (Doug Burks) Subject: _Mexican Moon_ -- Concrete Blonde Greetings, On _Mexican Moon_, Concrete Blonde shows a broader range both lyrically and musically. Oh, their signatures still are scrawled all over the album. Johnette Napolitano wrote tales of the dark sides of urban life and love, which she sings in her unconventional muscular voice. Her band backed that up with muscular rock and roll. However, Napolitano extended her lyrical range, especially writing more philosophical songs about religion and life and death. Musically, a number of songs showed a softer side ("Mexican Moon" can even be called beautiful) and much more variety of tempos and styles. All-in-all, this album finds the full band running at top speed, a shame considering this is reputedly the last Concrete Blonde album. In spite of its obvious quality, this album still did not click with me. Too many of the songs slid by without making much of an impression, or even made a negative impression. That surprised me, since I usually like Concrete Blonde a lot. My guess is that my tastes and the band's tastes just didn't mesh this time. Even so, this album is still quite worthwhile, holding some of Concrete Blonde's best songs. I do love Napolitano's cover art work, with its Mexican Day of the Dead motif. How many people have noticed that the I.R.S. logo was modified to fit into that motif? Rating: ***oo Recommended for anyone, highly so for Concrete Blonde fans. Wondering what a concrete blonde hairdo would involve, I remain ... Doug Burks _O_ @>->--- dbx@olympic.atmos.colostate.edu |< She really is!! ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 94 11:00:13 -0500 From: pearceja%pomis.dnet@wl.wpafb.af.mil Subject: Happy from CDC & Brazil I N T E R O F F I C E M E M O R A N D U M Date: 14-Mar-1994 10:52am EST From: Lt Jeffrey A. Pearce PEARCEJA Dept: POSF Tel No: 52089 TO: _MAILER! ( _DDN[ECTO@NS1.RUTGERS.EDU] ) Subject: Happy from CDC & Brazil I have a couple of questions that I hoped the Ecto crowd could help me with. First, I ordered "Warpaint" from CDC, and when I received it Friday I found that on the disc it said "For promotional use only." Anyone have any idea why they sent me a promo "Warpaint?" Also, my disc has 12 tracks. I know some of the other Happy CDs have bonus tracks. Should "Warpaint" have bonus tracks? Second, I remember some time ago someone mentioned Kate Bush with respect to the soundtrack to the movie "Brazil". I watched the laserdisc over the weekend and carefully scanned the credits, but I saw no mention of Kate. Could someone enlighten me as to her role in the film/soundtrack? Thanks. ___________________________________________________________________________ Jeff Pearce pearceja@wl.wpafb.af.mil And though I'd like to laugh At all the things that led me on Somehow the stigma still remains David Sylvian - "Waterfront" ___________________________________________________________________________ ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 94 23:54:36 +1100 From: anthony@xymox.apana.org.au (Anthony Horan) Subject: Revenge of the Happy sampler I promised I'd post the contents of the Happy sampler tape I was compiling for Philip Sainty once it was done; well, it's done! Finally! In a fit of creativity, I resolved to change my standard answer about what to put on a tape to give a good idea of what Happy's music is about (i.e. I was tempted to put everything on!), and came up with this handy 90 minute compile. Side One ~~~~~~~~ Feed The Fire Perfect Irony Off From Out From Under Me Look For The Child The Flight Cohabitants Come Here No One Here When The Rain Came Down The Wretches Gone Awry Side Two ~~~~~~~~ Ecto Words Weren't Made For Cowards Save Our Souls Not For Me Mother Sea Case Of Glass Ode The Issue Is Be Careful What You Say Feed The Fire (Acoustic Tribute Version) So Philip, your tape will be in the mail tomorrow. :) - Anthony -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anthony Horan, Melbourne Australia - anthony@xymox.apana.org.au "All told, Under The Pink is small but likeably formed; ideal for those herbal-tea moments." - Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian reviewing the new "Victoria Amos" album. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================== Date: Mon, 14 Mar 94 12:35:55 EST From: WretchAwry Subject: Hellay & Bday Hellos & howdys to all the new Ectophiles out there! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kiri Hargie!! da v (who will be very happy if she never hears "Carmen" again :-)...yep, I just finished up with the 1988 Olympics. Forget the "Battle of the Carmens " between Katarina Witt & Debi Thomas. They were only 2 of *many* who skated to Carmen that year! If I had a dime...) Onward, to Albertville! ======================================================================== 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)