From: owner-ecto-digest To: ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto-digest V2 #102 Reply-To: ecto@nsmx.rutgers.edu Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Tuesday, 9 May 1995 Volume 02 : Number 102 The Ecto digest is now being generated automatically. Please send problems and questions to: ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: itos@pavlov.psyc.queensu.ca (Steve Ito) Date: Tue, 9 May 95 10:06:11 EDT Subject: woj is a god This e-mail is the formal deification of our own woj. For several weeks, he kept an eye out for a certain hard-to-find CD for me, found it in a local used CD store, bought it, and put it in the mail for me, all without any thought of recompense or anything at all in return. That in itself is enough to make a person great, but not enough to deify him/her. However, woj managed to arrange it, so yesterday, ON MY BIRTHDAY, I arrive home, and find a cheerful little package sitting on my front doorstep. When I open it, out slides a minor holy grail: Jewel's _Save the Linoleum_ promo disc! Truly, woj is a god! All hail woj! :-) Sorry about the waste of bandwidth, folks, but I'm excited and just had to share. Steve - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Ito, R.A. | "Good night, sleep well, I'll most likely Psychology Dept. | kill you in the morning." Queen's University | -- The Dread Pirate Roberts Kingston, ON, Can. | ------------------------------ From: Ilka Heber Date: Tue, 09 May 95 15:59:15 EST Subject: Is there a friend in Canda? Hi everybody, let me just sneak in quickly this once... I do miss you all, but I just don't have the time to read Ecto anymore. Lots of *hugs* to everybody, anyway. I was wondering whether there's a kind soul in Canada who would possibly consider to find a CD for me? Of course I'll send you the money you need to buy it and send it over to me. I would really appreciate any help. Actually, it would already help if somebody knew a mail order place in Canada where I can try to order the CD myself. Please send me private email if you're willing to help - it would be most appreciated. Take care everybody, *HUGS*, Ilka = ) ------------------------------ From: Greg Bossert Date: Tue, 9 May 95 10:39:25 EDT Subject: Re: ecto-digest V2 #101 Matt Bittner asks: > If anybody has them, could someone forward me ecto-digests #93-99? I > realize that's alot, but there are a few threads I would like to catch > up on. Unfortunately, I don't have ftp access, so getting them from a > site is difficult, at best. Thanks. i've sent Matt the digests. for those with WWW access, the digests are available from the ecto archives at: we've just switched to new Web server software, so the archives look a bit funny -- please excuse the dust ;) preparations for the "ecto.org" domain and dedicated Ecto server continue: i hope to have an announcement in a few weeks. an independent organization/host for Ecto should allow a lot of nifty new services. tah!foo@eep.ut - --+ greg bossert rutgers university network services +-- - --+ bossert@noc.rutgers.edu +-- - --+ http://www-ns.rutgers.edu/~bossert +-- - --+ i have never been afraid to change -- Happy +-- - --+ the circumstances of the world -- Rhodes +-- ------------------------------ From: mk59200@cc.tut.fi (Markku Kolkka) Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 18:27:51 +0300 Subject: Re: what's the best varttina cd wombat toga party writes: >Mike Mendelson sez: >>OK, of the three that I know of, i.e. >>Seleniko, Oi Dai, Aitara, >>what is the best Varttina CD? Is it Seleniko >>(this is their 1st one right)? > >oh, um...i dunno. _seleniko_ is their fourth. _oi dai_ is the third. >_aitara_ is the fifth. that is the order that varttina albums have been >released in the states. the first two (self/titled and _melku_ - i >think) haven't seen the light of day over here yet. The second album is called "Musta Lindu". The self-titled debut album is very different from the latest three: it's mostly instrumental and rather traditional in style. My order of preference for the latest three would be (1)Aitara, (2)Oi Dai and (3)Seleniko. - -- Markku Kolkka mk59200@cc.tut.fi ------------------------------ From: Dan Riley Date: Tue, 09 May 95 11:31:53 -0400 Subject: Re: tv guide needed :) > Does anyone know if the Vancouver Canucks game on Thursday evening is going > to be televised nationally on any US network like ESPN or something? According to http://espnet.sportszone.com/nhl/playoffs/schedule.html, the schedule is Game 1: ST. LOUIS 2, Vancouver 1 Game 2: Tuesday, May 9 at St. Louis 8:30 pm ET ESPN2 >>Game 3: Thursday, May 11 at Vancouver 10:30 pm ET ESPN<< Game 4: Saturday, May 13 at Vancouver 7:30 pm ET ESPN2 Game 5: Monday, May 15 at St. Louis 8:30 pm ET (if necessary) Game 6: Wednesday, May 17 at Vancouver 10:30 pm ET (if necessary) Game 7: Friday, May 19 at St. Louis 8:30 pm ET (if necessary) Unfortunately, there is a 7:30 game, Chicago at Toronto. The way NHL playoff games go, the 7:30 game may not be over by the start of the Vancouver game, and ESPN will not cut away from a game in progress to cover the singing of the National Anthems, even if it is Sarah (yeah, I know, ESPN just doesn't have their priorities straight). Even if the previous game is over in time, they still may not show the anthems (my recollection is they usually don't). I'll be watching anyway, but I don't have my hopes set too high... - -dan ------------------------------ From: Neile Graham Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 09:09:15 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Ectophiles Guide to Good Music Info & call for volunteers A long, long time ago another ectophile and I decided that we should start requesting reviews and asking permission to copy reviews from ecto to compile the Ectophiles Guide to Good Music, so that all ectophiles could all have easy access to comments and info about the various artists and bands we've discussed. We got a crew of editors and started requesting reviews. We got a lot of material and since then I've kept collecting comments, even though most of the editors and the other ectophile who helped me start this had to bail out because of other commitments. I am getting near the end of a project that has absorbed most of my free time for the past year, and I would like to gear back up on the Ectophiles Guide and get it in a managable format by compiling all the various entries I have all over the place into one entry for each artist/group. The task has grown pretty large, and I'd like to call again for volunteers to help edit. This entails receiving a bunch of email messages from me and compiling them into one tidy entry for each artist I send you. Are there any volunteers? My hope is that with help I can have these available by email request and over the WWW and possibly on the ecto archives (Greg?? is this possible or helpful?) by early autumn. Anyone interested? I would also appreciate more reviews of any artists/groups or individual recordings of artists/groups that anyone thinks should be included. General comments are fine, but you can also fit them into the format we're using, which follows: Name of artist (Band/Singer): Country of origin: Type of music (ethereal/rock/folk) generally: Covers/own material?: Other groups artist has played with [for See also section]: Comparisons: General Comments: Recommended first album: Albums: Title: Year of Release: Label & Country (and address if indie): Catalogue #s: Availability (mention country if applicable): Ecto priority (must have/recommended/recommended for certain tastes): Group Members/ Backing Musicians: Comments (please keep brief as you can while still including the information/description you feel is necessary): Do you own this album?: Further info (eg. fan club address): Still recording?: Thanks very much! - --Neile neile@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ From: "Matt Bittner" Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 11:07:54 +0000 Subject: Thanks... Thanks to Greg Bossert, I am now caught up in digests. Matt Bittner meba@cso.com Omaha, Nebraska ------------------------------ From: jeffy@wam.umd.edu Date: Tue, 09 May 95 13:04:16 -0400 Subject: sailing songs Hey, peoples... My brother called this morning to tell me of his latest scheme for a birthday present for my dad (despite his birthday being *months* away): it's time for a new tape (or two) of songs having to do with sailing, Dad being quite the avid sailor, spending as many of his weekends as possible out on Chesapeake Bay. Scott has already gathered a number of non-ecto-ish stuff, y'know, like Styx, CSN, Kris Kristoferson, Jimmy Buffett, etc. Somehow, my sister-in-law came up with Genesis' "Ripples" which astounded me as I didn't know she ever listened to any 70's Genesis, let alone knew it well enough to pull up something like that! So now I'm in on it too. Off the top of my head I threw out some of the obvious stuff to him: The Handsome Cabin Boy (KaTe) Sail Across the Water (Jane Siberry) Orinoco Flow (and perhaps others on _Watermark_) (Enya) I Used to be a Sailor (Tracey Chapman) Never Been Gone (Carly Simon ... well, okay, obvious to *me* ;-) Calypso (Suzanne Vega) Kalerka (Rebecca Pidgeon) half the stuff on _Dive_ (Sara Brightman) and so forth. I'm basically looking for stuff mentioning sailing, but in a positive light. "Thousands are Sailing" by the Pogues might be usable, but "Turkish Song of the Damned" probably isn't. If it looks like we'll get onto but not complete a second tape, I'd probably start pulling songs generically about the water. So whaddya think, folks, any thoughts? Jeff (who can't think of a single appropriate Happy Rhodes song... :-/) |Jeffrey C. Burka | "When I look in the mirror, I see a little clearer/ | | | I am what I am and you are you too./ Do you like | |jeffy@wam.umd.edu | what you see? Do you like yourself?" --N. Cherry | ------------------------------ From: mklprc@teleport.com (Michael Pearce) Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 11:03:43 -0700 Subject: Portishead article Okay, here it is; I thought it was pretty interesting. Find the magazine whereever really obscure publications are sold... Portishead: a place where few have been and even less can understand by Alex Jerry from ProjectX Magazine, Nov/Dec 1994 Imagine if you will, a small bistro in downtown Wandsworth, south-west London. The place is buzzing with music biz notables. The guest list reads like a media's who's who. For tonight, we are about to journey into the Portishead zone. It's the first live performance for this band named after the small town outside of Bristol where they originated. Their rather protective manager had warned "no press will be allowed, it's only a rehearsal in front of friends." As always, hype and reality belong in two different worlds. One can feel a certain atmosphere of excitement in the room, as though people know something important is about to take place. Beth Gibbons and Geoff Barrow take to the stage clad in their thrift shop gear. They claim not to be image conscious. Accompanied by a guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, the audience listens religiously as the band sets out to reproduce the sound achieved on Dummy, their debut album on Go! Disk/London records. The duo's nervousness proves almost tangible, but they still manage an impressive performance. Behind two turntables, Geoff relentlessly scratches and cuts his chillout hip hop beats while Beth sings her heart out hiding behind her hair, chain smoking like a school girl who's just discovered cigarettes, but forgot to read the health warning on the box. The songs deal with traumatic subjects such as unrequited love and other human emotions close to all of us. Hearing a great new voice, you could spend all night trying to establish who it reminds you of. Obvious traces of Marianne Faithfull's wails on "Roads," occasional similarities with Bjork and a strong Janis Joplin influence can be identified. Twenty three year old Geoff joins me for a chat alone. He looks immensely happy and overcome with excitement. He's a buddybuddy kind of guy and his high pitched laugh proves quite infectious. "Beth doesn't like doing interviews," he explains. "She feels as though she's already said it all. She's given so much of herself in the songs that she doesn't need to explain herself any further." Indeed, Beth's lyrics come from a highly personal angle. It is rare nowadays that so much emotion can be translated into music. "We're not sad people," continues Barrow, "it's just the way that we write. I've had so many comments from the press about being bleak and languid. Other people have said that we just make thinking music and that's fair enough." Beth and Geoff met three years ago while registering at an Enterprise Allowance Scheme (long winded title for unemployment). Geoff started his career as a studio tape operator in Bristol. He met Massive Attack there while they were recording their Blue Lines album. Their manager, Cameron McVie, who happens to be Neneh Cherry's husband, took an interest to him and gave Geoff some studio time to put down demos for Neneh. Meanwhile, Beth had been writing songs for a number of years and was interested in working with Geoff. After inviting him to come and see her perform Janis Joplin covers in a pub one night, Portishead was born. The irreplaceable and often haunting charms of her singing left him in shock. He knew immediately that she was what he had been searching for, almost like a fairy tale. "The fact that Beth was a songwriter made a big difference to me" Barrow continues enthusiastically, "because I wasn't equipped to write songs myself at that point. Thanks to Beth, I could concentrate on the music. The best thing about her voice is versatility. She's got the art of sounding different from one track to another without any cue. I don't think she's totally original, she'd admit that herself, but she's not short of style. The two of us are very different, but we have something in common: we don't know an awful lot about other people's music. I realized Beth's music collection was so small when we were recording and I think that helped as she wasn't trying to achieve what other people had already done." If you haven't heard of it yet, prepare yourself for 'trip hop.' The newest term in a relentless categorization of music that never asked to be branded. The British press has gone out of their way to tag bands such as Portishead and Massive Attack with this title. They define it as experimental instrumental hip-hop. Although this record does contain certain hip-hop elements, it's absurd to compare them to anything that's rap oriented. As Geoff explains, "We write songs, so how could we be trip hop? The melodic element is very important to us because you can have all the beats and scratches in the world, but if you don't have a song, you've got nothing. We're trying to make music that is hopefully intelligent, not pop music thatch be forgotten in three months." Shelf life is precisely what Dummy is all about, real songs with heartfelt vocals, desolate lyrics, an edgy backdrop of hip-hop beats, guitar licks and strings. Lifted samples remain minimal as Geoff and like-minded musical director Adrian Utley believe in experimenting with their own sounds. They record them on to vinyl, then sample them thus creating an individual atmosphere of suspense rather then resorting to second hand hooks. In fact, only six borrowed samples in all are credited on the sleeve notes. "I've been branded a soundtrack buff," chuckles Geoff, "I'm not really, I just use bits of music that I find interesting. We wanted to do an instrumental soundtrack (for the record), so we shot 'To Kill a Dead Man,' a ten minute black and white gangster flick. Not that we think of our music as a multivisual thing, but because it basically saves us from making an awful pop video with pretty girls dancing everywhere and naturally, we could use the artwork instead of pictures of us (for the album cover). "What Geoff reputedly enjoys most is staying at home with his girlfriend and cat. He describes himself as a bedroom DJ who cuts up tunes on his decks at home. Not exactly a night owl, he's more then content without the nightclub factor in his life. "Interacting with people is impossible and the club DJs are different, they like mixing house music" he explained. To Geoff, DJing has a contrary style and it's labeled scratching. At the age of fifteen, he entered a DJ competition, but didn't get very far. Since then, he spends more time concentrating on the 'feel' of things, rather then the technique. The future is without boundaries for these talented artists. Their unconventional sound and harmony has placed them in a field were few have tread before. With a critically acclaimed debut album, Portishead are now ready to take on America. Don't miss their album out on FFRR/London records, it's a gem. ===end of article=== | mklprc@teleport.com; eworld.com; aol.com - who needs a life? | | Please don't add "*@aol.com" to your twit filter. Thank you. | | Moonlight Mac Services (503) 653-5673 <-> help for new Mackers | ------------------------------ From: "Matt Bittner" Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 14:08:57 +0000 Subject: After a few more listens... I've grown fond of suddenly, tammy!. Here, at work, we're forced to wear headphones (earphones?) if we want to listen to any "personal" music. Which is fine by me, especially since we have piped-in muzak. Anyway, most of today, and the later part of yesterday, I've had in disappear fear, and suddenly, tammy! (along with my compilation tape - another story indeed!) I've gotten more fond of suddenly, tammy!, and less fond of disappear fear. I guess my biggest "gripe" with df is that "done that, heard that". Previously, I mentioned Odd Girl Out from Cleveland. I really enjoy OGO, and they have been around alot longer than df, so my perception is that OGO is better, and df must have heard them to copy. Not sure if it's true, but that's the impression I get. Don't get me wrong, df is a great band. In my book, they're not as good as OGO. Which leads me to suddenly, tammy!. Beth Sorrentino's piano is exquisite. She's making me fond of the "piano-led" band. Odd aside: for those who have '(we get there when we do.)', the end of 'flemen' reminds me of "Lasso D'Amoure" by PDQ Bach (Schickele). For those unfamiliar, remember those plastic tubes from your youth that you swung in a circle above your head? The kind that produces different "tones" depending on how fast you swung it? Well, Schickele created a whole song of nothing but that "sound". For those looking for "car doors and alarms", look to PDQ Bach for satisfication. Especially if wanting a good laugh. "Hanzel and Gretel and Ted and Alice" is one of the all time best "operas". Any, talk about digressing... So, suddenly, tammy!, '(we get there when we do.)' is a check out. disappear fear - at least their self-titled recording - is best left for experimentation. In case you couldn't gleem from previous posts, I too am fed up with corporate radio. One local station I called up yesterday morning, requesting Jewel, said - basically - that "I can't play that because it's not on the top alternative list". Give me a break! So, instead, they played Pearl Jam. Granted, I was able to request - and they played (be still my heart) - Sarah McLachlan, but followed by Nirvana? Come one, people, get a clue! This is what I meant when I said that there's someone unable to spell music who is controlling what is on public air waves. Hmmm...I might have to go back to the geezer-rock stations. Well, maybe not. Just plunk it my 'pieces of you' tape, and life will be good. Finally got caught up with posts, and there are alot of funny people out there! I thought that "story" about the white-panel-with-screws-as-art story was great! Granted, art is definitely in the eyes (and other senses) of the beholder, but it also goes to show just how much the more-"unfamiliar"-people are gullible. And unwilling to take chances! What I find as art my in-laws think as wierd. They all think I'm wierd, with what I listen to, what I vision, and what I do and watch. They just don't understand Pinky and the Brain (Zot!). Not because they really don't, they just think that it's "wierd", so they don't give it a chance. Egads, are you pondering what I'm pondering? Yea, just exactly how did I get sooo far off post? Maybe it's those rubber pants I'm wearing... Matt Bittner meba@cso.com Omaha, Nebraska ------------------------------ From: SBI!200HUBBARD!AMYD@lmbinc.attmail.com Date: Tue, 09 May 1995 13:13:00 +0000 Subject: Catching up Hmmm... where do I begin? First off... a thank you to whoever recommended suddenly, tammy! - I was in one of those cheezy retail music/computer/appliance establishments over the weekend and was playing around with the demo machine (that nifty computer thing where you touch the screen and it plays videos and/or music...) "hard lesson" was one of the selections so I tried it out! I liked it enough to buy it. (what's the disc called again... "....when we get there..." I don't have it in front of me. But already I've listened to it twice and plan on much more. Her voice is a tad like Tanya's (Donnelly) but is much less child-like on the slow songs. The balads with just Beth (Sorrentino) on piano are quite good, touching. Thank you Doug Burks for posting the tape dubbing project info. I will be in touch. Since there's too many pages to flip thru on the last few digests - and I am feeling quite slack today - I will go into random mode...and no stories - I promise! :-) There was a thread running a while back talking about more upbeat ectoish tuneage... I second the motion for Bjork. I LOVE "debut", it's great music to clean house to, dance like a lunatic around the apartment, etc. Someone (I think - unless the *drugs* work too well) also recommended the (now defunct band) Mary's Danish. Another EXCELLENT punkish-pop (more poppy than punkish) girl group with sometimes very pointed lyrics. I know there is more I want to post on... but.. for the moment you've ALL been waiting for ... (imagine goooey sarcastic giggling voice here...) Amy's opinion on the MEANING OF MUSIC..... IMHO..... Music is any collection of sounds that capture the soul.... Most of the time, at least to me, it can be anything from Dvorak to Jellyfish, and all points in between - depending on the mood, the time of day, time of year. I think many of us attach memories to specific pieces of music, and tho they may not be particularly brilliant pieces of "music" - and I'm speaking of music in the traditional sense - they still ring loud and clear in our hearts. I also feel that sometimes we play certain discs just to bring back certain memories, whether they be good or bittersweet... so in that sense, *music* and the experience it is associated with - go hand in hand. Sometimes when I hear a train in the distance, late at night, it brings me back to when I was a kid and would be lulled to sleep by the sound of a freight train " ch...c h u n k .... ch c h u n k..." or commuter train - windows open, on a warm summer evening. It got so I could tell which was the freight train and which was the commuter train. My brain automatically associates the sound of the train with the pleasant experience from my childhood. So.... sometimes the specific sound, given the right circumstance.... IS music to my ears. Some of you that posted on this topic mentioned the same kinds of things, that certain "sounds" that aren't normally looked at as "musical" have certain meaning to you, or you look at as pleasing or interesting. I think it is the sum of the entire experience that makes "music" to one person, cacophony to another. Robert "Mr. Bassman" Lovejoy .... :-) mentioned Celestine Prophecy again... (YES!!) but one of the things this brilliant book discusses is the idea that there is beauty in everything, every person... and it can be noticed easiest in a natural setting such as a beach and/or old growth forest. I don't think it is an coincidence that "new agers" have been producing cassette tapes with ambient, soft music played over ocean sounds or the sounds of birds in a forest, etc. Nature has a "music" all its own. (I'm surprised none of you feline-owned mentioned the beautiful soothing sounds of a cat's contented purr.... ) Anyway..... I guess that kind of sums up my ideas on the whole issue. could that be the sun i see in the sky? (or am I asleep at my desk again...) peace, AmyD ------------------------------ From: Neal Copperman Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 17:26:57 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: After a few more listens... I'm not familiar with OGO, but the self-titled df album is there third full length album. I first came across them when I moved to Maryland in 1987, and they'd been together for about a year then. I think it's much more likely that they were inspired by the Indigo Girls then OGO. The early df is very reminiscent of the early I-Girls. Neal ------------------------------ From: mapravat@prairienet.org (Mitchell A. Pravatiner) Date: Tue, 9 May 95 16:28:59 CDT Subject: a 'Shroom with a view and other stories The Carolina Toasternet seems to have frozen up again after dying yesterday as I was posting. It does, however, give me a chance to try out the other freenet account I've recently secured. WRT the moving of the MUSH room: So I have to register a persona with the wizards? I'm so used to being me I don't know what to do about this. Oh well :-). WRT the Ecto Gift Shop opening soon in the new improved 'Shroom: I must look carefully through the latest edition of the Ecto Product File to see what kinds of stuff from there it might carry. Wonder if Happy's Liquor, over near where I live, would want to open a branch? Sperficially, it doesn't look like it would have the fixings for fuzzy blue drinks, but it does look like its stock might have a modicum of fuzzy blue life forms growing in it :-). There was a variety of other stuff I'd hoped to speak of now, but I've forgotten it all. Hopefully the digests will be in the archive real soon so I can refresh my obviously diminished memory. Mitch ------------------------------ From: ab580@leo.nmc.edu (Karl L. Snyder) Date: Tue, 9 May 1995 15:46:22 -0400 Subject: Throwing Muses I just found out that Throwing Muses will be on the Conan O'Brian show on Wednesday... -karl (who is eight ecto digests behind, and begs apologies if someone has already mentioned this...) - -- "Their discourse, splendid as it had been, resulted in nothing, and their respective opinions and policies were exactly the same when they left the church as when they had entered it." - E.M. Forester _Where Angels Fear to Tread_ ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V2 #102 ************************** ======================================================================== Please send any questions or comments about the list to ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu