From: owner-ecto-digest To: ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu Subject: ecto-digest V2 #313 Reply-To: ecto@nsmx.rutgers.edu Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, 21 December 1995 Volume 02 : Number 313 The Ecto digest is now being generated automatically. Please send problems and questions to: ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Charley.Darbo@harpercollins.com (Charley Darbo) Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 17:47:38 -0500 Subject: tribute albums Hi-- I'm Vickie's friend Charley, vicarious Ectophile from waaaaaay back (I was at the first show in Philly; I have early tapes of all the early albums; etc.). I recently took a job where I have E-mail access and subscribed to Ecto. I've been--what's the term?--lurking ever since, awaiting an opportunity to enter the fray (breach?). Valerie's note about tribute albums having inspired me to make known my presence, I offer the follwing list: - -Stay Awake: Disney Songs covered, well shaken and with a twist, by the likes of Yma Sumac, Sinead O'C, Syd Straw, Tom Waits, VanDyke Parks, and Suzanne Vega. - -Red Hot and Blue: Cole Porter rethought and reborn, assisted by k.d. lang, The Thompson Twins, Kirsty MacC, Neneh Cherry, Les Negresses Vertes, etc. - -(The Kurt Weill tribute whose title escapes me): Lou Reed, Sting, Marianne Faithfull, Stanard Ridgeway, etc. - -Temptation: Holly Cole doing Tom Waits's songs like no one ever imagined they could be done. Each reworking is at the same time entirely unexpected and utterly, perfectly right. (When TW does I Don't Want to Grow Up, it's about petulant adolescent rage. When Holly does it, it's about suicide.) - -There's a wonderful tribute to Thelonious Monk, produced by the same guy who did (I believe) all but the last of the above. - -And of course, of course of course of course (thank you all for beating me to the punch) Sweet Relief. I know there are more, but I'm late leaving work and my brain is developing a pain. Out of the breach and into the storm . . . --charleydarbo ------------------------------ From: tela@tela.bc.ca (Neil K. Guy) Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 17:59:06 -0700 Subject: Re: Happy holidays reply and cover albums At 10:11 AM on 12/20/95, David Dixon wrote: >Two words: Sweet Relief. Really? Hm. I felt the songs on that album, though okay, don't hold a proverbial candle to Victoria Williams' originals. But as for cover albums I like, I think the Kurt Weill tribute album "Lost in the Stars" is sheer brilliance. Well. Most of it. I don't know if it counts as a cover album as such, but a tribute album I guess it is. Though I think the term "tribute" is sort of funny. The word comes from the money or whatever that a subjugated nation paid to its conqueror, etc. There was a movie magazine published here in Canada called "Tribute" that I found amusingly ironic in a sad sort of way - it was basically just paid advertising for big-budget Hollywood movies masquerading as editorial. Considering the Canadian movie industry is virtually non-existent (do you know how depressing it is to go into a video store in Canada and find the only Canadian movies filed in with "foreign" movies?) and distributors only really carry US flicks, I thought the name "tribute" as a concept related to a subjugated power was kinda funny and wryly appropriate. Oh, well. As long as it's not called a "salute" to soandso - that term really turns me off. I mean, what is this? Are we in the Army now? Anyway... where was I? Oh, yes - the Kurt Weill album. That's definitely got to be an album that I listen to fairly often. Some of the tracks on it are amazing! - Neil K. - -- Neil K. Guy * neilg@sfu.ca * tela@tela.bc.ca 49N 16' 123W 7' * Vancouver, BC, Canada ------------------------------ From: Garry Potter Date: 21 Dec 95 13:58:24 EAT Subject: unsubscribe unsubscribe ------------------------------ From: 32 flavors and then some Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 22:18:09 -0500 Subject: compilation error in line 46: invalid decimal digit i wrote a note about the cover stuff but sent it only to valerie instead of ecto. oops. she helpfully deleted it before reading my frantic request to forward it to ecto, so i'll attempt to regurgitate my thoughts on the matter. if i recall correctly, she was being cynical about tribute albums and made some snide ;) comment about the schoolhouse rock tribute album being the brainstorm of some unknown, underground bands looking to make a name for themselves via a gimmick. my memory of the schoolhouse rock thing tell me otherwise though: if i recall correctly (a longshot), the bands on it were/are to be both well-known "alternative" groups (e.g., sonic youth) as well as less-known folks. i also seem to think that geffen records is comehow affiliated with this project. not exacly small potato(e)s. anyways. in my aborted note, i went on to ruminate on what tributes i liked. neile beat me to the punch regarding _back to the garden_, which is probably the best tribute to date. in general, there's always a handful of songs that make purchasing a tribute worthwhile, but i hardly ever listen to the good ones more than once. however, i don't listen to them because they are sucky tributes. i don't listen to them because they are *compilations* and i rarely find myself wanting to listen to a compilation as opposed to an album. compilations serve the greater good of exposing new bands and, occasionally, thematic aesthetics (!), but, with a few exceptions (e.g., c/z records' _secretions_ - my introduction to amy denio and a wealth of other great bands), they do not make great listening experiences. woj ------------------------------ From: THE OLIVE-LOAF VIGILANTE Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 22:27:12 -0500 (EST) Subject: sTuff Hi! Ah yes, curled up on the couch watching "How The Grinch Stole Christmas". It really must be that time of year! :) Val wondered: >Have you EVER heard a decent tribute album? One that you play again and again, >that doesn't disappear into your cd collection after you've given it 3 plays? Hmmm. I don't know if this counts, but I obsessed over Jennifer Warnes' _Famous Blue Raincoat_ for weeks after I got it. I haven't listened to it in a long time, though. Matt Bittner inquired: >Does anybody know if Sarah's song off this album has been released as >a single? I think "Dear God" is out there as a radio-only single, because I've heard it on "alternative" radio quite a few times recently. >Also, wasn't "I Will Remember You" released as a single as >well? If so, is it in "general" circulation? Yep. Two versions, as has been previously noted. The weirdest thing happened today: I was working at home because of the snow, and when I called in to the office to check my messages I heard "I Will Remember You" on WEZN, the "Lite hits of the 70's, 80's, and 90's" radio station in New Haven that we have as our hold music no matter how many times I sneak into the phone room and put it on NPR. I don't know if that experience merely rearranged my world view or shattered it entirely, but it certainly did something. >Also, any word on >Sarah's next release? Well, since it looks like they've actually let her stop touring, maybe we'll see something in a year or so? Nobody knows anything at this point. Now it's much later, and for some reason I'm watching "Party of Five", at the end of which is a song from Emmylou Harris' album _Wrecking Ball_, her stun- ning collaboration with Daniel Lanois that all of you should run right out and buy immediately. Pretty cool. A joyous Solstice to all, and to all a good night! +===========================================================================+ |Meredith Tarr meth@delphi.com| |Boonton, NJ USA http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/methpg.html| +===========================================================================+ | "Life is a sleazy stranger and this is his favorite bar" - Ani DiFranco | +===========================================================================+ ------------------------------ From: Paul Cohen Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 23:00:22 -0500 Subject: Top Ten of 1995 It's that time of year again. With no major releases due out before the end of the year, I feel safe in making my top ten list. First, let me qualify the list. This list includes releases of newly recorded material only. No compilations were included, regardless of whether or not the material was appearing for the first time on the compilation. A Best Reissues of 1995 will probably follow shortly. So, in alphabetical order by artist: David Bowie - Outside Bowie's revisiting his Low/Heroes period and in doing so, he just made his most interesting album in years. Always nice when the old set proves they're not irrelevant yet. Mark Burgess and Yves Altana - Paradyning The ex-Chameleon makes his most accessable album, yet loses none of his intensity. Elastica - Elastica Oh OK, so they lifted more than a little from the Wire catalog. With fashionably punky attitudes, and one of the year's best singles ("Connection"), this is one great pop record. Electrafixion - Burned The carcass of Echo and the Bunnymen is exhumed and given new life. Who'd a thunk it? Garbage - Garbage Butch Vig provides the other new band in my list. Great songs and great arrangements kept this disk in my player for ages. King Crimson - Thrak Robert Fripp revives his legendary ensemle and teaches the youngsters that they don't have a patent on noise. Radiohead - The Bends Radiohead survive that all important second album and proved that they are more than the novelty of "Creep". Jane Siberry - Maria Jane takes the daring chance of losing her audience by producing a jazz album. I applaud taking chances, especially when they work so well. Tears for Fears - Raoul and the Kings of Spain Roland Orzabal continues to prove he doesn't need his erstwhile partner and produces possibly the best album of his career. Throwing Muses - University And Kristen Hirsch produces, in Throwing Muses' second studio outting without Tanya Donnelly, a better album than Tanya produced in her second album without Kristen Hirsh. Flame pre-emption: I _do_ like Belly's "King" quite a bit. I'm just not at all certain it's better than Belly's first album and I'm quite certain "University" is better than it. IMHO. ____Paul Cohen______________King of Prussia, PA___ ____pmcohen@netaxs.com___http://atonce.com/pmc/___ ------------------------------ From: ! Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 23:50:03 -0500 (EST) Subject: Good Tribute Albums (no, really!) On Wed, 20 Dec 1995 Valerie challenged (and hence, owner-ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu spake): > Have you EVER heard a decent tribute album? One that you play again and again, > that doesn't disappear into your cd collection after you've given it 3 plays? > > ==> Valerie ...and everybody yelled _Sweet Relief_, with which I agree, but there are a few others worth pointing out, I think... These may not be terribly "ecto," but they've all earned heaps o' spins... In approximate order of essentialness: _That's the Way I Feel Now_ (Thelonious Monk) Actually, the tribute albums produced by Hal Wilner are so special, I've started filing them under Wil... not under "Various Artists." I can accord no higher tribute. ;-) This 'un, all instrumental, features such diverse hands as Carla Bley, Peter Frampton, Todd Rundgren, NRBQ, and Joe Jackson, YET manages to be totally free of bogus sentimentality or overplaying, is consistently respectful of Monk's compositions while using daring, innovative arrangements, and is listenable start to finish. If that sounds like a heap o' contradictions, score yerself a copy and check it out. A bravura performance on all fronts, and one o' the most played discs in my collection. _Weird Nightmare_ (Charles Mingus and Harry Partch) Another Hal Wilner masterpiece. Partch was a guy who designed and played instruments with names like Cloud Chamber Bowls out of industrial refuse and any manner of things. Mingus was maybe the greatest non-fusion bass player in the history of jazz? Features Chuck D of public enemy reading Mingus's writings, w/ a largely avant-jzz cast of players, e.g., Henry Threadgill, Bill Frisell, but also Elvis Costello and Diamanda Galas. Stunning. _Time Between_ (The Byrds) Richard Thompson, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister, Miracle Legion, Robyn Hitchcock, Giant Sand and Dinosaur Jr. are among those who lend their talents. The Thompson, Gregson, Collister version of "Hickory Wind" is a real winner, and Thin White Rope doing "Everybody Has Been Burned" is a revelation. Hardly any tracks to skip over (tho Dr Jr's number may be, er, an acquired taste). _The Bridge_ (Neil Young) Victoria Williams does incredible things to "Words" while Henry Kaiser tortures a guitar. Sonic Youth validate "Computer Age" from the oft-slammed lp _Trans_. The Pixies turn in a surpringly tender take on "Winterlong." I bought this record, more or less ignorant of Young's non-hit compositions, because there were so many cool artists. I learned what a good songwriter Young really is. _Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye_ (Roky Erickson) John Wesley Harding's "If You Have Ghosts" is so damned good, I'll overlook all other mis-steps of his career. Jesus and Mary Chain and ZZ Top cover the same song (Reverberation) and neither sounds a) inappropriate b) redundant. Also features R.E.M., Poi Dog Pondering and the Judybats for more offbeat jangle than you can shake a stick at. _I'm Your Fan_ (Leonard Cohen) This one's a little hit-and-miss, but the good stuff is pretty good. R.E.M., Ian McCulluch, The House of Love, Nick Cave, Robert Forster, etc. _Alvin Lives in Leeds_ (various) A little cheesy, a lot fun, this benefit comp has british bands well-known and not so well known doing disco-era "classics." My faves? Lush doing "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep," the Popguns doing "Bye Bye Baby" and Robyn Hitchcock doing (a capella) "Kung Fu Fighting" Also Close Lobsters, the Wedding Present and "Le Freak" and "Summer Nights" (in no special order) _Beyond the Wildwood_ (Syd Barret) I had heard of hardly any of the bands on this comp when I picked it up (on the basis of an ecstatic review somewhere or other). Those I had hard of included Opal (who turned into Mazzy Star, more or less), the Soup Dragons and Death of Samantha. No matter. In most cases, I prefer this album to _Barret_ or _The Madcap Laughs_ because the bands capture the essential loopy fragility of the songs, while being a little more, um, competent. _Surprise Your Pig_ (R.E.M.) Mostly snotty punk bands more or less trashing the originals. Surprisingly, this tends to show that we were listening to the songs themselves a bit more than to Stipe's charismatic mumble. (or at least I was). Highlights: Vic Chesnutt deconstructing "the end of the world" (he pretty much leaves out the verses), J-Church roaring through "rockville" and Tesco Vee (ex-Meatmen) 's Hate Police thuddy "Losing My Religion" _Stay Awake_ (disney films) Tho' I think this is the least succesful of the Hal Wilner comps, this is still worth listening to and worth mentioning (lots of ecto friendly artists on this one too: bonnie raitt, tom waits, suzanne vega, syd straw, yma sumac, sinead o'connor, the roches, and natalie merchant). I think that's enough ;-) doug not recommending tribute albums for: the ramones, the monkees, and a lot of other stuff that musta sounded better on the proposal letter... ------------------------------ From: maeldun@i-2000.com (Michael Doyle) Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 00:03:55 -0500 Subject: Re: Loreena's Christmas discs At 05:46 PM 12/20/95 -0500, woj wrote: > >good thing _to drive the cold winter away_ came first, huh? ;) > Well, to tell the truth, _to drive the cold winter away_ *is* on side A of the tape dub. I happened to listen to _a winter garden_ on side B first. This happens to be my first exposure to Loreena McKennit, after hearing so much about her here. But you know who first mentioned her name to me? Preston from Big Hat (and now My Scarlet Life). He mentioned that Loreena, like Yvonne, had done some musical adaptations of Yeats poems which were quite good. - - Mike Michael Doyle maeldun@i-2000.com =================================================================== "You sleep like a haiku: You're still; you move. It's that simple." - - C-Cat Trance ------------------------------ From: Laurel Krahn Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 23:22:24 -0800 (PST) Subject: this n that First want to note that I'm not completely missing in net.action.... Hi to all the #ecto folk and the rest of you friends. My computer is having problems and needs to get fixed. I think it's the video card. Can't see a thing... so here I am on an ancient 8086 at 1200 baud... not doing any web stuff nor much email these days.... Hope to be back online in the new year. I've been reading a lot, lately. The whole lot of Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books. Other nifty books by Jane Yolen, Steven Gould, Michael Swanwick, Bruce Bethke (anyone who likes humor/cyberpunk stuff should read his HEADCRASH, really), Orson Scott Card, and bunches of other cool stuff. re: Tribute albums... I love SWEET RELIEF. Other faves? Well... both Richard Thompson tributes that I've heard are quite nice. The BEAT THE RETREAT album and also THE WORLD IS A WONDERFUL PLACE. Emma Bull's WAR FOR THE OAKS has really been reprinted. Hope those of you looking for it have found it... I haven't seen it yet, alas, but it is out there. It doesn't show up in Books in Print yet. But bookstores should still be able to order it. It's a paperback from Ace books, Fantasy. Recommended. Makes a great stocking stuffer. :-) 'Tis an urban fantasy set in Minneapolis. And the main characters are musicians. And Boiled in Lead is in the book. And well, it's cool. Emma Bull's first novel. Worth noting also that there are some Borderlands books just out in paperback. Emma's FINDER is still on the shelves. And Will Shetterly's NEVERNEVER is now in paperback. Also the anthology BORDERTOWN, edited by Terri Windling (long out of print) is now available. All are paperbacks from Tor books. They're spiff. Enough babbling... bests, happy holidays... Laurel (lakrahn@imho.net) Krahn Virtual Home: http://www.apocalypse.org/pub/u/lakrahn/ ------------------------------ From: Kerry White Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 00:23:56 -0600 (CST) Subject: more tribes Hello, A short while ago I did a tape trade with a fellow from Love-Hounds(KaTe stuff of course!) and as filler, 1 side of the tape was Tribe's -Abort-. He had described it as a lot like Siouxsie and the Banshees, and I really can't disagree w/ that (S by way of Martha and the Muffins instead of punk,-kinda ;-) ) He has offered -Sleeper- if I can show that I still have KaTe stuff he needs. He says[] that his bass player *may* have an EP. KrW "Are you all sitty comftubole to squirm your botty? Then I'll begin.........." ------------------------------ From: ariel_b@pipeline.com (Ariel Brennan) Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 02:23:37 -0500 Subject: Re: Happy holidays reply and cover albums On Dec 20, 1995 15:20:21, 'jeffy@wam.umd.edu' wrote: >Funny you should ask that...sitting in the backpack next to me is a tape with >_Sweet Relief_. Unfortunately, I've dead batteries, so I'm not listening to >it. What is this Sweet Relief thing I've been hearing about? Who's it tribute to? ;> Ariel - -- "I am a poster girl with no poster... I am 32 flavors, and then some." - Ani DiFranco ------------------------------ From: Dirk Kastens Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 09:20:18 +0100 (NFT) Subject: Re: Sarah McLachlan single Hi, On Wed, 20 Dec 1995, 32 flavors and then some wrote: > which brings me to a peeve: it seems that the american record companies > are picking up the bad habit of releasing two versions of singles from > the british folks. granted, it's on a slightly different scheme: one > version is packaged in a vinyl lp-like sleeve and usually has only one > extra track, while the second version is more like the cd singles we've > had so far (more extra tracks, packaged in a jewel box or digi-pack). It's better than the german music industry that never releases any interesting singles at all. All we get are some nasty singles from the charts with lots of remixes of the same song. If the first single of a new album doesn't sell they don't put out a second one. Another drawback is the price of a single that's more than 1/3 of the price of an album. So what is the worst habit? OB tribute albums: I recently bought the Leonard Cohen tribute album, but I only like a few songs: Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, Suzanne Vega and Jann Arden. My favorite album at the moment is Paula Cole's Harbinger. A happy holiday to you all. Dirk Kastens _______________Dirk.Kastens@rz.Uni-Osnabrueck.DE Universitaet Osnabrueck Phone: +49/541/969-2347 (work) Rechenzentrum Fax: +49/541/969-2470 (work) Albrechtstr. 28 Phone: +49/541/258182 (private) 49069 Osnabrueck Germany ------------------------------ From: nightwol@dircon.co.uk (Steve Fagg) Date: Thu, 21 Dec 1995 12:03:56 +0000 Subject: Re: Happy holidays reply and cover albums Valerie writes: >Have you EVER heard a decent tribute album? One that you play again and again, >that doesn't disappear into your cd collection after you've given it 3 plays? Like many others, I would instantly nominate "Sweet Relief" which I still play almost as often as the originals (which I dearly love). Meth mentioned Jennifer Warnes's "Famous Blue Raincoat" which is also a great favourite of mine (sorry to all you Cohen fans out there who dislike this album) but is rather a borderline case in my view as it's the work of a single artist rather than the usual mixed bag. But in general I have to agree with Val that tribute albums are a waste of my time. I feel the same way about film soundtrack albums: a couple of times I've bought one to get an otherwise unavailable song by someone I like but, because the rest of the album is not to my taste. I find I never play it after all. So now I save my pennies for albums I hope will give more consistent listening pleasure. Like Bjork's "Post" for example, which (in the absence of a copy of "Maria" or "The Keep" or Victoria Williams's new one in my collection - though there's always Christmas! ;-)) looks likely to be my album of the year for 1995. I didn't buy enough new music this year (too many transatlantic air tickets to buy!) to have a meaningful top ten of 1995 releases, but I'll readily award the bouquet to Ms Gudmundsdottir for a consistently interesting, highly polished, and extremely listenable album. A Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and a wonderful 1996 to all! TTFN Steve the 'wol - -- Steve Fagg a.k.a. Nightwol ( 'phone: +44-1279-402437 ) ( s.l.fagg@bnr.co.uk (work) nightwol@dircon.co.uk (home) ) *** We tried to add it all up and got merely sunrise. *** *** Try putting that in a letter to someone in exile. *** ------------------------------ From: jeffy@wam.umd.edu Date: Thu, 21 Dec 95 09:26:34 EST Subject: Re: Good Tribute Albums (no, really!) dou doug sez: >On Wed, 20 Dec 1995 Valerie challenged (and >hence, owner-ecto-digest@ns2.rutgers.edu spake): >> Have you EVER heard a decent tribute album? One that you play again and >>again, that doesn't disappear into your cd collection after you've given >>it 3 plays? >...and everybody yelled _Sweet Relief_, with which I agree, And for Ariel, who asked, _Sweet Relief_ contains songs by Victoria Williams. Somebody commented (Neil, maybe?) that _SR_ was good, but that they'd rather listen to Vic's original. Personally, I think that some of the _SR_ versions surpass the "originals." "Crazy Mary" comes to mind first, but there are others. I think Evan Dando's "Frying Pan" is just *exquisite*, and such a radically different approach to the song (from a light and poppy original, he derivess a sorrowful folk rendition!). >_The Bridge_ (Neil Young) >Victoria Williams does incredible things to "Words" while Henry Kaiser >tortures a guitar. Sonic Youth validate "Computer Age" from the oft-slammed >lp _Trans_. The Pixies turn in a surpringly tender take on "Winterlong." Thanks. You just got me to pull out the "Dig for Fire" single, which contains "Winterlong." It's been _ages_ since I've listened to it. >_Stay Awake_ (disney films) >Tho' I think this is the least succesful of the Hal Wilner comps, >this is still worth listening to and worth mentioning (lots of ecto >friendly artists on this one too: bonnie raitt, tom waits, suzanne >vega, syd straw, yma sumac, sinead o'connor, the roches, and natalie >merchant). I found this album to be quite a disappointment. Not, bad, but not nearly what I was expecting. I do love the rendition of "Cruella D'Eville". Perhaps most annoying is the track seperation by medley and not song, making it difficult to get to the bits I want to hear. Jeff ------------------------------ From: "Donahue, Jim" Date: Thu, 21 Dec 95 09:28:07 EST Subject: [none] Two more tribute albums worth having: "Beat the Retreat" (Richard Thompson) and "For the Love of Harry" (Nilsson). I understand that there was a Nick Drake tribute out in the UK a couple of years ago. Does anyone know anything about this? Is it available in the US? If you're not familiar with Drake's music, do yourself a favor and get "Way to Blue" (a fine collection) or "Bryter Layter" (probably his best album). Very ecto (I think). ------------------------------ From: rzeisern@colybrand.com (Rob Zeiser -- HRA - Dallas ) Date: Thu, 21 Dec 95 10:26:37 EST Subject: Opening CD's To: ECTO, Digest >mjm wanted to know: >> How fast can you open a shrink-wrapped CD? >It takes a very, very long time for me to get into anything that's >shrink-wrapped, from CDs to tapes to you-name-it. Usually, woj >gets fed up watching me struggling after a while and just grabs it >from me and opens it with his >teeth. :) Hey, my boyfriend showed me a neat trick a few months ago. He takes a small coin (like a dime) and runs it along the front of the disk in the slot where the cover meets the spine. It slices open the shrinkwrap, making removal significantly easier. ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V2 #313 ************************** ======================================================================== Please send any questions or comments about the list to ecto-owner@nsmx.rutgers.edu