From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V13 #277 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Friday, October 12 2007 Volume 13 : Number 277 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight ["Marcel Rijs" ] RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight ["Xenu's Sister" ] Re: First Concerts ["Rod Kratochwill" ] Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight [Doug ] Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight ["Jeffrey Burka" ] RE: Tori... Tori... Tori... [Alberto ] RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight ["Michael Quinn" ] Re: Tori... Tori... Tori... ["Sue Trowbridge" ] Another Tori opinion and some Happy comments (WAS: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight) ["Bill Mazur" ] Emmy Rossum, Debbie Harry, Alison Moyet, First Albums, etc [jjhanson@att.] Thanks to Alberto..... [] Re: Tori... Tori... Tori... [DanStark <2005.carnivore99@verizon.net>] Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight ["Ella McCrystle" ] RE: Another Tori opinion and some Happy comments (WAS: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight) ["Bill Maz] Re: Emmy Rossum, Debbie Harry, Alison Moyet, First Albums, etc ["Jon Wesl] Re: My first record(s) [Paul Schreiber ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:43:00 +0200 From: "Marcel Rijs" Subject: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight Hi, On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:48:35 -0700 (PDT), "Xenu's Sister" wrote: > Mitch just called to tell me. > Vickie (who doesn't care anymore, but someone might) It's funny isn't it? I remember the nineties when I was so passionate about Tori, and many others were as well. I often wonder why that changed. It's easy to pinpoint the decline in quality after 'To Venus and back' (I think) and all the intensity of the early work has gone by now. I think it's a bit sad because it was really great to have this musician making wonderful music and lyrics and then to fade into mediocrity quite untimely. Speaking as a European, I also think that her career was focused so much on America after the first two albums that the rest of the world may have "lost" her a bit quicker as well. I ponder on this quite regularly, then I visit undented.com (I felt thedent.com was a brilliant website even after I lost interest!) and conclude that my opinion hasn't changed: the interest is gone. But that's so sad. Has anyone else felt like this? Kind regards, Marcel Rijs Marcel.rijs@Kb.nl ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:15:10 -0700 (PDT) From: "Xenu's Sister" Subject: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight - --- Marcel Rijs wrote: > Hi, > > On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:48:35 -0700 (PDT), "Xenu's Sister" > wrote: > > Mitch just called to tell me. > > Vickie (who doesn't care anymore, but someone might) > > It's funny isn't it? I remember the nineties when I was so passionate > about Tori, and many others were as well. I often wonder why that > changed. It's easy to pinpoint the decline in quality after 'To Venus > and back' (I think) and all the intensity of the early work has gone by > now. That came out much harsher/snarkier than I intended. I still admire and respect Tori, but gone are the days when I'd scramble to make sure I got every TV appearance/interview/whatever bit on tape. Mitch called me last week to say that Tori was on Leno that night, and I thought, 'I should post to ecto', but 5 minutes after I hung up the phone, I forgot all about it, and didn't remember until a few days later. Some of that could be more about not watching television (because I haven't turned on the TV in months) than Tori herself. Also, anything worthwhile will be on YouTube (or easily found, if deleted on YouTube). So it's just not a priority anymore. > Speaking as a European, I also think that her career was focused so much > on America after the first two albums that the rest of the world may > have "lost" her a bit quicker as well. That's so odd since in the early days she toured all over the world. > I ponder on this quite regularly, then I visit undented.com (I felt > thedent.com was a brilliant website even after I lost interest!) and > conclude that my opinion hasn't changed: the interest is gone. > But that's so sad. > Has anyone else felt like this? Yeah, to an extent. Man, if that ever happens with Happy I think I'll kill myself. Just kidding, because I can't imagine myself ever losing interest in Happy (or Kate). I haven't so much lost interest in Tori as she's been on the far back burner for several years. I loved seeing her and meeting her again a couple of years ago. I do envy the die-hard Tori fans though. Green as green could be. Wouldn't it be nice to be into an artist who has the money and inclination to make record after record and tour all the time? I wonder what that's like? Vickie ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 01:40:22 -0800 From: Adam Kimmel Subject: Rush/PJ/2007 (personal) phoenixes I always figured that Rush were pretty much the anti-Ecto, and still remember, at 14 or 15, buying "2112", listening to it a few times, and hating it so much that I took it back to my high school, walked up to a kid I knew, presented it to him and said, "Do you want this? Take it. Here, TAKE IT!" Over the next few years I heard a lot of Rush that I actually liked, though, even if it wasn't enough to make me buy their albums (although I came close), and I built up a healthy respect from them (I mean, come on, who couldn't love "Great White North", the collaboration Geddy did with the McKenzie Brothers? Take off, ya hoser!). Oh, the point of this post being to say that "The Guardian" actually printed a grudgingly good review of a recent Rush gig on our shores, which is something incredible in itself -- Rush was one of those bands that were soooo uncool, they have been studiously ignored for the last 30 years or so. http://music.guardian.co.uk/live/story/0,,2189240,00.html And enjoy. Oh, and Karen, thanks so much for your wonderful review of PJ Harvey. It's one of my great regrets that, although warned far in advance of her gig at the South Bank, I didn't go to see her. I'm liking the new album a lot, more than any I have since "To Bring You My Love" even though it's a totally different beast (which is definitely the point) and I think I'm going to go back and revisit her back catalogue. As a sidenote, this year's shaping up, paradoxically, to be a good music year for me, thanks to a late glut of great discs, especially from artists who seem to be (IMHO, natch) to be undergoing a sort of renaissance: Tori, PJ Harvey and Tom McRae (whose new one is quite, quite stunning). Mind you, this outpouring of love could be due to my return from the dentist, and as I'm now drooling all over my keyboard I'd better leave it there. AdamK Floreat Actona! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 06:40:41 -0400 From: "Rod Kratochwill" Subject: Re: First Concerts I'll bet some folks might be able to find recordings of their first concerts at Wolfgang's Concert Vault. http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/ They require registration but it's free. Rod n.p. King Crimson - Filmore East 11/69 first concert: This is tough. Whoever was playing the Fillmore East in > January '68. I want to say the Chambers Brothers and the Amboy Dukes. > > - -Marcel ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:01:38 -0500 From: Doug Subject: Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight > > It's funny isn't it? I remember the nineties when I was so passionate > > about Tori, and many others were as well. I often wonder why that > > changed. It's easy to pinpoint the decline in quality after 'To Venus > > and back' (I think) and all the intensity of the early work has gone by > > now. How do you figure that? First, I'm surprised you said "after" To Venus and Back, since many people are dissatisfied with that one. But regardless, let's evaluate what she's released since then: SLG: I think we can write this off as something she did just to complete her contract with Atlantic. She was saving her good stuff for her next label. (But I disagree with anyone who dislikes Heart of Gold...I love her version.) SW: In my opinion this gem is as good as anything she's ever done...better, in fact, in many respects. Certainly better overall than Choirgirl and UTP. BK: IMO this is the first real mistake on her part...I found it so boring I couldn't bear to spend money on it. Yes, the quality is at its lowest ebb here. Posse: Again, in my opinion this is a gem too, and yes, it's as good as anything she's ever done. There's only a few songs that I would have left off the CD, and only a few that I would have left on even though they don't grab me. Most are on my Looping Playlist. So, to summarize, other than SLG, which we can safely ignore, BK is the only real turd she's dropped, so to speak. So where's the "decline in quality"? - --Doug ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 10:37:27 -0400 From: "Jeffrey Burka" Subject: Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight doug sez, after some fairly interesting discussion of Tori: > So, to summarize, other than SLG, which we can safely ignore, BK is > the only real turd she's dropped, so to speak. So where's the > "decline in quality"? funny, ain't it, what makes art? I was surprised with the whole "after Venus" thing, because I got bored with Tori when "Choirgirl" came out. Sure, there were some songs on that disc I loved, basically "Playboy Mommy," "Jackie's Strength," and "Black Dove," even those have never been enough to get me to pull out the disc and listen to it. The double disc "Venus" was also a chore, and I don't think I've listened to SLG since 2001. _Scarlett's Walk_, on the other hand, was something of a return to form in my mind, and I listen to that pretty regularly. _Beekeeper_ was a snooze, but in a pleasant way and that comes off the shelf from time to time. _American Doll Posse_, for me, is the best disc since at least _Boys for Pele_, and I might even like it more than that. My fave remains _Under the Pink_. Which is just to say...it takes all kinds! jeff n.p. _The Crane Wife_, The Decemberists ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:19:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Alberto Subject: RE: Tori... Tori... Tori... I can only speak for myself, but I got turned off to Tori by Tori. Every interview I read and saw got more and more pretentious (speaking of herself in the third person and discussing her music in such cloying terms) that I lost interest in what she had to say (or sing). I have a similar problem with Ann Lennox, who came across as so insufferable in televised interviews, I had to switch them off, which in turn tainted my view of her as a musician. I don't think they're total jerks, just... irritating enough for me to not care. I'm not saying every musician I enjoy has to be likable... though it doesn't hurt. (I liked Elvis Costello through his asshole phase) But if I'm on the fence, being a douche can easily be the deal-breaker, like with that bonehead from Oasis (I'm glad I can't recall his name). There are so many cool, deserving people producing great art, I'd rather give time, attention, and money to someone who can at least be amiable on occasion. Xenu's Sister wrote: --- Marcel Rijs wrote: > Hi, > > On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:48:35 -0700 (PDT), "Xenu's Sister" > wrote: > > Mitch just called to tell me. > > Vickie (who doesn't care anymore, but someone might) > > It's funny isn't it? I remember the nineties when I was so passionate > about Tori, and many others were as well. I often wonder why that > changed. It's easy to pinpoint the decline in quality after 'To Venus > and back' (I think) and all the intensity of the early work has gone by > now. That came out much harsher/snarkier than I intended. I still admire and respect Tori, but gone are the days when I'd scramble to make sure I got every TV appearance/interview/whatever bit on tape. Mitch called me last week to say that Tori was on Leno that night, and I thought, 'I should post to ecto', but 5 minutes after I hung up the phone, I forgot all about it, and didn't remember until a few days later. Some of that could be more about not watching television (because I haven't turned on the TV in months) than Tori herself. Also, anything worthwhile will be on YouTube (or easily found, if deleted on YouTube). So it's just not a priority anymore. > Speaking as a European, I also think that her career was focused so much > on America after the first two albums that the rest of the world may > have "lost" her a bit quicker as well. That's so odd since in the early days she toured all over the world. > I ponder on this quite regularly, then I visit undented.com (I felt > thedent.com was a brilliant website even after I lost interest!) and > conclude that my opinion hasn't changed: the interest is gone. > But that's so sad. > Has anyone else felt like this? Yeah, to an extent. Man, if that ever happens with Happy I think I'll kill myself. Just kidding, because I can't imagine myself ever losing interest in Happy (or Kate). I haven't so much lost interest in Tori as she's been on the far back burner for several years. I loved seeing her and meeting her again a couple of years ago. I do envy the die-hard Tori fans though. Green as green could be. Wouldn't it be nice to be into an artist who has the money and inclination to make record after record and tour all the time? I wonder what that's like? Vickie "I don't know anything about music. In my line, you don't have to." ~Elvis Presley - --------------------------------- Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user panel and lay it on us. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:24:47 -0400 From: "Michael Quinn" Subject: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight Well, of course, "quality" is a subjective thing that depends on the ear of the listener. I definitely agree with you about Scarlet's Walk. That's probably my favorite album of hers (that or Pele or Chorigirl). In my mind, every Tori album before The Beekeeper is a masterpiece in its own way with the exception of SLG (which I like about half of). She did really lose me with The Beekeeper though, that one just seems to be missing some ineffable but important quality that all her others had. I need to listen to Posse more. My impressions of it so far are that it has a few songs I really like, a couple I dislike, and a lot I can't make up my mind about. I doubt I'll ever like it as much as her pre-2005 albums though. Maybe I'm just overly critical because I love her old stuff so much... Mike - -----Original Message----- From: owner-ecto@smoe.org [mailto:owner-ecto@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Doug Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 10:02 AM To: ecto@smoe.org Subject: Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight > > It's funny isn't it? I remember the nineties when I was so passionate > > about Tori, and many others were as well. I often wonder why that > > changed. It's easy to pinpoint the decline in quality after 'To Venus > > and back' (I think) and all the intensity of the early work has gone by > > now. How do you figure that? First, I'm surprised you said "after" To Venus and Back, since many people are dissatisfied with that one. But regardless, let's evaluate what she's released since then: SLG: I think we can write this off as something she did just to complete her contract with Atlantic. She was saving her good stuff for her next label. (But I disagree with anyone who dislikes Heart of Gold...I love her version.) SW: In my opinion this gem is as good as anything she's ever done...better, in fact, in many respects. Certainly better overall than Choirgirl and UTP. BK: IMO this is the first real mistake on her part...I found it so boring I couldn't bear to spend money on it. Yes, the quality is at its lowest ebb here. Posse: Again, in my opinion this is a gem too, and yes, it's as good as anything she's ever done. There's only a few songs that I would have left off the CD, and only a few that I would have left on even though they don't grab me. Most are on my Looping Playlist. So, to summarize, other than SLG, which we can safely ignore, BK is the only real turd she's dropped, so to speak. So where's the "decline in quality"? - --Doug ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:29:57 -0700 From: "Sue Trowbridge" Subject: Re: Tori... Tori... Tori... On 10/12/07, Alberto wrote: > I can only speak for myself, but I got turned off to Tori by Tori. Every interview I read and saw got more and more pretentious (speaking of herself in the third person and discussing her music in such cloying terms) that I lost interest in what she had to say (or sing). I definitely got turned off on going to Tori concerts by Tori fans. I saw her at least 10 times back on the LE & UtP tours, and by the end I just could no longer take the piercing screams of the people who were SO EXCITED to see her they just had to let her know they were RIGHT THERE in the audience, even during the quiet parts of "Me and a Gun," by yelling WE LOVE YOU TORI! I have seen hundreds of artists in concert over the years, running the gamut from Frank Sinatra to Guns 'N Roses, and have never been as unsettled as I was by the vibe at Tori shows. Gradually I lost interest in her music, too, and haven't bought any of her albums in years. But I'm happy that there are still folks out there who enjoy her. Sometimes we're just ready to move on to something new. - --Sue ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 11:58:56 -0700 From: "Bill Mazur" Subject: Another Tori opinion and some Happy comments (WAS: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight) > Doug said: SW: In my opinion this gem is as good as anything she's ever > done...better, in fact, in many respects. Certainly better overall > than Choirgirl and UTP. I agree with Doug on his opinion of Scarlet's Walk. Little Earthquakes, UTP, and Choirgirl are my other favorites from Tori. Although I do like most of what Tori has done, her recent work (since SW) doesn't grab me in the same way. On the other hand, I feel like Happy just keeps getting better and better with each new release. I have been listening to "Find Me" repeatedly. It is a really fantastic CD. I am very happy that I got the initial "Find Me Sampler". The mixes and even some of the arrangements have been more fully realized on the new CD. But I like hearing the variance of the songs on both CDs. Happy's songwriting and her voice are really strong throughout "Find Me". I may have said this before, even though Happy is well known for her low and high vocal registers, I absolutely adore the tone and quality of Happy's voice in her mid range throughout "Find Me". The way Happy is recording her voice and treating it in the mix (with subtle studio techniques) is really beautiful to me. My favorites on "Find Me" are the title track, One and Many, Can't Let Go, Treehouse and Fall. But really every song is a masterpiece. One thing that Happy and Tori have in common is that, because they are such gifted musicians themselves, they attract some of the best musicians around today to work with them. That is definitely the case with Happy. Having musicians like Bob Muller, Hansford Rowe, Carl Adami, Bon Lozaga, Trey Gunn, Rob Schwimmer and the other musicians that played with her on "Find Me" is a bit of coup. I feel like "Find Me" is the most rhythmically rich set of music that Happy has ever released. Bob adds so much to that being the case with his precise and musical drumming. In addition, his excellent percussion work gives some of Happy's music an exotic world music flare. The rhythm section of Bob and Hansford reminds me very favorably of the fantastic rhythm section of Hansford and the late great Pierre Moerlin. Incidentally one of things I like so much about Tori's "Scarlett's Walk" is the dynamic rhythm section work on that CD. When Billi and I saw Tori in concert during that tour it was hard for me to figure out where I was going to focus my attention. All the best! Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:35:54 +0000 From: jjhanson@att.net Subject: Emmy Rossum, Debbie Harry, Alison Moyet, First Albums, etc Maybe I missed it, but does anyone have any thoughts about Emmy Rossum's new CD? I saw the video for the first single off of it last night on Logo's New Now Next--it's a multi- layered vocal track--akin to something Imogen Heap or Enya would do, but showed some promise. Emmy is of course the actress that played Christine Daae in the film version of Weber's Phantom of the Opera, as well as playing in Mystic River and other movies. Also saw the new Debbie Harry video--Two Times Blue, kind of interesting but no real new ground there. They interviewed Debbie throughout the program--it seems like they were struggling to get interesting soundbites--she's still kind of a kook as always, and much of her commentary was pretty hard to follow. Particularly her thoughts on Lil' Kim. Still, I am looking forward to this album--should have it shortly. Also, just got news that amazon.co.uk shipped the new Alison Moyet CD to me today. Yay! Any U.K. folks have thoughts on the album yet? Catching up on past threads--my first albums: First album I bought - Michael Martin Murphy - Blue Sky Night Thunder (with the infamous Wild Fire--but an album I still enjoy today) First '45s I bought - Blondie - Heart of Glass and Supertramp's Logical Song First Concert - Pat Benatar/Billy Squier, supposed to be at Red Rocks but moved to McNichols Arena in Denver due to anticipated rain--Billy Squier was waaaayyyy too loud Jeff Hanson n.r. The Cloud Sketcher - Richard Rayner ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 12:40:00 -0700 From: Subject: Thanks to Alberto..... I now own a copy of The Hepcats Jive Talk Dictionary!!! Ending and on angain off again 34 year search. Only 2,000 copies were ever made....and its constructed more like a comic book meets brochure than anything else.... Just plain paper printed with black ink, folded over and stapled. Not made to last in the slightest. It's in rough shape and the paper has yellowed and browned and been spilled on...but I will take raw pictures of each page and use photoshop and other programs to restore color and clean it up.....and so it can be saved, digitally.....paper all decomposes over time... Of course, I'm still in shock one turned up and it was within minutes after posting about here... So...a BIG thanks to Alberto and the list! Cheers Birdie www.myspace.com/birdiebreeze ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:53:39 -0400 From: DanStark <2005.carnivore99@verizon.net> Subject: Re: Tori... Tori... Tori... A lot of the perceived "problem" probably has to do with the fact that the novelty factor has long since worn off. We all know what Tori sounds like now, so there's no element of surprise like there was in the early days. Of course all the people who wish for the same "passion" of her earlier work today would probably be complaining that she hadn't progressed, if she were still doing the same things today as she did back then. Tori writes about life, and her music reflects her maturity. How many people do you know who express themselves the same in their 40s as they did in their 20s? Count me among the ones who no longer rush to record every TV appearance or attend every concert. I've seen it before so don't feel compelled to take it all in the same way any more. But I do think she's still making good music, and in the end that's what it's all about. In fact there's just as much intensity in some of the American Doll Posse material as there was in her earlier achievements, it's just that the bar has been set high, and even her good stuff has a familiar feel to it now. - - Dan ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:28:55 -0400 From: "Ella McCrystle" Subject: Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight > So, to summarize, other than SLG, which we can safely ignore, BK is > the only real turd she's dropped, so to speak. So where's the > "decline in quality"? I agree completely and 100% with Doug's views on each of the offerings below (including where the turd was dropped.) As a tour-watcher, I also was completely mystified by TBK tour and doubly hated the album after that! (I felt like every night someone had a drip of Xanax directly to her, so that the end of each tune had a string on it and got pulled further and further away.) When I saw her, I was embarrassed b/c more than half the (very very very loud!) audience left long before the very long encores. I stayed only through some weird sense of loyalty and hope that things might improve after the constantly texting teens were gone. I think my other cause for waning interest in tour-following is that the fans have gotten more obnoxious than I could ever have imagined in the early club days (even through Pele nobody would have DARED scream as much as they do now.) It's pointless. I don't want to pay exorbitant amounts of money to be climbed over and sung to by 14-yr-olds who are talking on their cell phones and shrieking like it's a Beatles concert. GRR! It's especially annoying when she doesn't have the band w/ her. However, I am going to a couple shows soon b/c I feel it my duty to tape for the community. I just hope that I don't have to murder some kid sitting near me. Be well, Ella ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. ~ Dr. Seuss - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Doug" > let's evaluate what she's released since then: > > SLG: I think we can write this off as something she did just to > complete her contract with Atlantic. She was saving her good stuff > for her next label. (But I disagree with anyone who dislikes Heart > of > Gold...I love her version.) > > SW: In my opinion this gem is as good as anything she's ever > done...better, in fact, in many respects. Certainly better overall > than Choirgirl and UTP. > > BK: IMO this is the first real mistake on her part...I found it so > boring I couldn't bear to spend money on it. Yes, the quality is at > its lowest ebb here. > > Posse: Again, in my opinion this is a gem too, and yes, it's as > good > as anything she's ever done. There's only a few songs that I would > have left off the CD, and only a few that I would have left on even > though they don't grab me. Most are on my Looping Playlist. > > > --Doug ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:49:17 -0400 From: "Ella McCrystle" Subject: Re: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight (Clarification) >> also was completely mystified by TBK tour and doubly hated the >> album >> after that! (I felt like every night someone had a drip of Xanax >> directly to her, so that the end of each tune had a string on it >> and >> got pulled further and further away.) Doug points out that I wasn't very clear in the statement above: > Wow, you hated Doll Posse? I don't understand that...IMO the CD > rocks! Great vocals, great guitar, great piano, great tunes. It's > got everything. What's about it to hate? > > --Doug OOps --- that wasn't clear. I meant after seeing TBK tour, I couldn't stand TBK even more than I already couldn't stand it. I've enjoyed American Doll Posse (and what I've heard of the tour thus far) quite a bit! My first comment to someone was "Hey! Tori got her groove back!" So I meant that TBK tour (fans and performance) drove me batty and I was a-skeered of ADP until I heard it, and now I'm fine with her again. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:03:50 -0400 From: morayati@email.unc.edu Subject: Re: Emmy Rossum, Debbie Harry, Alison Moyet, First Albums, etc I figured Emmy Rossum would come out with a CD, but I'm not buying it. I didn't particularly like her as Christine. It made me miss Sarah (Brightman). Quoting jjhanson@att.net: > Maybe I missed it, but does anyone have any thoughts about Emmy > Rossum's new CD? > I saw the video for the first single off of it last night on Logo's > New Now Next--it's a multi- > layered vocal track--akin to something Imogen Heap or Enya would do, > but showed some promise. Emmy is of course the actress that played > Christine Daae in the film version of Weber's > Phantom of the Opera, as well as playing in Mystic River and other movies. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:23:38 -0500 From: Timothy Jones-Yelvington Subject: Re: Another Tori opinion and some Happy comments (WAS: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight) I really, really, really don't get the SW love and never have. Beekeeper is uneven, but my favorites on it (Original Sinsuality, especially) are still 100 percent more interesting than anything on SW, which to me crawls along at the exact. Same. Pace. For an hour, without a single standout moment. On 10/12/07 1:58 PM, "Bill Mazur" wrote: >> Doug said: SW: In my opinion this gem is as good as anything she's ever >> done...better, in fact, in many respects. Certainly better overall >> than Choirgirl and UTP. > > I agree with Doug on his opinion of Scarlet's Walk. Little Earthquakes, UTP, > and Choirgirl are my other favorites from Tori. Although I do like most of > what Tori has done, her recent work (since SW) doesn't grab me in the same > way. > > On the other hand, I feel like Happy just keeps getting better and better > with each new release. I have been listening to "Find Me" repeatedly. It is > a really fantastic CD. I am very happy that I got the initial "Find Me > Sampler". The mixes and even some of the arrangements have been more fully > realized on the new CD. But I like hearing the variance of the songs on both > CDs. > > Happy's songwriting and her voice are really strong throughout "Find Me". I > may have said this before, even though Happy is well known for her low and > high vocal registers, I absolutely adore the tone and quality of Happy's > voice in her mid range throughout "Find Me". The way Happy is recording her > voice and treating it in the mix (with subtle studio techniques) is really > beautiful to me. > > My favorites on "Find Me" are the title track, One and Many, Can't Let Go, > Treehouse and Fall. But really every song is a masterpiece. > > One thing that Happy and Tori have in common is that, because they are such > gifted musicians themselves, they attract some of the best musicians around > today to work with them. That is definitely the case with Happy. Having > musicians like Bob Muller, Hansford Rowe, Carl Adami, Bon Lozaga, Trey Gunn, > Rob Schwimmer and the other musicians that played with her on "Find Me" is a > bit of coup. > > I feel like "Find Me" is the most rhythmically rich set of music that Happy > has ever released. Bob adds so much to that being the case with his precise > and musical drumming. In addition, his excellent percussion work gives some > of Happy's music an exotic world music flare. The rhythm section of Bob and > Hansford reminds me very favorably of the fantastic rhythm section of > Hansford and the late great Pierre Moerlin. > > Incidentally one of things I like so much about Tori's "Scarlett's Walk" is > the dynamic rhythm section work on that CD. When Billi and I saw Tori in > concert during that tour it was hard for me to figure out where I was going > to focus my attention. > > All the best! > > Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:54:05 -0500 From: Timothy Jones-Yelvington Subject: Re: Firsts... First album I bought myself, at 8 years old (this totally reverse-dates me, as well as being embarrassing) - Amy Grant, "Heart in Motion" First concert - Tracy Chapman ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:40:50 -0700 From: "Bill Mazur" Subject: RE: Another Tori opinion and some Happy comments (WAS: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight) Hi Tim, I guess it all depends on what you like and what you are listening for. Tori's voice sounds like Tori to me no matter what she is doing with the songs. So from that perspective all of her CDs have that certain stamp on them vocally. And her lyrics are always clever (sometimes too clever OR "clever for clever's sake" for my taste) and generally interesting. I prefer Happy's lyrics or Kate's lyrics. But I am not necessarily a lyrics person although I do appreciate poignant and powerful lyrics such as Peter Gabriel's "Here Comes The Flood" for example. I am a musician and probably tend to listen to music from that point of view. So what I really like about SW is the rhythm section (especially the drumming. Very cool modern drumming and drum sound) and how Tori interacts with that rhythm section. If I recall correctly, she had just assembled that band at that point and she was experimenting with working within that framework. She plays a lot of Rhodes and Wurlitzer electric piano on this recording. I really like the slinky, sultry and sensual feel she gets on songs like "Strange", "Sweet Sangria" and "Pancake". However one man's slinky could be another man's crawl. ;-) On the songs for this CD the essential elements seem to be her voice, the chosen piano (whether acoustic or electric) and the drums. They are all work together in a satisfying way for me. So for me I don't find it to be "the exact. Same. Pace" at all. However, I can see your point of view. The CD is not nearly as dynamic as some of her earlier material. Beekeeper is a decent CD. I like Original Sinsuality as well. I love the cover because of the sly and knowing grin on her face. As I said, I pretty much like everything Tori has done. I just like some of her CDs much more than others. All the best! Bill - -----Original Message----- From: Timothy Jones-Yelvington [mailto:timjy@sbcglobal.net] Sent: Friday, October 12, 2007 4:24 PM To: Bill Mazur; Untitled Subject: Re: Another Tori opinion and some Happy comments (WAS: RE: Tori on Craig Ferguson tonight) I really, really, really don't get the SW love and never have. Beekeeper is uneven, but my favorites on it (Original Sinsuality, especially) are still 100 percent more interesting than anything on SW, which to me crawls along at the exact. Same. Pace. For an hour, without a single standout moment. On 10/12/07 1:58 PM, "Bill Mazur" wrote: >> Doug said: SW: In my opinion this gem is as good as anything she's >> ever done...better, in fact, in many respects. Certainly better >> overall than Choirgirl and UTP. > > I agree with Doug on his opinion of Scarlet's Walk. Little > Earthquakes, UTP, and Choirgirl are my other favorites from Tori. > Although I do like most of what Tori has done, her recent work (since > SW) doesn't grab me in the same way. > > On the other hand, I feel like Happy just keeps getting better and > better with each new release. I have been listening to "Find Me" > repeatedly. It is a really fantastic CD. I am very happy that I got > the initial "Find Me Sampler". The mixes and even some of the > arrangements have been more fully realized on the new CD. But I like > hearing the variance of the songs on both CDs. > > Happy's songwriting and her voice are really strong throughout "Find > Me". I may have said this before, even though Happy is well known for > her low and high vocal registers, I absolutely adore the tone and > quality of Happy's voice in her mid range throughout "Find Me". The > way Happy is recording her voice and treating it in the mix (with > subtle studio techniques) is really beautiful to me. > > My favorites on "Find Me" are the title track, One and Many, Can't Let > Go, Treehouse and Fall. But really every song is a masterpiece. > > One thing that Happy and Tori have in common is that, because they are > such gifted musicians themselves, they attract some of the best > musicians around today to work with them. That is definitely the case > with Happy. Having musicians like Bob Muller, Hansford Rowe, Carl > Adami, Bon Lozaga, Trey Gunn, Rob Schwimmer and the other musicians > that played with her on "Find Me" is a bit of coup. > > I feel like "Find Me" is the most rhythmically rich set of music that > Happy has ever released. Bob adds so much to that being the case with > his precise and musical drumming. In addition, his excellent > percussion work gives some of Happy's music an exotic world music > flare. The rhythm section of Bob and Hansford reminds me very > favorably of the fantastic rhythm section of Hansford and the late > great Pierre Moerlin. > > Incidentally one of things I like so much about Tori's "Scarlett's > Walk" is the dynamic rhythm section work on that CD. When Billi and I > saw Tori in concert during that tour it was hard for me to figure out > where I was going to focus my attention. > > All the best! > > Bill ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 20:10:57 -0500 From: "Jon Wesley Huff" Subject: Re: Emmy Rossum, Debbie Harry, Alison Moyet, First Albums, etc I love Imogen Heap but I just can't get into Emmy Rossum's songs. On the Imogen board I compared her music to something sung by a robot. It's pretty, but so smoothed out it seems to lack much personality to me. Is her whole album out now though? I had only listened to a few EP's. I was going to give her another chance when the whole album was released. There does seem to be some promise, they just need to lay off the production a bit. On 10/12/07, jjhanson@att.net wrote: > Maybe I missed it, but does anyone have any thoughts about Emmy Rossum's new CD? > I saw the video for the first single off of it last night on Logo's New Now Next--it's a multi- > layered vocal track--akin to something Imogen Heap or Enya would do, but showed some promise. Emmy is of course the actress that played Christine Daae in the film version of Weber's > Phantom of the Opera, as well as playing in Mystic River and other movies. > > Also saw the new Debbie Harry video--Two Times Blue, kind of interesting but no > real new ground there. They interviewed Debbie throughout the program--it seems > like they were struggling to get interesting soundbites--she's still kind of a kook as always, > and much of her commentary was pretty hard to follow. Particularly her thoughts > on Lil' Kim. Still, I am looking forward to this album--should have it shortly. > > Also, just got news that amazon.co.uk shipped the new Alison Moyet CD to me today. > Yay! Any U.K. folks have thoughts on the album yet? > > Catching up on past threads--my first albums: > > First album I bought - Michael Martin Murphy - Blue Sky Night Thunder (with the infamous Wild Fire--but an album I still enjoy today) > First '45s I bought - Blondie - Heart of Glass and Supertramp's Logical Song > First Concert - Pat Benatar/Billy Squier, supposed to be at Red Rocks but moved to McNichols Arena in Denver due to anticipated rain--Billy Squier was waaaayyyy too loud > > Jeff Hanson > n.r. The Cloud Sketcher - Richard Rayner ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2007 17:58:49 -0700 From: Paul Schreiber Subject: Re: My first record(s) First LP: Flashbeagle (yes, from a Snoopy TV special; this should give away my age :-) First CD: Jurassic Park score First DVD: Playing by Heart (still one of my favourite movies) I'm not sure of my first cassette, but I do recall buying the "I'm too sexy" cassette single when I was in grade eight. Paul shad 96c / uw cs 2001 fan of / ewb / eff / aclu / cc / mac os x / toyota prius / habs / friday night lights / v. mars / steve poltz / libbie schrader "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." --Yogi Berra ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V13 #277 ***************************