Fegmaniax Digest Volume 4 Number 14 Send posts to fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu Send subscribe/unsubscribe commands to majordomo@nsmx.rutgers.edu Send comments, etc. to the listowner at owner-fegmaniax@nsmx.rutgers.edu FegMANIAX! Web Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/fegmaniax/ Archives are available at http://archive.uwp.edu/pub/music/lists/fegmaniax/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: ------- ------- Re: Respect production Friday 26th Re: The A&M years Re: 'Sprouts' tapes Dreams from a winter place EYE/Respect Van Halen It Was the Night RE: Duels Beatles, feh! Re: Beatles, feh! [Vapors] Robyn dreams KungFu Fighting Re: odd words Kung Fu Fighting ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 11:05:28 +0000 From: Jim Bower Subject: Re: Respect production I've tried to keep out of this, mainly because I said it all before a few months back, but that old Eye-Robyn Vs. Respect-Robyn chestnut moves me like no other Robyn-related subject. Of course, the real answer is, it's a matter of taste, pure and simple, but that's no fun at all so here goes. The production on "respect" is in my opinion, just about perfect - I regard the middle section of "Arthur Lee" as Robyn's absolute masterpiece and thats just one part, it's all great. While I truly appreciate acoustic-Robyn, and robyn-as-lyricist and robyn-as-bloke-in-great-shirts for that matter, what really impresses me to a goosepimple level are the arrangements, usually eqyptians stuff. Bassdrumskeyboardsguitarvocalsoccasionalotherstuff - tired old formula, but they really did something different with it, not just Robyn, who despite owing tip of the hat to Syd Barrett, is a true original. For me, Respect is like a sgt-pepper-of-the-egyptians album. Arms Of Love? More keyboards? Pile it on!!! There's a certain credibility in stripped-down songs, as if somehow these represent the 'true' artist. They come across as the more intimate, honest songs, and I'm not saying I can't connect on that level. I love a lot of that stuff. But I reckon he is at his height when being extrovert and extravagant, not introspective. Why strip him down when he's so good at dressing up? Let him overproduce. Give the man a canvas. Give him string quartets, orchestras, legions of chanting dwarves, genuine seafood mating calls, anything he wants. Respect's songs are as good if not better than any he recorded before. If he recorded them acoustically on his own they would still be good songs. Layered production is simply decoration, it doesnt detract, it adds, and Robyn is such a damn good decorator. I would rather he was spectacular than earnest, and for me respect comes closest. Ah...I enjoyed that. Jim Bower ************ Jim Bower ** ******** ** * * * """" """" * ** (@) (@) * oh yez oh yez oh yez hear ye hear ye hear ye { ' ` } FREUD SQUAD CD 'IN A PREVIOUS LIFE' NOW OUT *l (oo) l* I AWAIT YOUR EMAIL REQUESTING A COPY l ' WITH UNFOUNDED OPTIMISM l )======( l Current count of feglist Freuds CD owners: 3 l` ' l `________' A bargain at only $20 or equivalent l l ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 11:21:34 +0000 From: Jim Bower Subject: Friday 26th UK Fegs: If my car makes it to London, and if the person I'm supposed to be staying with doesn't back out (and I can't get hold of him on the phone), I will be there at the 12-bar on Friday, if any of you wish to harass me. I'll be wearing one of my Robyn T-Shirts, tallness, dark hair and a small ex-girlfriend. And probably a weathered leather jacket. because that's the only item of clothing I own with a pocket big enough to carry Freud Squad CDs. I'm bringing my ex with me because she's a feg with a long unlucky streak when it comes to seeing Robyn live. The last three attempts she made were: 1: Billy Bragg tour support, Leeds University - queued for ages and got in just as Robyn was playing his last song. 2. London gig at Camden - she was hospitalised the day before and I had to take someone else. 3. Sheffield University/Poly (forget which)...we turned up to find that Robyn had calncelled due to flu. Bringing her along is tempting fate, so don't be surprised if the 12 bar club is flattened by a meteorite when you get there. It's Sarah's fault. Jim Bower ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 11:33:04 +0000 (GMT) From: "Espen H. Koht" Subject: Re: The A&M years On Mon, 22 Jan 1996, Russ Reynolds wrote: > over the weekend I filled my CD changer with the five A&M albums (Saturday: *Snip* > > I'd rank 'em thusly: > 1. Globe of Frogs > 2. Respect > 3. Queen Elvis > 4. Eye > 5. Perspex Island > > thoughts? My very first reaction is to point out that Eye is NOT an A&M album! Indeed that was my rection when it came out too. I think it is quite obvious why Robyn and A&M agreed that this was not an album for them (and I'm glad he was allowed to it on another label). Espen ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 09:01:30 -0500 (EST) From: "Clinton W. Golden" Subject: Re: 'Sprouts' tapes >The tape which became the 'Against The Fall Of The Kingdom Of Love' CD: Kingdom >of Love, Only the Stones, Acid Bird, I Watch The Cars, City Of Shame, Brenda's >Iron Sledge, I Wanna Destroy You, The Lizard, Insanely Jealous (all the SBs >final gig, 8/2/81), plus A Most Peculiar Voice, The Unpleasant Stain, A Bad Case >Of History, Lobsterman, Chain Mary To The Bed, September Cones, Wolfpack, Baby, >You're A Rich Man, She Said She Said, Snowstrike, Rock & Roll (all live) HUH?!?!? I'm confused here. Does this CD exist? Has anyone seen/gotten it? Please let me know! Must....get....cd........but....in....pittsburgh...... clint ------------------------------ From: LORDK@FLP.LIB.PA.US Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 9:37:40 -0500 (EST) CC: LORDK@FLP.LIB.PA.US Subject: Dreams from a winter place Back in the late 80s I had 3 Robyn dreams in the space of afew months. As memory serves theywent something like this. 1--Im sitting gabbing with friends in some reaustraunt, Robyn comes rushing thru, mutters--Hi Kay--as he passes. Is gone before I can respond. 2--Am in some wonderful old store which reminds me of the old hippie-havens of yesteryear(most specifically, the early Distant Drummer, circa 1967, on about 62nd and Lex in NY), where they sold records, clothes, and dope paraphanalia. Robyns playing a set there. We both say hello, but I cant think of anything else to say, so c'est ca.Theres a geourgeous, intricate oriental rug on the wall. 3--This is where it gets interesting. We're both dressed alike-- faded jeans and acqua henley type T-shirts. We're in some dark, somewhat creepy place where there are all these cages around, which of course, should be the kiss of death for a pleasant dream, but actually was more like the kiss of life, since our task was to liberate the prisoners. Which we did. Woke up feeling wonderful, and have had Robyn -free dreams ever since. $th rate anylasis--for me, Robyn represents a liberating force within my unconscious, one that may well be one step ahead of me, and which helps me work out some of my own twistings. Its wierd, I dont understand this at all== but Ive found his stuff pretty consistently healing and helpful. Has anyone else? Does anyone else have any opinions on why some music works to heal, and some just to exhaserbate ones own personal funk?. I find this all abit of a mystery. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 96 07:58:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: EYE/Respect 1. Yeah, I know "Eye" isn't an A&M album, but it did come out in the middle of the A&M era, and therefore needs to be included when examining that portion of Robyn's career. 14. To elaborate on an earlier statement that anyone who considers "Eye" a great album should feel the same way about "Respect", allow me to quote Mr. Jim Bower (albeit out of context), who remarked: >There's a certain credibility in stripped-down songs, as if somehow these >represent the 'true' artist. They come across as the more intimate, honest >songs, I think the two key words there are "come across". Granted, most of the tunes on Eye certainly ARE intimate and probably honest. But I think the same can be said about the tunes on "Respect." Here's an album which leads off with a track about his dying father, and includes other tunes which explore a more serious side of death than the earlier Robyn would've dealt with. Musically, for my money the songs on "Respect" are just as good if not better than those on Eye. Robyn's singing is much stronger (or covered up better), and you've got the electricity of the Egyptians, which shines especially bright on "Yip", "Arms" "Driving Aloud" and "When I was Dead", all of which I'd rank among their best work. Given all that, it's obvious to me that what makes the "Eye" fan dislike "Respect" is the overall overproduced sound of "Respect". I too have problems with the production on many (most?) of the songs. But if its the honesty and intimacy that draws you to "Eye" despite some less-than perfect singing and playing it seems rather hypocritical to cast aside the honesty and intimacy of "Respect" because of a problem with the presentation. Respect is due to "Respect." -Russ [the opinions expressed are mine and in no way represent the opinions of this radio station, its staff or management--most of whom have no idea who the hell Robyn Hitchcock is] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 96 08:02:00 -0800 From: Russ Reynolds Subject: Van Halen Aidan, I'm still waiting for details on the alleged Robyn Hitchcock/Eddie Van Halen recording session. Please tell us what you know! -Russ ------------------------------ From: jimm@dbu.edu Date: Tue, 23 Jan 96 13:09:00 -0600 Subject: It Was the Night I would love to hear Robyn do "Baby You're a Rich Man"! I would also enjoy hearing Robyn sing (and play) "She Said, She Said" (of course, with Andy and Morris doing harmonies) -- that would be excellent. I also think *Revolver* is my favorite Beatles album--especially if you throw in "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" which were recorded during the same sessions but only released as singles. I listened to a few songs from *Respect* this morning while I was ironing my pants and I had a vision. It was beatific and quite uplifting, but I'm not allowed to share any of the details with anyone else. Nevertheless, does anyone like "It was the Night" (track 14) from the Rhino BSDR as much as I do? I never get tired of listening to that tune... to me it is a perfect take. Hi Jonathan! (no, I am not on drugs--I am trying to write a paper called "Was Dostoevsky an Existentialist?") Gosh! Jim (student formerly known as Beaker) Moore jimm@dbu "You know my name.... look up the number" - John Lennon ------------------------------ From: "Winkworth, Nick SJ" Subject: RE: Duels Date: Tue, 23 Jan 96 11:42:00 PST On: Sat, 20 Jan 96 a certain unplugged elephant effervesced... >GoF better than Eye? The hell you say! I know we're all entitled to our >own opinions and all that... Thank you. >...but YOU ARE JUST WRONG :) What ME wrong??!! Consider yourself challenged by a slap in the face with a wet codfish. >.... I have nothing whatsoever against pop... Likewise, I have nothing against acoustic music or sparse production. (I think I even spotted a fellow ani difranco fan on this list) >My problem [is] with overproduction and belabored whimsey. I'll put up with a little overproduction on a great song and/or arrangement over superb production on "ho-hum" material any day! >And so, now that I have made my case, choose your second, my friend. Very well. I nominate Jim "Electric Warrior" Bower! >That is provided that dueling with umbrellas once owned by John Steed >suits your fancy. Not so fast! It's common knowledge that Emma Peel had them all shredded when our Mr. Steed took to his wheelchair in 1978. By rule 57b of the duelers code, the choice reverts to me! I therefore select a duel by toad spanghewing--the farthest toad wins. (Jim has a few of the little buggers wired up right now... and I think we're onto a winner!) BUT SERIOUSLY... Does anyone have any idea about Robyn's views of his past material? Maybe someone would care to look though old setlists and see which songs are most frequently revived in performance. Yours in the wartproof latex bodysuit. Safe spang'ing everyone! Nick ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 14:27:41 -0600 (CST) From: VERMIN-IN-TRAINING Subject: Beatles, feh! ...I think it would be cool if RH did some Arlo Guthrie...disturbed images of his updated version of Alices Resturant would no doubt sell out any venue he decided to play... ...on another note...has anyone seen or heard anything about the rerelease of the 80's clssic "New Clear Days" by the Vapors? Somewhere in the mess that is USENET I read it and can't remember where.... jay %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Jay Lyall "All my friends do the model girl thing hist1a@jetson.uh.edu So I found me one University of Houston Now she wears my nose ring" --Lloyd Cole "Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip" "There's liquor on my breath --Robyn Hitchcock And you on my mind" --Replacements %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 16:21:29 -0500 (EST) From: ! Subject: Re: Beatles, feh! [Vapors] Jay, _New Clear Days_ was more-or-less released by, um, one-way records, I think, as _The Collection_. This is the entire US release, plus four songs from the _Magnets_ albums. I found my copy just before Christmas -- check big stores like Tower. doug __/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\__/-\ = ...nous devons cultiver notre jardin... = = INET:dmayowel@access.digex.net AOL:DougMhyphW Compu$erve:102432,355 = = visit the pathetic caverns! http://www.access.digex.net/~dmayowel = On Tue, 23 Jan 1996, VERMIN-IN-TRAINING wrote: > > ...I think it would be cool if RH did some Arlo Guthrie...disturbed images of > his updated version of Alices Resturant would no doubt sell out any venue he > decided to play... > > > ...on another note...has anyone seen or heard anything about the rerelease of > the 80's clssic "New Clear Days" by the Vapors? Somewhere in the mess that is > USENET I read it and can't remember where.... > > jay > > > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% > Jay Lyall "All my friends do the model girl thing > hist1a@jetson.uh.edu So I found me one > University of Houston Now she wears my nose ring" > --Lloyd Cole > > "Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip Yip" "There's liquor on my breath > --Robyn Hitchcock And you on my mind" > --Replacements > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% > ------------------------------ From: jimm@dbu.edu Date: Tue, 23 Jan 96 15:47:16 -0600 Subject: Robyn dreams I once dreamed that I found a quaint little record store with a sort of "upper room". I found the secret chamber--which coincidentally was actually my living room--and I sat down with a bunch of friends to chat about music and books. Robyn was there and was the center of attention. He told us all these stories about songs and what they meant and even clued us in on some of the unsolvable riddles of life--which impressed me deeply during the dream, but of course, fate would have it that I remember exactly nothing of anything he said. He was an extremely friendly and kind chap. The thing that I do remember was that he signed the front page of a book and he wrote a lot of nice things about what a great guy I was and drew some cool pictures. I was so proud and I couldn't believe my luck! Not only did I finally meet Robyn, but he thought I was cool! Then I woke up and was depressed because it was only a dream. Then I went to work and had Chef Boyardee Spaghetti-O's for lunch. I remember that. Fondly, Jim Moore "You've got a boyfriend in Ghana you've got a mother in Spain And you've got a friend in the Lord and you drive me insane" - Robyn Hitchcock ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 96 15:48:33 CST From: the Goddess Subject: KungFu Fighting I'm new here at the mailing list, and I'm starting to feel grossly inadequate. Living most of time as a RH fan in Lubbock, TX of all places and then going to college in San Antonio has left me with no opportunities to see RH perform or to buy many RH rarities. Being on this list is wonderful, though, because I finally have true RH fans who I can ask all my questions of and have debates which are ultimately silly like whether Respect or Eye or Perspex Island is the worse RH album (I personally can't stand listening to BSDR very often). So here is my big question, which will probably be easily answered by someone: Is there really a RH song named "Kung Fu Fighting"? I've had non-RH fan people tell me they love this song, but so far it has eluded me. My only clue has been a liner note on the Eye CD mentioning Kung Fu Fighting. Anybody know where I can find it? BTW, since there's been a lot of talk about acoustic vs. electric fans and which albums are best, I like both acoustic and electric, but what generally interests me most are the lyrics. My favorite album is IODOT, but I also really like Invisible Hitchcock, Underwater Moonlight, Queen Elvis, and Globe of Frogs (each of these albums at one time or another have been my favorite RH album). I guess I will now stand back and wait for the flames. Sarah Clopton AKA The Goddess ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jan 1996 13:54:25 +0700 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: odd words >Well, we could conduct a poll and present the results to The Man Himself, or >we could simply conduct one for our own enjoyment. sorry... I'd reply to this, but I'm not feeling too well today, after accidentally eating a pyxt-box at a late night wayzgoose. James ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jan 1996 19:04:14 -0600 From: mbrage@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu (Michael Brage) Subject: Kung Fu Fighting >>the goddess wrote: >> So here is my big question, which will probably be easily answered >>by someone: Is there really a RH song named "Kung Fu Fighting"? I've >>had non-RH fan people tell me they love this song, but so far it has >>eluded me. My only clue has been a liner note on the Eye CD mentioning >>Kung Fu Fighting. Anybody know where I can find it? ----- Robyn performs the 70's smash hit "Kung Fu Fighting" on the compilation album "Alvin Lives (in Leeds)" Midnight Music, Clang 4 CD. This was released in 1990. I believe it is out of print. If I see one, I'll let you know. Be seeing you, Michael ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest.