From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org To: fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org Reply-To: fegmaniax@ecto.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@ecto.org Subject: Feg Digest V5 #153 Fegmaniax Digest Volume 5 Number 153 Wednesday July 2 1997 To post, send mail to fegmaniax@ecto.org To unsubscribe, send mail to majordomo@ecto.org with the words "unsubscribe fegmaniax-digest" in the message body. Send comments, etc. to the listowner at owner-fegmaniax@ecto.org FegMANIAX! Web Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/fegmaniax/index.html Archives are available at ftp://www.ecto.org/pub/lists/fegmaniax/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's Topics: ------- ------- Re: Bad Music (only 1 baddie in this letter!) good music and bad Re: Bad Music carrying a chisel Re: Punky Garfunkel and Really Bad Songs Re: Electric Globe of Frogs on CD? Robyn on music and painting Re: Bad Songs/Baddies that Sing Them The Price of Fandom (Lowfat RH...2%) Re: Bad Robyn Songs Re: Bad Robyn Songs more most hated Robyn songs (re: feg #152) Worst song thread Jeremy Enigk (0% RH) Re: Chain Letter Spoken Word Tape (idea) Kinks Help (no Hitchcon) radio 100% roynn (no spam) Re: The Price of Fandom (Lowfat RH...2%) Re: Electric Globe of Frogs on CD? Re: Electric Globe of Frogs on CD? Re: The Price of Fandom (Lowfat RH...2%) 3, 5 ... Good Samaritans Needed ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 15:00:51 +0700 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Bad Music (only 1 baddie in this letter!) >>James (who is glad that so many people have heard of the movie "Harvey", >>which would be in his top 20, along with "The Wrong Box" - did that one get >>any votes?) > > Woo Hoo!!!! I Love "Harvey" though.. Been trading great B&W movie >info with one of the list members... I have this urge again.. > If you're into old British B&W movies, I'd also recommend "I'm all right Jack", "The mouse that roared" and Kind Hearts and Coronets" (in which Alec Guinness plays all seven lead roles!). Not to mention "Blithe Spirit", of course, the movie that inspired "My wife and my dead wife", with Margaret Rutherford as the world's dottiest psychic! >>PS - what can anyone tell me about Jeremy Enigk? I've heard he's got a >>vaguely Robynesque sound... > > Umm... Hmm.. I can't say I find him to sound like Robyn, except >maybe for some of the tones of his voice, perhaps.. But hey, it's great.. >I sit and listen to "Diary" (Sunny Day Real Estate w/ Jeremy lead singer) >over and over some days.... Magnifique.. > > Does anyone know if Jeremy's doing solo work at all? that was the reason I asked - I saw an album of his called something like "Return of the Frog Queen" (can't remember the exact title). Wondered whether it was worth picking up. Thanks for the info James James Dignan___________________________________ You talk to me Deptmt of Psychology, Otago University As if from a distance ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk Street And I reply. . . . . . . . . . Dunedin, New Zealand with impressions chosen from another time steam megaphone (03) 455-7807 (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 15:20:03 +0700 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: good music and bad >beyond that, i mean, it wasn't so long ago [...] when james was letting us >know about the latest crop of bands from nz? sigh. This was written to the NZ-POP list yesterday by Jane Sinnott of the Magick Heads (in response to a question from none other than our very own conroversial Eb!). It may interest some of you: >[The Magick Heads'] second album Woody is being released on Flying Nun >Records on the 14th July. We started the recording last year and it has >finished up as a mixture of Robert [Scott]'s and my own writing. In usual >Robert style everyone in the band has had input during the early stages of >each song so really the album is the results of all four of us. The band >now consists of Robert, myself and richard and jim strang. David Mitchell >(3D's) also came along and added his magick touch. Alan staratt also >appears with his vast array of strange and interesting instruments. We are going to mark the release of the album with a gig on the 18th (July) at the dunedin Musicians club in Dunedin to celebrate the albums long gestation.< >The Magick Heads have also been approached by the american label Dark >Beloved Cloud. We are going to record a 4 song single for this label in >the next few weeks. So I guess this will be available in the not to >distant future.< JD note: If you've never heard of the Magick Heads, but like the Bats, you'll like the Magick Heads. Hunt for their first album, "Before we go under". --- Re: Bad Music This topic always send me back to that seminal LP, "Kenny Everett's Twenty Bursts of the Worst". Some of the songs like "Transfusion" and "The Deal" are simply bad taste, but for a truly awful track, there is that cover version of "Spinning Wheel" which is not only a rotten BST composition to start with, but is performed with startling ineptitude, with the two singers hitting different notes, _both_ _wrong_, during the middle eight. There is a wonderfully bad album of Beatles covers called "All this and World War II". Some of the covers are passable, but others ("Michelle" by Richard Cocciante, "Help" by Henry Gross, "I am the Walrus" by Leo Sayer, fer Crissakes!) defy belief. After listening to this album, you will yearn for the BeeGees Sgt Pepper album. It's that bad. James James Dignan___________________________________ You talk to me Deptmt of Psychology, Otago University As if from a distance ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk Street And I reply. . . . . . . . . . Dunedin, New Zealand with impressions chosen from another time steam megaphone (03) 455-7807 (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 21:01:26 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Bad Music >If you're into old British B&W movies, I'd also recommend "I'm all right >Jack", "The mouse that roared" and Kind Hearts and Coronets" (in which Alec >Guinness plays all seven lead roles!). Not to mention "Blithe Spirit", of >course, the movie that inspired "My wife and my dead wife", with Margaret >Rutherford as the world's dottiest psychic! What about "The Ladykillers," "The Man in the White Suit" and "The Lavender Hill Mob"? All brilliant! >that was the reason I asked - I saw an album of his called something like >"Return of the Frog Queen" (can't remember the exact title). Wondered >whether it was worth picking up. Thanks for the info. I know that a lot of people love Enigk's work, but I can't warm up to it. The guy can NOT write a melody. He just sort of writes one circular chord progression and then "wails" over it for three minutes. There's an undeniable spiritual pull to his stuff, but it comes off rather aimless to me in the end. I saw him play on his solo tour however, and it was an exciting show...not too often you see string players in a 450-capacity nightclub, and the guy does have a fiery charisma onstage. But I wouldn't recommend the CDs. Eb ------------------------------ From: tews@vcommons.com (Eddie Tews) Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 21:38:56 -0700 Subject: carrying a chisel susan, in response to somebody saying that even GROOVY DECOY has its admirers, said: >Right Here Buddy. Put 'em up. i'd like to take this moment to remind everybody that robyn said to my face, not one month ago (sydney is a witness) that, "those are good songs. but i hated the sessions, and that colors your opinion of the record." eb, you've been using a lot of ;)'s lately. you're not going soft on us, are you? so, ain't nobody gonna report on the june 10th really secret concert? please. please. well, i said it before, but i guess it's worth repeating: the only bad robyn song i can find is Wafflehead, and it was really great live in '93. brought the house down, actually. is Kung Fu Fighting on cd? which one? is there an ALVIN LIVES cd? mary, mungo and midge's fave flicks: 1. The Big Blue, 2. Red, 3. Clerks, 4. Whitnail and I, 5. Highlander, 6. True Romance, 7. Leon, 8. Un Coeur En Hiver, 9. Angel Heart, 10. Get Carter john b. jones' fave flicks: 1. Being There, 2. Silver Streak, 3. When Harry Met Sally, 4. Strange Days, 5. Gods Must Be Crazy, 6. Better Off Dead, 7. The Aristocats, 8. Sixteen Candles, 9. Blue, 10. Blade Runner dmw's fave flicks: 1. The Big Sleep (1946), 2. To Have And Have Not, 3. Red, 4. The Oak, 5. Betty Blue, 6. Casablanca, 7. Touch of Evil, 8. Kiss Me Deadly, 9. The War of the Worlds (1952), 10. Clerks ------------------------------ From: Hedblade@aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 00:44:27 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Punky Garfunkel and Really Bad Songs In a message dated 97-07-01 11:02:06 EDT, you write: << Jay said: > > BTW- Lennon wrote "Good Night" on The White Album, so I suppose the brilliant > are bound to flub once and again. That was written as a lullabye. It drove my wife up the wall, but for about 5 years my first daughter would not sleep until I had sung it to her. It works.>> By way of fence sitting, I'm currently cooking up a compilation tape for a dear friend's six year old daughter that will most probably contain "Goodnight" as a closer, so even though I think it ranks right up there with some of Paul's worst "Granny Songs," the lullabye aspect isn't lost on me. Everything has its place. Blinking On And Off, Jay P.S. Since I brought it up, does anyone have suggestions for REAL rock songs that appeal to children? Just to get you going, stuff like Barrett's "Effervescing Elephant," "Barenaked Ladies' "If I Had A Million Dollars," TMBG's "Particle Man," some sides by Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, and Louis Prima, and our man's "Balloon Man" will be included. Christ, I've even considered Pavement's "Cut Your Hair!" Open to your wise and wonderful suggestions. THANKS! ------------------------------ From: Hedblade@aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 01:03:51 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Electric Globe of Frogs on CD? "A Globe Of Frogs (Electric Version)" is now easily obtained on the A&M "Greatest Hits" collection along with some other A&M era b-sides. Cheers, Jay ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 01:02:17 -0400 From: twofangs/randi spiegel CC: Scott Hunter McCleary Subject: Robyn on music and painting >In Feg #151 Scott McCleary began: >Possible new thread -- have we done anything on musicians who >paint/draw, etc...has Robyn ever been asked if there's a commonality >between the two processes? When I did an interview with Robyn in May of 1994 (for CBC) I asked him a question similar to the one you posed. I will transcribe that portion of the conversation (in a day or two) and you can all read it for yourselves :) fading back into yesterday before tomorrow *cones* (thanks woj) Randi *what scares you most will set you free* - Robyn Hitchcock ------------------------------ From: SydneyC33@aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 01:27:44 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Bad Songs/Baddies that Sing Them Mississippi Malcolm McDowell writes: << That damn Cat Stevens song 'Wild World' shoulda made the list, not to mention 'Sugar Shack', anything by Lou Christie or Jimmy Buffett, and 'American Pie'. I think they need a rewrite committee. I volunteer. >> I'm with you on "American Pie", Susan. Of course I might feel differently had I not been subjected to it eighty zillion times at a young, impressionable age...but probably not. :) Jimmy Buffet is just fine in my book, but I haven't been able to stomach *anything* by Cat Stevens ever since he came out and said that Salman Rushdie should be put to death for writing the Satanic Verses. I'm generally pretty good at respecting others' convictions, but come on... Isn't it amazing how an artist's social, political, or religious views, or overall personality--once you get to know him/her--can color your taste for their music. Just goes to show...it's not just their wares, it's the entire package. Sydney ------------------------------ From: SydneyC33@aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 01:28:29 -0400 (EDT) Subject: The Price of Fandom (Lowfat RH...2%) Hedblade addresses me thusly: << Sydney Of The Wasps writes: >> I suppose I should explain this, lest you Fegs believe: a) that I fancy myself some sort of religious figure; or b) that I intend to dye my hair platinum blonde, add a little beauty mark to my upper lip, and wear cones on my...HEY NOW!! I'm getting an idea!!! ;) Anyway, the story goes like this... Last week I arrived home and noticed two small (1/3 inch diameter, or so) circular holes in the wall above my front door. I could see the drywall and plaster debris on the floor. Hmmmm... What could that be? The phone company must have needed to drill the holes for the new phone jacks upstairs. In a seemingly unrelated vein, there were two wasps buzzing around in the living room. Must've flown in through an open door. Hmmmm... Did that other wasp just *crawl* out of that hole? Naaaahhh...couldn't be. The next morning I find about 30 wasps buzzing about my living room and another 10 or so in the front window. Hmmmm... Is that a THIRD hole in the wall? OMG! Are wasps *eating* through the wall?! Standing on a chair, I pressed my ear to the wall I heard...you guessed it...a deafening buzz!! So why didn't any of you Fegs *warn* me about this?? And now that I'm "in the know", I'd like to hear about the strange happenings *you* experienced after becoming a Robyn fan. Were you visited by more than your share of insects of one sort or another? Did you have a close encounter with a many-tentacled creature? Were you suddenly unable to purge your mind of images of warplanes? Did your cat stop eating meat? Were you whisked back to the Paleozoic and introduced to Sven? Tell me please... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 09:10:44 +0300 From: Noah Shalev CC: fegmaniax Subject: Re: Bad Robyn Songs Ben wrote: > > >> To bring our attention back to Mr. Hitchcock (remember him?), which of > >> his songs do you consider his worst? > >> > >> I'll start the bidding with Furry Green Atom Bowl. > > I love this song. got nothing more to say NOE ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 23:26:53 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Bad Robyn Songs >Ben wrote: >> >> >> To bring our attention back to Mr. Hitchcock (remember him?), which of >> >> his songs do you consider his worst? >> >> >> >> I'll start the bidding with Furry Green Atom Bowl. I don't really have a single worst-song candidate in mind, but I can't award that status to songs like "Furry Green Atom Bowl" and "Mellow Together," which are basically intended as silly novelties/jokes. It would be like saying the Beatles' worst song is "Why Don't We Do It in the Road?" instead of something just plain lame like, say, "There's a Place" or "What You're Doing." However, I don't have any problem with "Superman" getting the nod! ;P Eb ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 02:12:51 -0400 From: twofangs/randi spiegel Subject: more most hated Robyn songs (re: feg #152) Ed Doxtator commented: > Most Hated Robyn Hitchcock Song > -"Superman" (Queen Elvis version-- loathe it. Programmed it OUT of >the playlist on my CD player.) I love this song...it is one of my faves...Ed, why do you hate it so? Mellow Mike Runion mused: > ...Mellow Together. I tend to cringe everytime I forget to skip over >this one. I have to agree with Mike on this one. I can certainly deal with Furry Green Atom Bowl (which Dan considers to be one of RH's worst) a lot easier than I can Mellow Together. I don't know if Robyn was drunk when he did the "Mellow" vocals, and thus found his rendition extremely amusing...or if he was imitating "The Young Ones" (as I've always assumed and as Ben suggested)... Since Robyn did have a lot of input into the Rhino Releases, I wonder if he encouraged Jim Neill to put the demo on as a bonus. If so, does this mean Robyn really digs "Mellow Together"? As I write this I realize I should e-mail Jim and ask...I'll post his response. Susan observed: > Worst tune.....Probably "Legalized Murder". Lovely sentiment, awful >song. I totally agree...I can barely listen to that one. I'm almost embarrased to admit which other Robyn song annoys me more often than not...I've always figured I just wasn't appreciating it properly...but truth is I mostly skip over... "Give It To The Soft Boys" I'd like to learn to enjoy it more...any suggestions...? John Littlejohn voiced: > "Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus" is God awful. I get a reaction when I >hear it. My reaction is to play it loud and sing along. fading back into yesterday before tomorrow comes, Randi *what scares you most will set you free* - Robyn Hitchcock ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 00:24:46 -0800 From: lobsterman Subject: Worst song thread wow- i am amazed that i like most all the songs mentioned as "hated Robyn songs" I like Furry Green Atom bowl (and did a version of my own for one of the glass flesh comps.) I also like Mellow Together, if only because of the Young Ones thang. I like Midnight Fish, and Superman. But here are some that I don't like: SHAPES BETWEEN us turn into animals Blues in A (not sure of exact title, but its on inviso hitchcock) Groovy Decay is my least favorite Robyn Cd, so if I have to pick one from there I would pick "when I was a kid" or "young people scream" ------------------------------ From: "Baker, David(KWI-C09)" Subject: Jeremy Enigk (0% RH) Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 04:25:00 -0400 I got introduced to Jeremy Enigk very recently thanks to Terry Marks. He sent me a tape of (predominantly) Martin Newall's The Greatest Living Englishman which for some reason didn't really grab me despite containing all of the right ingredients. What did grab me were these mysterious two unlabelled songs which Terry had filled out the tape with. We eventually worked out that the songs were opening two tracks from Jeremy Enigk's solo album Return of the Frog Queen and I went out and bought it the following week. Anyway, this is my probably my favourite album of the moment (and I wouldn't have heard it except for the great taste of fellow fegs)! The music is very powerful and strangely uplifting with a definite sinister, psychedelic edge to it. I can best compare it to some of the darker, more passionate material on XTC's Skylarking (1,000 Umbrella's, Dear God and The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul) but it really is quite unlike anything I've heard before. The songs are all in a vaguely similar vein but the CD runs for 9 songs in 29 minutes so I don't find this to be a problem. The songs are also quite catchy in their own unique way. I recommend it highly to all fegs and would be interested in hearing what Sunny Day Real Estate are like. The Mojo Review of Frog Queen (which was very positive) mentioned something along the lines of SDREstate being a mediocre band. Has anyone here heard them and is their work similar to his solo album. Dave ------------------------------ From: JASONBRAB@aol.com Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 09:41:56 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Chain Letter Spoken Word Tape (idea) <<...when we get to the end of the chain, we tree the tape, and give it a name. I had heard once of a legit Elvis Presley album that was made up of all his concert banter. I don't know what the title is, but if someone knows, maybe we can take the title and "Robynize" it.>> "Having Fun With Elvis On Stage" (on Boxcar Records, the Colonel's own label, yet!......) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 10:42:10 -0500 (CDT) From: John Littlejohn Subject: Kinks Help (no Hitchcon) Ther seemed to be many fans of the Kinks in Fegmaniax. I was wondering if any of you lot have the CD version (it's a fan club edition) of the 'Great Lost Kinks Album'. If you do is it any good (soundwise) and are the tracks the same as the LP? many thanks JL -* "Si vous m'obstaclerez, je vous liquiderai" - Churchill -* ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 08:44:07 -0700 (PDT) From: griffith Subject: radio I heard a new song by Robyn (remember him?) on the radio friday night. It was the in-studio version of "I Saw Nick Drake". Of course I was listening to KCRW at the time. It was a pleasant surprise to hear it snuggled between two other non-Robyn songs. It is a great song. griffith ______________________________________________________________ Griffith Davies hbrtv219@email.csun.edu ------------------------------ From: Jeff Vaska Subject: 100% roynn (no spam) Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 10:24:04 -0700 Hi... Ok, I must have a good quality copy of "antwoman" (better than the version I have from his latest backstage show - advise me as to where I should gaze. Thanks in advance y'all...jv "I've got a funny feeling they got plastic in the afterlife" -beck ------------------------------ Subject: Re: The Price of Fandom (Lowfat RH...2%) Date: Wed, 2 Jul 97 10:38:07 -0700 From: Tom Clark "The Lobster Gang" On 7/1/97 10:28 PM, Sydney stated emphatically: >And now that I'm "in >the know", I'd like to hear about the strange happenings *you* experienced >after becoming a Robyn fan. I joined this list! ooooooh, scaaaaary! -tc ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 10:48:36 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth CC: gene@edoc.com Subject: Re: Electric Globe of Frogs on CD? On Tue, 1 Jul 1997 18:25 Gene Hopstetter noted: > > Anyone know where I could get this? I want it for compilation tapes. > > I especially like the version that starts "something is > > slithering..." > > As far as I know, it's only available on the Balloon Man CD5. It's > called "Globe of Frogs (Electric)" and does indeed begin with Robyn > whispering "...something slithering..." Wot! You mean it's not on the CD3? I'll rush home tonight and take a look. By the way, anyone know if Balloon Man the only CD3 from Robyn? (I happen to collect 3" CDs) ~N ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 14:13:52 -0500 From: "Gene Hopstetter, Jr." Subject: Re: Electric Globe of Frogs on CD? Nick asked, >On Tue, 1 Jul 1997 18:25 Gene Hopstetter [incorrectly] noted: > >> As far as I know, it's only available on the Balloon Man CD5. It's >> called "Globe of Frogs (Electric)" and does indeed begin with Robyn >> whispering "...something slithering..." > >Wot! You mean it's not on the CD3? I'll rush home tonight and take a >look. CD3? CD5? I dunno how big that thing is. It's a cute, *little* CD, in an orange gatefold kinda paper sleeve. First I forget that "A Globe of Frogs (Electric)" is also on the A&M Greatest Hits CD, then I get the size wrong. Someone better beat me up with a fish till I'm screaming in pain. >By the way, anyone know if Balloon Man is the only CD3 from Robyn? >(I happen to collect 3" CDs) I hope so. If not, I'd have to have the other ones. But I think that was the only one. +++++++++++++++++ "Don't let Western Civilization + Gene Hopstetter, Jr. + make a dipshit out of you." +++++++++++++++++ -- Spot 1019 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 13:40:45 -0500 (CDT) From: Mississippi Malcolm McDowell Subject: Re: The Price of Fandom (Lowfat RH...2%) On Wed, 2 Jul 1997, Tom Clark wrote: > On 7/1/97 10:28 PM, Sydney stated emphatically: > > >And now that I'm "in > >the know", I'd like to hear about the strange happenings *you* experienced > >after becoming a Robyn fan. I bored the living shit out of people constantly prattling on about him and quoting him. But then again, that is not strange. As an IRC friend of mine put it........"When someone asks you who did a certain song, do you find them slowly backing away from you in horror as you babble on about the drummer's second cousin's car accident and how Glen Matlock happened to be recording nearby at the time? If the answer is yes, you may have a problem......" :). Anyway, so I wants to know- is the Rhino greatest hits ready for press yet? And I agree with the person who proposed the box set, it is a grand idea. Yes, I know Robyn's label history is somewhat tangled, but this didn't seem to be a problem when putting together the Rhino greatest hits compilation so how bad could it really be (except perhaps with the A&M material, they seem to be assholes all around)? I do remember him telling us Chicago feggers that he actually has most of the original tapes of his material in his own possession, but I don't know how that would affect things. Love on ya, Susan ******************************************************************************* "The worship of the beautiful always ends in an orgy"- Benjamin Disraeli, "Lothair", lxxvii ******************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 14:25:51 -0500 (EST) From: Tracy Aileen Copeland Subject: 3, 5 ... On Wed, 2 Jul 1997, various folks wrote: > Balloon Man CD5 [...] CD3 [...] CD3 [...] CD5? "Balloon Man" was released *both* as a CD3 and a CD5. Since the covers are identical except for size, I've always assumed the songs are too. -- How is it that you fail to perceive that I did not speak about bread? - Matthew 16:11 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 08:51:16 -0400 Subject: Good Samaritans Needed From: grahampenn@juno.com (Graham C Penn) Hi everyone, I'm been a lurker around these parts for quite a bit. Since list members seem to be a very giving lot, I was wondering if there is anyone out there willing to trade live/rarity Feg tapes for blanks + dough? I'm new to the whole tape trading scene and thus have nothing to offer (plus no way to dub anything) in trade. I'm especially interested in the much discussed Netsurfer Ghost thing or recent live stuff. Sorry to interrupt the flow with my pleadings, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. Thanks, Graham _________________________________________________________________ --------- End forwarded message ---------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End of this Fegmaniax Digest. *sob* .