From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V6 #16 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Friday, September 26 1997 Volume 06 : Number 016 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Ladies And Gentlemen...Andy Metcalfe!!! [Capuchin ] Re: Who's a virtuoso?(.0002% RH content) [M R Godwin ] Andy M. [shmac@ix.netcom.com (Scott Hunter McCleary)] The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab [Natalie Jacobs ] Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab [Capuchin ] Yer bassic Elements of Cockney [Nick Winkworth ] Re: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney [Alex Tanter ] Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab [sdodge@midway.uchicago.edu (amad] Old relic bore... [Mark_Gloster@3com.com] Re: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney [Ross Overbury ] Re: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney [Nick Winkworth ] Read/Write CDs... Audio/CD-ROM [LSDiamond ] Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab [Eb ] Galaxie 500 [Terrence M Marks ] Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab ["Baker, David(KWI-C09)" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 00:47:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Ladies And Gentlemen...Andy Metcalfe!!! On Tue, 23 Sep 1997, amadain wrote: > You know, apropos of nothing I think "Knife" is a really cool song. Apropos of ... err... what she said, I think "Knife" is a really cool song. Just thought I'd pipe up and chime in. J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 00:52:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Dan Bern's "Aliens F*cked the Monkeys"? On Tue, 23 Sep 1997, lj lindhurst wrote: > A friend told me that he saw Dan Bern over the summer, performing at the > Philadelphia Folk Festival. He said DB played a "sing-a-long" song for the > audience called "Aliens Fucked the Monkeys". The song was about the notion > that we didn't evolve from apes, but as a result of aliens mating with the > monkeys. The chorus that the audience was encouraged to sing along with > was, "aliens fucked, fucked, fucked, fucked the monkeys!" Apparently, this > folk festival was considered a "family" affair, and not everyone > appreciated Mr. Bern's song! > > I thought this was hilarious...has anyone heard this song? I haven't. I can't decide if I'm offended or elated. Aliens fucked the monkeys? Maybe. I just know I didn't see any of that action. However, I'm now enticed to make the trek to Berkeley in November... although I'm still hanging on that UK in December thing. Boyo. J. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 14:06:42 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: RE: Do what you want, running wild On Wed, 24 Sep 1997, Chris wrote: > >He must be thinking of "Make Me Smile [Come Up and See Me]," by Steve > >Harley & Cockney Rebel. I'm not sure if this song is new or not -- the > >remainder of the soundtrack is mostly campy '70s stuff like Hot Chocolate > >and Donna Summer. > I'll bet it's a 70's song. I have a Duran Duran 45 from 1982 where they do a > song by that title. It's probably the same one. I always wondered who they > were covering. It was a huge hit for SH and CR in '75, I think - easily their biggest hit. It's still on my local pub juke box - I guess it never crossed the Atlantic. Incidentally, the wonderful acoustic guitar solo is by Jim Cregan, ex-Blossom Toes, ex-Family, who was the bass player in Cockney Rebel at the time. - - Mike Godwin (ex-Blossom Toes fan club) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 14:16:44 +0100 (BST) From: M R Godwin Subject: Re: Who's a virtuoso?(.0002% RH content) I think that the interesting Webster's definition misses a key part of virtuosity, which is the Paganini 'flash' which involves not only being skilled but also wanting to show off that skill prominently. Pastorius or Stanley Clarke are (in that sense) virtuosi in a way that Entwistle and Seligman aren't. I'm certainly not saying that E and S are not skilled musicians, but that their playing is designed to contribute to a band performance rather than to outplay the rest of the band. - - Mike Godwin PS Hendrix is a virtuoso but Clapton isn't - or if he is, he doesn't really want to be... ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 08:04:56 -0500 (CDT) From: shmac@ix.netcom.com (Scott Hunter McCleary) Subject: Andy M. Forgive me, I'm a digester. If you're full of bass virtuosi, please turn the page. I was really hooked on his playing the first time I heard OLPOE. I've always felt that he has an understanding of counterpoint, and uses the bass as a very effective foil to Robyn's guitar style. He doesn't clutter it up with a lot of notes, but he certainly lets you know where the song is going. And live, he certainly was a great foil for Robyn himself. Hmm, nobody's mentioned Flea in this thread. *snicker* Clippity Cloppety, crotchety camel runts ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 09:26:43 -0400 From: Natalie Jacobs Subject: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab I must say that having been name-checked not once but *twice* in the Great Quail's diseased meanderings, I am a-tremble with awe; I feel that I've done very little to warrant such an honor in that I have posted to this list approximately three times total and I can't remember what I said. So, Great Member of the Phasinidae Family, I cry unto your feathered majesty: I am not worthy! What did I do while the list was down? Well, I went on a pilgrimage to the great Hitchcock idol, the Sacred Crab, to find out where I should go next in my explorations of Robyn's world. I offered it a plate of shrimp curry and bowed down; its segmented granite legs trembled in a faint breeze. "O Sacred Crab," I said, "help me: what record should I buy next?" The Sacred Crab considered the question. A skylark sang in the distance. "GO NOW, AND BUY 'MOSS ELIXIR,' AND 'INVISIBLE HITS,' AND 'FEGMANIA'!" it proclaimed at length. "AND GET ME MORE OF THIS SHRIMP CURRY, IT'S REALLY TASTY." So of course I had to obey. I actually bought "Moss Elixir" a few months ago and my opinion is mixed. I think some of it is heartbreakingly gorgeous - "The Speed of Things" is probably my favorite, and anything featuring a lot of violin - but the instrumentation aside, some of the songs partake too much of the general limpness of "Perspex Island" - they're not *bad*, just kind of... there. Since I haven't heard "Respect," I don't know if this is a general trend in Robyn's songwriting or just a minor slump. (Should I buy "Respect"? I've heard such mixed things about it. [insert sound of can of worms being opened up.]) I guess I should be drawn and quartered or something, because, with a few exceptions, I found "Invisible Hits" virtually unlistenable. And I *like* the Soft Boys. Only a heart of stone could resist "Have a Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)," though. "Fegmania" was the biggest success of the three albums I bought. It's the only Robyn album that sounds a little dated to me - it's those '80's keyboards, I think - but I really liked it anyway: perfect, surreal little pop tunes, with more hooks than a boatload of fishermen. That's good eatin'! My only gripe is with the re-release that I bought; much as I like "Egyptian Creme," I don't need three versions of it on the CD. And that experimental instrumental stuff... well, at least it's at the end of the disk. Oh yes, and the Sacred Crab also told me that Andy Metcalfe whups ass (though I don't think those were its *exact* words). n. P.S. I apologize for any factual errors that may have crept into this e-mail. They are the fault of sunspots and/or Mercury retrograde. Or something. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 08:09:32 -0700 (PDT) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab I originally wrote this as a reply just to Natalie, but found the bit in the middle to be interesting to me and therefore I have the right to subject the entire group to it. (Right, Eddie?) On Thu, 25 Sep 1997, Natalie Jacobs wrote: > I must say that having been name-checked not once but *twice* in the Great > Quail's diseased meanderings, I am a-tremble with awe; I feel that I've > done very little to warrant such an honor in that I have posted to this > list approximately three times total and I can't remember what I said. So, > Great Member of the Phasinidae Family, I cry unto your feathered majesty: I > am not worthy! I stopped reading Quailspill quite a while ago, but I don't ever remember being mentioned, so I can't say much on this account. I guess your three posts are significant whilst mine simply take space. Did anyone REPLY to your posts? Nobody ever replies to my posts. Sometimes I think folks are just being polite by not telling me to go away. Personally, I'd say it's more impolite to endure someone you loathe than to simply say to them that you'd have more fun if they weren't around. Me, being a good and caring person, would say "Oh, great... I won't waste your time, then." and be gone. > The Sacred Crab considered the question. A skylark sang in the distance. > "GO NOW, AND BUY 'MOSS ELIXIR,' AND 'INVISIBLE HITS,' AND 'FEGMANIA'!" it > proclaimed at length. "AND GET ME MORE OF THIS SHRIMP CURRY, IT'S REALLY > TASTY." You know, I never talked to the fellow myself, but that's exactly the sort of thing I'd EXPECT the Sacred Crab to say. > So of course I had to obey. I actually bought "Moss Elixir" a few months > ago and my opinion is mixed. I think some of it is heartbreakingly > gorgeous - "The Speed of Things" is probably my favorite, and anything > featuring a lot of violin - but the instrumentation aside, some of the > songs partake too much of the general limpness of "Perspex Island" - > they're not *bad*, just kind of... there. The Speed of Things was my favorite there for quite a while. Now I'd say it's I Am Not Me. The energy of that song is hypnotic. The sexuality is deafening. Beautiful Queen is great, but I'm a bit put off by that one because he played it at at least seven of the shows I saw this summer. It's draining. (Then again, he played Queen of Eyes and each of those shows and I love it more now than I did in February. Go figure.) > Since I haven't heard "Respect," > I don't know if this is a general trend in Robyn's songwriting or just a > minor slump. (Should I buy "Respect"? I've heard such mixed things about > it. [insert sound of can of worms being opened up.]) That is, of course, a can of bees. > I guess I should be drawn and quartered or something, because, with a few > exceptions, I found "Invisible Hits" virtually unlistenable. And I *like* > the Soft Boys. Only a heart of stone could resist "Have a Heart, Betty > (I'm Not Fireproof)," though. I'd just like to say that Robyn is, indeed, mossy to me. I'd say he's hit and miss if I weren't such a thoughtful fellow. His songs either strike me or just slide off. But in time, I grow to love each one. CDs are Robyn's nemesis. If you can skip a track that doesn't excite you, odds are you will. I never skip tracks. Albums are arranged for a reason. Random and Skip do something to the integrity of a disc that maybe shouldn't be done. There are exceptions, but Robyn isn't one of them. I mean, go ahead and put the A&M Greatest Hits album on random... I think that's how they chose the order there anyway. And yeah, skip that live version of Egyptian Cream if you really don't want to hear it for the third time this sitting. But don't skip Ye Sleeping Knights Of Jesus. Don't skip The Moon Inside (when you get Respect). Don't skip The Asking Tree or Rock'n'Roll Toilet. All of these songs were, for me, grating or just boring at first -- or at least not my bag. And before anyone freaks out and writes a massive defense of one of those songs, think. We all have them. For me, it was Asking Tree and Rock'n'Roll Toilet, for you, it could be Wafflehead or So You Think You're In Love. And I'll say, even on this list, there's no accounting for taste. (We just ended [hopefully!!!] a thread discussing the relative merits of individual members of The Who, for Heaven's sake!) As for whether or not you shouldl buy Respect, I will, of course, say 'Yes'. If not simply for completeness or to find out what all this fuss is over, then for, as much as some here bury it, the music. I'm of the camp that argues that even an album with eleven garbage tracks is worth owning as long as it has more than eleven tracks. That is to say, those few gems, no matter how rarely you find them, are worth the chase. As for me, I'd say Respect had four or five good solid highs in it when I picked it up and is filled with them today. Beauty is where you find it. Reality is what you make it. > "Fegmania" was the biggest success of the three albums I bought. It's the > only Robyn album that sounds a little dated to me - it's those '80's > keyboards, I think Black Snake Diamond Role is severely dated in my book. I feel like every time I hear it, I'm listening through a filter of 15 years. It's like someone broke the seal way back when and didn't put the cap back on. There's just no freshness in it. I really do get a kind of mental image of a long listening cone... like a hearing megaphone, whatever those were called... stretching back through time from my ear to an LP turning slowly on a vulcanized rubber mat. It's dated, whereas Fegmania! is simply Old. > Oh yes, and the Sacred Crab also told me that Andy Metcalfe whups ass > (though I don't think those were its *exact* words). That's odd, because that's *exactly* the sort of thing I'd expect the Sacred Crab to say. > n. J. > P.S. I apologize for any factual errors that may have crept into this > e-mail. They are the fault of sunspots and/or Mercury retrograde. Or > something. To err is human. Apology is a sign of weakness. And I blame all sorts of things on Freddy Mercury. ________________________________________________________ J A Brelin Capuchin ________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 13:13:13 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth Subject: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney Hamish said: > > There are some situations where quiet, subtle playing enhances the > overall sound, but that isn't restricted to the bass... > .... virtuoso guitarists are no more or less crass and > irritating than virtuoso bass players. Speaking as a fellow bass player, let me add: Hear! Hear! No, Andy is not a "virtuoso". This neither a good nor a bad thing - it is simply reflective of an attitude - not a talent. Hell, you wouldn't call Robyn a virtuoso now would you? In my book a "virtuoso" is a player who's "thing" is playing technically difficult or flamboyant material (Victor Wooten anyone?). I get as big a kick out of many of these players as anyone, but I also appreciate the *equally talented* bassists who can drive, define and lift a song - without ever feeling the urge to step to center stage. I'd place Andy squarely in the latter category. Oh, and in case anyone forgot, I'm the one who really likes PI, unpopular though this position is. (I wasn't around when it came out - I only discovered Robyn's post-Soft Boys stuff relatively recently - maybe that affects my perception of it, but PI is definitely near the top of my list)(And yes, Eye IS near the bottom - but for fegs sake lets not start THAT debate again...:) ) Re EOL: Another fave. But I agree with Mike. The artists vision is as much wrapped up in what songs he leaves out (however good they may be individually), as what he leaves on. Give me EOL as Robyn intended (but you can include a separate bonus CD if you like. ;) ) Re (again) >He must be thinking of "Make Me Smile [Come Up and See Me]," by Steve >Harley & Cockney Rebel. I haven't heard any of the covers (can't imagine why anyone would want to), but then I have only a 20 year old memory of the original. I seem to remember them on TOTP - (my sister was into sneering leather-clad guys on bikes at the time...). I can't imagine they were a big influence on Robyn. Thats it for now, ~N ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 04:44:05 From: Alex Tanter Subject: Re: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney At 01:13 PM 9/25/97 -0700, you wrote: >I'd place Andy squarely in the latter category. > >Oh, and in case anyone forgot, I'm the one who really likes PI, >unpopular though this position is. (I wasn't around when it came out - I Just for the record, I LOVE PI and I'm not too fond of Y&O, so there!! Marcy :) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 17:14:05 -0500 (CDT) From: sdodge@midway.uchicago.edu (amadain) Subject: Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab >Did anyone REPLY to your posts? Nobody ever replies to my posts. >Sometimes I think folks are just being polite by not telling me to go >away. Personally, I'd say it's more impolite to endure someone you loathe I'm replying to your post now china plate. So sod off. >The Speed of Things was my favorite there for quite a while. Now I'd say >it's I Am Not Me. The energy of that song is hypnotic. The sexuality is >deafening. "Beautiful Queen" was far and away my favorite thing on "Mossy Liquor". I still like that version better than the one on "Elixir". The strings are so swoony. Ditto for the "Mossy" version of 'DeChirico Street"- I think I like that one better because Deni really makes it. As far as "Elixir" goes, I agree-eth. "I Am Not Me", for the same reasons. Anyone tempted to say Robyn's lost any power, I point them thither :). >That is, of course, a can of bees. Which I really like, btw. Am I the only person? Natalie sed this part: >> I guess I should be drawn and quartered or something, because, with a few >> exceptions, I found "Invisible Hits" virtually unlistenable. And I *like* >> the Soft Boys. Only a heart of stone could resist "Have a Heart, Betty >> (I'm Not Fireproof)," though. Yes, you should. Unlistenable? I love that album. The whole thing is wonderful. My particular favorite is "Blues in the Dark", especially that verse that starts "Come inside, my little sparrow....". Yummy. >If you can skip a track that doesn't excite you, odds >are you will. I never skip tracks. Albums are arranged for a reason. I agree with this totally. I don't skip either. Er, except on the White Album when I am feeling lazy and just really don't feel in the mood for "Wild Honey Pie" or something (don't please let's have ten people jump on me and tell me how brilliant that track is :)). But I consider that being a lazy listener actually. > We all >have them. For me, it was Asking Tree and Rock'n'Roll Toilet, for you, it >could be Wafflehead or So You Think You're In Love. Actually I just skip that whole album. Blech. Easier to do that than rewind "She Doesn't Exist" a bunch of times. > And I'll say, even on >this list, there's no accounting for taste. (We just ended [hopefully!!!] >a thread discussing the relative merits of individual members of The Who, >for Heaven's sake!) Oh God, how awful! the Who! I hate the Who! :) Well it's been done to death but just for the record I meant Entwhistle as the other virtuoso. I don't consider Townshend a virtuoso -player-, I do consider him a brilliant songwriter but I don't consider songwriting something you can do in a virtuosic manner. Correct me if I'm misunderstanding the word, I know someone will if I did :). >> P.S. I apologize for any factual errors that may have crept into this >> e-mail. They are the fault of sunspots and/or Mercury retrograde. Or >> something. > >To err is human. Apology is a sign of weakness. And I blame all sorts of >things on Freddy Mercury. Mercury retrograde is over and so is Freddy Mercury, therefore neither of you have any excuse whatsoever. I however do. Since I have a nasty cold and I'm full up to the gills on Benadryl, I can always blame THAT. Love on ya, Susan ****************************************************************************** "What scares you most will set you free"- Robyn Hitchcock sdodge@midway.uchicago.edu **************************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 15:08:54 -0700 From: Mark_Gloster@3com.com Subject: Old relic bore... John Partridge used to contribute here a good deal more regularly once upon a time. He sent out a pro- Seligman/anti Metcalf message, and a bunch of us dove on him with our eating utensils. Maybe some of us dove on him with greater pounds per square inch of force, so he has been very scarce since. I guess we will hear from him every time there is a too- difficult-to-find version of some bizzarre RH disc and he needs our help or if he has too many extra copies of Robyn's version of King Crimson's "Elephant Talk" b/w picture disk, or his "Hocus Pocus" by Focus tribute 7-inch vinyl fiasco. Bass playing: Guess what, nobody mentioned a bassist who couldn't be regarded as great. While 'virtuos(aeiou and sometimes y)' might connote a tiny percentage of the field, I think Nick beat me to the punch in deflating the need for a musician to be a virtuoso. My highest regards for players tend to be bestowed with less requirement on physical technical agility and the need to be constantly reminded of that facility than a player's bond with the music and making the perfect moment happen, or just doing the right thing so the rest of the music can go on about its business. Appropriate vs. blistering, who wants an ice pick in the forehead in the middle of a love song (unless it's that kind of tenderness that the song intends to evoke.) What's true is that Andy and Matt are both really good and have played incredibly appropriate parts for the songs to which they contributed. Their playing was a perfectly integral part of the music and you can't have better than that. But what I think shouldn't necessarily be too important to you all. Thanks for holding up the memory of my name and spelling it correctly. In case anybody asks, my names backwards are Kram Retsolg. Hope to see you all in Berkeley at the Dan Bern sho... Mark Gloster anagramized: Glamor Treks Lark to Germs Mr Elks Argot Grams Elk Rot Go Mr Star Elk Ask Mr Gel Rot ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 97 19:19:19 EDT From: Ross Overbury Subject: Re: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney Nick said: > In my book a "virtuoso" is a player who's "thing" is playing > technically difficult or flamboyant material (Victor Wooten anyone?). I > get as big a kick out of many of these players as anyone, but I also > appreciate the *equally talented* bassists who can drive, define and > lift a song - without ever feeling the urge to step to center stage. > > I'd place Andy squarely in the latter category. Ever? I don't think that when I hear the sensual fretless on Queen Elvis. I also think even a simple bass part can rightfully take centre stage. It depends on the song, doesn't it? I'll offer examples if anyone's interested enough. > Re EOL: Another fave. But I agree with Mike. The artists vision is as > much wrapped up in what songs he leaves out (however good they may be > individually), as what he leaves on. Give me EOL as Robyn intended (but > you can include a separate bonus CD if you like. ;) ) Interesting idea. The pressing of the CD itself has little to do with the price (consider CD singles and budget releases). Putting the bonus material on a separate CD should raise the package cost $1, maybe. Personally, I'm not offended when I find bonus cuts on a CD, but it would be OK with me. The feg (not Nick) who said hearing one bad alternate mix of a song ruins it forever can throw the bonus disk in the garbage without even having to risk losing what his oddly limited enjoyment of the songs he already knows. Hey Rhino guy, are you still subscribed to fegmaniax? PS: I still miss the tabs! - -- Ross Overbury Montreal, Quebec, Canada email: rosso@cn.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 16:57:57 -0700 From: Nick Winkworth Subject: Re: Yer bassic Elements of Cockney Arfer mo'! Ross Overbury wrote: > > Nick said: > > In my book a "virtuoso" is a player who's "thing" is playing > > technically difficult or flamboyant material .... > I also think even a simple bass part can rightfully take centre stage. > It depends on the song, doesn't it? Sure. But you don't need to be a "virtuoso" (flamboyant show-off) to come up with an elegant and beautiful solo which fits the song. (At least I hope not. Or else this non-virtuoso's musical non-career will be over before it's started!) > The pressing of the CD itself has little to do with > the price (consider CD singles and budget releases). Putting the > bonus material on a separate CD should raise the package cost $1, > maybe. Multi-CD releases have reached epidemic proportions in the UK, from what I read. Apparently it is now common for multiple versions and remixes of the same single to be released and combined as sets.(UK fegs comment??) I guess the main reason people might prefer everything on one disk is simply convenience. Also, the manufacturing cost of a CD is waaaay under $1. Where's that Rubber Shark guy when we need him - we were chatting about this very subject recently, but I forget the actual $ he told me. Cheers! ~N ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 19:12:11 -0500 From: LSDiamond Subject: Read/Write CDs... Audio/CD-ROM Hiya!!! Okay, I'm just wondering here.. Can CDs be written over with the right equipment? Just wondering because I have the opportunity to get all the promo CDs at work, and a lot of it is (c)rap... ...and if I can write over them, I WANNA!!!!!!!! It seems like you should be able to, since there are read/writeable CD-Roms out now... If not, that's cool, but I figure some of you know about this stuff, and could tell me. BTW, if you CAN re-use CDs, Can you make Audio CDs into CD-ROMs? I bet they're better than ZIP drives... Thanks!! yours in all of my ignorance... LSDiamond, using a NEW sig! (no ascii this time, sorry! ;) I've got some more Little Mermaid ascii's if anyone wants them..... I need a BMP>ASCII converter program... I've moved! My page is now located at http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Palms/4027 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Un chanson de Dieu, Tu le veut? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 17:02:17 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab Susan sniffled: >Since I have a nasty cold and >I'm full up to the gills on Benadryl, I can always blame THAT. Gills, eh? No wonder you like the tendrils/tentacles references so much. ;) Eb ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 20:46:25 -0400 (EDT) From: Terrence M Marks Subject: Galaxie 500 Someone had reccomended Galaxie 500 to all the Rain parade fans out here. I picked up "On Fire". If anyone wants to do likewise, they can have my copy for real cheap... I can't see the connection at all between the two bands. anyone care to explain it? Terrence Marks normal@grove.ufl.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 09:27:00 +0800 From: "Baker, David(KWI-C09)" Subject: Re: The Great Quail and the Sacred Crab Capuchin wrote: >Black Snake Diamond Role is severely dated in my book. I feel like every >time I hear it, I'm listening through a filter of 15 years. It's like >someone broke the seal way back when and didn't put the cap back on. >There's just no freshness in it. I really do get a kind of mental image >of a long listening cone... like a hearing megaphone, whatever those were >called... stretching back through time from my ear to an LP turning slowly >on a vulcanized rubber mat. It's dated, whereas Fegmania! is simply Old. I often resist getting sucked into this kind of debate but here I disagree so strongly I can't. To me, BSDR is the most timeless, perfect Robyn Hitchcock album (which makes it one of my favourite albums period) and I will defend it to the death. It does have a 60's feel to it (as does a lot of Robyn's material) but doesn't obviously reference any particular band/song. To me, it feels like Robyn at his most natural. I actually find the songs a lot more melodic and passionate than his late 80's/early 90's work even though they often rock a lot harder and can take very sinister and almost experimental turns. I like Fegmania a fair bit as well although I agree that the keyboards on songs such as Heaven does date them a bit. And I also find that on some of the songs on the second side, Robyn falls back on playing a jangley riff and singing over the top. There are still nice songs but I believe Robyn is capable of more. Which brings me to Element of Light. There has been a lot of focus on the excellent playing by Andy on this album but I find that musically it is often not a strong as a lot of his previous work. To me a lot of the songs sound forced, a trend I feel continued into Robyn's A&M years. It feels like Robyn has focused more on the lyrics and crafting his songs rather than just letting them flow out naturally (which often meant they were pretty warped). Which is not to say I don't get great enjoyment out of them, just not as consistently and intensely as with some of his earlier work (say Invisible Hits, Underwater Moonlight, BSDR, IODOT). Anyway, I've got a lot off my chest here and I know a lot of this is highly opinionated. But it basically stems from the lack of appreciation that BSDR receives when I have always found it to be Robyn at his peak. Dave. Alcoa of Australia Ltd ACN 004 879 298 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 15:49:24 +1200 (NZST) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: fegmaniax-digest V6 #15 > Only two virtuosos in the Who? You don't rate Townshend then? The > Who had plenty space for THREE virtuosos. Listen to "Live at Leeds". > Unfortunately John Entwistle didn't do so good in the studio mixes, > but his playing was stunning and appropriate. How else do you sustain > the song while the guitarist goes off on a big solo? I too am shocked that someone can overlook John Entwistle's virtuosity - have a listen to some of the bassowrk on "The Who by Numbers" - it is stunning (there's one song in particular of which the bassy stuff is going round insude my mind but I can't remember the track - "In a hand or a face", perhaps?). Then there's the basswork on "Won't get fooled again"... both Entwistle and Moon are/were virtuosi. Townshend, however, is not. He gets the job done, and in a way that few could rival, but he does not have the lightness and completeness of skill with his instrrument to be considered such. Mind you, if you can talk about someone being a *songwriting* virtuoso... > Since I was bored during the lightning strike recovery, I thought of > an RH to Neil Young (you know, the diverse one). Have we done that > before? > IIRC: Robyn -> Peter Buck, Peter to Warren Zevon (Hindu Love Gods), Warren to Dylan ("Sentimental Hygiene"), Dylan to Robbie Robertson (loads of stuff with the Band), Robbie to Neil ("Storyville"). 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: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 15:50:26 +1200 (NZST) From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: other msuci (erm... music) At least I didn't type mucus... Knowing how many of you are Kinks fans (hello, the deightful Ms Dodge...), I'd like to know how youse Davies fans regard the likes of Madness and the Jam, two bands that became bigly popular in Britain during the late 70s and 80s through their Kink-iness. Also, I'd like to recommend to y'all the album The Greatest Living Englishman, by Martin Newall. Any of you on the XTC list will have heard about this luvly bit of plastic, but a lot of yu aren't Chalkhillers. He's more than vaguely Robynesque, although perhaps without the surrealistic whimsy, and owes a big debt to both XTC and the Kinks (in the case of one of his songs, "Street called Prospect", his Kinks influence is if anything TOO obvious...). Despite this hanging of his influences on his sleeve occasionally, it is a fine wee bit of shiny circular stuff, and if you don't like the music, you can always hang the album from a piece of string as a handy-dandy mobile. Here's one we made earlier. 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: Fri, 26 Sep 1997 00:35:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Terrence M Marks Subject: Re: other msuci (erm... music) Madness? Kinkish? Never would've guessed. (Well, which Kinks are you talking about and which Madness are you talking about? Keep Moving is the closes that Madness ever came to The Kinks, and it's not really that close...) I really dig Madness, personally. I think that if Ray Davies had tried to write "House of Fun", the result would've been *bad*. (Ray might've been able to do 'Our House', but he would've given it some social message, as opposed to a charming still-life of a family.) As far as Martin Newell, I'm still divided. He's got a lot of good songs, but I entirely fail to get into things like "After the Hurricane", or "We'll Build a House"...those songs just seem so lifeless... Terrence Marks normal@grove.ufl.edu ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V6 #16 ******************************