From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V15 #1 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Monday, January 2 2006 Volume 15 : Number 001 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Deserted Island Rotation [Capuchin ] RE: Deserted Island Rotation ["michael wells" ] Re: RH Mix tape [Spotted Eagle Ray ] discs for dessert [James Dignan ] Re: discs for dessert [2fs ] RH DVD trade ? [HwyCDRrev@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 19:51:15 -0800 (PST) From: Capuchin Subject: Re: Deserted Island Rotation On Sat, 31 Dec 2005, 2fs wrote: > On 12/31/05, Guntarski wrote: >> This guy from >> http://polyestericonz.blogspot.com/ posed the profound question that >> everyone has considered. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, >> which 10 albums (CDs) would you want to have with you? > > I couldn't narrow it down to ten - so I'd make mp3 CDs of around 100 > albums. (Cheat!) I was at the local Mac store (not The Apple Store, but an actual local retailer that has been loyal to Apple for almost two decades that is being undermined wholesale [no pun intended] by the sudden flourishing of genuine Apple stores) and a fellow came in to buy three 60GB ipods. Turns out he was, in fact, moving to a kind of desert island and wanted to bring as much music as possible. He had various devices he'd built for generating the current to recharge the things including some human-powered kinetic generators and a couple of solar things. Pretty spiffy. Yeah, anyway, that's the way to do it. J. - -- _______________________________________________ Capuchin capuchin@bitmine.net Jeme A Brelin _______________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 23:59:15 -0800 From: "michael wells" Subject: RE: Deserted Island Rotation > If you were to be stranded on a desert island, which 10 albums (CDs) Hmmm. Just what kind of desert island are we talking about here? Are there other inhabitants? Is it a long term proposition? Is my best friend a blood faced volleyball with palm-frond toupee?* I wonder how much 'pop' I'd want around in any case. BEETHOVEN 9 - Solti/Chicago Symphony A reminder of what we're capable of. Of what we're capable. Whatever. MOZART'S GREATEST HITS - CBS Masterworks I generally avoid greatest hits compilations (especially classical ones), but the songs and performers on this one are impeccable. SPIRITCHASER - Dead Can Dance For dancing 'round the campfire in a loincloth. Which would be most of the time for me, I think. RIDE THE LIGHTNING - Metallica I'll need to signal passing ships somehow. Plus small animals may need to be slaughtered for food. NOVUS MAGNIFICAT: THROUGH THE STARGATE - Constance Demby For when I try to levitate off the island. EUROPE '72 - Grateful Dead The local plant life will require extensive...evaluation. ELEMENT OF LIGHT - RH & E Or IODOT? I dunno, either I guess. SAXOPHONE COLUSSUS - Sonny Rollins Still a mind-expanding record. BACH: WELL-TEMPERED CLAVIER - Sviatoslav Richter The preeminent performance this work, blows away Gould really. Plus I just love saying "Sviatoslav." ELECTRIC LADYLAND - Hendrix Boo-yah! Plus I'd like any good, English-language collection of sea shanties. Michael "I'll be spending my leap second tonight sneezing" Wells * free KOL reference. Happy Crimbo! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 08:59:11 -0800 From: Spotted Eagle Ray Subject: Re: RH Mix tape On 12/31/05, bayard wrote: > > > work completely.. But, hey, I didn't build the thing! It's an > opportunity > to sample a few & see what grows from it... In other words, if you find > something new that you like, go on and buy it - *but most of these will eb > familiar to y'all* Hee. - -SER ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 12:25:54 +1300 From: James Dignan Subject: discs for dessert >This guy from >http://polyestericonz.blogspot.com/ posed the profound question that >everyone has considered. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, >which 10 albums (CDs) would you want to have with you? This assumes you >would have the means to play them. (If not, perhaps The Professor could >whip something up using a banana, a couple of coconuts, and Ginger's >g-string.) I'm sure this topic has been beat to death - but posts are slow >so what the hell. > What 10 would you take? Heh. The local newspaper actually asked me to compile a list of my top twenty albums earlier this year last year*. I couldn't do it, but I did pick a representative list of 20 I felt every collection should have, going from the obvious to the more obscure, plus a paragraph on each (which in most cases led to names of more albums that I had to leave out. Apologies to anyone who has already seen this, but here it is as at least a partial answer to that question. As to whether the actual 10 are in there...I don't necessarily think all of them are (I';d probably have Rubber Soul rather than Revolver, to start with). *I became the first DJ to complete 20 years on any NZ student radio station in September - this was connected with that feat. - ---- A best twenty? Impossible - there are so many... so here, in chronological order, are twenty albums which are at least representative of my favourites - some obvious, others less so. But with no room for John Cale's "Paris 1919", Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Night Song", Suzanne Vega's "99.9F0", King Crimson's "Thrak", Lemon Jelly's "Lost Horizons", twenty is not enough! 1. Revolver - The Beatles (1966) The Beatles changed it all. They dragged rock from three chords and a howl of passion to the stylistic diaspora that continues today. Arguably, they influenced almost all rock since the '60s. Aptly, "Revolver" is their major turning point, taking them from being creators of pop masterpieces to four individuals exploring the limits of song. From "Taxman" to the hypnotic swirl of "Tomorrow never knows" it's an unsurpassed fount of ideas - and also damn fine music. The same year, another album which almost made this list was released and flopped, but eventually became nearly as influential - "The Velvet Underground and Nico". 2. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1967) Even the Beatles weren't ready in 1967 to write ten-minute rambling surrealist fables - but Dylan was. Epics like "Desolation Row" and "Like a rolling stone" firmly rebutted the old argument that rock lyrics couldn't be poetry. Fine imitations followed from the Byrds and Simon & Garfunkel, but they were just that - imitations of Bob. 3. Horses - Patti Smith (1975) Patti Smith took the idea of rock poetry further. Starting her career as a performance poet, she tapped into the nascent punk movement with perfection to create this brooding work that - while dark and lyrical - also kicked serious ass. Her sound is echoed today by artists like P.J. Harvey and Nick Cave. 4. Before and After Science - Brian Eno (1977) Eno was the first person since the Beatles to use the recording desk as a musical instrument. This was his last song album before he began his then laughed-at (but now highly influential) ambient phase. The album is in two halves: "Before" prefigures new wave, with strange textures, funky rhythms and elliptical lyrics; "After" points towards ambient, with gentle aural watercolours like the haunting "Julie with...". Sadly it was years until Eno's voice rang out on one of his albums again (on his great collaboration with John Cale, "Wrong way up"). 5. London Calling - The Clash (1979) The Clash captured the mood of the moment and ran with it. Mixing punk, reggae, and a political passion, they - along with northern contemporaries the Buzzcocks - showed that punk's raw power could be combined with melody to become powerful, memorable rock. 6. Toy Love - Toy Love (1980) Meanwhile, an out-of-the-way corner of the world was about to shine brightly in the musical firmament. The explosion of the "Dunedin Sound" started with The Enemy, but it was their later incarnation's eponymous release that made the country sit up. Two-minute punk gems laced with humour and bile, these songs are still fresh today. Without this album Dunedin's proliferation of great 80s bands might never have occurred. 7. Waiata - Split Enz (1981) No Kiwi group adapted to the 1980s new musical styles better that Split Enz, former art-rockers who traded the sprawling opus for short, angular, hook-laden songs. Their big success was "True Colours", but the less-fancied follow-up was a real gem. I wasn't as commercial as its predecessor, but was deeper and full of catchy, thoughtful masterpieces with some of the strangest chord structures around. 8. English Settlement - XTC (1982) It was a toss up whether to list this or Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom". Both are strong yet sensitive works by former new-wavers. Costello produced dense wordplay and sparse, solid arrangements. XTC, meanwhile, uncovered the same pastoral Englishness as bands like the Kinks, creating a wistful yet exuberant mix. Interestingly the largely forgotten XTC is now a major influence - listen to Franz Ferdinand, Gomez, or the Secret Machines, and you'll hear their legacy. 9. Emergency Third Rail Power Trip - Rain Parade (1984) Parallelling Dunedin's musical rise was California's similar Paisley Underground. The biggest group to come out of that was the Bangles, but their contemporaries Rain Parade produced this glorious neglected album of jangly guitars and 60s tinged melodies. 10. Oil and Gold - Shriekback (1985) Coming on with dark glee like harlequin goths, Shriekback are best remembered for this album's highlight, "Nemesis". At times brooding, at others bubbling with evil joy, this album is one glorious Faustian party-mix. 11. Element of Light - Robyn Hitchcock (1986) Hitchcock is from a lineage of English folk-rock containing Bert Jansch, Nick Drake, and Roy Harper, but, due to his work with The Soft Boys, he maintains a strong rock sensibility. He also has a uniquely skewed world view, enabling him to write songs with titles like "Birds in perspex" and "I'm only you". Here, and on his sparser album "Eye", these strands combine beautifully. In a perfect world, "Airscape" would have been a global hit. 12. Born Sandy Devotional - The Triffids (1988) Dunedin Sound, Paisley Underground... there was no name for Australia's equivalent resurgence, spearheaded by The Church, Triffids, Go-Betweens, and Hunters & Collectors. "Born Sandy Devotional" gives sketches from The Great Australia Novel - empty skies, lonely roads, and a sense of loss and loneliness, all set to bittersweet melodies. It narrowly edges The Church's "The Blurred Crusade" from this list. 13. Melt - Straitjacket Fits (1990) "Melt" is not necessarily my favourite album from late '80s Dunedin, but it's definitely near the top, along with "Submarine Bells" (The Chills), "Daddy's Highway" (The Bats), and "Send You" (Sneaky Feelings). The Fits' early "Life in one chord" EP was their true masterpiece, but this comes very close, with powerful songs from both Shayne Carter and Andrew Brough. These multi-layered songs roll and flow, sweeping the listener along like a river in flood. The haunting coda of "Down in splendour" alone ensures that this is a classic. 14. Nevermind - Nirvana (1991) Nirvana weren't the first grunge band, and they probably weren't the best, but this album summed it all up and hit the public consciousness like "Never mind the bollocks" did with punk. Tracks like "Smells like teen spirit" and "Lithium" are as close to perfectly structured rock songs as you can get. Accidental or planned, this cry of a tortured mind set to music is absolutely spot on. 15. Don't Try This at Home - Billy Bragg (1991) Like The Clash, Billy Bragg mixes punk and politics, but his folk roots are deep, harking back to Woody Guthrie and Phil Ochs. This doesn't always suit lush production, but here the strength of the songs overcomes this, and Bragg's ability to spin double-edged lyrics referring to both personal and international politics is keen. Maybe it hasn't worn quite as well as some other albums on this list, but it's still a firm favourite. 16. Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris (1995) Emmylou Harris? Country? Yes and no. This album transcends genres, adding Daniel Lanois' chiming production to songs which range from the droning swirl of "Deeper well" to an astonishing Hendrix cover. Harris's haunting, haunted voice has long been one of the greatest in modern music, and on this album it is breathtaking. 17. Envy of Angels - The Mutton Birds (1996) Don McGlashan's music is like New Zealand's best movies - there's a strange, haunting otherness reflecting the land's lonely distances. Strong melodies here combine with lyrics which catch the heart at unexpected moments. It's a rare song that can bring a tear to my eye, but this album has three of them, including "While you sleep" - our greatest love song since "Pokarekare Ana". 18. The Navigator - Che Fu (2002) New Zealand's urban sounds came of age with the new century. Salmonella Dub mixed beats and trippy dub with brilliance. Dark Tower introduced kiwiana to rap. Scribe was taken to the country's heart and penned a multi-platinum album (how many dudes you know sell like that?). But better yet for me was Che Fu's "Navigator" - a deft and effective combination of Urban Pasifika and soul. 19. Elephant - The White Stripes (2003) The return of The Riff From Hell - the one-two punch of guitar and drum on "Seven nation army" proved to be the most powerful ear-worm of the last five years. Melding T.Rex, early Beatles, and above all Led Zeppelin and that band's delta blues influences, then stripping it all back to its barest minimum, this is rock as it was originally intended - a bluesy, dirty holler from the swamp. 20. Southern Lights - SJD (2004) The pick of recent New Zealand indie - better than excellent recent releases from the Phoenix Foundation, Dimmer, and even David Kilgour. Obsessive, lush, low-key excellence from Mr Donnelly - proof positive that New Zealand music has a great future. James - -- James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- =-.-=-.-=-.- You talk to me as if from a distance .-=-.-=-.-=-. -=-. And I reply with impressions chosen from another time .-=- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- (Brian Eno - "By this River") -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 1 Jan 2006 20:58:58 -0600 From: 2fs Subject: Re: discs for dessert On 1/1/06, James Dignan wrote: > 2. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan (1967) > Even the Beatles weren't ready in 1967 to write > ten-minute rambling surrealist fables - but Dylan > was. Actually, Dylan was doing that two years earlier - in 1965 when that album was actually released! - -- ...Jeff Norman The Architectural Dance Society http://spanghew.blogspot.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Jan 2006 07:56:22 EST From: HwyCDRrev@aol.com Subject: RH DVD trade ? anyone interested ? shot from left side of stage - up close - very steady - slightly dark & grainy - but it's so close it doesn't matter please e-mail me in private - thanks ! Robyn Hitchcock Solo Acoustic TT The Bear's, Cambridge, MA, USA 24 September 1989 " Life With The Bear's - Cambridge 1989 " (1:36) Introduction I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl Cynthia Mask Intro > Glass Got The Hots Wax Doll Glass Hotel Intro > Agony Of Pleasure 52 Stations Young People Scream Sandra's Having Her Brain Out Beautiful Girl // Bones In The Ground Winter Love Shelter From The Storm // Queen Elvis Old Pervert Ghost In You // "Faust " Draft Morning Here She Comes Now I'm Set Free ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V15 #1 ******************************