From: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org (harbinger-digest) To: harbinger-digest@smoe.org Subject: harbinger-digest V4 #181 Reply-To: harbinger@smoe.org Sender: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk harbinger-digest Saturday, December 18 1999 Volume 04 : Number 181 HARBINGER DIGEST To post, mail harbinger@smoe.org To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger-digest To get list info file, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: info harbinger-digest Today's Subjects: ---------------- (harbinger) Check out Today's Cool Word [Honoku@aol.com] Re: (harbinger) Check out Today's Cool Word [Kenneth R Carpenter ] (harbinger) Amen [Brian C ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 09:08:16 EST From: Honoku@aol.com Subject: (harbinger) Check out Today's Cool Word Click here: Today's Cool Word - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 13:18:08 -0500 From: Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: Re: (harbinger) Check out Today's Cool Word Very cool. Thanks, Steve! Kenn ****************************************************************************** The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail and delete the original message. ****************************************************************************** - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 13:21:03 -0600 From: "Paul Zastrow" Subject: (harbinger) RE: Amen This is a great topic, Kenn. Let's see... I bought This Fire actually because my wife liked "that Cowboy song", and I have the bad habit of desperately buying anything my wife remotely likes, because it somehow absolves me of my own CD-buying obsession (which has waned somewhat, but still sometimes rears its ugly head). Per usual, my wife listened to it once, deemed it "weird angry woman music" and never touched it again. I, on the other hand, fell in _love_. I can't tell you how many times I repeated that CD in my car, at work... I bought Harbinger, I subscribed to this list, I bought a couple of boots, I drank in all the Paula I could. I called This Fire "on of those albums I could listen to forever." (Which, by the way, I once said about "Faith" by George Michael ;) ) I loved the raw power of the music melded with the subtlety of the lyrics, I loved her voice, I loved the passion. And "Feelin' Love," (particularly the live version), paired with Fiona Apple's "Smooth Like Honey" and "Tell Me" by Billie Myers (uneven album, but _this_ cut!), make a three-part series of sex in the 90s that can't help but get your blood pounding and more. And then, frankly, I got tired of it. That's not to say that I don't like it anymore. In fact, it's sitting here in my CD wallet right now, waiting for me to hit the right mood. But I just haven't been in the mood much lately. Since This Fire came out I've moved twice, welcomed a baby daughter to the family, bought a house and changed jobs several times. It's not that I don't have the raw passion -- I'm just in a different place now, and Paula doesn't fit as comfortably. When we first started to talk about Amen I was really excited -- aha, a chance to retouch that passion! Maybe I just need a _new_ fix! Couldn't wait! And then I downloaded "I Believe in Love", played it once and said... "what the hell is that?" No tigers, no bitch, no slinky love at the front door... It's "Real World" meets disco. Not that I don't like it. Actually, in hind sight, it's probably one of my favorite tracks. But I look to Paula for passion, not for Starsky and Hutch wakka-wakka disco guitar. Then Kenn's disappointing (but apt) reviews arrived on Harbinger and I braced myself for the worst. A week later I finally got the album, put it on, and was pleasantly surprised. Nice music, melodies I found myself humming at random moments... I didn't even really pay attention to the lyrics all that much, just the overall package. Although I think I'm the only one on this list who has, does, and always _will_ abhor Suwannee Jo in whatever incarnation I hear it! There are some painful moments -- I put "I wanna be somebody, I wanna make a difference" next to Jewel's "If I could tell the world just one thing, it would be that we're all OK" as the most pukey lyrics of the 90s. And, of course, I already mentioned Suwannee Jo. Plus the whole rapping thing -- even if she _does_ mean it -- comes off as such a pretentious affectation that at best it's a novelty, at worst an offense. The rest? Well, as I wrote, it's nice. I believe she really means it, and the melodies _are_ hummable for the most part. In fact, IBiL makes me boogie a little. And I can get around the college freshman "heart on my sleeve" lyrics. But as for passion, or anything else, there's nothing there. It's just nice. Paula has written about how she had a strong vision for this album, and she is very happy because it says what she wanted it to say. Good for her. But, just as This Fire doesn't fit into my life very well anymore, neither does Amen. I encourage artists to explore where they want to, because without that they are lost. But I reserve the right to not go along, and I think that's what has happened with Amen. For me, though, the final question is, after "Amen," will I buy the next Paula Cole CD without hearing a note of it? I would say yes. I have enough faith in her as an artist that, even if she didn't grab me on this one, she might on the next. So I'll definitely give it a try. Boy, long essay on essentially a short answer -- "doesn't do much for me." Anyone else? - - Paul P.S. I _do_ love the last cut on the IBiL CD single -- Billy Jo, I think (I don't have it with me right now). It rocks! And I'm hoping my sister, a teacher in Japan, will have an Amen with the bonus stuff on it under the tree next week! So don't count me out yet! - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1999 14:39:24 -0800 (PST) From: Brian C Subject: (harbinger) Amen OK, my turn... I'm in my office and just put the CD in. I have to say that I do LUV the album and continue to play the hell out of it. Overall, it's a bit preachy at times, but that doesn't both me a bit. As much as I listen to lyrics deeply, I also listen to the music. Musically, I think the album is brilliant. I love the use of the strings, scratching, pie plate, etc... I love the power on IBIL, the acoustics on "Amen", the funk on "La Tonya" & "Rhythm of Life", the darkness on "Suwannee Jo" and so on. My least favorite tracks are "Free" and "God Is Watching". They just don't cut it for me. I'm a bit disappointed in how the album is doing, but I was kind of expecting it to turn out this way. However, I am glad that the radio isn't killing the hell out of her songs like they did with Cowboys and IDWTW. There was a time when I was getting a bit tired of her cause everytime I turned on the radio it was one or the other playing. I will always be a big fan where I would go to her show and buy her albums. I think that Paula is one of those artists where her recordings don't do her justice. You definitely have to see her live to experience the true meaning to each song. Nuff said. Have a great holiday everyone! - -Brian __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. All in one place. Yahoo! Shopping: http://shopping.yahoo.com - ------------------------------ To unsubscribe, mail majordomo@smoe.org with: unsubscribe harbinger Btw, if you are an AOL subscriber the above instruction will work for your EVERY time. Digest, further unsub and problems FAQ at: http://www.netaxs.com/~jgreshes/lists/harbinger.html ------------------------------ End of harbinger-digest V4 #181 *******************************