From: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org (harbinger-digest) To: harbinger-digest@smoe.org Subject: harbinger-digest V4 #186 Reply-To: harbinger@smoe.org Sender: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk harbinger-digest Tuesday, December 28 1999 Volume 04 : Number 186 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) say amen [Honoku@aol.com] Re: (harbinger) say amen [Kenneth R Carpenter Subject: Re: (harbinger) say amen Steve wrote: >> i will probably not be ordering any more music from amazon. Same here. In fact, I don't order anything from Amazon anymore. Too many of the orders I have placed have been screwed up by the simians they hire to work in their warehouses. As a public service announcement, I will also add two other on-line record stores to that list - Rockhouse and AllStars. Both of these companies are based in Europe and their reputations are abysmal. I have never had anything but grief from trying to deal with them. I mention them because they do the same thing that Amazon did to Steve - presented the items as though they were in stock when, in fact, they had no idea what they were even advertising because those items are sent to you from a third-party distributor. It's hard to know for certain when you're ordering on-line, but it's best to avoid companies that practice this kind of business. If you're determined to give them a shot anyway, check to see if the site provides a customer support number. It would be wise to contact them by phone (or email, I suppose) to find out exactly what you're dealing with before you ever give them your credit card number. Otherwise, you could be looking at losing some bucks in the deal and losing some peace of mind when you get dicked over. 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: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 19:02:20 -0500 From: Kenn Subject: (harbinger) Article in St. Louis Post - Dispatch - Dec. 16, 1999 A pretty revealing article appeared in this newspaper a couple of weeks ago. In it, Paula mentions being misquoted in the long Rolling Stone interview she gave a while back. She said she didn't tell the interviewer (Jancee Dunn) that she didn't believe in God. In fact, she says she said just the opposite. I suppose only Paula and Ms. Dunn will ever really know the truth there. And really, when it comes down to it, who cares if Paula believes in God or if she's a follower of the Church of Bob? That's a personal issue that, in my opinion, should stay that way, and I think it holds especially true for those in the public eye (such as Rosie O'Donnell, Oprah Winfrey, et al). Stow the theosophies and just sing the damned song! Paula admits that "sales aren't as good as everyone hoped they would be" for Amen. She then says that she doesn't care. Even if the album doesn't sell, she'll play smaller venues because she wants to continue to play for her fans. She also mentions that she firmly believes she'll still be performing when she's "middle-aged." Of particular interest to me was the latter part of the article in which Paula talks about why she thinks Amen. isn't selling well. Ah, finally something juicy! She points more than a few fingers, but none of them appear to be aiming back at her or the gross disparity in the quality of the songwriting on Amen. as opposed to This Fire. Instead, she cites the possible culprits as Lilith backlash, the timing of the release of Amen. and the "superficial, heinous state" of music today which exhibits itself in the music-buying public's current fervor for Britney Spears, Ricky Martin and the like. I agree that those variables probably have had some impact on the dismal sales, but come on.... I believe it's going to be interesting to see what the evolution of this album and the tour do to Paula and her music. This is the album she always wanted to make. This is her baby. And now the critics and a lot of her fans are telling her, in their own ways, that she's got one ugly baby on her hands. That has to be hurting her to know that something she thinks is great isn't seen that way by a lot of people who really loved the stuff she did before. I think I'd be going through some heavy emotional confusion right about now. Something tells me we might be getting to hear working out some more anger on the next album. ;) If you're interested in reading the entire article, please email me privately at: kcarpenter@thacherproffitt.com I'll send you a copy. It's just too long to send to the list. Kenn - ------------------------------ 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: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 22:03:53 EST From: Scoobedu@aol.com Subject: Re: (harbinger) Article in St. Louis Post - Dispatch - Dec. 16, 1999 Kenn says: "She points more than a few fingers, but none of them appear to be aiming back at her or the gross disparity in the quality of the song writing on Amen." I agree. I think one of the things that has somewhat bothered me about her responses is that she sees everything that everyone else is doing wrong (and she is right about those some of those things.) yet she cannot turn that critique on herself. I realize however, that is a hard thing to do. Being introspective and seeing your mistakes is hard, I would imagine it to be a million times harder to try and do it in public. One of the things I most admire about any artist, is their nerve. I cannot ever imagine having the courage to say these are my innermost feelings, I am going to stand here and sing them to you. I think if it takes a lot of nerve to get up and do that, and that it would take more nerve than most people had to admit maybe your product, your baby was not so good. I hope if she cannot do it in print, she can do it in private and we can see the results on the next album. On the God issue...I agree with you Kenn. It is a very personal thing, and just because someone believes in God, it does not mean I will not like their music. However, (and this is just me) I do not enjoy it when she sings about it. Not because it offends me, but because I have no connection to God. I am the cynical atheist she speaks of. So, since I have no connection to God, I really have no connection to the song she is singing, and I used to feel connected to her songs. I wish her well on her journey, both spiritual and musical, and I hope to feel connected to it again. amy - ------------------------------ 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 #186 *******************************