From: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org (harbinger-digest) To: harbinger-digest@smoe.org Subject: harbinger-digest V5 #91 Reply-To: harbinger@smoe.org Sender: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk harbinger-digest Saturday, May 27 2000 Volume 05 : Number 091 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) Rediscovering songs & Independance. [steven.stewart@nokia.com] (harbinger) Witness Amen [steven.stewart@nokia.com] Re: (harbinger) Marketing The IBIL Remixes [LD111134@aol.com] Re: (harbinger) Witness Amen [LD111134@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 13:27:52 +0300 From: steven.stewart@nokia.com Subject: (harbinger) Rediscovering songs & Independance. I'm surprised to hear Kenn was never that taken with Bethlehem. That and Ordinary were the first two songs I fell in love with from Harbinger. I was amazed to discover the fantastic demo version of Bethlehem from the Imago Travelling Road Show CD. Completely different take on it, and stunning. You can see why she was signed when you hear that demo. Through the years, I have been collecting live shows. I've gotten a little numb to a lot of the tracks from THIS FIRE and the live shows helped put the spark back into them. From the first shows with just piano drums to the fuller band later in the tour, a lot of songs have grown and expanded. The latest versions of FEELIN LOVE just burn the house down. Anyway, after enjoying the different piano driven versions, I happened across a bootleg cassette of medium quality of her opening for Sarah way back when. It was acoustic guitar, drums, vocals and REALLY had some amazing arrangements. Suwannee Jo from that session is unbelievable. Breathtaking how much passion that woman can shove into such sparse arrangements. So, until Paula's people allow her to release a live album or until they wise up and start putting some live tracks as Bsides to singles (uh...well, if they start RELEASING singles, that is!) then I suggest finding some live versions of Paula. Not only will you fall in love with the songs all over again, I have found that it helps me rediscover the original versions, too. Maybe Paula should start thinking of more independence. More and more artists (prince, courtney love, sheryl crow, jonatha brooke (if you haven't heard of her, she is a vocalist from the Story with the talented Jennifer Kimball. ANGEL IN THE HOUSE by the STORY is a revelation. Jonatha's LIVE is a great greatest hits.) are releasing themselves from the bondage of record labels and are really looking into writing producing and releasing the albums themselves on the web and through concert tours. Jonatha wrote that her independantly sold LIVE made her more money than all of her other albums combined. Why? She is making FULL PROFIT after distribution instead of just .25-.75 per album. so you could sell 10,000 and make more in your pocket than 100,000. By the way, I laughed at Kenn's rant about"siphoning gas from the high school bus" and Paula needing to get out of high school and into the present. I don't mind her jumping back and forth, but I do mind the inconsistency. Don't talk about your high school days in the 80s and then go into a bridge about Marilyn Manson and Clinton from the late 90s. Its sloppy. Has anyone heard of Paula talking about Amen? I read that she is the most proud of that song lyrically than anything she has done. I like the verses, but does anyone else feel like they heard the same thing (done better) in both ME and Neitzche's Eyes? Same thing with God is watching. Wasn't it the same thing done better in Hitler's brothers? My favorite moments of AMEN. are those that break new ground...the adventurous strings of IBIL, the wild arrangement and brutal honesty of Pearl. Even Ryhthm of Life is just a retread of Cowboys in my opinion (rap mixed with a sung chorus only this chorus is boring and repetitive.)I even like the music of Be Somebody and LaTonya, but wish she would have tightened the lyrics. Steven from Helsinki http://www.mp3.com/fakefinn - ------------------------------ 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, 26 May 2000 16:08:23 +0300 From: steven.stewart@nokia.com Subject: (harbinger) Witness Amen Kenn wrote: For instance, how many of you have heard Sarah McLachlan's "Witness" from her album Surfacing? Now, to me, THAT is an excellent song that paints a fiery watercolor of spiritual sentiment and encapsulates much of the feeling I think Paula was going for in "Amen." But, where Sarah's song was well-crafted, Paula's tripped over its own feet because she tried too hard to say something or be somebody or whatever she was trying to do. *** "fiery watercolor" Now THAT is a line from a writer! Love it. Actually I forgot to comment on this and I thought it brought up a great point. No matter what your denomination (even if you have none), I agree you can appreciate the lyrics and structure of Witness. Sarah has often spoken of God in both a positive and negative way thought she is agnostic. It makes for strong songwriting when done correctly (U2s whole Joshua Tree) and sentimental garbage when done poorly. (Too many examples to list.) Paula started talking about NOT believing in God during THIS FIRE (though she swears she was misquoted. I'll leave her the benefit of a doubt), then comes out with AMEN. which is all over the place. It's a common songwriter and writer mistake. To be believable, you should write about what you know. Paula may have intense feelings and beliefs in God...she must in order to have written that album and I'm not yet cynical enough to think it was a marketing move inspired by Madonna's success with spiritualism ...but she never once gave me a glimpse into what she believes. I've written my opinions before about this, but will say it again. Is it reincarnation of life...working through the same problems until you get it right (Rythm of life)? Or the belief of life force connecting everything (Amen?) Is the empowering belief that we have the potential to be Gods (the God in you, the God in me?) Is it a female God or Heavenly Parents, both male and female? (Be Somebody) Is it a God who values our free agency (to choose ourselves) so much that He will not interfere even when others are hurt and is waiting for us to choose right? (God is Watching/ LaTonya) Her views are intersting and worth contemplating. There's a lot of deep stuff there. But I don't think it is presented in a way that pulls me in. She's preaching, not teaching. She knows how to do it right. She's done it before and I'm sure she'll do it again. After I complained about lazy songwriting, I heard the incredible NIGHT, BILLY JOE, and RING FINGER...really interesting and involving stuff both musically and lyrically. She's not in a slump...I just think she made some bad choices and was so excited about the beauty of the message that she didn't take enough time to edit and refine to make that sand into a pearl or that coal into a diamond. Maybe I'm wrong. Does anyone on this list really feel the lyrics of the majority of AMEN. are as involving and polished as her previous work? (Is anyone on this list still reading this longwinded post?) If you think so, tell me examples and reasons why. I actually like AMEN. a lot. I listen to it more often than I expected after first hearing it. I enjoy the album. But that is completely different than EXPERIENCING the album or having it pulse through you or speak to you. What do you think? Steven from Helsinki http://www.mp3.com/stevenstewart (My own version of AMEN...Christian music. Be afraid. :) ) - ------------------------------ 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, 26 May 2000 14:28:07 EDT From: LD111134@aol.com Subject: Re: (harbinger) Marketing The IBIL Remixes Do any of you New Yorkers know whether Paula has ever appeared on Vin Scelsa's "Idiots Delight"? IMHO it might be a good place to showcase songwriting and air her opinions in an "grownup" forum. I lived in the City until 1994 (back when the show was on K-Rock) and I really enjoyed Vin's eclectic mix of guests, including Nanci Griffith, Lucinda Williams, Joey Ramone, Lou Reed and Eric Bagosian. Patrick - ------------------------------ 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, 26 May 2000 14:47:50 EDT From: LD111134@aol.com Subject: Re: (harbinger) Witness Amen In following up on what Kenn and Steven have written, I feel that there's a certain unauthenticty in some of the lyrics in "Amen" (the title song is the most notable example). At times, Paula seems so eager to embrace hip-hop culture that she comes off like the white beatniks from the 50's who went around pretending to be black jazz musicians (cf. Norman Mailer's essay "The White Negro"). Now, don't take this as a slam on hip-hop culture or the sincerity of white (or brown, purple, green) folks' appreciation of hip hop music...it's just that some of the lyrics smack of unconsious "dilettantism" (as Dennis Miller says, "But then again, I could be wrong!"). Patrick - ------------------------------ 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 V5 #91 ******************************