From: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org (harbinger-digest) To: harbinger-digest@smoe.org Subject: harbinger-digest V5 #131 Reply-To: harbinger@smoe.org Sender: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-harbinger-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk harbinger-digest Saturday, August 19 2000 Volume 05 : Number 131 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) The Challenge ["Kenneth Carpenter" ] (harbinger) Recent Newspaper Article re: Paula (#1) ["Kenneth Carpenter" ] (harbinger) Newspaper Article About Paula (#2) ["Kenneth Carpenter" ] Re: (harbinger) Donna, Paula, Jay [Brian C ] (harbinger) Re: Screen Saver ["Steve Bornstein" Subject: (harbinger) The Challenge Steve wrote: >Compare this with Dar Williams, who has writen some very moving songs >but >is not at all challenging, as she stays comfortably within standard >expectations of what a song should be. Her "February" is one of the most >poignant songs I know. When the boy tells the >girl "I still love you" as a last-ditch effort to save their doomed love, >it brings a tear or two to my eyes every time. Every time. And >I don't >mind, somehow, because not only am I constantly impressed with this >graceful turn of wourds and melody, her singing is sweet, soft, easy on the >ears. She draws the listener into her world, rather than push him/her >toward her point of view. I think perhaps we should try to agree upon the terminology we're using because I find Dar Williams' songs to be among the most emotionally challenging I've ever heard or felt. I was talking with a friend last night about music that is "challenging" and it made me think about how music challenges us. In most instances, I don't particularly care for music that challenges me intellectually, by which I mean "smart" music. I enjoy the band, Moxy Fruvous, because their music springs from four intelligent, well-read, politically-conscious, blah blah blah men who happen to be very cool people to hear and watch and have fun being smart with. But Moxy Fruvous are a huge exception for me. In nearly every other instance (exceptions being the fluffy pop crap and electronic dance stuff I freely admit to enjoying now and again), I want to listen to music that stirs me emotionally. That's the challenge I'm talking about and it's also the point from which my definition of being challenged is pulled. It can be the singer's voice or the lyrics or the mood of the song or the instrumentation, but in those instances where I love the musician, it's usually a combination of those elements - along with the musicians ability to put an image in my mind that sparks my emotions. If they do it well (like Dar Williams), I consider that challenging music. [This is going to start making me laugh in a minute simply because these words beg to be humorized. I can think of a great many singers out there today who are "musically challenged."] Sorry if the rest of you aren't enjoying these off-Paula posts. But, it's not like anything else is going to be going on around here for a while so we might as well find something to do to pass the time. :^) Kenn ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 19:19:03 EDT From: "Kenneth Carpenter" Subject: (harbinger) Recent Newspaper Article re: Paula (#1) From the Las Vegas Review - August 4, 2000 by Doug Elfman >Paula Cole learning through adversity >One of pop music's sultriest striptease songs went virtually >unnoticed two >years ago when Paula Cole's "Feelin' Love" felt no love >from radio >stations. At the time, music programmers were retooling >radio away from >women's voices and toward kid-pop and alpha-male >metal. >Cole's fortunes sank further in 1999 when she received poor reviews >for >her commercially disappointing album, "Amen." The CD followed >1996's "This Fire," which had spawned a so-called woman's anthem, >"Where >Have All the Cowboys Gone?" and a "Dawson's Creek" anthem, "I >Don't Want to Wait." >"`Amen' was extremely dissed," says Cole, 32. "Warner Bros. botched >the >release. I had management problems. It floundered. It was >misinterpreted. It was crushing," she says. "And you watch the >success of >your career ebb and flow." >One of the most distressing developments was reading critics who > >misinterpreted her spiritual side. In "Amen," she sang a bit about >God >and her own spirituality, and suddenly critics acted as if she >went from >being an atheist to a Jerry Falwell disciple. Cole laughs >in disbelief at >the notion. She doesn't sound very forgiving. >"Some people think I think God is Santa Claus," just because she >"recorded >a nondenominational album in which I spoke of >spirituality," she says. >Critics be damned. She loves "Amen." "And I have a core audience, and >this >album was appreciated by them," she says. Sorry to interrupt, but I have to comment on this point. I consider myself to be a strong part of Paula's core audience and I'll probably keep on being loyal even if she's not doing her best work for another album, but I think she's giving me (and many other core audience members to whom I've spoken) much more credit than we necessarily deserve when she says we appreciated Amen. I really wouldn't say I appreciated it. In fact, I'd go so far as saying that I didn't honestly appreciate it at all. Last week, I even just listened to the whole thing all the way through for the first time in months to see if maybe it had had some time to grow on me. Who knew? Maybe I just wasn't in the right mental/emotional place to take Amen. at the time it was released. Well, I honestly still can't stand those fucking lyrics. Have you listened to "Rhythm Of Life" or "Free" recently? They suck. Flat out, no question about it. The only thing I can really come away from this album and tour feeling good about is that Paula's voice has never sounded better. Now that's a big deal to me. In fact, that fact in conjunction with the non-album tracks she shared with us is one of the biggest reasons I'm sticking with her for another album or two. I think she does have a lot of good music in her. But as far as the music on Amen. goes, this was a big fat zero in my book. I'm sorry but she just pisses me off when she acts like this was some kind of fucking masterpiece that was just misunderstood by a public hungry for Britney Spears blather. Trust me, I'd rather have been listening to really good Paula stuff than Christina Aguilera telling me what a girl wants (like I will ever need to know), but there was just a sudden shortage of good PC tunes so I had to turn somewhere for entertainment. Yes, I cheated on Paula with Christina. But it was only once and it didn't mean anything. ;^) Back to the article... >But "Amen's" fallout has been challenging to deal with. >"Adversity is a teacher in disguise," says Cole, a Rockport, Mass., > >native, sounding every bit like she earned that Berklee (Mass.) >College >of Music degree. "And now I'm looking forward to some new >aspects in my >life." >She has a new manager. And when the current tour ends next week, >she's >taking her first extended time off from recording and touring >since 1993. >"I'm thankful, but it's time for a change," Cole says and chuckles. > >"Besides, I want people to get hungry and miss me." >After seven years of living in New York, she's moving to California >to be >closer to her sister and niece in Berkeley. She's relishing her >new role >as Aunty. >"When I go into kids' stores, I can't stop myself" from buying loads >of >presents for her niece, she says. >Cole also has a new love interest after going through a heavy breakup > >spawned by the stressful success of "This Fire." >"You have to find a strong partner to do this job," she says. "I'm an > >opinionated, focused, strong, successful woman. It's hard on a > >relationship to be gone all the time. It couldn't last, and it was >all >crumbling at the pinnacle of my success, which sucks. >"I was so miserable. The pinnacle of my professional success was the > >misery of my personal life. I'm totally re-evaluating my life now. >And >my partner (a fellow artist) is going out on the road with me." >It will be hard for Cole to break through guy-heavy radio again, she >says. >"There was a moment kind of in '97 and '98 when there was more >diversity, >and people were talking about women and Lilith Fair," she >says. "It was an >anomaly, and it's back to the way it was. >"Lilith touched on a need, a theme, and it gave a phrase to the >media. I >started feeling uncomfortable being categorized like that, >and I didn't go >out this last time" on Lilith, Cole says. >She says she's actually kind of glad now that "Amen" didn't catch >fire, >"because there's more in me. I want longevity." OK... I don't get that last sentence at all. Contradictions abound. Tell me what you think. Hey, Helsinki! Are you out there?? I miss you. Thanks for the Nightmare CD, btw. My friend loved it. Write soon. I have things for you. Kenn ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 19:25:15 EDT From: "Kenneth Carpenter" Subject: (harbinger) Newspaper Article About Paula (#2) From The Chicago Sun-Times, Inc. August 6, 2000 >Paula Cole faces drought after hot `Fire' >In 1997, Paula Cole sang "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" and it >made >her a star. Three years later, she might be thinking, "Where >have all the >listeners gone?" >The transition from Cole's 1997 triumphs to the low profile of year >2000 >marks one of the most precipitous drops in pop history. Cole's >1997 album >"This Fire" sold 1.6 million, the cheeky "Cowboy" was a >Top 10 hit, and >Cole received seven Grammy nominations, winning the >award for best new >artist. >Then she released "Amen" last September, and it barely made a ripple. >To >date it has sold fewer than 105,000 copies. :^O How many do you need to go gold? Anyone know? >That hasn't stopped Cole from touring, and it hasn't shaken her > >confidence, she insists. >But it did hit her hard. >"It's been very crushing because I've just put so much of my life >energy >into this, and I thought it would be bigger," said Cole, 32. >"But that's >life, and we have to go on." >Cole, who brings an element of spirituality to her folk- flavored, > >soul-spiced pop, mentions her own change of managers and some >executive >shuffling at her label, Warner Bros. Records, as possible >factors in the >album's failure. She's also willing to shoulder some >blame. "Perhaps I >wrote music that didn't resonate with people. It could be that, too," Cole >said. Well, you could knock me over with a feather... I suppose it's better late than never. Finally the pointed finger has managed to work its way back around to the person to whom it is attached. That's a good start. >But it's a halfhearted concession; she still can't understand why the > >album's "I Believe in Love," with its Barry White-style disco > >orchestration, didn't click. "I still feel in my heart that I wrote >the >biggest hit song of my career, but it just didn't happen," she >said. >Cole will record a new album in Los Angeles next year, and she >doesn't >plan to do anything differently with the aim of returning to >the charts. >"When it comes to talent, I have no lack of confidence," >she said. >Copyright The Chicago Sun-Times, Inc. I have to say IBIL is an amazing song when you hear it remixed, but the album version pales in comparison. When I think of it that way, I'd have to agree with her estimation that it's the biggest hit song of her career (thus far). Kenn ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 20:24:22 EDT From: "Kenneth Carpenter" Subject: (harbinger) Going gold They wrote: >Then she released "Amen" last September, and it barely made a ripple. >To >date it has sold fewer than 105,000 copies. Then I wrote: > :^O How many do you need to go gold? Anyone know? Then I found an answer to my own question: 500,000 copies are needed to go gold. Amen. will probably never ever reach that mark. Kenn ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 18:46:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian C Subject: Re: (harbinger) Donna, Paula, Jay so how do you find the paula screen saver??? I can't find it anywhere. - -Bri - --- Steve Bornstein wrote: > >Where did ya get the screensavers? I would love to > have them for my puter. > >Zia > > > > I got the Paula ss from http://www.freeshop.com - > it's linked to cdnow > somehow, though that can be disabled. They have a > bunch of stuff there, > mostly free. The Donna ss is from her website, or > rather the old fan club > site, now under renovation. I was going to send you > these as attachments but > a server was down somewere in the vicinity of my day > job, so I couldn't go > online. Copying them to floppy and sending from home > didn't seem to work. I > mean, if I can't install them on my computer > something's wrong, and I don't > see the point of sending out incomplete or unusable > files. > > I'll try again tomorrow. > > Peace > > JourneyBear > > Keeping the faith since it became important to do so > ________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at > http://www.hotmail.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 > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.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 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2000 02:10:40 GMT From: "Steve Bornstein" Subject: (harbinger) Re: Screen Saver > >so how do you find the paula screen saver??? I can't >find it anywhere. > >-Bri > I'm pretty well stumped too. I went to http://www.freeshop.com but had a hard time navigating the site. I've had this for a couple of years, and I'm sure I got tipped off about it through harbinger, so if someone knows how to search the archives the link should be there, somewhere. Meanwhile, I tried to transfer both the Paula and Donna DeLory ss's to my home computer via floppy, and it was no go. I'll keep trying, after the weekend. Peace JourneyBear ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 V5 #131 *******************************