From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V4 #374 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk JMDL Digest Friday, August 27 1999 Volume 04 : Number 374 The Laborday JoniFest is happening this fall! For information: send a message to Join the mailing list at: ------- The Official Joni Mitchell Homepage is maintained by Wally Breese at http://www.jonimitchell.com and contains the latest news, a detailed bio, original interviews and essays, lyrics, and much more. ------- The JMDL website can be found at http://www.jmdl.com and contains interviews, articles, the member gallery, archives, and much more. ========== TOPICS and authors in this Digest: -------- Night Ride Home Special Edition ? [=?iso-8859-1?Q?Winfried_H=FChn?= ] Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC [Siresorrow@aol.com] (JC) Me'shell NdegeOcello's _Bitter_ ["Michael Yarbrough" ] Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC [Ginamu@aol.com] RE: mind, body & spirit, grandchild [Janene Otten ] Shared Stages (NJC) [Steve Dulson ] Re: Night Ride Home Special Edition ? [Bounced Message ] Re: New Releases (NJC) - specifically Richard Thompson [AzeemAK@aol.com] Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC [Siresorrow@aol.com] Re: Night Ride Home Special Edition ? [=?iso-8859-1?Q?Winfried_H=FChn?= <] Papermoon [waytoblu@mindspring.com] Re: New Releases (SJC) - specifically Richard Thompson [Ginamu@aol.com] Re: Papermoon (NJC) [=?iso-8859-1?Q?Winfried_H=FChn?= ] Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC [Ginamu@aol.com] Re:Me'shell NdegeOcello's njc [lisa durfee ] Where I was when... [Maggie McNally ] Janet's message [Maggie McNally ] Re: NJC Re: Nina Simone [RMuRocks@aol.com] Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC [catman ] Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC [catman ] Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC [RMuRocks@aol.com] Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC [Ginamu@aol.com] Re: Jazz Joni vs Classic Joni/Twisted [Ginamu@aol.com] (NJC) pronouncing ndegewhatthef**k ["Michael Yarbrough" ] NJC: Late "Yes", Long ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] Re: Re OZ speak/US speak NJC ["Takats, Angela" ] Re: JMDL Digest V4 #372 [Thunderthumbs ] Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC ["Mark or Travis" ] RLJONES.. (NJC) and kinda long... [Wolfebite@aol.com] NJC: Coltrane vs. SNL [Kate Tarasenko ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 20:49:03 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Winfried_H=FChn?= Subject: Night Ride Home Special Edition ? Dear listers, I just visited the Joni-stocks of a German online CD shop. This is the name of one CD: " Night Ride Home Limited Edition Portfolio-Style Digi Pack" Anybody out there who can tell me what on earth this one is about? Winfried, who BTW ordered David Lahm's Jazz Takes On Joni Mitchell -- finally available here in Germany! NP: Van Morrison -- a night in san francisco ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 14:53:27 -0400 From: julius.kalcevich@ac.com Subject: NJC Re: Nina Simone Just wanted to introduce myself to the list, which I have thoroughly enjoyed for the past few months. I am 24 yr, living in Toronto and have been a diehard Ms. Mitchell addict for a year or so... Growing up in Canada, where Joni helped define the musical airwaves (due obviously to her talent, but nevertheless aided by Canadian Content musical regulations) I had a great deal of exposure to her better known hits....however when I heard "A Case of You" played a year ago, I did not fully realize the torrent of feelings and curiousity, that were ignited by her opening dulcimer notes. Consequently, I have diligently and delightfully paced through her canon and am currently revelling in the poetic reverberations of Hejira, without only one non-sequential detour through NRH on account of "Come In From the Cold", which is especially poignant. Perhaps, it is a less than fortuitous omen though, that my initial message will be to the board, as a respond to the Nina Simone query, rather than a straight Joni comment... from; "Mark or Travis" Can anyone give me a little perspective on Nina Simone? I'm intrigued but not sure I want to buy a lot more or her music. Before listening to Joni, I was totally enraptured by the uncompromising nature and often gritty musical genius of Nina Simone (who incidentally appreciates being referred to as Dr. Simone). Owning some 15 of her albums and collections, the best introductory album to her oeuvre IMHO would be the Verve Jazz Masters edition simply called "Nina Simone". While it is usually wise to steer away from "Best Of" sets, The Verve compliation contains very helpful liner notes as well as a great sampling of her songs, some written by her...such as Mississippi Goddam is uproariously potent and threatening or Love Me or Leave Me (not written by her, but deliciously updated by her) which is a magical blend of Bach and the small band sound...the album is positively bewitching, even though it does not contain a better version of "My baby Just Cares for Me" and lacks her anthemic "Young Gifted and Black".... Undoubtedly, Nina Simone stands as a tribute to empowerment, rage and musical brilliance- having left a wake of admirers and detractors....for example: her contraversial statement at her memorial concert, days after the murder of MLK Jr, where she hissed into the microphone "This ain't no time for non-violence honey!" Regardless of this, she remains a sorceress at the piano....please let me know what CD that you eventually decide to buy! Julius K. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 12:09:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Don Rowe Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC - --- Heather Galli wrote: > I have to jump in here about YES. I've been a > follower for years Me too! And since, for some strange reason, I feel like falling on my sword ... I'll have to admit that I LOVE 90125. But if you think jmdl folks can get into a froth over the relative artistic merits of DED ... you ain't seen nuthin' until you try and defend this album to a die-hard acoustic Yes fan. Which is my way of gently saying to those die-hards out there in joni-land, "Please don't flame me, I already know what you think!" :-) No, the real reason I'm here is to shamelessly rhapsodize about one of my favorite albums of all time. Yep, this one's right up there with 'Hejira' in my pantheon: "The Friends of Mr. Cairo" -- Jon and Vangelis. This is a completely unrestrained, lush bit of experimental genius that I will never tire of. If you've been so misfortunate as to never have heard this magnificent album ... you don't know what you're missing! In fact ... I'll put it on RIGHT NOW! Don Rowe n.p. the cd changer spinning "The Friends of Mr. Cairo" into position. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 15:22:03 EDT From: Siresorrow@aol.com Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC i had the exact same impression of trevor rabin when i saw him play...that he lacked the spirit of yes in his playing and had a lot of smoke and mirrors going. eddie vanhalen stuff. where steve howe had the spirit of yes deep in his bones. i have always loved the voice of jon anderson and the whole combination of sounds of that band was ubelievable. ss ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 12:35:03 PDT From: "Michael Yarbrough" Subject: (JC) Me'shell NdegeOcello's _Bitter_ I really think a lot of would like the newest record by my favorite artist, Me'Shell NdegeOcello. I decided to write a little review of it which I share with you below: Me'Shell NdegeOcello is either brave or stupid. When she burst on the scene with 1992's _Plantation Lullabies_, she was fierce and funky. She had fucked your boyfriend and written a song about it in the afterglow. Her sing-song rap-speak sat atop one of the phattest bass guitars ever recorded, a bass so unflinching and distinctive it became as much a part of her mythos as her bald head and bisexuality. On _Peace Beyond Passion_ she traded the Curtis Mayfield references for Marvin Gaye ones and moved from the projects into church, but those bouncy bass lines didn't relax one bit. The album was lusher, sure, more soul than hip-hop, but it still was funky. It seemed clear that these '90s reworkings of '70s motifs would become Me'Shell's territory (and no one else's), and that she would spend many fertile years exploring their grooves and crannies. But instead she got _Bitter_. The guitars on _Bitter_ are steel, not bass. Notes are slurred, not scooped. Sounds are amplified by echo, not electricity. "There's comfort in melancholy," Joni Mitchell once sang, and _Bitter_ often brings to mind that idea (as well as much of Mitchell's other '70s work). Produced by Craig Street of Cassandra Wilson fame, Bitter_ sets NdegeOcello's mournful melodies amidst acoustic guitar strums and cautious piano lines. The opening instrumental track (an NdegeOcello tradition) immediately sets the tone. On her first two records NdegeOcello started with moody, laid-back tracks, and _Bitter_ is no different. But the melancholy of a synthesizer is different from the melancholy of a cello, and this, we will soon discover, is a cello kind of record. It's also, in the laid-back NPR sense of the word, a rock record. The rhythms of NdegeOcello's instruments and voice do not roll like the soul of her previous work. The beats are straighter (though by no means "whiter") and fit more comfortably alongside the work of a Tracy Chapman or k.d. lang than a Chaka Khan or a Dusty Springfield. Most emblematic of this shift is the "duet" with rootsish singer-songwriter Joe Henry on "Wasted Time," a brilliant sublimation of the most slightly hip-hop beat under those guitars and two disconnected vocals by the collaborators. The first duet I've heard in which the vocalists are not singing to, or even *with*, each other, it sounds as if they simply recorded their lines in separate studios, with neither cooperation nor self-conscious dissonance. The effect is a startling, disorienting and eery magnification of the lyric's, well, bitter confrontation with the mistakes of lover and self. The shift on this record is not just sonic, it is lyrical as well. _Bitter_ lyrically often recalls the transition of Mitchell's masterpiece _Blue_, wherein she started to jettison the curlicue lyrics of her early, folkier albums for lyrics more plain-spoken but full of depth. NdegeOcello has similarly started to move away from the more pungent, imagistic prose of her early songs for direct and declarative examination. Nobody on _Bitter_ "shoots up Africa" in their veins like they did on _Plantation_ or morphs into "gigantic black butterflies" as on _Passion_. Instead they just ask, "You made a fool of me / Tell me why" and confess "I've never really been faithful / Except to God." NdegeOcello does not quite reach the complexity of Mitchell's best work here, but she does brush near their immediacy. This record is raw in a way her earlier work never could be, masterful though it was, because it strips every unnecessary thing in a tireless search for its core. Already one of the best bassists in recorded history, NdegeOcello could have chosen to rest on the laurels of funk for years to come, and continued producing accomplished and increasingly predictable records. But as Mitchell did when she added bass (in the form of Jaco Pastorius) on _Hejira_, NdegeOcello moves forward, unflinching, by removing it. One brave woman, that Me'Shell. _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 12:56:36 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: mind, body & spirit, grandchild Janene wrote: please forgive this big, dumb irishman, still more than a week behind most of you, if I have missed it but I don't think I've seen a word about Joni's new grandchild since the acknowledgment of the birth (speaking of precious moments) just after Joni's Jazz Fest. did I miss it? do we know any more? what gives? pat NP: For Free http://members.wbs.net/homepages/b/a/d/badwolff.html Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 15:55:38 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC I had to jump in about the band Yes. I don't have to compose anything really good in the way of a post but I did want to say that I saw them in 1978. I was 19 and my boyfriend at the time was a huge Yes fan so we attended a show. Donovan opened up for them and while I expected I would not like Yes, I was in for a huge treat! Someone said earlier (Martin?) that in the UK it's not considered cool to like Yes. Well, among my friends it wasn't either (everyone was into folky and folk/rock sort of sounds) but I was lucky to have had this really musically adventurous boyfriend who was a drummer in a jazz band and liked just about every kind of music as long as it was quality. Their stage presence alone was tremendous. They reminded me of the royal figures on a deck of cards. I don't recall exactly but the picture I have in my mind in retrospect is of velvets, brocades and satins. Right away I thought to myself "this is very cool". SireSorrow spoke of the loud bass which reverberated in his chest cavity for days. I recall it being very loud also and all at once primitive and technological. Very powerful, driving, imaginative music. Heather said something about professionalism. Well, that was distinctly a feature of their performance that I remember. They were just fabulous! To this day I don't own any recordings by Yes but the experience of seeing them live is one I'll never forget. Thanks to all who participated in this thread for conjuring up the memory of that great show. Take care, Gina NP: Sam Phillips - Omnipop ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 16:00:45 -0400 From: Janene Otten Subject: RE: mind, body & spirit, grandchild Pat, As far as I know, she is Daisy Joan and we don't know too much more than that. Maybe someone can elaborate? Janene Janene wrote: please forgive this big, dumb irishman, still more than a week behind most of you, if I have missed it but I don't think I've seen a word about Joni's new grandchild since the acknowledgment of the birth (speaking of precious moments) just after Joni's Jazz Fest. did I miss it? do we know any more? what gives? pat NP: For Free http://members.wbs.net/homepages/b/a/d/badwolff.html Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 13:34:53 -0700 From: Steve Dulson Subject: Shared Stages (NJC) UK Paul wrote: >Anyone know of any other magical pairings? Well of course there's always "Puppet Show and Spinal Tap". The Tinkers were once asked to open for "The Animal Fashion Parade", an Orange County Fair event in which people dress their pets up in tutus and stuff. As the woman was describing this on the phone, I was having a hard time not screaming. And then she said "You'll get lots of publicity - local TV ALWAYS covers it" Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! Run away! Run away! ############################################################## Steve Dulson Costa Mesa CA steve@psitech.com "The Tinker's Own" *NEW* website at: http://www.tinkersown.com "Southern California Dulcimer Heritage" http://members.aol.com/scdulcimer/ "The Living Tradition Concert Series" (Website soon!) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 14:27:14 -0600 From: Bounced Message Subject: Re: Night Ride Home Special Edition ? From: "Kakki" Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 12:49:08 -0700 Winfried wrote: >I just visited the Joni-stocks of a German online CD shop. This is the name > of one CD: " Night Ride Home Limited Edition Portfolio-Style Digi Pack" > Anybody out there who can tell me what on earth this one is about? Winfried - this is a wonderful special edition which I picked up on eBay awhile back. The CD comes in a miniature black artist portfolio and includes little lithos on high quality paper stock of the photo art from the album. This certainly could have been another contender for a "Best album packaging" Grammy like TI was. (If only she had added a miniature paintbursh, she might have won ;-) It usually sells for around $20-25 on eBay. Kakki NP: Fleiming & John - The Way We Are ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 16:39:33 EDT From: AzeemAK@aol.com Subject: Re: New Releases (NJC) - specifically Richard Thompson In a message dated 24/08/99 15:37:27 GMT Daylight Time, Ginamu@aol.com writes: << Two other relatively obscure artists (in the larger scope of the music business) with new releases are Richard Thompson with Mock Tudor (thanks to Terry who posted about his interview on Fresh Air, I was able to tune in to hear him discuss his new record, Sandy Denny and hear a few cuts from it that my radio station hasn't played yet...one of the songs on the new album is about Sandy Denny). >> I've got Mock Tudor, and it's mighty fine, without any of the "silly" songs he has often included on albums for no readily discernable reason. Even better, I got to see him a couple of weeks ago at the 100 Club, which is a very small venue in Oxford Street (yes, the Oxford Street); it was a warm-up gig for his tour, which will culminate in a show at the Royal Festival Hall, which is a much grander venue. It was great to see him in such a small place, and he was on absolutely spanking form. I see Rolling Stone has given him a thumbs up, following Mojo, Uncut, various newspapers and everyone else; anyone who hasn't heard this legend could do a lot worse! Azeem ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 16:52:42 EDT From: Siresorrow@aol.com Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC In a message dated 8/27/99 4:30:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Ginamu@aol.com writes: << I recall it being very loud also and all at once primitive and technological. >> we could call it primallogical. and dont think it didn't pick up on the 19 in 1978 which means you're being visited this year by the banchee of 4 x 10. so frightening, i choose not to reference it by its real name. i just turned 38 and was depressed the night before and during the day but by the night, and after a few gin and tonics, i was pretty cool with the whole thing.ss. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 22:54:10 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Winfried_H=FChn?= Subject: Re: Night Ride Home Special Edition ? Kakki writes: > Winfried - this is a wonderful special edition which I picked up on eBay > awhile back. The CD comes in a miniature black artist portfolio and > includes little lithos on high quality paper stock of the photo art from the > album. Kakki and Les, thanks for so quickly responding and enlightening me! The CD costs DEM 38.50 here, that's $ 21 or so. If used ones run between $ 20 and 25 at eBay, it seems to be a pretty good deal. ( especially considering German CD prices usually are 15%-20% higher than their US counterparts). Now, thanks to Kakki, I have another problem -- do I order it or not??? Winfried, not expecting any help on this one, reminding himself it's another 2 months until the first paycheck arrives... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:10:37 -0400 From: waytoblu@mindspring.com Subject: Papermoon Are any listers in Germany familiar with a German music magazine called Paper Moon? Victor NP: Belle and Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:14:54 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: New Releases (SJC) - specifically Richard Thompson Azeem in groovy London wrote about Richard Thompson's new release: <> Do you mean songs like Psycho Street (Rumour and Sigh)? I actually kinda like those. In spirit they remind me of Joni's lovable clunkers like Lead Balloon and Dancing Clown. Both RT and JM are very serious songwriters with some heady and heavy material for us to digest. I think songs like these sort of lighten the load and serve as a sort of showcase for their sense of humor. Lucky us, IMO! I wanted to thank Don Rowe for his excellently written review of Mock Tudor. It was as good if not better than many mini reviews we come across here and there in publications, etc. Great job, Don! Take care, Gina NP: Sam Phillips - Where Are You Taking Me, from Omnipop ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 23:22:57 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Winfried_H=FChn?= Subject: Re: Papermoon (NJC) > Are any listers in Germany familiar with a German music magazine called > Paper Moon? > > Victor > > NP: Belle and Sebastian-If You're Feeling Sinister > Sorry, never heard of it. I did a quick search with a German meta search engine (www.metager.de) -- no results. Winfried ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:20:01 -0400 From: Maggie McNally Subject: Aimee Mann and Robert Frost Hello all, I have been on and off-list for the last year (since starting a job that takes all my time...good thing I love the work!), but have been kept somewhat updated by Ashara. Even when on list, I find it tough to be timely in reading the digests, so usually do not reply or remark because you JMDLrs have moved on to a zillion other subjects by the time I am ready to say..."ummm, I was just thinkin..." But Ashara and I just had a great meeting this morning about next weekend's 'Fest, and seeing as how I took the day off to go to the Cape but cancelled the Cape trip when John Kelly/Paved Paradise was cancelled, what better way to spend this drizzly and humid day then catching up on a zillion digests? WallyK, you wrote two posts that I connected by virtue of your impending trip to New England. >Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 03:21:20 -0300 >From: "Wally Kairuz" >Subject: RE: top 10 favorite non joni artists njc > >10 non-opera favorites in any order >.... >aimee mann > and >date: Sun, 22 Aug 1999 09:19:16 -0300 >From: "Wally Kairuz" >Subject: RE: poets (NJC) > >i've been re-reading robert frost a lot this week [we've been having a very >cold winter, and whenever i see the first flakes flurrying i think of robert >frost -- not because of his last name but because of the hyperfamous "whose >woods these are i think i know...] i have the impression that a lot of >people in the us don't seem to like r. frost very much. is it for any >political reason? > Do you know that Aimee Mann was big in Boston during the 80s, before she took off for L.A.? I recall going to Newbury Comics, the "alternative rock" store in Boston during that time where you had to go to get the really hard-to-get like Fear, X, Sex Pistols, FisherZ, Cure, Haircut 100 (giggle), and she was the cashier. Ah yes, we here in Boston knew her "when"....like when she was in the Young Snakes, and when she won the battle of the bands with 'Til Tuesday. I always liked her and look forward to meeting another fan. Also, surely you know that Robert Frost is one of ours (i.e., from New England)? As for your question about any political reasons for his lack of attention, to my knowledge he just isn't fashionable. He was the poet at President Kennedy's inauguration, if that suggests any political leanings or connection. I, for one, love that poem, especially in winter. Looking forward to meeting you here in summer-y (not snowy) New England. Best, Maggie Maggie McNally ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:27:18 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC In a message dated 8/27/99 4:52:42 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Siresorrow writes: << and dont think it didn't pick up on the 19 in 1978 which means you're being visited this year by the banchee of 4 x 10. so frightening, i choose not to reference it by its real name. i just turned 38 and was depressed the night before and during the day but by the night, and after a few gin and tonics, i was pretty cool with the whole thing.ss. >> Ha! Actually I'm not at all frightened. I turned 40 on July 1 and I feel better about life in general than at any other time in my life, some specific situations notwithstanding. I'm actually looking forward to 50 being an even more gratifying time in my life! About the Yes concert, I said: << I recall it being very loud also and all at once primitive and technological. >> And Siresorow replied: <> I like that! Gina, with some time to myself finally, though the clock is ticking fast! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:38:33 -0400 From: lisa durfee Subject: Re:Me'shell NdegeOcello's njc Michael Yarbrough wrote: > I really think a lot of would like the newest record by my favorite > artist, Me'Shell NdegeOcello. ...... please forward complete phonetic instructions on how to pronounce her name.thanks. (ps I enjoyed the review) liså D ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:32:10 -0400 From: Maggie McNally Subject: Where I was when... Valerie, (and those of you who have already responded to this thread starter...) I loved reading your comments on particular memories and how they are stored in the vinyl of a particular album, to be released upon hearing...what really struck me was your line about NOT having any with Hejira. That is one that is particularly evocative for me, because it came at a time in my life where the relationship thing was not working. It actually can be credited with helping me find my way out of a tired old relationship. Even today, despite being in a wonderful relationship (and approaching wedding anniversary number nine), I can still feel the mental and physical aches that are woven into my listening to that album. Imagine my confusion when I was both delighted and pained to hear her perform her Hejira trilogy in Santa Cruz and at MSG last year! Thank you for sharing. Best, Maggie >Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 20:02:00 -0400 >From: Valerie Richardson >Subject: Where I was when... > >I haven't shared a lot since I joined this list a couple of months ago, >but I love being around such like-minded people. And I've been listening >to Joni's music a lot more recently and trying to build up my CD >collection with some of the older albums that I used to have in vinyl. >One of the things that has really struck me is the intense memories I >have with some of the albums. Every time I hear them, I have almost >flashback-like sensations of hearing the same music at another time in >my life. I can remember where I was, what the weather was at the time, >what my mood was like, who I was talking to. These memories aren't >necessarily associated with the first time I heard the music, but most >of them occurred 20-25 years ago... >It's interesting that I don't have any specific associations with my >favorite album, Hejira > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:35:29 -0400 From: Maggie McNally Subject: Janet's message Janet, Your words moved me greatly. My words fail me miserably. Best, Maggie Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 12:33:30 -0400 From: Janet Hess Subject: PWWAM Oh, my. For various reasons, I'd held off on buying "Painting With Words And Music." This summer hasn't been the cheeriest I've ever seen; as some JMDLers will recall, I had a mastectomy a couple weeks ago. So I decided I deserved a treat, and I ordered PWWAM. It arrived yesterday. Here's my report: PWWAM is worth any number of surgeries! I'm both amazed that I hadn't sent for PWWAM before and incredibly glad that it has come into my life at this particular moment. It's amazing, of course, but it's also extraordinary medicine. Maybe in a few days I can say something more coherent about this. As it is, though, I simply feel immeasurably rich to be alive in a world that includes the art of Joni Mitchell. What a treat! Hugs, Janet and Deanna Ivy the Wonderkitty And Mark Isham is no slouch, eh? - - ----------------- So when you see a man who's broken / Pick him up and carry him. And when you see a woman who's broken / Put her all into your arms 'Cause we don't know where we come from / We don't know what we are. Laurie Anderson, "Ramon" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 17:52:01 EDT From: RMuRocks@aol.com Subject: Re: NJC Re: Nina Simone In a message dated 8/27/99 1:58:23 PM US Central Standard Time, julius.kalcevich@ac.com writes: << Just wanted to introduce myself to the list, which I have thoroughly enjoyed for the past few months. I am 24 yr, living in Toronto and have been a diehard Ms. Mitchell addict for a year or so... >> Welcome to the list Julius! And you're not even the only Julius on it! :~) Looking forward to hearing more from you now that you've stepped out of the shadows... Bob NP: Bruce, "The Angel" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 22:54:08 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC I had an album by Patrick Moraz-The Story of I. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 22:55:16 +0100 From: catman Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat - NJC Louis Lynch wrote: > Martin, > > It's uncool to like Yes in the United Kingdom? (This from the country that > gave us Cornish pasties and blood pudding!) It is Black pudding! But still disgusting. > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 18:01:20 EDT From: RMuRocks@aol.com Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC In a message dated 8/27/99 2:30:59 PM US Central Standard Time, Ginamu@aol.com writes: << To this day I don't own any recordings by Yes but the experience of seeing them live is one I'll never forget. >> Well, The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge should be in EVERY collection. There's not an unenjoyable nanosecond on them. Bob NP: Holly Cole, "Brighter Lonely Day" (produced by L. Klein) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 18:06:48 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC In a message dated 8/27/99 6:01:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, RMuRocks writes: << Well, The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge should be in EVERY collection. There's not an unenjoyable nanosecond on them. >> Well, it would be nice to afford it all, wouldn't it? I've heard those records at friends' homes. They're wonderful. Not owning anything by Yes certainly doesn't detract from my enjoyment of that show, though, and that was sort of the point of my post. With a smile, Gina ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 18:22:31 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: Jazz Joni vs Classic Joni/Twisted In a message dated 8/26/99 8:53:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Bob.Muller@fluordaniel.com writes: << Alan threw out a couple of bones that I HAVE to pick: <> >> We are? I was a teen-ager in the mid 70s. Were the pot smoking, Deadhead listening, patched jeans types of the mid 70's really hippies? What time period defines a hippie? I've always thought of a real hippie as someone somewhat older than I, perhaps now on the other side of 40, maybe real close to 50? Having a brother six years older (and though we came here from Europe in 1967, he was instantly smitten with U.S. culture, as was I) I like lots of that era's music but I can't really claim it as as my own. I guess being a member of the "lost generation" and perhaps also being foreign born (but very American at this point) I can't really say I can lay a claim to any particularly special era in music, politics or social trends. Perhaps that's why Joni's Hejira means so much to me. I discovered it at a time when there was nothing particularly unique to lay claim to. Though I didn't feel I could embrace any particular music in a more socially encompassing way, I was able to identify, albeit alone, with *her* music. I can't think of any other single artist who could have kept me company quite the way she did with Hejira. Even though I was young and had many more changes to get to before truly understanding what she wrote about, the album held such mystique, wonder, loneliness (fodder for the angst mill). Even as young as I was, it hinted at things to come, just knowing myself and anticipating the road I would need to take to get there. One more thought about the early Joni albums. I listened to them all between 1978-1979. I didn't care for Clouds or LoTC much. They seemed already somehow "dated" by then to me. I mean, Clouds was released when I was just eight years old. At the same time, it was such a treat to see the progression, the growth. I sincerely believe had she remained the same, or as Bob said, became a sort of jukebox, I would have had little to embrace at all in the mid-70's except for maybe the poetry books I routinely checked out of the school library, none of which had the impact on me that Hejira had, nor continued to hold the same significance for me more than 20 years later. I guess some "hanging on to the past" is implicit in my ramblings here but I anticipate with eagerness anything new by JM, whatever it may be, even if it's a collection of turkeys (no offense) like Dancing Clown. And while I would much rather have the next record be new material, I can't wait for the album of standards. Anything Joni, anything at all...and I don't mean uncritical acceptance either. Just more food for thought and discussion, wherever that may lead us. Because of this list, I now appreciate the earlier work much, much more. My favorites have remained my favorites, but the early work has joys, surprises and mysteries of its own. Take care, Gina NP: Tin Angel, Clouds IMO, Joni is at such a creative stage in her life (talk about being in one's 50's and loving it!!) and has produced three incredible records in the last few years. Why would she want to hang on to the past? Take care, Gina NP: Sam Phillips - The Indescribable Wow ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 15:56:06 PDT From: "Michael Yarbrough" Subject: (NJC) pronouncing ndegewhatthef**k Lisa D. asked: >please forward complete phonetic instructions on how to pronounce her >name.thanks. (ps I enjoyed the review) The last name is n-duh-GAY-o-chel-o. The first name I pronounce MEE-shell, but a lot of people pronounce it just as Michelle, and I frankly have no idea which is correct. Her given name is Michelle Johnson, but I'm inclined to believe she changed the spelling with specific intent, which could imply that she wanted it pronounced differently. Just to confuse things more, though she is contractually bound to record under the NdegeOcello name, she now prefers to be called Bashir Shakur. - --Michael ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 19:39:30 EDT From: Ginamu@aol.com Subject: Re: Blue Heron (NJC) In a message dated 8/26/99 10:51:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time, kakkib@att.net writes: << John wrote: > thanks Gina for sharing your story. I really enjoyed hearing about it > and I hope the heron recovers fully. Please let us know its progress. >> Well, it's with regret that I report our Blue Heron passed away just shortly after I wrote the post about it. It appears that his condition was much worse than the suspected broken wing and leg, though we don't know exactly what was wrong with it. It's buried in our pet graveyard along with a pet rat, rabbit and guinea pig, as well as a sparrow we once found. Thanks for responding, you guys. I know the story would have been much better in the hands of a more creative writer but my heart was in it, even if I can't weave a clever yarn! Take care, Gina - going back to work on Monday after a long summer off...yikes! NP: Even The Losers - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 16:47:57 -0700 From: "P. Henry" Subject: urge words Catherine wrote: you're correct and in fact this is not the only misquote of the verses of this song I've seen. it seems that the older the song, the more likely it is that someone gets the words wrong. I have seen the stanza that this particular line appears in with several different variations. this is how she taught it to me in 1966: "so I'll ply the fire with kindling... pull the blankets to my chin I'll lock the vagrant winter out and bolt my wanderin' in I'd like to call back summer time and have her stay for just another month or so..." pat NP: what else? http://members.wbs.net/homepages/b/a/d/badwolff.html Angelfire for your free web-based e-mail. http://www.angelfire.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 20:13:42 -0400 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: NJC: Late "Yes", Long There is a live album of late Yes material that collects the best of those later albums called "Yesshows". It has nicely recorded versions of "Going For The One", "Don't Kill the Whale", "Ritual" (AKA Nous Sommes Du Soleil) and "Wonderous Stories". It was mixed by Chris Squire, the bassist. The bass is remarkably agile and well reproduced. If you have a nice stereo you'll notice that the bass sounds significantly better here than on other rock albums and especially better than on other _live_ albums. I recommend it. I also hated most of "Tormato". Around that same time, Emerson Lake and Palmer also turned in a dismal, thoroughly embarassing album called "Love Beach". It was a bad time for art rock as it was labeled. Things didn't light up in the art rock genre until I discovered Peter Gabriel. BTW, if you like "Paprika Plains" and early Yes, you may also like "Tales From Topographic Oceans". There are four cuts, each as long as an LP side (roughly 23 minutes) so you have to love long tracks. Most people can't handle it. mlg@ukonline.co.uk writes: << The came Tormato. Which has to be one of the worst albums ever produced by any one at any time ever. Ever. >> sireofsorrow said: > i really liked "don't kill the whale". of all the songs on that album that > one had the most traditional yes flavor to it. - -- All the best, Jim L'Hommedieu ** Get well Wally! ** Tolerance, tolerance, tol... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1999 09:54:30 +1000 From: "Takats, Angela" Subject: Re: Re OZ speak/US speak NJC Okay guys....I hope everyone has had a laugh...I will hide my email head in shame and embarrassment after getting involved in this one....BTW, I am sure there is one or two listers out there that were grateful that I took the time to educate them on such an important term/topic - hmmm, maybe not. Ange - who will be answering 'joni only' questions from now on ;-) Sydney > < Jerkin the Gherkin > and > Whipping The Dripping > > I never could figure what they meant....>> > > Well, don't know if anyone else has "touched" this one...but I can inform > you that jerkin the gherkin is very much about masturbation, which I'm sure > you have all already figured, No, what is that? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 21:04:21 -0400 From: Thunderthumbs Subject: Re: JMDL Digest V4 #372 > > Comment: Thunderthumbs wrote re SNL's saxophony: > "Coltrane eat your heart out." > TT: Trust me when I tell you that all those sax-boys wouldn't > find themselves worthy to shine Trane's shoes, may he RIP. > > Kate in CO > to TT or Kate or Whoever... That you like 'Trane better that the SNL guy is an opinion, just as when I say that I find some (but not all) of Coltrane's solos sound like noise, or someone wiggling their fingers all over the keys. Fair enough? -Brad ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 19:42:45 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Scaredy Cat (Yes) NJC > > Well, The Yes Album, Fragile, and Close to the Edge should be in EVERY > collection. There's not an unenjoyable nanosecond on them. > > Bob The Yes Album and Close to the Edge are my two favorites and got a lot of wear and tear in their vinyl incarnations during my college years. I also own the vinyl of 'Tales from Topographic Oceans' and like parts of that. 'Relayer' wasn't bad either. To be quite honest, their lyrics never made a lot of sense to me though. I guess impressionistic is a good adjective for them. They seemed almost like stream of consciousness. They certainly evoked a lot of images in my mind. I even have a book of Roger Dean prints somewhere mainly because of the album covers he did for Yes. I have to admit that a lot of my enjoyment of these records came from smoking that wacky weed. 'I get up, I get down' from 'Close to the Edge' gave me a wonderful feeling of floating around in space. Is the organ solo at the end of that section the one that Siresorrow described? I wanted to see this band badly in my college days but never got the chance. I did see Jethro Tull once, I think it was the 'War Child' tour. I always thought Ian Anderson was a tremendously talented song-writer/singer/flautist. He wrote some fantastic lyrics on such albums as 'Aqualung', 'Thick as a Brick', etc. Some I would put in the same class as Joni's highly revered words. I haven't listened to either Tull or Yes in years. Somehow it just seems like they wouldn't sound the same anymore (especially since I no longer indulge in wacky weed). But the recent posts have made me want to give them another listen. I have The Yes Album on cd but the transfer to cd was not a very good one. I may have to check for some remastered editions. The poor quality was a lot of the reason why I never bought Close to the Edge on cd which really was a big favorite of mine at one time. Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 22:54:23 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: RE: (JC) Me'shell NdegeOcello's _Bitter_ (njc) just before we headed out to topsfield the day of ashara's jonifest, almost a year ago, i sat in a cambridge cafe with michael and his wonderful friend nora and chatted about some of what he imagines of his future. as most of you know, michael has been working for a congressman on the hill in dc for a few years and is moving back to chicago to finish his degree. he's seen enough of politics to know that's not it. he's interested in sociology (obviously!) but, given his love for music it's not surprising that he has considered being a music writer. i think this review is a terrific piece, and i'm publicly encouraging michael to keep considering that choice. i've been aware that me'shell's album was going to be released wednesday, but i haven't bought it. michael, write maverick and tell them it was your review that got me out of the house to buy the album; i'm now going to walk out of my house to score it. i love this line: >It's also, in the laid-back NPR sense of the word, a rock record. patrick np - yes - going for the one ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 22:54:27 -0400 From: "patrick leader" Subject: yes/vangelis/donnasummer/quincyjones (was RE: Scaredy Cat - NJC) i had to laugh at this stop on the yes thread local. and i sure loved sire of sorrow's post on seeing wakeman live a few years back but really, don? > >"The Friends of Mr. Cairo" -- Jon and Vangelis. > serious cheezarama - but, i love this one, too, especially 'i'll find my way home' and the title song, and more than i can say i love 'state of independence', but i love donna summer's version from her self-titled 1985 album, produced by quincy jones. it's one of the most important songs in my life. what a strange path of memory to travel, just reading today's posts. and 'the yes album' was probably the first album i ever owned, because of 'your move' on the radio. my grandmother asked my sister, she asked me, and my grandmother, a little cautiously, bought me that album as well as a much safer looking album called 'tell it all brother' (kris kristopherson?) that i proudly owned for 10 years without ever spinning. hey, i knew cool, at 12... 'the yes album', 'fragile' and 'close to the edge' are nearly perfect albums, but i do love parts of tormato. i put 'onward' on a tape for a dear friend of mine just before she met her husband, and when that was the first song they played after the vows, i cried. i'm not ashamed; it's a beautiful song. and they're very happy. patrick jfp - yes - going for the one, then - onward jfp - donna summer - state of independence np - donna summer - the lush life ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 20:21:03 -0700 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Your Move, Thru the Looking Glass & White Rabbit (was RE: Scaredy Cat - NJC) > > and 'the yes album' was probably the first album i ever owned, because of > 'your move' on the radio. 'Your Move' is definitely one of my favorites. I love the Baroque-like play between the guitar and the recorders and the vocal. And the words with their chess imagery evoke images of 'Through the Looking Glass' which is a favorite of mine. I think the 'Alice in Wonderland' theme had as much to do with my love of the Airplane's 'White Rabbit' as the drug connotations did. Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 19:59:12 -0700 From: "Kakki" Subject: Re: (JC) Me'shell NdegeOcello's _Bitter_ (njc) Patrick wrote about Michael: >he's interested in sociology > (obviously!) but, given his love for music it's not surprising that he has > considered being a music writer. > > i think this review is a terrific piece, and i'm publicly encouraging > michael to keep considering that choice. Today after reading Michael's review I was thinking once again how he is one of the best music reviewers I've ever read. I think he is "born" to the career and have also purchased music based on his recommendations. Last Sunday night as Ashara and I were crawling in traffic along Sunset Blvd. we passed The Roxy club and saw Me'shell's name on the marquee. Ashara immediately shouted out "Michael...Michael's!" She didn't need to finish the sentence for me to know what she meant. Michael, I wish you the best in Chicago and hoped you will be hooking back up to the list after you get settled. Kakki ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 23:35:20 EDT From: Wolfebite@aol.com Subject: RLJONES.. (NJC) and kinda long... hello all with the recent spat of Rickie Lee comments/critiques.. i thought i'd mention to you fans in the greater chicago land area... that she's coming to old town school of folk music on sept 18-19th for an 'acoustic retrospective'. kind of a continuation of 'naked songs'. appears she's doing these smaller venue shows not as part of a tour- more of a get them when you can kind of thing. now mind you, ms. jones has some explaining to do i think. ghosty head was abysmal- her performance here a few years ago at the Metro during the ghosty head tour was horrendous (almost 2 hour wait between the opening act - a belly dancer- and rickie- who had to be lead to the front of the stage). her sessions gig, though, i think was good.. avaitor was gorgeous- and her presence in general seemed pretty focused and direct. I think her collaboration with rick boston is a mistake. i liked her comments too- between songs- with chris doritos... or whatever is name is.. again she seemed real direct and honest- especially about who she has come to see herself as other expect her to see herself and now she's finding that that doesn't jive anymore. my analysis is she could continue to flounder (like ghostyhead), turning her experienced weariness into bitterness, or she could find a sound/expression that fits her own image. she seems- from what i've read/heard- to also be leary of the music machine- much like our joan. i'm hoping to meet her. my roommate - gene- may be doing the set for the show. (we're awaiting a call from her management... it's a long story). if so- natch that i'll help- and hopefully- we'll get to meet her/hang out with her. gene as already expressed interest in taking her out to shoot pool. eitherway- i'll be at the show. doug np: lal waterson/oliver knight: bed of roses ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 21:46:38 +0000 From: Kate Tarasenko Subject: NJC: Coltrane vs. SNL Re my earlier "Comment: Thunderthumbs wrote re SNL's saxophony: > > "Coltrane eat your heart out." TT: Trust me when I tell you that all those sax-boys wouldn't find themselves worthy to shine Trane's shoes, may he RIP." Thunderthumbs responded: "That you like 'Trane better that the SNL guy is an opinion, just as when I say that I find some (but not all) of Coltrane's solos sound like noise, or someone wiggling their fingers all over the keys. Fair enough? Brad/TT: Abso-tively! But treading on Trane is stomping on holy ground, as far as my sax-playing friends and I are concerned. Merely wanted to voice my own opinion that Trane has always been in a class by himself, just like Miles for trumpet fans, et al. Secure those fire extinguishers, people! Kate in CO ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V4 #374 ************************** The Song and Album Voting Booths are open! Cast your votes by clicking the links at http://www.jmdl.com/gallery username: jimdle password: siquomb ------- Don't forget about these ongoing projects: Glossary project: Send a blank message to for all the details. FAQ Project: Help compile the JMDL FAQ. Do you have mailing list-related questions? -send them to Trivia Project: Send your Joni trivia questions and/or answers to Today in History Project: Know of a date-specific Joni fact? - -send it to ------- Post messages to the list at Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe joni-digest" to ------- Siquomb, isn't she?