From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2000 #660 Reply-To: joni@smoe.org Sender: les@jmdl.com Errors-To: les@jmdl.com Precedence: bulk Unsubscribe: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe Archives: http://www.smoe.org/lists/joni Websites: http://www.jmdl.com http://www.jonimitchell.com JMDL Digest Monday, December 18 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 660 The 'Official' Joni Mitchell Homepage, created by Wally Breese, can be found at http://www.jonimitchell.com. It contains the latest news, a detailed bio, Original Interviews, essays, lyrics and much 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: -------- Digital Camera? Are you sure? NJC, NEC ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] Re: Court's in session...NJC [catman ] Re: Happy Birthday, (NJC) [catman ] Re: Staples ad (NJC) [catman ] Re: Tomato, Tomahto controversy NJC [catman ] Re: Xmas with Louise NJC [Murphycopy@aol.com] RE: Staples ad (NJC) ["Wally Kairuz" ] december 17 part 1 njc ["Wally Kairuz" ] december 17 part 2 njc ["Wally Kairuz" ] Re: december 17 part 2 njc [catman ] Re: Best of 2000 NJC ["Mark or Travis" ] Re: Digital Camera? Are you sure? NJC, NEC ["Mark or Travis" ] weather again [was Staples ad] NJC [dsk ] Re: NJC Julia ? Julee [Joseph Palis ] Saltwater Shines [Scott Price ] Re: december 16 at last!!!!! NJC ["Hell" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 02:53:47 -0500 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Digital Camera? Are you sure? NJC, NEC At the risk of offering a dissenting view, may I suggest an alternative? In the current issue, Popular Photography say that digital will equal the quality of conventional 35mm film cameras when they are capable of storing 6 million pixels. That is way, way more than is captured by the current crop of digital cameras priced at about $800 (USD). (At that price range, they capture about 3.3 million pixels.) For the same $800, you could get an outrageously great 35mm SLR like the Nikon N80 with a genuine Nikon zoom lens. This baby will Auto focus with an amazing amount of flexibility. It's either a super snapshot camera or a pro tool, depending on how you use it. Amazingly, it will do fill-flash without attachments. (Get this- the Nikon "D" series lens "tells" the camera where it's focused. If the camera doesn't 'see' light _in the foreground_ it turns on the fill flash and works with a sublety impossible just a few years ago.) If you like wide-angle shots like "Leslie and David" or "Kakki in Paz's backyard" at http://www.jmdl.com/jonifest/jfno2000.cfm, you really should consider a 35 film camera. Neither of these two would have been possible with a presently available $800 digital camera- they don't go wide enough. (I used 28mm lens on 35mm camera.) What I'm saying is that a $800 SLR comes with a wider zoom than a $800 digital. And with a 35 SLR, you can always buy extra lenses. Sure, you'll have to buy film. But if you go on a trip, you can easily buy extra 35mm film. What are you gonna do if you're traveling and you need more digital memory sticks? At $80 each? And film cameras don't chew up batteries like digitals. (Again, if you're traveling and you run out of juice, are you gonna find a wall outlet in the Vatican and wait for your battery charger? Or are you gonna tour Roma, looking for the special batteries for digital cameras? Some don't use AA batteries.) Admitedly, you can't post pictures from a JoniFest using a film camera, but the pictures that you end up with make cool enlargements. It's easy to scan snapshots. I've read that film has it all over digital in very low light (without flash) settings too. (I'm not too sure this is true though. JJ posted some very nice digital shots from the BSN tour after all.) As with most decisions, there are tradeoffs to be considered. Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the bandwidth. Jim L'Hommedieu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:12:25 +0000 From: catman Subject: Xmas with Louise NJC As a joke, my brother used to hang a pair of panty hose over his fireplace before Christmas. He said all he wanted was for Santa to fill them. What they say about Santa checking the list twice must be true because every Christmas morning, although Leon's kids' stockings were overflowed, his poor pantyhose hung sadly empty and grew increasingly threadbare. One year I decided to make his dream come true. I put on sunglasses and a fake beard and went in search of an inflatable love doll. Of course, they don't sell those things at Wal-mart. I had to go to an adult bookstore downtown. If you've never been in an X-rated store, don't go. You'll only confuse yourself. I was there almost three hours saying things like, "What does this do?" "You're kidding me!" "Who owns that?" "Do you have their phone number?" Finally, I made it to the inflatable doll section. I wanted to buy a standard, uncomplicated doll suitable for a night of romance that could also substitute as a passenger in my truck so I could use the car pool lane during rush hour. I'm not sure what a complicated doll is. Perhaps one that is subject to wild mood shifts and using a French accent for no reason at all. (That also describes a few ex-girlfriends.) Finding what I wanted was difficult. Love dolls come in many different models. The top of the line, according to the side of the box, could do things I'd only seen in a book on animal husbandry. I figured the "vibro-motion" was a feature Leon could live without, so I settled for Lovable Louise. She was at the bottom of the price scale. To call Louise a "doll" took a huge leap of imagination. On Christmas Eve, with the help of an old bicycle pump, Louise came to life. My sister-in-law was in on the plan and cleverly left the front door key hidden under the mat. In the wee morning hours, long after Santa had come and gone, I snuck into the house and filled the dangling pantyhose with Louise's pliant legs and bottom. I also ate some cookies and drank what remained of a glass of milk on a nearby tray. Then I let myself out, went home, and giggled for a couple of hours. The next morning my brother called to say that Santa had been to his house and left a present that had made him VERY happy but had left the dog confused. He would bark, start to walk away, then come back and bark some more. I suggested he purchase an inflatable Lassie to set Rover straight. We also agreed that Louise should remain in her panty hose so the rest of the family could admire her when they came over for the traditional Christmas dinner. It seemed like a great idea, except that we forgot that Grandma and Grandpa would be there. My grandmother noticed Louise the moment she walked in the door. "What the hell is that?" she asked. My brother quickly explained, "It's a doll." "Who would play with something like that?" Granny snapped. I had several candidates in mind, but kept my mouth shut. "Where are her clothes?" Granny continued. I hadn't seen any in the box, but I kept this information to myself. "Boy, that turkey sure smells nice, Gran," Leon said, trying to steer her into the dining room. But Granny was relentless. "Why doesn't she have any teeth?" Again, I could have answered, but why would I? It was Christmas and no one wanted to ride in the back of the ambulance saying, "Hang on Granny, Hang on!" My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, " Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?" I told him she was Leon's friend. A few minutes later I noticed Grandpa by the mantel, talking to Louise. Not just talking, but actually flirting. It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home. The dinner went well. We made the usual small talk about who had died, who was dying, and who should be killed, when suddenly Louise made a noise that sounded a lot like my father in the bathroom in the morning. Then she lurched from the panty hose, flew around the room twice, and fell in a heap in front of the sofa. The cat screamed, I passed cranberry sauce through my nose, and Grandpa ran across the room, fell to his knees, and began administering mouth to mouth resuscitation. My brother wet his pants and Granny threw down her napkin, stomped out of the room, and sat in the car. It was indeed a Christmas to treasure and remember. Later in my brother's garage, we conducted a thorough examination to decide the cause of Louise's collapse. We discovered that Louise had suffered from a hot ember to the back of her right thigh. Fortunately, thanks to a wonder drug called duct tape, we restored her to perfect health. Louise went on to star in several bachelor party movies. I think Grandpa still calls her whenever he can get out of the house. - -- bw colin colin@tantra.fsbusiness.co.uk http://www.geocities.com/tantra_apso/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:20:51 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: Court's in session...NJC SCJoniGuy@aol.com wrote: > << Isn't it weird how we just make sounds, which we call words, and those > sounds can engender > deep feelings, both negative and positive? >> > > Yes, and sometimes I'll see a simple word in a book, a word I've seen > thousands of times before, and all of a sudden it looks strange to me. But > like you say, words are powerful things. I think that choosing my words in an > e-mail context has made me a more careful conversationalist as well... I used to be so paranoid about about saying the wrong that i would very carefully and then say the wrong thing! Now i am more spontaneous. > > > < have their own voice or is eveything in your own voice?>> > > If it's a good book...right now I'm reading Nick Hornby's "About A Boy", and > he's SUCH a good writer that it's almost impossible NOT to hear Fiona's, > Will's, and Marcus' individual voices. And thanks to all the UK JMDLer's, I > even understand most of the British expressions! :~) Yes, I too 'hear' the voice of the character. I am really excercisng my brain right now and reading the 3rd Harry Potter book.... The other thing I really don't like is watching a film of a book I have read. the charcters are rarely as I pictured them! > > > << has it ever occurred to you that > people somewhere might be in a cinema and watching YOU on a screen? Your > life?>> > > Like "The Truman Show"...excellent flick! If you haven't seen it and you're > interested in that sort of concept, I sure recommend it. Unfortunately, my > like is so dull that if people were watching me on a screen, they would have > walked out of the theatre YEARS ago! :~) Yes I saw The Truman Show. But that isn't quite what I had in mind. > > > And, by the way, a Happy Birthday to you Colin! Thank you. > > > Bob > > NP: Tony Joe White, "Polk Salad Annie" - -- bw colin colin@tantra.fsbusiness.co.uk http://www.geocities.com/tantra_apso/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:23:00 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: Happy Birthday, (NJC) Thank you Dear MG-yes what a shame we live so far apart physically. However, on another plane I am sure we are really very close. love to you colin ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:27:52 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: Staples ad (NJC) > NP: tv newscast; the cold rainy weather here doesn't seem so bad after > looking at the temperatures elsewhere.... MINUS 50 degrees .... just > thinking about that makes me shiver. It has finally dropped to below freezing here. Hopefully this will give some respite from the bloody rain. It has rained almost every day for most of this year. The flooding had been continuous since the so called summer. Mind you because of the puppies we have our heating on 24/7. I think i might plan a summer litter next time, probably in 2002. - -- bw colin colin@tantra.fsbusiness.co.uk http://www.geocities.com/tantra_apso/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:29:24 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: Tomato, Tomahto controversy NJC > And I would still pronounce "lorry" as I do my first > name, which rhymes with glory. don't worry-exceptions are made for Americans-we know how difficult it is for you...... > > > Lori > in DC, wondering where Wally's questionnaire is??? > Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. > http://shopping.yahoo.com/ - -- bw colin colin@tantra.fsbusiness.co.uk http://www.geocities.com/tantra_apso/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:32:22 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: Tomato, Tomahto controversy NJC > p.s. Happy Birthday Colin, but tell me, is that 42 in dog years? I might not be mel gibson but I am no dog! Yes I am 42. Thanks for the good wishes. bw colin colin@tantra.fsbusiness.co.uk http://www.geocities.com/tantra_apso/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 05:37:33 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RE: Court's in session...NJC oh, i've just given up. however careful i am when i post, i always omit words, misspell, fail to delete parts that i had mentally edited. i don't even use caps anymore. and i am an editor by profession, meaning i make money out of other people's mistakes!!!! what a crook! wallyK, a crook - -----Mensaje original----- De: owner-joni@jmdl.com [mailto:owner-joni@jmdl.com]En nombre de catman Enviado el: Domingo, 17 de Diciembre de 2000 05:21 a.m. Para: SCJoniGuy@aol.com CC: joni@smoe.org Asunto: Re: Court's in session...NJC I used to be so paranoid about about saying the wrong that i would very carefully and then say the wrong thing! Now i am more spontaneous. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 03:46:23 EST From: Murphycopy@aol.com Subject: Re: Xmas with Louise NJC In a message dated 12/17/00 3:15:19 AM, colin@tantra.fsbusiness.co.uk writes: << My grandfather, a delightful old man with poor eyesight, sidled up to me and said, "Hey, who's the naked gal by the fireplace?" It was then that we realized this might be Grandpa's last Christmas at home. >> In 6 or 7 months on the JMDL, this post is by far the funniest thing I've read. Thanks for the laughs, Colin. Some day, when it's not almost 4 o'clock in the morning, I'll have to tell my exploding Christmas love doll story, too. It's not nearly as funny, but it ends with a bigger bang! Good night, --Bob ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 05:46:49 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: RE: Staples ad (NJC) debra wrote: NP: tv newscast; the cold rainy weather here doesn't seem so bad after looking at the temperatures elsewhere.... MINUS 50 degrees .... just thinking about that makes me shiver. and i exclaim: where where where? i belong there! wallyK, wondering how i will survive until march, when the cold weather returns ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:28:11 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: december 17 part 1 njc oo la la!!!!! hot birthday today! to paraphrase joni [or rather yeats] ''ass of a horse, head of a lawyer'' [he's a sagittarius, that's why...] yes, mes petits today is the birthday of sir mr. ric of boston!!!!!!!!! how old? to paraphrase james taylor this time, ''let a hush fall on the jmdl crowd'...'' though i know the answer... he he he many blessings, ric, old friend and foe. wallyK, very busy birthday fairy this month ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 08:33:59 -0300 From: "Wally Kairuz" Subject: december 17 part 2 njc life is cruel, sweetheart! you're NOT a TEENAGER anymore! [now go get a haircut!] happy birthday number 20... 20... 20?... 20?!?!?!?!? is that legal?! can somebody turn only 20? en fin, happy birthday, garret. stay with us! wallyK, hovering to and fro ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 16:00:53 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: december 17 part 2 njc Happy Birthday to Garret and to Ric. Hope things are a little easier for you Ric. Garrett-remember being 20 only lasts a year. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 10:47:49 -0800 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Best of 2000 NJC - ----- > Mark, I'll certainly not address the latter statement (;~D), but I will say > that it is difficult and time-consuming to chase down good new music. Here in > SC it's damn near impossible to hear any good new tunes on the radio, > although thanks to the NPR station I DID pick up on Ani! I've never been one to listen to the radio much. We listen almost exclusively to NPR. I get too impatient. There's too much I either don't like or am not interested in. I've always felt that way about radio except for when I was a very young kid. > > So what do I do? Well, I read a lot of reviews, I listen to what my Joni-pals > are saying, and sometimes I flat out take a chance when I walk into the > record store. I do feel a sense of obligation to pursue new music. Most from > my generation do not, and that's why artists like Joni become forgotten > commodities. From what I see, the majority of boomers are just re-stocking > their collections with 20 & 30 year old music. Waiting for the Eagles boxset > or something. I admit to doing a fair amount of that. > Perhaps the most difficult thing is to let go of the belief that the music of > "our generation" was the best ever and can never be duplicated. I think every > generation falls into this trap. I don't think you could say that of me. The thing is I seem to be more interested in music from the past than I am in the music coming out today and by past I mean before my time. I'm not a jazz afficianado but Joni did play a part in pushing me to explore some of that. I also find a lot of the pop music from the 30s, 40s, 50s & early 60s to be interesting. I don't know how to explain my musical tastes. A lot of what other people on this list & elsewhere in my life really like just doesn't interest me. I was exposed to a lot of music in college & picked up on a good amount of it. But I tend to find a few artists that really move me & pretty much stick with them. Not very adventuresome, I guess, but really I don't know how I could listen to music as much as you, for instance, Mr. Music Slut do. I don't listen to it a work although I could. I would find it difficult to concentrate & would probably be singing along all the time. And if you've ever heard someone sing with headphones on you know it's usually not pretty. At least I've been told it isn't when I do it. Matter of fact, I read in the paper this > morning that the burgeoning radio format is a "retro-80's" format, now that > the folks who grew up with Madonna & Boy George and Wham are at the age where > they want to recapture those years. Can you believe it? The 80s are nostalgia now. Of course that will happen with any period of time but it sure seems like recent decades get their Time-Life collections a lot sooner that earlier times did. Mark in Seattle PS: Bob, I got the tape you sent. I haven't watched it yet but I just wanted to let you know and to thank you for taking the time to make me a copy. You da bomb! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 11:28:17 -0800 From: "Mark or Travis" Subject: Re: Digital Camera? Are you sure? NJC, NEC > Sure, you'll have to buy film. But if you go on a trip, you can easily buy > extra 35mm film. What are you gonna do if you're traveling and you need more > digital memory sticks? At $80 each? You certainly can't find them in Yellowstone National Park. I can attest to that! Mark in Seattle ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 00:20:06 +0000 From: catman Subject: Re: Digital Camera? Are you sure? NJC, NEC Mark or Travis wrote: > > Sure, you'll have to buy film. But if you go on a trip, you can > easily buy > > extra 35mm film. My digicam is NOT a replacement for my 35 mm. I'd never use it for holiday pics or anything. i just use it to photograph my knitwear and puppies and stuuf for email. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 19:47:05 EST From: IVPAUL42@aol.com Subject: Re: Dumb de dumb dumb In a message dated 12/16/00 9:04:08 AM Eastern Standard Time, willy100@indosat.net.id writes: << Would that it were true, if ....+ACI- The dumbest language I've(Paul) read in a long time. Ho+ACE- Ho+ACE- Ho+ACE- Willy the Shake I met a friend of spirit >> How ironic you would respond this way, since I was using Shakespearean style. Paul I ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 22:22:23 -0500 From: "Stephen Epstein" Subject: Re: Today in Joni History - December 2 Evening all! Cleaning up my mail box and came across this one, which I saved, cause the Toronto concert was the first time I saw Joni- @ the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens. Of course, she was wonderful, and I recall thinking how I couldn't believe that this was my first time! Don't remember a set list, but remember that she was dazzling- looking absolutely gorgeous, and sounding equally. Next, and only other time I have seen her perform was on the tour shortly after she married Larry Klein. Was that the DED tour? She was @ the Canadian National Exhibition, in the summer, at an outdoor concert bowl, not unlike the Hollywood Bowl. It was truly brilliant! I felt like I had died and gone to Heaven! Think perhaps this just may be the best concert I have witnessed. Regards, Stephen in Vancouver NP: Brad Mehldau- Moon River Today in Joni History on 12/02/2000 03:32:00 AM Please respond to Today in Joni History To: joni@smoe.org cc: (bcc: Stephen Epstein/Agmont) Subject: Today in Joni History - December 2 1975: Joni performs with the Rolling Thunder Revue in Toronto 1980: Joni's "Shadows And Light" concert special airs on Showtime TV. 1987: (from Wally's bio page): Rolling Stone had a 20th anniversary TV special which aired on ABC [today] and Joni talked at a few points during the program. Also shown was a bit of rare footage of Joni singing "Woodstock" on the Tom Jones Show in 1969. - -------- Know a date or month specific Joni tidbit? Send it off to JoniFact@jmdl.com and we'll add it to the list. - -------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 23:13:30 EST From: JRMCo1@aol.com Subject: Re: Happy Birthday Catman!!! colin, May all the best life has to offer be yours on this birthday and always. - -Julius ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 01:00:35 -0500 From: dsk Subject: weather [was Staples ad] NJC Wally Kairuz wrote: > debra wrote: > NP: tv newscast; the cold rainy weather here doesn't seem so bad after > looking at the temperatures elsewhere.... MINUS 50 degrees .... just > thinking about that makes me shiver. > > and i exclaim: > where where where? i belong there! > wallyK, wondering how i will survive until march, when the cold weather > returns Fargo, North Dakota, although as soon as I heard that temperature all I could hear in my head was brrrrrr, brrrrrrr, brrrrrrrr, people live there??? So I'm not positive it was Fargo; maybe I was just remembering all the snow that was in the movie. As a survival tactic, can you put your head into the freezer until March and just imagine snow and ice, and do some shoulder shivering and say brrrrrrrr a few times.... and feel better? :-) Other tactics (that don't include possible freezer burn) are the ones Southerners use... do everything very slowly, including speaking with a long drawn-out drawl, and drink lots of iced tea and fan yourself gently (vigorously would be like exercising and just adds to the heat) and wear billowy clothes so you can flutter them and build up a breeze that way and say Lordy it's hot while you delicately dab off the sweat that's collecting everywhere and making even your lace-edged handkerchief limp, and then find an air conditioner as soon as you can. Debra Shea P.S. Said with all due respect to our southern-living listmembers. I'm fondly remembering summers spent in the middle of North Carolina, relentlessly sunny and hotter than hell. Great weather for tobacco. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 01:09:34 -0500 From: dsk Subject: weather again [was Staples ad] NJC You mean it's been raining almost every day since last January? All over England? With so little sunshine, aren't people getting depressed and irritable? And what do the weather folks say is the reason for so much rain? Debra Shea catman wrote: > It has finally dropped to below freezing here. Hopefully this will give some respite from > the bloody rain. It has rained almost every day for most of this year. The flooding had > been continuous since the so called summer. Mind you because of the puppies we have our > heating on 24/7. I think i might plan a summer litter next time, probably in 2002. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 12:16:44 +0800 (PHT) From: Joseph Palis Subject: Re: NJC Julia ? Julee i want to chime in for julia fordham who i "discovered" when she released her first cd in the mid-80s. she is hard to categorize and so, genre-loving a&r people have a hard time pigeonholing her type of music. i don't have much of a problem with musical styles as one tends to look for certain elements of a "style" in a record and may come out disappointed. in manila, julia's classified before as "new age" music and only later was she in the convenient radio formats called adult contemporary. she was reviewed as sounding "from joni mitchell to cleo laine by way of annie lennox" in her debut album. she has this deep voice (contralto) and she is one of my top 5 songwriters/singer. she sings her own songs and occasionally sang others (`someone to watch over me' in MR HOLLAND'S OPUS soundtrack). she released the following albums: julia fordham - contains her famous `invisible war' and `happy ever after' porcelain - schubert-like arrangements; ineffably affecting swept - contains `love moves in mysterious ways' from THE BUTCHER WIFE falling forward - a collection of heartbreaking songs captured in moments east-west - those who listen to her `more than i can bear' and `goodbye i love you' must have a heart made of stone. :) joseph np: ernestine anderson "time after time" On Fri, 15 Dec 2000 MP123A321@aol.com wrote: > Wally K., > I am/was a big "Twin Peaks" fan, I think you are mistaking Julia Fordham for > Julee Cruise, the later sang "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart" included in the > TV show, even with an appearance. As I look at this Maxi Single, the close up > of Julee shows some resemblance to Julia. ......Maurice > > << From: "Wally Kairuz" > Subject: RE: Julia Fordham/Kyle Eastwood > > stephen the nose-delicious, > do you remember twin peaks? julia fordham sang the theme. of course, she did > more than just that in her life but the twin peaks theme was very popular > and i thought it might jog your memory.>>> ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 23:43:20 -0800 From: Scott Price Subject: Saltwater Shines The liner notes for Clark Carlton's CD "Saltwater" pay homage to Joni Mitchell, and ardent listeners of Ms. Mitchell's albums will have no difficulty hearing the similarities between the two singer-songwriters. Clark offers up a very powerful set of well-crafted songs for "Saltwater" that showcase his musical talents. It's an eclectic mix of studio layering, catchy hooks, and broad dynamics, all held together by his voice and guitar, guided by his musical vision. Opening with "Matthew," a tribute/lament, Carlton lets us know what's in store here: excellent production, a sense of drama, and a few surprises. Utilizing synthy violin/string overdubs set in front of tablas, there are many pleasant moments to be uncovered. Among the varied and tasteful background colors on "Sugar Zone" is a ticking clock and a sweet horn arrangement. Coupled with Carlton's own harmony vocals, it's a wonderfully complex canvas. The segue into "Shine" is seamless and this up tempo number has an exciting groove. Rather than pound away, though, the songwriter chooses to break things up in the middle with a quiet passage which effectively bridges the opening with the rocking end. "Saltwater, churning in the sea...saltwater, dripping from my skin." The title track strips away all the layers previously used and leaves us with the man and his guitar...and his musings. This haunting ballad intrigues and beguiles. It was at this point in the album where I felt Clark really opened up a lot of himself. This is perhaps the most difficult task of the singer-songwriter: being open, honest, and true without becoming transparent. Expressing inner thoughts and abstractions without becoming obtuse. Clark ably manages on all counts, his powerful voice and slight dissonances preserving a bit of mystery. A very fine balancing act pulled off to perfection. Clark stretches his vocal skills on "Moonless Night" but never shows the slightest bit of strain. "Boys on Sand" is a campy fun tune which seems to fit right in with the "Saltwater" theme. Saving perhaps the best for last, Carlton closes with "Most of All," which to my ear sounds very much like something Joni herself might have written. It's solo Clark Carlton vocals and guitar, enhanced in the studio with just a touch of reverb. This song effectively recaps the entire album with its melodic twists, stylish vocals, and thought-provoking lyrics. This is the good stuff. Clark, if you're reading this, you should be damn proud. "Saltwater" is a great accomplishment. It defies categorization. Pop, rock, folk...I don't know. What I do know is that I like it a lot. Scott ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 20:49:18 +1300 From: "Hell" Subject: Re: december 16 at last!!!!! NJC A bit late, but better late than never - happy birthday Colin! Hell ____________________________ "To have great poets, there must be great audiences too." - Walt Whitman hell@ihug.co.nz Visit the NBLs (Natural Born Losers) at: http://www.nbls.co.nz ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2000 #660 ***************************** ------- Post messages to the list by clicking here: mailto:joni@smoe.org Unsubscribe by clicking here: mailto:joni-digest-request@smoe.org?body=unsubscribe ------- Siquomb, isn't she?