From: les@jmdl.com (JMDL Digest) To: joni-digest@smoe.org Subject: JMDL Digest V2001 #69 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 Sunday, February 11 2001 Volume 2001 : Number 069 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: -------- Audio portion of Joni Tribute last April offered on CD-R [Guy Brown ] Unreleased Joni with gams. [Richard Rice ] Re: Kids today (long, boring, and NJC for the most part) [Randy Remote ] Re: Unreleased Joni with gams. [Randy Remote ] Re: JMDL get-together [IVPAUL42@aol.com] Re: Kids today (long, boring, and NJC for the most part) [Michael Paz ] "More Jazz Takes On Joni Mitchell", NJC, Long ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] Bye Bye Birdie NJC [Vince Lavieri ] "1", by the Beatles, NJC ["Jim L'Hommedieu" ] Love Me Do NJC [Vince Lavieri ] "Midnight Cowboy" thanks (NJC) [Janet Hess ] jonatha njc [evian ] Re: best njc [evian ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 15:15:10 -0800 From: Guy Brown Subject: Audio portion of Joni Tribute last April offered on CD-R While we're waiting for the next Tape or CD tree to begin, perhaps this might be of interest. Thanks to the generosity of the JMDL musical archivist Simon Montgomerie, I've come into a pre broadcast master of the audio portion of the All-Star tribute to Joni Mitchell show recorded and broadcast last April. I've edited it down from its 1:30+ running time and condensed all the musical performances only onto one CD-R. And frankly it plays rather well. If any of you lads or lasses wants to trade for a copy, please contact me off list. A basic premis of Simon's is that we should share the music, so even if you have little to offer in trade, but would like a copy, contact me and we'll work it out. I preserved the, as broadcast, running order. This is the full track list as I mastered it: 1 Wynonna Judd & Bryan Adams Raised On Robbery 3:22 2 Cyndi Lauper Carey 6:29 3 Richard Thompson Woodstock 3:37 4 Shawn Colvin & Mary Chapin Carpenter Chelsea Morning 2:43 5 Shawn Colvin, Mary Chapin Carpenter & James Taylor Big Yellow Taxi 2:50 6 James Taylor River 4:21 7 Wynonna Judd You Turn Me On I'm A Radio 3:10 8 k.d. Lang Help Me 3:50 9 Cassandra Wilson The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines 3:27 10 Sweet Honey In The Rock The Circle Game 4:19 11 Shawn Colvin & Mary Chapin Carpenter Amelia 6:11 12 Richard Thompson Black Crow 4:05 13 Elton John Free Man In Paris 3:07 14 Diana Krall A Case Of You 5:23 15 Joni Mitchell Both Sides Now 6:03 16 Joni Mitchell (thank yous) 0:34 17 Joni Mitchell & All The Circle Game 4:49 GUY P.S. Hope somebody can offer me a trade for the Hissing demos CD-R ?? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 18:40:10 EST From: PPeterson4@aol.com Subject: Re: HTML and AOL 6 NJC Just teating to see if this gets through now that I have AOL 6. Hating AOL moreand more. Installing AOL 6 resulted in my having to upgrade three things on my computer because AOL stopped working until I did. Paul Peterson ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 15:13:46 -0800 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: Re: those gosh-darn kids NJC Wow Diane, you make me want to go back in time to Jr High just for a quarter, if I could be a student in your class...... Diane said, "I usually hit them with this toward the end of the quarter, when they're accustomed to being hit with "weird stuff." :-D Inevitably, some really like it and can't believe Joni does such "cool" stuff. All of them seem to like it a whole lot more than the Tibetan monks chanting, although the chants work well on, shall we say, creative gestation days. LOL" ******************************************** Kate Bennett sponsored by Polysonics www.polysonics.com hear the music at: www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/ www.katebennett.com www.cdbaby.com/katebennett www.amazon.com ******************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 17:31:51 -0600 From: Richard Rice Subject: Unreleased Joni with gams. Randy, I can't bear the frustration of knowing there is Joni material unheard by the masses. Can you hum a few bars? Please? -I think if we turn Randy upside down, wire him with neural devices and shake real hard, we could pull that tune out of his unconscious... Whaddaya say gang? Anybody got rope? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 15:51:14 -0800 From: Randy Remote Subject: Re: Kids today (long, boring, and NJC for the most part) Great post/rant/ramble, Vince. Regarding pop music, cycles of growing up and looking back, and 'twas ever thus', one thing that I think is different now than back then is that the music industry now is major major major corporate energy. Yes, we had the Monkees, etc being marketed, but people (even us kids, I was 10 in '66 when they came out, and I liked them, had the record, watched the show) were pretty much aware that they were a manufactured, contrived product. But most of the big music acts were consumer driven. You didn't buy Ten Years After or Joni or Tull because it was being mass injected by trillions of advertising dollars. You bought it because you heard it at your friend's place or on the barely- making-it late night FM radio station. The ratio of (for lack of a better term) 'people's music' to commercial pap in dollars was maybe 60/40. Now it is more like 90/10. The people marketing music acts are the same ones that are pushing burgers and Gap chic and SUV's. Maybe Woodstock and the birth of a mega music market was the worst thing that could have happened. Another thing that changed around the early 70's (Elton is the anti- Christ) was the shift away from music that made a statement and had some sort of meaning into empty entertainment. We got fooled again. The money took over, and when that happens, the lowest common denominator always seems to win. I was driving one day, listening to a tape of the BeeGees ("unplugged") singing "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and I almost cried listening to those major seventh chords and thinking about how the stuff that the kids listen to now is, for the most part, stripped of a crucial element of good music: melody. And harmony. So much of it is tuneless beat. I'm not putting that down, but that's what I hear alot. I feel sorry for them. I think something has been lost. Maybe that's what our parents thought about the Beatles. Maybe the cycle will come back around. But for me, a drum pattern is not a song, and a burger is not a meal. RR Vince Lavieri wrote: > What follows is long and boring but has nothing parisan and political to > offend anyone. > > For the thread about young people, "those gosh-darn kids" and the state > of music today and such things: ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 16:06:28 -0800 From: Randy Remote Subject: Joni mentions in Billboard The 2/3/01 issue had a small pic of Joni on the cover along with U2, Destiny's Child and 10 more artists with the caption "Billboard Charts the Grammys". However, there was no accompanying story. The 2/10/01 issue had an interview with Boy George, who is now a DJ (of the dance club variety). The final question was: In your book, who's queen? BG: Joni Mitchell. Yes, Joni is queen. Can I get an amen? RR ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 16:10:41 -0800 From: Randy Remote Subject: Re: Unreleased Joni with gams. I'm willing to undergo hypnosis or painful intrusive brain surgery to unearth this song from my subconcious where it unfortunately resides. RR Richard Rice wrote: > Randy, > > I can't bear the frustration of knowing there is Joni material unheard > by the masses. Can you hum a few bars? Please? -I think if we turn > Randy upside down, wire him with neural devices and shake real hard, we > could pull that tune out of his unconscious... Whaddaya say gang? > Anybody got rope? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 19:21:29 EST From: IVPAUL42@aol.com Subject: Re: JMDL get-together In a message dated 2/10/01 5:22:58 PM Eastern Standard Time, KakkiB@worldnet.att.net writes: << Clark, Stephen and Rusty from New York and I are getting together for dinner, martinis and other fun at Les Deux Cafes in Hollywood next Saturday night. We'd love to have any local or visiting JMDL'ers join us! Please let me know if you are interested (come out, come out you lurkers and newbies ;-) and I will give you more details. Kakki >> That night, Feb. 17, my sister Moreen Ivice and Julie Gordon will be making their only scheduled solo appearances in New York City this year, performing in concert at the People's Voice Cafe at the Workmen's Circle. The People's Voice Cafe is at 45 E. 33rd Street, between Park and Madison Avenues. Ivice sings and plays dulcimer. Among the songs Ivice will perform is Joni's Song To a Seagull. They will be backed yup by Ellen Davidson (vocals, guitar and percussion) and Bary Kornhauser (cello). According to the flier she sent me, the concert begins at 8 p.m.. Doors open at 7:30. Cost is $10 or TDF; $7 for People's Voice or Workmen's Circle members; or $5 for Seniors/Students/On Strike/Up against the machine ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 18:37:49 -0800 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: Kids today (long, boring, and NJC for the most part) Vince- In a word or two, It's ALL good. I still sing that "custom mans" song and I use the brown acid thing as a joke all the time. "Oh he must have got some of the brown acid at Woodstock!" As far as the kids today "I look like my mother did, whe i was those kids age". And I FEEL that way too, but only on the urban music issue. I live in the burbs, actually in the swamp, yet my kids just tonight, digging in my collection of music, came up with two cd's they wanted to listen to. TRU (a Master P project) and Fiend (another New orleans rapper). The onlyest (a island word) thing I DON'T understand is how these kids identify with the lyrics of this urban craze. The answer and the only one that makes sense is the vibe or the feel. Thinking back I don't remember connecting with the lyrics so much as the vibe or the feel or the beat. And it's probably the same thing. I don't fight it and I don't make a big deal about it, but it sure makes me crazy when one minute I am connecting with my brood on a Miles level and then trying to run some kind of interference on a Rappers foul langauge cd. But then I DIGRESS (again). It's all good Vince and I applaud you being able to sing along with Britney or the Backstreet Boys and The Boxer at the same time. Peace! Michael P.S. Maybe you SHOULD have tried the brown acid, hell I did! NP-Jonatha Brooke (if you get her stuff Vince, get the Live one first.) on 2/10/01 2:57 PM, Vince Lavieri at revrvl@pathwaynet.com wrote: > > (the Rev) Vince, who is watching Woodstock again, and who always heeded > the advice to not do the brown acid but who will never discuss coming > into Los Angeles bringing in a couple of keys, don't touch my bags if > you please, Mr. Customs man... and who also got today "The Pajama Game" > with John Raitt, Bonnie's father, in the lead... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 18:39:22 -0800 From: Michael Paz Subject: Re: Audio portion of Joni Tribute last April offered on CD-R I would be happy to provide you a copy of Hissing Demo. Michael on 2/10/01 3:15 PM, Guy Brown at guyb@rain.org wrote: > > P.S. Hope somebody can offer me a trade for the Hissing demos CD-R ?? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 19:41:06 EST From: MGVal@aol.com Subject: Re: those gosh-darn kids NJC (md) In a message dated 02/10/2001 12:11:41 PM Pacific Standard Time, pholden@iprimus.ca writes: << my point is that I would never interrupt her process of discovering beauty, be that through music or art. >> But you did INVADE her process by introducing her to that which YOU felt was cultural or things of beauty or what may have moved you in one way or another. I know that I tend to expose my kids to stuff that I understand or wish to understand. I usually avoid the rest - they can do that on their own time. I'll take them to watch the sunset but will avoid the scenic overlook by the Meadowlands Garage Dump. What I believe Marcel, (not that I would dare put words in his mouth, much less a piece of my Taylor's Ham), is simply the process of appreciation and a bit more awareness that goes beyond self discovery. There's the melody, there's the words and how they work together is wonderful. For an added twist, (that certainly does not appeal to everyone), there's the bottle of absinthe behind the scenes that fleshes things out and adds an additional depth. It's not telling them WHAT to see, it's shining a light on what else might be there. MG - by no means an expert on kids, music or Marcel. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 19:36:50 -0600 From: "Gerald" Subject: Come In From The Cold (some kind o' synchronicty) Seem to be hooked on Come In From The Cold this last while. Easy to do when it's -30C I guess. I don't know what that is in fahrenheit, but I know -40C = -40F. It was -34C when I went out to start my car at 6:30am - dark, and darn cold. The waning moon, bright white in the clear sky. Car started again without being plugged in - was happy for that. Brake pedal frozen. Too cold to even think about putting a cassette in. Transmission shifting verrrrry slowly. Everything's stiff, including the muscles in my body, contracting, trying to retreat. Drove to my first call. Noticed a Martha-Stewart-type ornanment thingy on their door. It said, "Come in from the cold." What?! You thought I was going to say something profound? Why? Because Joni did?! Oh, come on! :-) Gerald ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 02:01:01 From: "c Karma" Subject: re: Kids Today (NJC) When I was about 10 years old, I read "Lust For Life." It was at that point that I gave up the mistaken notion (probably due to exposure to gobs of religious art) that artists had to be long suffering saints with souls so sensitive they were often driven to madness. But,I cannot as a human, citizen and parent ever entertain the notion that there is even the slightest analogy to be drawn between the talents of Mozart and Marshall Mathers. In my eyes, my success as a parent will be measured in the ability of my children to reject what, masquerading as art, exploits and advocates homophobia and violence against women. Eminem's work in this regard is not a fresh portrait of the human condition, it is just garbage. I hope that someone on that Grammy stage tears him a new one. CC "Breathtaking ignorance. Adding insult to injury." -- JM _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 21:04:32 -0500 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: "More Jazz Takes On Joni Mitchell", NJC, Long My father heard a track from JMDLer David Lahm's new CD, "More Jazz Takes On Joni Mitchell" on WGMC radio in Rochester/Greece, New York, USA today. They are available on the web at http://www.greeceny.com/wgmc/radio.html More importantly, cdnow.com has samples of DL's new one at http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1744148089/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/al bum.html/artistid=LAHM*DAVID/itemid=1338271 Not all tracks are available for sampling on Real format, so I advise you to use Windows Media to play the tracks. The site says that David Lahm's "More Jazz Takes On Joni Mitchell" will be available on February 13. I'm pretty sure that one of the tracks, "Wayne Swirled" was debuted in New Orleans at the JoniFest last year. I like 'em all and I'm putting my money on the line. Congratulations David- this one's another winner. - ------------------ I started out listening to DL's clips using the Real format, then switched to the Microsoft Windows Media player, which locked up the entire PC, resulting in loss of some data. Don't switch from Real to Microsoft without booting- the Microsoft product does *not* like to play nicely with others or share its toys. I wish I could say that once I accommodated the Windows Media player (a brand new version BTW), that it did a nice job; it didn't. I wanted to select all of the clips to play sequentially but couldn't. Also, Media Player interrupted every one of the one minute clips repeatedly. I also couldn't figure out how to save the radio station within Media Player so I wouldn't have to access it through the web site every time. I'll bet there's a way to do it (besides using Playlist) but I'm not gonna spend time in a Help file! They seem to have spent lots of time on providing an annoying array of visual accompaniments to the sound rather than making sure that the sound actually works. It took about 5 minutes to figure out how to turn off the stupid pictures. Anyway, the boys and girls in Redmond have failed once again. Thanks Gates, you'll get yours in the end. Lama ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 21:17:26 -0500 From: "Diane Evans" Subject: Re: those gosh-darn kids NJC (md) Marcel, I agree with you: >It occurs to me that before you can get kids to listen to music (any music) >it is important to first teach them how to listen and what to listen for. >Its >like going to an art show. You see all these beautiful paintings. But until >the tour guide tells you that the bottle on the table behind the subject is >absynth which the artist was addicted to in real life on can not hope to >fully appreciate the painting. Just a thought. marcel *But* I think what you really have to teach them first is the attitude of acceptance for something different. It translates so well for everything they haven't yet experienced, and for things they have difficulty transcending....like race issues, politcal reasonings, foods, and parents. Discovery is a cool spray on a hot day, but the willingness to see from a different perspective is a hard lesson learned. I am not being condescending or negative here, just defining something I passionately believe in! Loving this thread, Diane _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 18:03:46 -0800 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: Kids today (long, boring, and NJC for the most part) Rev, I'm sure glad I didn't skip your post believing it was boring. It was anything but! It made me laugh out loud one minute, then brought on tears the next. So very true...I think we are only as young or old as our open or closed hearts & minds...You got me reminiscing... diddly doo diddly doo diddly doo (ala Wayne's World)... I was at Woodstock & its weird but I have only seen that movie once, when it was released & snippets here & there when its been on tv. I would love to see the directors cut. Maybe I will be able to find myself in it, I wasn't THAT far back from the stage :~}...(I kept my clothes on though so maybe not). My parents forbid me to go to Woodstock. For the first time in my life as far as I can remember I said, too bad I am going, don't try to stop me. So they "let" me go on the condition that I go back to my grama's house after the weekend (they were about to move to California, to San Francisco where everyone was wearing flowers in their hair...which I thought was cool, but first I had a little concert to attend. I just KNEW it was gonna be BIG. Anyway by the time I got to SB the summer of love was long over). Digression: [So I went back to gramas house after three days of peace love music mud & no sleep or food but so what. Here is the wierd part. Three years ago my husband and I discovered that he was living at that very same time, a few doors down from my grandparents apartment. How weird is that? But he would have been far too old for me then! A few decades & many thousands of miles later, we met. I had some other things I had to do first...] Yes, we did have a sense of being part of something "half a million strong". Joni's song really is accurate & it amazes me that she was able to write that song without being there. But that is why she is such a great writer. Part of it, I think was just a generational thing, the 60's as a reaction to the 50's with maybe some astrological stuff thrown in (similar to the age of aquarius stuff). [Digression: I remember seeing the off Broadway version of Hair & the cast was in the audience handing out sugar cubes. We all took them, not knowing whether they were "real" or not (they weren't) cuz the play was still underground at that point. Later, in San Francisco, my parents took the whole family to see the Broadway version of Hair. How embarrassing, sitting with them when everyone took their clothes off at the end! But they were trying to be part of my world I guess.] But my take is that the biggest reason for the peace & love thing was in strong reaction to all those assassinations of our leaders and hugely in reaction to the horrors of the Vietnam war. It was hawks & doves back then & you were either on one side or the other of what seemed like a civil war. And it really was. I remember meeting Allen Ginsburg at one of his poetry reading/drum playing/chanting events at the New School in NYC & afterwards some of us followed him to a classroom where we sat around & talked & listened to him talk about the war, etc. Following that night I was sure Allen Ginsburg should be our next president. The same summer of Woodstock (a highpoint) the first man walked on the moon. I remember watching it in amazement. I also can't help but think about the Hopi prophecy, I think it is, that stated nothing should be taken back to earth from the moon, which of course they did. That it would lead to bad things...food for thought.... Altamount. Then I was in Ohio, about an hour away from Kent State which I had visited for a weekend just prior to the massacre there. By then I was in San Francisco, glad to be far away but by then everything was going crazy. That was the worst, for me. It was scary to be young & be peacefully protesting the war cuz you never knew if you might be killed. Those years were such a mix of beauty and horror. No middle ground there at all. Leslie Gore- I still have lots of her old 45's. I guess I liked her because I thought she wrote her own songs. Then came Janice Ian (Society's Child, wow.) then Joni & Carole King. I recently was turned on to Jonatha Brooke cuz I went to see her live & she was really good- great voice, songs, guitar playing (lots of open tunings, btw). Re: Vietnam causualties, did you know that as many or more Vietnam vets died since the war (suicides or other war related casualties) as died during the war. Which, as you pointed out, didn't come close to the number of Vietnam citizen casualties. Digression: [I was enrolled in college during the early 80's. Had several peer counseling, personal development type classes trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. Well I already knew that, but how to make an income was the bigger issue. The class contained lots of interesting people from many different cultures including a number of Vietnamese who had to escape their homeland and start over. It was the kind of class where people shared their stories of dreams & struggles. Put my single parent struggles into perspective.] Richie Havens- What a delightful man! It was cool seeing him at Woodstock. He was my hero. I used to try & play guitar like him. Last summer he was the highlight of a local music festival, just down the road from my house. He was awesome. He really hasn't aged much. The emcee said he would be happy to meet & greet folks after the show. I never do this, but I became as excited as a 13 year old & dragged my entire family along with me to wait while I stood in line to meet him. He was so kind & gracious & when I thanked him for taking the time to meet everyone (and he spent as much time with each person as they wanted) after playing a SCORCHING set, he said, oh no, that this part was as important to do as the music part. (As he was holding my hand in his I realized why I couldn't come close to playing like him, his hands were at least 3 times the size of mine!) I told him I had been waiting since Woodstock to hear & meet him & told him he was my hero (he rarely is out on the West Coast, never to my knowledge in Santa Barbara & here he was just down the street from my house!). I bought a tshirt which he signed, To Kate, A Friend Forever, Richie Havens. Of all people, second to Joni, and maybe John Lennon (neither whom I have met), he is someone I most treasure having the opportunity to meet, however fleetingly. Oh, I gave him a copy of my CD too, & he said, oh good, now I will have some good music to listen to on the flight home. Can you see what a dear man he is? So to comment on your comment "I wish that love and peace and music, and nothing love and peace and music, had come out of our generation. " I think Richie still has that spirit, in his music, in his aura. He felt like such a spiritual man in such a down to earth way. David Crosby- The man is still making incredible music. He can get up on a stage and play Guinevere, just a vocal & his guitar & stop time, take your breath away. Stunning. Then rock out with his incredible band CPR who are due to release a new CD very soon. That cat has nine lives. Or maybe nineteen. I admire him greatly for his sincere love of music. He visited our local community college songwriting class & was brought to tears by some of the heartfelt, though fledgling songwriters. When I saw him with his band CPR, smiling & singing, he reminded me of a Buddha. Wise but still on fire. Still young at heart. Still open. Britney Spears-, my husbands' grandaughter (age 7) showed us photos her neighbor took of Britney Spears when she recently visited their friends house. Just Britney & a couple of girlfriends. She was so excited. I forgot to ask why she was visiting, maybe just a girlfriend thing. No bodyguards in sight that I could see. Kiley (grandaughter) & I watched Nsync on TV & she whispered to me that she had a crush on one of them. I told her I kind of had a crush on one of the other ones, but not to tell grampa. You asked, "I'd sure like to know what happened to all those kids in the documentary." Well here is one who still believes in peace & love & the power of music! ******************************************** Kate Bennett sponsored by Polysonics www.polysonics.com hear the music at: www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/ www.katebennett.com www.cdbaby.com/katebennett www.amazon.com ******************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 21:52:48 -0500 From: "Diane Evans" Subject: Re: those gosh-darn kids NJC (long & passionate) Ooo, I have to disagree here! >I must totally disagree with you, Marcel. "Art" must be appreciated on >a >pre-discussion level, an emotional level, an abstract level, a >sensual >level---call it what you will. There's gotta be a pleasure, a >thrill a >recognition, a connection--even if it can not be put into >words. >"Understanding" as you appear to be using it, cannot substitute for >this >immediate connection, although it can provide a different kind of >(I > >would say secondary) pleasure. >I believe a child, or anyone else, responds when a work fills a need >('though the perceiver probably would not use the word "need" to >explain >why he/she is turned on). > >I can't think of a less helpful way of introducing a child to art than >one >which implicitly tells the child that appreciation is >unsatisfactory if >the child is unaware of the "facts" surrounding the >work. While we all respond to art on an emotional level, without the background info, as Marcel was pointing out, there can be no real understanding of the image presented. Sure, there can be different interpretations, but without understanding the artist's perspective you can only impose *your own* perspective. It's like trying to understand Piet Mondrian's work without understanding all the landscapes he did prior to that, or the topography of the country he lived in. Without that understanding, his works are just colorful squares! Abstract art, in particular, is so much more intellectual than realistic styles that it does take explanation to enjoy much of it. I grew up with images around me, and frequent trips to the local museum, but still didn't understand how amazing Picasso really was, or Frankenthaller or Bacon, or....until I understood the circumstances behind the work. Kids, in particular, need a hook to get them to appreciate what they percieve, off the cuff, as staid and posed. This is the MTV-instant gratification generation we're talking about. So many children haven't learned the patience [I always tell my students that's a *learned* virtue!] to simply wait for something that images without flash and sparkle and implicit sex are easily dismissed by them. So you tell them the background to help them understand the artist was not just making a pretty picture or splashing color on a canvas. It does reach them and help them turn a more educated eye upon the work at hand. Whew! Hope you understand where I'm coming from! Diane _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 22:25:02 -0500 From: "Diane Evans" Subject: Re: Kids today (long, boring, and NJC for the most part) Rev, You said a mouthfull! And so eloquently put. We should all save this post and recall it when we want to throttle our kids.;-) Diane _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 22:25:40 -0500 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: Joni's first album Deb asked, >I've heard that the latest release of Joni's first album > on CD has a much better sound than the original release. > Did they really clear up the "bell jar" quality? Is it > worth replacing my current copy? - ---------------- Well, I admit that I don't have a 1st generation CD of STAS. I bought it on a used LP. Yea, the HDCD has truer sound, without hiss. It's a rare occurrence when I recommend a CD over LP. Go for it Deb. Pass those non-HDCD copies on to nieces or sell them back to the used CD store. That's good karma. The long version: - ----------------- For those unfamiliar with the legend of STAS, Joni was an unknown commodity in LA (except as a songwriter). She had driven from Detroit to LA with ex-Byrd David Crosby. David used his pull as an music biz success to protect Joni's minimalist approach by agreeing to "be" the producer. Only problem was, David hired someone who didn't know how to record properly. (Any tape tree branch knows that you have to set levels carefully. David's engineer didn't.) Since the recording level was too low, the unreleased master had lots of tape hiss. The execs decided that instead of re-recording the album, the cheapest fix was to just turn down the treble, loping off the highs, the breathy sounds. Judy Collins said that it sounded like "Song To A Seagull" was recorded under a bell jar. That's the sound of the LP. We are very lucky that someone carefully saved the original, un-processed, two-track master. Time passed. When CD was invented, Reprise made STAS with the bell jar version. More time passed and digital technology improved. Bands like "Yes" lead the way to creating better sounding reissues of their classic CDs using the newer electronics, a process called "remastering". For the HDCD remastered release, Reprise took the high road. They took the time to find the *original* two track master, the one with the excessive hiss. On this tape, there is no "bell jar" sound. The reissue team applied the newest tools to the un-processed tape and viola! the tape hiss is gone but *without* producing the bell jar sound! STAS has never sounded so good. On top of this, they had the mastering done by Ocean View Digital which keeps on top of advances in digital sound quality, reducing the gritty, harsh sound common in the early days of CDs. Lama Disclaimer: All audiophile differences are, by definition, small. To answer your questions: Yes, they did clean up the bell jar sound. To me, it's worth replacing those early ones with HDCDs but you'll have to decide for yourself. STAS may be the most improved title simply because the original was profoundly handicapped. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 22:37:24 -0500 From: Vince Lavieri Subject: Bye Bye Birdie NJC One of our smarter-than-me JMDLers (which includes everyone, and most of your household pets too) points out that Paul Lynde (spelling?) and not Dick Van Dyke sang "What's the Matter with Kids today" in 'Bye Bye Birdie.' I am corrected and I want the correction on the record and thanks for the correction! Anyone ever notice other than me, and I may be wrong of course, that "Put on a Happy Face" from Birdie sounds a lot like "Caberet" from Caberet? Sing the lines "put on a happy face" and then sing "life is a caberet" and it is very similar, IMHO. It is thinking about things like this that proves that maybe I need to get a life. (the Rev) Vince ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 22:48:42 -0500 From: "Jim L'Hommedieu" Subject: "1", by the Beatles, NJC Rolling Stone Magazine reports that "1", a collection of all 27 of the #1 hits of the Beatles in the US and the UK, is on a track to become the biggest selling recording so far. They called the Beatles something like the greatest boy band of all time. They said that Ringo does not play drums on the hit version of "Love Me Do". Lama ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2001 23:55:51 -0500 From: Vince Lavieri Subject: Love Me Do NJC Jim L'Hommedieu wrote: > Rolling Stone Magazine said that Ringo does not play drums on the hit > version of "Love Me Do". > > He didn't. Pete Best was the drummer then, just before they kicked him out and replaced him with Ringo. Although for Love Me Do, it might have been a studio drummer that sat in because Ringo wasn't on board yet. I have heard both versions. Anyone who knows definitively? Randy? (the Rev) Vince ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 00:47:57 -0500 From: Janet Hess Subject: "Midnight Cowboy" thanks (NJC) Even when I'm only skimming the JMDL and popping in to conversations now and again, the rewards are terrific. Today's example: I just now watched "Midnight Cowboy," prompted by a recent discussion here, and I'm amazed and enriched and incredibly glad for the whole bunch of us here in JMDLland. What an incredible movie! And the 25th anniversary reissue, including interviews about the making of "Midnight Cowboy," is a real treat. Thanks to all JMDLers who mention (with all apologies, both due and undue, to Julie Andrews) their favorite things...I've been led to such good stuff here! Cheerz, Janet and Deanna Ivy the Wonderkitty, both of whom seem especially drawn to the novels of Gail Godwin at the moment - -------------- You've got to shake your fists at lightning now You've got to roar like forest fire You've got to spread your light like blazes All across the sky Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 00:31:47 -0600 From: evian Subject: jonatha njc Our Wondereful Rev Vince wrote: > There are a lot of discussions in the JMDL about artists who I have > never heard of, let alone heard; to this day I have no idea who Jonatha > Brooke actually is, just that I've seen her name a lot. > LOLOL, this made me chuckle because I too have no idea who this Jonatha is, even though she is a household name around here. And damn, what the hell was her mama thinking with that name?? Anyhow, I just had to say that I am glad I am not the only one who hasn't heard the elusive Jonatha. I was starting to think that maybe she was just someone that somebody on the list made up, and y'all were having some fun with me ;) Happy weekend, Evian ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2001 00:40:22 -0600 From: evian Subject: Re: best njc Oh Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy (or shall I say Judy?), I think it's time to slap YOUR ass becuase even I roll my eyes at DeBarge! LOL, ummm... ok, maybe I spoke too soon, because I guess they did sing "Who's Holding Donna Now?" which I gotta admit was a nice sappy little tune, especially since coincidentally, it came out when I had this thing for Donna Grant, a girl in grade 10 who wouldn't give me the time of day. The thing about DeBarge was that they were just so hideous looking -- that creepy make-up... ugh, I can't even think of it. Even the girl, Bunni, looked like LaToya Jackson. However, Chico DeBarge had a great solo single, "Talk to Me", can't remember what year -- 87 or so. So Jimmy, I have to sadly say that you are alone -- the Jets could kick DeBarge's ass anyday ;) hehehehe, Oh God, I jsut admitted I like the Jets... oy, I talk too loose.... Evian FMYFL@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 2/9/01 11:41:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, > evian@sk.sympatico.ca writes: > > << DeBarge -- Rhythm of the Night (LOL, ok, I'm joking here) > >> > > Okay Evian, as you have said before, "it is time to slap your ass and call > you Judy" :~)............even though I wouldn't admit it in public, I happen > to like DeBarge, and especially "Rhythm of the Night" :~). The lyrics are > just so deep and meaningful. LOL > > El Jimmy ------------------------------ End of JMDL Digest V2001 #69 **************************** ------- 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?