From: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org (loud-fans-digest) To: loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Subject: loud-fans-digest V8 #99 Reply-To: loud-fans@smoe.org Sender: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-loud-fans-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk loud-fans-digest Thursday, June 18 2009 Volume 08 : Number 099 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [loud-fans] Music Blogs [AWeiss4338@aol.com] Re: [loud-fans] Music Blogs [Dan Sallitt ] Re: [loud-fans] Music Blogs [Dave Walker ] Re: [loud-fans] unremarkable warble ramble [robert toren Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Music Blogs > Does anyone know what would be a good, preferably free site to start a > music blog on? And do these sites show you how to set up a blog? I have a friend who keeps a music blog on MOG, which seems to be free: http://mog.com/help/faq/general - - Dan ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:37:51 -0400 From: Dave Walker Subject: Re: [loud-fans] Music Blogs Both Blogger and Tumblr offer free blogs, and Typepad has inexpensive ones as well. Tumblr is probably the easiest to use. All have some level of instruction on how to get started. -d.w. On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 2:52 AM, wrote: > Does anyone know what would be a good, preferably free site to start a > music blog on? And do these sites show you how to set up a blog? On or offlist > is fine. > Andrea > **************Dell Days of Deals! June 15-24 - A New Deal Everyday! > (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222865043x1201494942/aol?redir=http:%2F%2F > ad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B215692145%3B38015538%3Bh) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 08:13:13 -0700 (PDT) From: robert toren Subject: Re: [loud-fans] unremarkable warble ramble "Man, it was such a heavy day And I was drinking whiskey with some young girls I call one of them Southen Comfort Because she won't put out for me" perhaps we need more Scott songs translated into one or two simple sentences? >> I also imagine a version of "One More For St. Michael" where all the Star Trek references have been replaced with Wookie noises. LOL at this - I want to hear the whole song sung by wookies - a sure fire novelty hit! :-) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 09:11:36 -0700 From: Tom Marcinko Subject: Re: [loud-fans] unremarkable warble ramble The baroque-ness was of course what came across on cassette and LP (ask yer parents). So much music -- even by bands I kind of liked -- had one idea (if that) per track. A GT song could spark about 110 associations. Joycean, indeed. Not to get all elitist, but that's a bit much for some listeners, even intelligent ones. And then there's the phenom of songs that need a couple of listens before the beauty of them really kicks in: "Throwing the Election" and "Motion of Ariel" are the ones that come to mind. On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 9:13 PM, Gil Ray wrote: > Fabulous post! > > You know...GT was just so...opposite of what was going on back then. After > Donny and Gui joined, the band took on a strange persona. We played loudly, > looked like glam rockers, featured prominent keyboards, partied pretty hard > and of course there was the very baroque music. > > The other bands of the day that I liked such as The Reivers, Guadalcanal > Diary, Fetchin' Bones, Dumptruck, True West etc...were all more natural > looking and the music was a bit more...earthy. They all surely sold more > records than GT did, but Scott really was uncompromising with his music and > vision (weird and dark slide-shows etc..). > > It was like nothing else being done at the time, really (except maybe the > Three O'Clock). I admire that, but I also was aware that that was probably > the thing that prevented us from getting any bigger. > > Gil > > --- On Tue, 6/16/09, R. Kevin Doyle wrote: > > > From: R. Kevin Doyle > > Subject: Re: [loud-fans] unremarkable warble ramble > > To: loud-fans@smoe.org > > Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2009, 12:35 PM > > I've heard the "high register" > > argument before, but if you take a look at > > the top 40 from the period when Game Theory had the highest > > chance to break > > (let's say 97-89), you'll note a rather lot of tenors (or > > hair metal singers > > shrieking in a throat rending falsetto). I'll single > > out Peter Cetera as a > > prime example of this phenomenon (and, for fun, imagine him > > singing "The > > Real Sheila"). > > > > Granted, Scott's voice is not as strong as Cetera's (though > > I'd rather be > > devoured by voles than have to listen to "Glory of Love" > > ever again - or, > > really any of Cetera's solo work), but my point is that I > > don't know that > > Scott would have been winning any new fans by singing in a > > lower key. > > > > There were too many factors working against Game Theory in > > the 80's. They > > didn't sound like anything on the Top 40 charts; in terms > > of the college > > charts, they didn't sound enough like Minnesota punk; and > > then there were > > those brilliant, intelligent, difficult to decypher > > lyrics. Furthermore, > > I'm not sure Enigma ever really figured out how to market > > them. The fact > > that all of us on this list ever discovered them is, > > perhaps, a function of > > the fact that most everyone on this list seems to actively > > seek out > > interesting and challenging music. > > > > Anyhow, I've often pondered what would have had to change > > about Game > > Theory's music to make them a viable hit producing unit in > > the late 80's. I > > have several theories. > > > > 1) Make sure all keyboard sequences sounded like > > Level 42. > > > > 2) Significantly dumb down the lyrics. For > > example: > > > > "I was feeling the weight of the atmosphere > > And those I know aren't looking overjoyed I'm here > > Daughters about fourteen order wine > > And Chardonnay shows what she knows when she decides > > Couldn't tell you now what clicked inside > > Or why that's what I call her > > Hardly floored but still reminded > > That I once could want it all" > > > > Change to: > > > > "Man, it was such a heavy day > > And I was drinking whiskey with some young girls > > I call one of them Southen Comfort > > Because she won't put out for me" > > > > BAM! HIT SINGLE BY ENIGMA LABEL-MATE POISON! > > > > Also, its ironic because her name is "comfort" and yet, she > > won't put out, > > so its not entirely devoid of wordplay. I also > > imagine a version of "One > > More For St. Michael" where all the Star Trek references > > have been replaced > > with Wookie noises. > > > > 3) Male/Female call and response vocals more like > > Roxette or Animotion. > > > > 4) Replace at least one stringed instrument with a > > keytar. Those were > > pretty popular in '87-'89. > > > > 5) Once he moved to drums, require Gil to wear > > nothing but tight shorts > > with an American flag pattern. > > > > 6) More Novelty songs - For example, "Rolling With > > Moody Girls" could > > easily become "Rolling With The Egyptians." "In a > > Delorean" could become > > 'In a Sarcophogus." It worked for The Bangles. > > > > I guess what I'm saying is that I think that the only way > > Game Theory was > > going to have a chance at having hits in the late 80's > > would be if they > > changed everything that I like about them and turned into > > another band. To > > paraphrase Brian Wilson, they just weren't made for those > > times. > > > > R. > > > > > > > > On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 5:46 AM, robert toren >wrote: > > > > > I've been trying to remember how I felt about > > Scott's voice over the > > > years. I always enjoyed his songs and performances, > > and don't remember his > > > vocals ever being an impediment to that enjoyment; his > > vocals were just > > > another component of his very enjoyable, emotional and > > powerful musical > > > output. And not knowing a thing about music myself - > > early on and least - if > > > the music was exciting and I could dance to it, that > > was all that mattered. > > > > > > Hell, we're in this notoriously boring college > > cow town, yet Michael > > > Quercio and Mitch Easter were producing his records, > > GT was touring and > > > getting tons of college radio play. There was an > > apparent steady stream of > > > successes: house parties > clubs > EPs > > > albums > celebrity producers (what > > > a *thrill* to have Quercio in town! Damn!) > > > national tours > interviews > > > > mentions and reviews in Rolling Stone and Cream > > > Lolita Nation #5 on > > > Rolling Stone college radio chart... > > > > > > It was only when Game Theory's success seemed to > > stall, and I was looking > > > for excuses as to "Why haven't we MADE IT yet??" - > > then I focused on, among > > > other things, his thin singing voice as a potential > > impediment to commercial > > > success. The Scott-fan's lament: "Couldn't he sing in > > a lower register?" But > > > Game Theory had already overcome so many obstacles - > > mainly Scott's > > > uncompromisingly complex, challenging songs - Lolita > > Nation was damn > > > challenging, yet people dug it! That was amazing and > > thrilling to me! - so > > > who knew what was possible? Scott's uncompromising > > artistic vision was one > > > of the reasons people were willing to join in and > > support him unwaveringly. > > > > > > Anyway - just personally, put me in the "always > > have, and still do, enjoy > > > his voice" column. > > > > > > Robert > - -- http://www.linkedin.com/in/tommarcinko http://clarionwest.org/events/writeathon/2009 http://tomaq.livejournal.com/ http://twitter.com/TomMarcinko http://www.new.facebook.com/tom.marcinko http://blip.fm/the_night_manager ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:21:25 -0400 From: Dave Walker Subject: Re: [loud-fans] unremarkable warble ramble On Wed, Jun 17, 2009 at 12:11 PM, Tom Marcinko wrote: > And then there's the phenom of songs that need a couple of listens before > the beauty of them really kicks in: "Throwing the Election" Best. Coda. Ever. -d.w. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:23:15 EDT From: Markwstaples@aol.com Subject: [loud-fans] manic Schwinn thrills Okay, I know I'm all Bicycles this and Bicycles that (and yeah, I'm going to plunk out 40 bucks for a copy of their first CD--I haven't been this excited about a band since I first heard Of Montreal in 1997), but it hits me upon watching this vid (which is a treat)... This singer reminds me of Michael Quercio. Even kinda looks like him. More La-la, less whoa-whoa, - --Mark _YouTube - The Bicycles - Australia (Music Video)_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caZsGDxR6L0&feature=related) **************Dell Days of Deals! June 15-24 - A New Deal Everyday! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1222865043x1201494942/aol?redir=http:%2F%2F ad.doubleclick.net%2Fclk%3B215692145%3B38015538%3Bh) ------------------------------ End of loud-fans-digest V8 #99 ******************************