From: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org (navy-soup-digest) To: navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Subject: navy-soup-digest V3 #84 Reply-To: navy-soup@smoe.org Sender: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-navy-soup-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk navy-soup-digest Saturday, May 20 2000 Volume 03 : Number 084 In This Digest: ----------------- Re: When's her new album? :) and issues of live footage -- and discussion on Sarah's music! ["Sophie" Subject: Re: When's her new album? :) and issues of live footage -- and discussion on Sarah's music! S.S is really great live, yes. But she also has an extremely high standard for her music, and wouldn't want people listening to a poor quality dub of any live shows. Anyone who collects rare mp3s knows that for a non-studio recording of an artist to even approach the quality of the show is pretty much a fluke. Although most of us are anxious for the unreleased stuff, I think we'd also rather wait for the Slean seal of approval, which means we know we'll be getting quality. I'd have to disagree about Universe being her best work to date. I think Blue Parade and Universe are both stunning, but I really enjoy the lyrical content of Blue Parade. I don't like the idea of applying "direction" to her music, it makes it sound like she's changing styles or something.. I think James was right in the sense that she has a "benchmark of quality" rather than a direction. :) I wish I knew why people are always comparing Sarah to someone else. She is perhaps the most incomparable artist that I've heard. Sometimes I do compare artists, Jennifer Kimball is a bit like Sarah Harmer is a bit like Dar Williams (but each brilliant in their own way)...but I've never heard music like S.S's. Her voice is just strikingly dissimilar, imho. I'd really appreciate it if we didn't introduce religion here. I really would. Please? :). I know you're just curious Ian, but it's kindof a can of worms.. once opened, you just can't get that smell out of the air. Soph Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do. --Sartre An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself --Camus - ----- Original Message ----- From: Ian Mullins To: Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2000 9:20 AM Subject: Re: When's her new album? :) and issues of live footage -- and discussion on Sarah's music! > > Just so this is very clear. :-) No. Sarah and her management are _not_ ok > > with live recordings. > > That's really too bad that she's against it. :( Any ideas on why? Is it a > sales issue? I disagree if so, but it's not my call obviously. :) Just > curious though. > > And again, does anyone know about any legal live recordings of hers? It > can't be an issue of TALENT when performing live since as you all know, she > is SPECTACULAR live... > > If there aren't any, does anyone know if she ever plans to release maybe a > little promo live tape or CD for us? I believe Emm Gryner has done that, a > year ago or so.. (I mssed that though..... I've come in way too late!).. > > Also, is the new album going to be released through Atlantic Records? > > And finally, I want to just ask for some input/discussion on Sarah's > direction, as well as just discuss how I found her. :) One of my best > friends introduced me to her... He sent me an MP3 of Universe (bad bad I > know, but he lives in Oklahoma and I'm in Winnipeg! ;) and believe me when I > say I always buy the music I enjoy - that is any music I listen to more than > twice, practically :) ..) and I totally dismissed it.. I thought 'oh she > can play the piano. the song's a ltitle dull though' and that was that... > the sad thing is Sarah had come to my city to perform live TWICE after this > incident before I got a damn clue.... one day I was just not feeling very > well at all.. and I asked my friend to send Universe again for some reason - > since he was still raving about her all the time... and this time it just > clicked.. I couldn't believe how much I loved this song.. (and yet didn't > even LIKE it at all before)... I played this song constantly... I was going > through a rather bad breakup with a long-term partner..and it helped me to > heal myself. Sort of like cutting yourself open so that the badness can > bleed out or something, without physically doing it. Burn, to heal kind of > mentality. anyhow--rambling... so I had to have her EP.. I ordered it from > HMV and waited a couple months.. still didn't come! ;) so I ordered it from > the website and got it in a week or so.. The EP is just amazing.. I love it > to death.. > > Here's where the direction part comes in. > > I'm not too sure where Sarah's headed, actually... I love every song on > Universe except Me & Jerome. My favourites are John XXIII and Universe. > > Then, Blue Parade came out... AMAZING song, that Blue Parade, eh? :) This > song is Sarah's "Cooling" for me (my favourite Tori Amos song... please > forgive me for comparing Sarah to Tori, but........ ;) ..) And I also love > Twin Moon. I didn't care for too many of the others, until I saw her perform > live here in Winnipeg in Feb/2000... I then grew a big appreciation for > Habit, and My Invitation, among others... > > I also got a huge treat. She played Last Year's War! This song is also > perhaps Sarah's "Cooling". ;) (As you can tell, I'm sort of confused over it > all ;) ..) ... I could've started crying after she was 1 minute into the > song. I'm very glad that this song has a good chance of being on her new > album. > > I'm really wondering how the new album will sound, though. With Blue Parade, > she seemed to be trying to leave the minimalist approach.. going for more > guitars, more drums, etc... This does fit some songs well, but not all... As > someone else on this list once said, I'm a big believer of the thought that > less is more. :) > > As a whole, I like the EP of Universe more than the album of Blue Parade... > even though the song Blue Parade is my favourite Sarah song, the album of > Blue Parade as a whole just isn't as great, in my opinion. > > The fact that her latest album was not as impressive as her last work does > not deter me though. :) Sarah's firmly my 2nd favourite artist in the world, > and could overtake Tori when Sarah releases her next album... something I > would NEVER even have thought of saying just 6 months ago. :) She has such a > special, sincere voice... and her melodies are amazing and unique. I love > Angel for how it has this neat piano riff throughout, and then for the last > verse it changes into a - and this might sound exaggerative but it is how it > makes me feel - lugubrious and gloomy piano melody... The contrast is > stunningggg! *sigh* :) I also love the little things about her music, such > as the simple little breath at the beginning of John XXIII. It somehow makes > the song so much more real...like yes..there is a human behind all of this > creation. > > Does anyone know what Sarah's religious views are specifically? I know she > makes numerous references to Christianity.. None of them are very positive. > I only ask because while Tori often does this as well, she is certainly not > Christian. :) > > Erhmmm.. this is long.. so I'll again apologize for writing such a long > e-mail ;) .. but I do appreciate it if you've read all this, and I'd love to > get some feedback on all these issues. :) Thank you! > > - Ian > Web author of "Tori's Beauty ..and a Gun" > Covers, Live MP3s, Photos, Lyrics and more! > http://home.ican.net/~crashy > Get an email everytime the page has something new: > Send mail to me with "subscribe" in the subject line! > > ------------------------------ End of navy-soup-digest V3 #84 ******************************