From: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org (oppositeview-digest) To: oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Subject: oppositeview-digest V4 #99 Reply-To: oppositeview@smoe.org Sender: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-oppositeview-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk oppositeview-digest Wednesday, April 17 2002 Volume 04 : Number 099 Today's Subjects: ----------------- OV: First listen new CD ["Phil Denson" ] OV: An Honest Review ["B M" ] Re: OV: (no subject) ["jennifer zucconi" ] OV: Re: thoughts on new album ["the Gardners" ] OV: OT - Import Tax ["Jane Armstrong" ] OV: New album review [SngWrite1@aol.com] OV: Justin top 10 song artist? [SngWrite1@aol.com] OV: New album [Birgit Wurm ] OV: Anyone have this book? [SngWrite1@aol.com] OV: Never mind I figured it out [SngWrite1@aol.com] Re: OV: Never mind I figured it out ["Jen Woyan" ] Re: OV: OT - Import Tax ["Jen Woyan" ] Re: OV: OT - Import Tax ["Jen Woyan" ] OV: Amazon.co.uk ["William Kates" ] OV: New Album ["Lewis Slade" ] OV: Re: thoughts on new album & AZ ["L Perry" ] OV: Re: thoughts on new album & AZ [Eric Johnson ] Re: OV: Re: thoughts on new album & AZ [Darren Holmquist ] OV: Interesting review ["Jane Armstrong" ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 05:40:52 -0500 From: "Phil Denson" Subject: OV: First listen new CD Mail man dropped off my copy and I've listen to it once. First impressions...hate it! Yes, Justin's voice is still there, yes, the word play is still there but so many things that I associate with DEL AMITRI is gone... the guitars most notably. I wanted to skip songs over and over again, faster than I have done with a CD in a long time...and I consider myself a huge fan (I have about 50 different Del CDS). The drum machine is KILLING me and is what I'm having the biggest problem with. I think the songs could and would have been better songs if they would have stuck to what they do best...Del Amitri being Del Amitri. As it is now, it seems they met MOBY in a bar, had to many drinks and haven't came down. If you dig the album that is great for you but I'm not happy with it at all...oh I'm sure a few songs will stand out over others after a few listens...and my opinion will rise a tad but after one listen I think it is worst than their first album (self-titled). Some have said it is better than SOSP...nada chance...except for the poor mixing, SOSP is a true Del recording, sloppy but real...#3 on my list below #2 Waking Hours and #1 Twisted. I guess I got off the subject at hand but I'm pretty depressed by the whole thing to tell you the truth...oh well...I'll get over it... Phil ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 09:08:17 -0400 From: "B M" Subject: OV: An Honest Review So I think I may have the funniest quote for the new CD yet! I received the new CD and the two singles from amazon.co.uk on Friday, I'm a happy boy. I give them a listening to and my first impression is not so great. I like JBYL but hearing Drunk in the Band from the studio for the first time was a huge disappointment. Not at all what I expected. I listen again Saturday while I'm cleaning the house, but this time mixed in with all my other DA on my PC, 120+ songs. Turns out my PC played most of the new CD and I have to say I did like it allot. It did tend to stand out a bit from the older DA, but different is not always bad, right? So I go out that day for a few drinks and as it does, day turned to night. Well I friend of mine chose to crash at my place for the night, I put on the new CD and go to bed. About half way thru the CD she bolts for the bathroom and gets sick. Not fun. When I ask her what was wrong, did she drink too much, she said, and I quote "Who are you playing? They are making me feel sick!". There you go, now that's an honest review. The new DA made someone physically ill. She is from the UK, and when I told her it was the new DA she was very surprised, and then ran to the bathroom and puked again. True story. Take it as you will. I personally like the new CD, it's not my fav, but at least I'm not vomiting. Bill M _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 07:24:18 -0600 From: "jennifer zucconi" Subject: Re: OV: (no subject) Better than Twisted? Well, it must be good then. I haven't heard it yet, simply because I can't decide who to order it from. Don't know anything about exchange rates, import fees, etc. However, since YOUR fav is Twisted, and you believe this one might be better, I'm excited. It seems the majority of Del fans consider one of the older albums to be the best, but I'm definitely on the Twisted side. Thanks for your opinion. Now, if I could just make up my mind on where to get it. At this rate, I'll prevaricate until it's released in the US. Jennifer Zucconi - ----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Mitchell Sent: Monday, April 15, 2002 11:07 PM To: NIGELBLUES@aol.com Cc: oppositeview@smoe.org Subject: Re: OV: (no subject) On Mon, 15 Apr 2002 NIGELBLUES@aol.com wrote: > doesn't mean to say my opinion of it being a weak album of very average songs > has changed. Nice melodies, well played but pretty dull and unspiring. Damn. Different strokes, I guess. But I just don't see how you miss it. Am I the only one who thinks 'cant wash it away' for example is amoung their best stuff? This is a really good album (if it's not too arrogant of me to declare it so). I've always considered Twisted, then Change Everything, the best del amitri albums, but I'm starting to think this one's better. The songs certainly sound more mature and relavant. to me at least. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 10:11:49 -0400 From: "the Gardners" Subject: OV: Re: thoughts on new album > Now, I'm just waiting for my copies of the CD singles to arrive from > amazon.co.uk, and for the band to announce a US tour, with a stop in > Arizona... > Eric I hope they do indeed stop in Arizona; my dear friend Rose lives there now and she's almost a Dels convert. All it would take would be one good live show and she'd be a goner! Plus she says I can come visit her in Casa Grande and we'll go to the concert together, should the Dels grace the desert with their presence. Where are you in AZ, Eric? TTFN Susan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 15:33:08 +0100 From: "Jane Armstrong" Subject: OV: OT - Import Tax Just purely out of interest, has anyone had to pay any import tax/duty in the US on CD's sent from Britain - either via a commercial purchase or when individuals send them to you. A number of people have cited import tax as one of the reasons why they are reluctant to buy the new CD from the UK. I have been buying stuff from the US and the only time I have ever had to pay duty was when the seller declared the price of the Gameboy I bought to be $100 on the little green form (I actually only paid $80 for it - so I ended up well and truly stuffed!). Anything under $100 has never attracted any duty at all (especially if you mark it as a gift rather than merchandise). I just wondered if the US and Canada were a lot stricter. Jane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit my home page: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea Del Amitri pages: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/Delpage.html Why not join the chat every Thursday at 9pm UK time: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/chat.html The Devlins discussion list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDevlins ICQ No: 34643730 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 11:09:09 EDT From: SngWrite1@aol.com Subject: OV: New album review Okay, I'll admit I was a bit sceptical of the new album due to hearing of the Dels "new direction". I liked JBYL as a song, but didn't think it was a great choice of a single. I thought the video was terrific though (although upon hearing the whole album, the same video could have worked for several songs). Enjoyed the b-sides, and anxiously awaited the album to arrive on my doorstep. Well, it came yesterday. And here's what I think: I like it. On the whole it seems more thought out than SOSP (Justin seems to have admited as much in that BBC interview clip). It's a grower, on first listen only a couple songs grabbed me, but as I listened again, the entire album started to reveal itself to me. Lyrically an album about disappointment, but certainly not disappointing lyrically. Acoustic guitars make a welcome return (they're on almost every track!) and the electric guitars are there, but not always prominent - more specific parts coming in and out then just bashing away. And if you listen on headphones, you realize just how layered it is. Just Before You Leave - works better as an album track than as a single. The groove is infectiously percolating, but there's not really much else to it. The bass line never deviates, and the chorus isn't really a separate section. But the lyrics are good, and it's great for driving in the car. Cash & Prizes - "Paper Thin" from a different viewpoint? I admit I got a little worried from the trashy sounding drum loop at the beginning, but it grew on me. Lyrically it's a great tale of having everything and nothing at the same time. Only part that bugs me is the crickets chirping. Drunk In A Band - dumb fun, will be a blast to hear live I'm sure - but it's not really going anywhere is it? The "Roll To Me" of CYDMG? I think. A peppy, windows down, driving too fast, singing along at the top of your lungs type of song, but ultimately it's a throwaway pop tune. Nice whacked out analog synth solo though which does defy expectations a little (a guitar solo would have been obvious). One More Last Hurrah - "Hold on, I wanna say my life looks okay" sings Justin, but only after singing about how they're at the end of their rope. A man in conflict. Lyrically strong, and sonically more adventurous than anything else on the album so far. Buttons On My Clothes - this would have been my choice for the first single. Driving beat, machine gun snare rolls, catchy chorus, a great bridge - the song is classic Del Amitri, while at the same time it doesn't sound exactly like what you'd expect from Del Amitri, with the bubbling keyboards swirling around the song. Nice baritone guitar licks, brilliant harmonies. Definitely a favorite! Baby It's Me - seems at first to be a nice simple love song but on further listenings I'm thinking it's a stalker song masquerading as a love song. Okay, maybe not a stalker, but obsessive love at least. Wash Her Away - when the real drums kick in, whoa! This is one that I like more with each listen. Only criticism of this song would be that the obviously wild guitar solo is buried, while the simple accent part gets the spotlight. This is one time when I wish they didn't defy expectations. Last Cheap Shot... - another winner, another contender for a single. Again, a classic Del Amitri song, with new sonic twists. Love the way the harmonies soar and climb at the end. Out Falls The Past - could have easily fit on Rubber Soul or Help! This is the kind of song Paul McCartney should be recording, not dreck like "Freedom" - - the brass gives it that "George Martin production" touch. Catchy and lyrically smart to boot! She's Passing This Way - finally a piano ballad makes it to an album rather than being relegated to a b-side. This song seems to be the aftermath of what happens when you can't "Wash Her Away". Drawing the love/drug comparison again. Jesus Saves - Justin at his most angry, maybe more angry than Food For Songs! Every verse builds and builds and builds until you think the whole song is going to burst at the seams. My guess is the band only wanted to have one atheistic number on the record, and chose this one over Unbeliever (sonically it fits the album better than IAU, though that may be the better song). Just Getting By - a perfect song to end on, they should try to get this onto the end credits of a sad romantic film. Kind of annoyed with the bit of the "hidden track" - I think it just should have ended with this song. It says it all. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 11:15:22 EDT From: SngWrite1@aol.com Subject: OV: Justin top 10 song artist? Any guesses as to who will be recording a song by Justin Currie that will make it to the top 10 as hinted in the bio? Here are mine: Texas Robbie Williams (hey, he had a hit with a World Party song) The Corrs ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 18:42:23 +0200 From: Birgit Wurm Subject: OV: New album Well, I wouldn't exactly say that record stores around here are hiding the new CD (just putting their only copy to the very back of the stack (of roughly four overall)), but that's about the only thing you can't accuse them of. It's day two since release and there's nothing. Neither in the stores (apart from one or two copies if at all), free magazines or else. The only positive thing is their amazon.de rank 22. And can anyone tell me why I get Italian cardboard cut-outs and no Scottish hand-puppets so far? Birgit Now thinking about doing something bout Glasgow for my final paper, however don't think Glasgow from the point of view of a Dels fan is the kind of restricted topic they have in mind?! ________________________________________________________________ Keine verlorenen Lotto-Quittungen, keine vergessenen Gewinne mehr! Beim WEB.DE Lottoservice: http://tippen2.web.de/?x=13 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:33:44 EDT From: SngWrite1@aol.com Subject: OV: Anyone have this book? "Who's Who in Hell: A Handbook and International Directory for Humanists, Freethinkers, Naturalists, Rationalists, and Non-Theists (NY: Barricade Books, $125.) Other musicians, and the book documents why they are included as non-believers: composer-conductor Pierre Boulez; Scottish pop-rock singer Justin Currie;" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:49:50 EDT From: SngWrite1@aol.com Subject: OV: Never mind I figured it out Thanks to a google search - Justin's chance for a top 10 single: "Ronan Keating is currently busy writing material for his second album. He's been working with Gregg Alexander, Paul Brady, Cathy Dennis, Justin Currie, Calum MacColl, and Karl Wallinger." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:41:28 -0500 From: "Jen Woyan" Subject: Re: OV: Never mind I figured it out Dave...dude...friend... Stay away from either the brown acid or the brown M&M's (or both)....please....dude.... Cheers, Jen in Chicago P.S. if you get a moment, email me off-list.... - ----Original Message Follows---- From: SngWrite1@aol.com To: oppositeview@smoe.org Subject: OV: Never mind I figured it out Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:49:50 EDT Thanks to a google search - Justin's chance for a top 10 single: "Ronan Keating is currently busy writing material for his second album. He's been working with Gregg Alexander, Paul Brady, Cathy Dennis, Justin Currie, Calum MacColl, and Karl Wallinger." _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:49:25 -0500 From: "Jen Woyan" Subject: Re: OV: OT - Import Tax I purchased a few CD's off GEMM (http://www.gemm.com) over the summer and the UK distributors charged shipping & handling but seemed to do nothing about tax. FYI - The US government deferred an Internet tax in the last session until 2006 but they expect to insitute some sort of sale tax or other Internet taxation sometime in the relatively near future... Sorry... Cheers, Jen P.S. Jane - I send you an International Money Order, may I get 2 copies of the album? - ----Original Message Follows---- From: "Jane Armstrong" To: "Dels" Subject: OV: OT - Import Tax Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 15:33:08 +0100 Just purely out of interest, has anyone had to pay any import tax/duty in the US on CD's sent from Britain - either via a commercial purchase or when individuals send them to you. A number of people have cited import tax as one of the reasons why they are reluctant to buy the new CD from the UK. I have been buying stuff from the US and the only time I have ever had to pay duty was when the seller declared the price of the Gameboy I bought to be $100 on the little green form (I actually only paid $80 for it - so I ended up well and truly stuffed!). Anything under $100 has never attracted any duty at all (especially if you mark it as a gift rather than merchandise). I just wondered if the US and Canada were a lot stricter. Jane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit my home page: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea Del Amitri pages: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/Delpage.html Why not join the chat every Thursday at 9pm UK time: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/chat.html The Devlins discussion list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDevlins ICQ No: 34643730 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:56:11 -0500 From: "Jen Woyan" Subject: Re: OV: OT - Import Tax One more silly thing (and I am NOT volunteering), but is it within the realm of possibility to consider resurrecting Infidels & Popstars? ...Just asking... Cheers, Jen - ----Original Message Follows---- From: "Jen Woyan" To: janea@delamitri.co.uk, oppositeview@smoe.org Subject: Re: OV: OT - Import Tax Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:49:25 -0500 I purchased a few CD's off GEMM (http://www.gemm.com) over the summer and the UK distributors charged shipping & handling but seemed to do nothing about tax. FYI - The US government deferred an Internet tax in the last session until 2006 but they expect to insitute some sort of sale tax or other Internet taxation sometime in the relatively near future... Sorry... Cheers, Jen P.S. Jane - I send you an International Money Order, may I get 2 copies of the album? - ----Original Message Follows---- From: "Jane Armstrong" To: "Dels" Subject: OV: OT - Import Tax Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 15:33:08 +0100 Just purely out of interest, has anyone had to pay any import tax/duty in the US on CD's sent from Britain - either via a commercial purchase or when individuals send them to you. A number of people have cited import tax as one of the reasons why they are reluctant to buy the new CD from the UK. I have been buying stuff from the US and the only time I have ever had to pay duty was when the seller declared the price of the Gameboy I bought to be $100 on the little green form (I actually only paid $80 for it - so I ended up well and truly stuffed!). Anything under $100 has never attracted any duty at all (especially if you mark it as a gift rather than merchandise). I just wondered if the US and Canada were a lot stricter. Jane ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit my home page: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea Del Amitri pages: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/Delpage.html Why not join the chat every Thursday at 9pm UK time: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/chat.html The Devlins discussion list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDevlins ICQ No: 34643730 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:37:21 -0400 From: "William Kates" Subject: OV: Amazon.co.uk I'm not sure of the significance of this, but Amazon.co.uk seems to have sold all of their initial supply of CYDMG. My order was held up waiting for some other items to come in, but as of Sunday night, CYDMG was in stock, so I gave the ok to break up the order (higher shipping cost) in hopes of getting my copy faster. Today I was dismayed to get an email that my order has been dispatched, and although the two singles are included in the order, CYDMG is not and is now on backorder. Bummer! - William ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 22:54:27 +0100 From: "Lewis Slade" Subject: OV: New Album Well i got it today and...... I LOVE IT!!!! Every track except for "Jesus Saves" are GREAT tunes! Definatly a step away from the previous albums but i welcome the new material. I hope it gets the credit it deserve's, i doubt it though!! Lewis. (walkinthedream) catherinewheel@madlove.fsnet.co.uk walkinthedream@yahoo.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/neverwalkagain/ www.shac.net - --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.349 / Virus Database: 195 - Release Date: 15/04/2002 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 17:17:08 -0700 From: "L Perry" Subject: OV: Re: thoughts on new album & AZ - -----Original Message----- From: owner-oppositeview@smoe.org [mailto:owner-oppositeview@smoe.org]On Behalf Of the Gardners Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 7:12 AM To: Eric Johnson; oppositeview@smoe.org Subject: OV: Re: thoughts on new album >Plus she says I can come visit her in Casa >Grande and we'll go to the concert together, should the Dels grace the >desert with their presence. Where are you in AZ, Eric? > >TTFN >Susan Yes, where in AZ? Susan, you're welcome to come up to Tempe if they should happen to play in the Phoenix area. We can only hope! Lauree ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 20:02:41 -0700 From: Eric Johnson Subject: OV: Re: thoughts on new album & AZ I'm in Tempe. Not sure where the Dels would play here, since I think everyplace I've seen them is either out of business or doesn't have live bands anymore: Hayden Square (Change Everything tour), Electric Ballroom (Twisted and SOSP tours) and The Rocking Horse (Twisted tour, 2nd time around?). I stupidly missed the show at Chuy's for Waking Hours, and have kicked myself since then. Eric L Perry wrote: > > -----Original Message----- > From: owner-oppositeview@smoe.org [mailto:owner-oppositeview@smoe.org]On > Behalf Of the Gardners > Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 7:12 AM > To: Eric Johnson; oppositeview@smoe.org > Subject: OV: Re: thoughts on new album > > >Plus she says I can come visit her in Casa > >Grande and we'll go to the concert together, should the Dels grace the > >desert with their presence. Where are you in AZ, Eric? > > > >TTFN > >Susan > > Yes, where in AZ? Susan, you're welcome to come up to Tempe if they should > happen to play in the Phoenix area. We can only hope! > > Lauree ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 20:31:46 -0700 From: Darren Holmquist Subject: Re: OV: Re: thoughts on new album & AZ But were any of you there for the New Year's Eve show in 1996?? There was a large contingent of OVer's there... BEFORE there was an OV!!!! At 05:17 PM 4/16/02 -0700, L Perry wrote: >-----Original Message----- >From: owner-oppositeview@smoe.org [mailto:owner-oppositeview@smoe.org]On >Behalf Of the Gardners >Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 7:12 AM >To: Eric Johnson; oppositeview@smoe.org >Subject: OV: Re: thoughts on new album > > >>Plus she says I can come visit her in Casa >>Grande and we'll go to the concert together, should the Dels grace the >>desert with their presence. Where are you in AZ, Eric? >> >>TTFN >>Susan > >Yes, where in AZ? Susan, you're welcome to come up to Tempe if they should >happen to play in the Phoenix area. We can only hope! > >Lauree ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 02:16:09 EDT From: NIGELBLUES@aol.com Subject: OV: What's Wrong? Click on the internet site below, study VERY carefully http://www.dtig.de/whatswrong/ Works better with your PC sound on high. What's wrong with the picture? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 00:18:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Debbie Cushing Subject: Re: OV: OT - Import Tax I've never had to and I've ordered several times from several different UK and Europe locations. Hope that helps :-) debbie, who's currently still in Denver and my CDs are more than likely sitting at home in Dallas, :-( Oh, and I don't know if anyone's mentioned or not, but Eileen Rose has a track on the CD that comes with this month's "Uncut." I actually bought it, but haven't had a chance to listen to it, yet. - --- Jane Armstrong wrote: > Just purely out of interest, has anyone had to pay > any import tax/duty in > the US on CD's sent from Britain - either via a > commercial purchase or when > individuals send them to you. A number of people > have cited import tax as > one of the reasons why they are reluctant to buy the > new CD from the UK. > > I have been buying stuff from the US and the only > time I have ever had to > pay duty was when the seller declared the price of > the Gameboy I bought to > be $100 on the little green form (I actually only > paid $80 for it - so I > ended up well and truly stuffed!). Anything under > $100 has never attracted > any duty at all (especially if you mark it as a gift > rather than > merchandise). > > I just wondered if the US and Canada were a lot > stricter. > > Jane > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > Visit my home page: > http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea > Del Amitri pages: > http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/Delpage.html > Why not join the chat every Thursday at 9pm UK time: > http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/chat.html > The Devlins discussion list: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDevlins > ICQ No: 34643730 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 09:39:16 +0100 From: "Jane Armstrong" Subject: OV: Interesting review Someone posted this link on the UK Discussion Board. It's a review of the album by someone called Steve Stockman. He's obviously a fan and knows a lot about the band. It's interesting in that it's written from a Christian perspective. http://www.stocki.ni.org/news/items/item-248.phtml DEL AMITRI - Sitting on the Church Steps but Refusing to Go In Tue 16 Apr 2002 a look at the new Del Amitri album Can You Do Me Good where the Church is getting a bad review... DEL AMITRI I am sure if you looked up Del Amitri in the Latin it would mean "songs about regretful broken hearts and dark cultural observations, journaling humanities spiral downwards towards meaningless demise." Well Del Amitri are back and there is nothing new in the pages behind the cover but where, in music, the cover is the musical context where the words live then this is not like your common or garden Del boys' album. Anytime I've seen Del Amitri I've come away asking how good they would sound if Justin Currie's intricate and clever songs, particularly his lyrical guile, were not drowned beneath guitar strutting Iain Harvie's fetish to look and sound like Lemmy from Motorhead. Indeed, I remember over hearing a post gig conversation, as someone was waxing lyrical about the addition of the aforementioned Lemmy to the band! It just seemed a clash of visions. Maybe it was their vision. Can You Do Me Good might suggest that they heard me or that Currie copped on. However if you have heard Eileen Rose's album Long Shot Novena where Harvie and bandmate Kris Dollimore play and produce maybe it's Harvie who has metamorphosed. The guitarist is so clean cut and neatly hair dressed in the band photo that there is no danger of him being asked for Lemmy's autograph and in some ways the sound has had a similar transformation. Harvie is more noticeable by his absence on the opening track and first single, the soulful Just Before You Leave. The guitar is elsewhere restrained or sampled and looped and there are off skew drum beats and rhythms and the little flurries of noises and surprises that leaves Can You Do Me Good much neater, more modern and a lot more sophisticated. The books itself is the same old story. The great thing about that same old story is Currie's genius at delving into love's poignant hidden depths and there are a few soulful gems of heartbreak here that never sounded so achingly beautiful. I can remember one time nursing my own shattered heart with huge doses of Everything Changes and almost becoming quite satisfied that my pain allowed me to better trawl the wonders of that most cynical of love albums. Just Before You Leave is archetypal as is Buttons On My Cloths and Out Falls The Past. It is how he makes the more simple truths of love's great breakdown so literary and real. If there is anyone better at this art than Currie it might be Bob Dylan whose Blood On The Tracks is always seen as the paradigm break up album. In some way you wish that Currie was equally famous as you would love someone to trawl through his garbage and write the biographies that would fill in the details around his romantic history. What or who has caused his regret, remorse and despair. Even when he seems to be throwing himself at love all positive in Baby It's Me there is a sense that it is in vain and without hope. Stepping away from love and trying to find some distraction in the world around them and Del Amitri draw a blank again. Cash and Prizes suggests like many before them that fame or wealth is neither who we are or makes any sense of why we here and the nihilism heads towards apocalypse in their Last Cheap Shot At A Dream. There seems to be a past to forget about and not much chance of change in the future but the resignation that the future is where we're headed anyway. The final track Just Getting By is an older Nothing Ever Happens seeing no point or meaning or sense in the existence of man. Where some of us who grope towards a transcendent hope would say that without a vision the people perish Del Amitri don't even believe that there can be a vision and luck is the only hope for a better day. So what about God? Well Jesus Saves gives much reason for optimism and it is optimism from a very orthodox Christian perspective: "Jesus saves the homeless on the streets Jesus saves the afflicted, saves the meek Jesus saves the hungry, saves the weak" But then there is a caustic and cynical twist to the tale.Each verse ends with a antichristian backlash: "Jesus saves, saves the pure and leaves the rest." "Well he can't save you unless your one of us The damned, the blind, the deaf, the never walk again." "Jesus gives so he can watch the people squirm and sink." "Jesus caves all the cruelty that ever made him real." "Jesus saves you from thinking, Just believe that Jesus saves And you can lemming like go walking to the cliffs of eternity." It is heavy stuff and there are two things going down, Plain misunderstanding of faith coming from a misinterpretation of faith that seems to come from so called believers - he only takes the pure, you must be one of us, non thinking lemmings. On the other hand then it seems that their only way of reading the sufferings of Christ is to see him as someone who wallows in his or anyone else's pain. If that was the case of course Del Amitri would owe Jesus everything because pain is what they build a career around. Indeed it is maybe what makes them "real." In the end the sound still meets that image that first presented them to the nation way back in 89 in the Nothing Ever Happens video. It is sideburns sitting on steps strumming their philosophies. And the steps could be those of any Glasgow Church where the Del boys are searching for truth to ease their pessimistic apathy of all that is driving past them but sadly they are put off climbing a few more steps to enter the Church. The steeple above them is provoking questions but those who climb over them to worship God are leading them to conclude that there are no answers there. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit my home page: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea Del Amitri pages: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/Delpage.html Why not join the chat every Thursday at 9pm UK time: http://www.delamitri.co.uk/~janea/chat.html The Devlins discussion list: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheDevlins ICQ No: 34643730 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------ End of oppositeview-digest V4 #99 *********************************