From: owner-precious-things-digest To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V1 #28 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "precious-things-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. precious-things-digest Friday, 15 March 1996 Volume 01 : Number 028 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Genre Re: Genre Musical gifts Tori box and my tax refund ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Richard Holmes Date: Wed, 13 Mar 1996 21:57:37 -0800 (PST) Subject: Re: Genre Chris writes: > I think the point that was being made was that Tori is not just good in > comparison to others in a similar genre, or who happen to be around now, > but good by anybody's benchmark. And I agree totally. Her skills with the > piano never cease to amaze me. There have been other good piano based > singer-songwriters in the past, but few have the same lyrical _and_ > musical skill that Tori does, nor the amazing technical skill with the > instrument. I am in awe of her gift! I too appreciate her skill both as a musician and a lyricist. For me, however, what sets her apart from other "skilled" musicians is her expression, which many who may be very technically skilled seem to lack. She is able to express very primal emotions quite effectively. Another trait which sets her apart is her ability to reach into that deep well of inspiration in such a spontaneous and fluid manner. She is able to contact the source from which all things flow. - -Richard. \@/ | Richard A. Holmes (rholmes@cs.stanford.edu) \|/ | "Drum to your future, Sing your dreams alive!" , , | , , ' ' ' ' ' Loreena McKennitt / Kate Bush / Tori Amos / Katell Keineg / Happy Rhodes / Dar Williams / Renaissance / Sheila Chandra / Laura Love / Jane Siberry / Fairport Convention / Kiva / Libana/ Danielle Dax / Dog Faced Hermans ------------------------------ From: Big American Guy Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 02:20:11 CST Subject: Re: Genre > >I too appreciate her skill both as a musician and a lyricist. For me, >however, what sets her apart from other "skilled" musicians is her >expression, which many who may be very technically skilled seem to lack. >She is able to express very primal emotions quite effectively. > I agree with this totally... In conversation, I often compare her to Jerry Lee Lewis (to whom, I'm afraid, Tori comes in second as far as pianists go). If anyone's seen Jerry play, then you've seen how he can't just sit there... he squirms, he changes position, stands half-kneeling in front of the keyboard, etc... His fingers remain on the keys (most of the time), and in that respect it's an extension of himself, but other than that, he acts... well, a lot like Tori :) (BTW, if anyone cares, Billy Joel's a distant third). - -Chris ------------------------------ From: "Donald G. Keller" Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 10:36:46 -0500 (EST) Subject: Musical gifts Neile: Thanks for the refinements to my lyrical analysis of "Caught a Lite Sneeze." The part about Southern Belles is particularly astute, I think. Re Tori and vampires, I think that's a sort of mythology that she is indeed attracted to, though it doesn't seem to dominate her thinking the way that particular mythological item seems to in some people. And about Tori's musical gifts: someone already made the point about Vladimir Horowitz and Glenn Gould (and Horowitz was not a composer and Gould wasn't much of one.) How about George Gershwin? He was only a pianist, and mostly wrote just songs; his opera and very few orchestral works have serious flaws, according to musical scholars. Nonetheless they are widely played and loved. Was he one of the most gifted musicians of his time? Ravel and Schoenberg sure thought so. I recently read a biography of one of my favorite living composers (and one of the finest), Peter Maxwell Davies, who at age four went to a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta and the next morning could sing and play all the songs. I was quite struck by the parallels between his early musical life and Tori's. Basically, the kind of natural musical gift she has is very rare and very strong; there are very few people, as Meredith said, who could write songs as strong as "Bells for Her" or "Marianne" as improvisations. ------------------------------ From: Kerry White Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 19:13:42 -0600 (CST) Subject: Tori box and my tax refund Hi, Just got my tax refund and local m+p cd store has/d the BfP limited edition box. The box: 1 loose photo: 1 uk cd BfP: 1 book w/ *lots* 'o' pictures and a life story kinda' thing. What an education! 1980- at a night-club gig- Myra Ellen Amos was playing and her friend brought a date and he dubbed her, "Tori", which is a type of pine tree. She liked it and it stuck. Hey Jupiter...."..Written after Tori placed numerous long distance and international calls to Eric's house in a moment of loneliness and weakness..." "Caught a Lite Sneeze is a cry for help from a lone woman in a time of crisis, looking for female support in a male dominated world." ..."Talula returns to the theme of lost love, this time with the added convolution of new love (in the case of the ex) and a new life,..." There is more of the same and a YMMV disclaimer from Susan Wilson the author of the booklet. Multi-levels,etc "...rough guide...not gospel." I consider this as part of my refund and not as a big bite out of the refund. Every year I get from federal and I have to give(a little) to the state. Single, childless and a renter. KrW 4 limerick oysters 5 corpulant porposises .............................. 7 'thousand macedonian warriors in full battle array 8 brass monkeys from the ancient sacred crypts of Eygpt ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V1 #28 ************************************