From: owner-rockford-files-digest@smoe.org (The Rockford Files) To: rockford-files-digest@smoe.org Subject: The Rockford Files V2 #98 Reply-To: rockford-files@smoe.org Sender: owner-rockford-files-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-rockford-files-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk The Rockford Files Thursday, March 18 1999 Volume 02 : Number 098 Today's Fjordian Filings: -------------------------------------- Thank you My impression of the BFF album I'm SOOOOO jealous... Anoop, get better! [Fwd: Thank you] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 18:51:58 -0500 From: Shara_Hoffman@hths.mcvsd.k12.nj.us (Shara Hoffman) Subject: Thank you hello everyone! dan, i would just like to thank you for posting the url of the army and plans mp3. i downloaded don't change your plans, i couldn't get army. is there any other url that has army in mp3 format? has everyone checked out their new april tour dates? they are coming to the east coast and going to england. fun stuff. - -shara - - ______________________________________ Monmouth County Vocational School District High Technology High School P.O. Box 119 Lincroft, New Jersey 07738 http://www.hths.mcvsd.k12.nj.us/ _______________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 17:19:42 -0700 From: Stacy Lynn Subject: My impression of the BFF album I just recieved my advance copy of the new Ben Folds Five album, The Unauthorized Biography of Rienhold Messner (muchas gracias, Shawn, and I will figure out something to do for you in return!) Anyway, I love it. And I hope to God that this album is not their last. However, if it is, after a couple good cries, I will be ok. What follows is my general impression of the album as well as song by song impressions, so if you want it to be a complete surprize, you have been warned. If, however, you would like to know what I think about the album, by all means, read ahead. General impressions... Well, while WE&E wasn't exactly a lo-fi album, it seems that way compared to this. It has a much bigger studio sound... sounds like some mulitple tracks esp in the vocals. Its like the difference between Jellyfish's 1st album and their 2nd. Their 1st one was amazing, and had the distinctive pop sound, while their 2nd one had this incredible very full sound... you know its definatly Jellyfish, but really, the 2 albums are very different. Burt Bacherach influence in a lot of songs, Regrets seems to have some sort of stereolab/french pop/japanese pop influence! Some songs use differnt pianos (at least thats how it sounds to me, but I could be wrong), an upright perhaps, a harpischord or soemthing like that, an electric piano... It still sounds like Ben Folds Five, but just a different feel to the album. I heard the fuzz bass was largely missing in this album, so I looked (listened?) extra hard for it, and its still there, but not quite as out in front. It seems they are going for more of an overall feel than just 3 instruments put together to make incredible music. Narcolepsy - This has to be one of my favorite tracks on the album. The piano is just beautiful, its like a lullaby, and then it wakes you up. Lyrics are beautiful, very powerful part with lots of drums, big bass... incredible piano playing skill... Leigh, I might be able to help you out with some of the lyrics on this song. Don't Change Your Plans - Also one of my favorite tracks on this album. I remember the 1st time I heard it it was over the phone, and I was in awe. As Leigh put it before I heard it, he said "you'll melt" And I did. I still do, its just amazing. It sort of sticks in your head, not because its annoying, but because it is so good you don't want to forget it. Many of you have heard it already. Horns... Burt Bacherach feeling, esp when the horns kick in. The lyrics are amazing. The "ahhhs" in the song just hit me right *there* ya know? Amazing piano, but then again, could we expect less from Ben? Mess - Hmm... another one of my fave tracks on this album. Its just so good. This one, I really hear the bass, and the piano, well, its like harpischord or something... I forget what its called, but Tori Amos uses one of these pianoish instruments on her 3rd album. This song reminds me of something, maybe a song that I loved when I was kid? Not like a kids song, but a song from that era (70s and 80s). But that doesn't quite explain what I am trying to say. Its also got a calypso type feeling to it. And the lyrics... amazing song. And for those of you who have heard this song, if anyone knows what this song reminds me of, let me know! Magic - This is the gem on the album. It was written by Darren, and my God, can he write a song. I heard this song in the car for the 1st time, and, well, you know how I said I thought I would have to pull over the car when I first heard the new Built to Spill? Well, about a minute into this song, I started crying. Pretty soon, I knew I woulnd't be able to drive. So I did pull over. I'm listening now, and even after hearing it maybe 5 times now, I still get very choked up. It is just so beautiful. So heartbreakingly beautiful. Violins, piano, bass, the drums, the words, no words I can ever say will do this song enough justice. Jane - Ben really digs that 70s feel... Fear of Pop had it, and this song has it a bit. This isn't one of my fave tracks on the album, but I do like it more each time I hear it. Hospital Song - This song has very interesting things going on with the piano. Starts out with that harpsichord sound, then as the song progresses, there is this lovely melody played over the bass line... Its a very pretty song. Army - Most of you have heard this. Like Don't Change Your Plans, the 1st time I heard it was over the phone! My sound card was broken, but it was worth a long distance phone call! Its great, lots of fun, its got the horns, the bass, this is the most like their old stuff, I think. I dont think I need to go into details on this one as you've all heard it before. Your Most Valuble Possesion - This is someone's message to Ben on his answering machine, so its kinda weird. The music played over it is beautiful, but this is a track I'll have to get used to. Regrets - This song has that "bubbles" sound that makes me think of Stereolab. Its great, the lyrics are what we've come to expect from BFF in the way of inrony, fun, etc... I like this song, and the end is just amazing, and Leigh, yes, I do hear that pink floyd-ish sound, esp in the "ahhhhs" the drumming, the violins, the piano, etc at the end. Its amazing. Pure amazement. Lullabye - I love this song. Its not a lullabye. It kinda makes me happy, I dunno... I love the hand claps, they aren't obtrusive or anything, just... and the violins, big big sound, piano is just lovely... This is a great song to end the album with. Your Redneck Past - my copy did not have this song. Thats all. This album is so absolutely amazing. I love it more each time I hear it. I will be the 1st person in line here in Tucson to buy it, let me tell you. I love this band so so so much. I have since Underground, and yes, they continue to change and grow, but they don't loose what drew me to them in the first place, and that is their passion, their intesity, their emotion, their talent. I can't tell you how much I love this band, so I'll stop now. Thank you, and BUY THIS ALBUM. =-) Stacy If the path of least resistance is all you ever take Well at least you've been consistant And for that, I've baked you a cake. --Jason Falkner "Author Unknown" Stacy Lynn stacyf@u.arizona.edu http://www.u.arizona.edu/~stacyf icq: 7641939 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 19:52:07 -0600 From: "Anoop Ranganath" Subject: I'm SOOOOO jealous... All of you with advance copies, I'm unbelievably jealous. I mean, I've still gotta wait six weeks. Well, nothing else new. I'm coughing up blood and have the flu. Thought you might want to know that. Any chance of gettign MP3 or RA versions of the songs. I wish there was a way to guarantee that everyone on the list would be buying the album. Anoop ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 21:02:22 EST From: Lennonita@aol.com Subject: Anoop, get better! Coughing up blood?! not cool! Get well soon! A Happy Wearin' o' the Green to all of you. I just made soda bread in honor of the day because my mother refused to make corned beef and I was pissed and needed some sort of Irish food today. Though corned beef is more of an American thing, I think. I'm a bad Irishgirl. I know little to nothing of my heritage, except that I'm directly descended from Rembrandt (but that has nothing to do with Irishness so...bah. Ranting). The RF is not the same without Courtney's posts. I'd attempt to fill the void with some interesting tidbits about my life but they don't really exist yet. I'm working on them. Meg wants TUB! Meg thinks Don't Change Your Plans is a gorgeous, gorgeous song! Meg is going to Spain next week! Meg's play opens on Sunday in an outdoor theater (okay, it's really my backyard) and rain and thunderstorms are predicted for that day! Meg is tired and worried and talking about herself in the third person. Yipes. Time to go nosh on soda bread some more. Where's FL? Where's Anne? What's with this period of dormancy? Meg I loved you before I met you, I met you just in time cause there was nothing left. All I really want to say, is you're the reason I'm gonna stay. --we all know who ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 21:20:24 -0500 From: Dan Cohen Subject: [Fwd: Thank you] This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - --------------D0F270BA32C9808A5032AC10 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bloody hell, I do that an awful lot. Damn "reply" key. So tantalizing, so easy, so incompatible with the RF. :) ~Dan - --------------D0F270BA32C9808A5032AC10 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-ID: <36F062B7.5A2986A@twcny.rr.com> Date: Wed, 17 Mar 1999 21:19:35 -0500 From: Dan Cohen Organization: The P-Funk Reclamation Society X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.08 [en] (Win95; U) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Shara Hoffman Subject: Re: Thank you References: <199903170825.DAA02327@smoe.org> <131038.3202924@hths.mcvsd.k12.nj.us> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Shara Hoffman wrote: > hello everyone! > dan, i would just like to thank you for posting the url of the army and plans > mp3. i downloaded don't change your plans, i couldn't get army. is there any > other url that has army in mp3 format? Sorry. I was having problems with my web server this afternoon but everything is cleared up. I had to kick two people off of an Army download at one point to restart it. Everything is fine now; the mp3s are up and are working. Try again. Anoop, I have "Don't Change Your Plans" and "Army"; check the URLs I listed in yesterday's post. And get well. Vomiting up one's own genetic material is no fun at all. The new album _will_ breathe new life into the RF. Woohah. If you're curious: "Army": up since March 9. 91 hits. "Don't Change Your Plans": up since last night. 54 hits. Oh, yes. And I tried to extrapolate some lyrics, which are sitting at http://dan.nodata.org/index.html now. :) I think they're mostly accurate. What appears to be the album cover lives at http://www.benfoldsfive.com. It's, um, interesting. Can't say that I especially like it. We'd much like to see the infamous clown picture of our own Guillaume (the French BFF fan) up there instead. I love the whistle. I think we should all fight for the rights of our lovely Kathy-rin, whose page has been mangled into a disgusting mass of convoluted frames within frames within frames. Shame on Xoom. ~Dan Cohen http://dan.nodata.org UIN: 13907258 "Salsa shark...time to get a bigger boat." - --------------D0F270BA32C9808A5032AC10-- ------------------------------ End of The Rockford Files V2 #98 ********************************