From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V2 #365 Reply-To: shindell-list@smoe.org Sender: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk shindell-list-digest Thursday, December 7 2000 Volume 02 : Number 365 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] Re: Gallipoli [Tom926@aol.com] [RS] courier [Lee Wessman ] Re: [RS] courier [Rongrittz@aol.com] [RS] War songs - Cover Songs [Elwestrand ] [RS] A list that made me mad [Elwestrand ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 07:46:46 EST From: Tom926@aol.com Subject: [RS] Re: Gallipoli In a message dated 12/6/00 5:09:23 AM Eastern Standard Time, owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org writes: << This songs always conjures up the film Galipoli for me. Anyone know for sure in what era this battle takes place? Some of Richard's images are anachronistically juxtaposed. >> Aha--this one I do know, having studied World War I in college. Gallipoli was in Turkey on the Straits that lead to Istanbul. Whoever controlled Gallipoli could in fact control water and land access to all of Asia Minor. Needless to say crucially strategic place to control in a war. The pass is extremely narrow. The tragedy of Gallipoli is awful: thousands upon thousands of men were easily mowed down by machine guns wielded by the Turks from the heights. And the English just sent wave after wave after wave of men up the same narrow pass to be slaughtered. The movie "Gallipoli" is one of the only things Mel Gibson has done that I like. It is one of the best of the WWI movies (the best probably being the original version of "All Quiet on the Western Front"). And thank you Ron for the snippet of the article with Richard talking about the song. Where did you find it? I would love to read the rest of it. The WWI poets are all very well worth reading. Wilfred Owen and Sigfried Sassoon are the most famous but my favorite is one of the lesser known poets, Isaac Rosenberg. This is one of his poems: Break of Day in the Trenches The darkness crumbles away. It is the same old druid Time as ever, Only a live thing leaps my hand, A queer sardonic rat, As I pull the parapet's poppy To stick behind my ear. Droll rat, they would shoot you if they knew Your cosmopolitan sympathies. Now you have touched this English hand You will do the same to a German Soon, no doubt, if it be your pleasure To cross the sleeping green between. It seems you inwardly grin as you pass Strong eyes, fine limbs, haughty athletes, Less chanced than you for life, Bonds to the whims of murder, Sprawled in the bowels of the earth, The torn fields of France. What do you see in our eyes At the shrieking iron and flame Hurled through still heavens ? What quaver--what heart aghast? Poppies whose roots are in man's veins Drop, and are ever dropping; But mine in my ear is safe-- Just a little white with the dust. You can read more about the WWI poets at http://www.cc.emory.edu/ENGLISH/LostPoets/ThePoets.html Tom ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 09:33:14 -0800 From: Lee Wessman Subject: [RS] courier "Some of Richard's images are anachronistically juxtaposed." Well, yeah, the images are juxtaposed in an interesting way. I always saw the movie "Gallipoli" in that song, too. (That is one of the most powerful movies I've ever seen, by the way.) But the image of field marshalls in their chain mail always tossed me a loop. Chain mail suggests Sterling, not Gallipoli. And by doing that, Richard seems to take specific time and circumstances out of the song, making it a universal tale of war and soldiers-as-puppets. You can take "Courier" beyond the trenches. The song's broader appeal is that it's a metaphor for what happens to all of us -- "how things usually work." We're caught up in what we must do, and we do it because that's our role. I've worked as a journalist for about 25 years. There have been times when I felt like the courier. - -lee ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2000 13:12:46 EST From: Rongrittz@aol.com Subject: Re: [RS] courier >> Chain mail suggests Sterling, not Gallipoli. << To me, it always suggested a wonderful Richard-esque pun, as in the type of "chain mail" we all hate to receive in our mailboxes, you know, "Send this to 10 friends or Something Terrible will happen." Oh, that Richard. RG ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 16:14:39 -0500 From: Elwestrand Subject: [RS] War songs - Cover Songs You guys talking about The Courier reminded me of the song I would pick for Richard to cover. I would choose Al Stewart's Roads to Moscow. Well you all know I love Al, but he and Richard do have quite alot in common. Growing up on Al, liking Richard was a natural. And for those of you who only know Al from the songs played on the radio, well its like thinking you know Richard based on "The Kenworth of My Dreams." Anyways Roads to Moscow is totally a "Richard" song. It happens in World War II as Germany's attack on the Russian front is falling apart. Our young protagonist is a loyal Russian soldier who has fought to protect Russia for almost four years. Unfortunately for him, he is briefly captured by the German's and released, because in their retreat they don't have time to take prisoners. When he joins up with the Russian troops again he is questioned about his capture and release. Al is so great, he is incredibly subtle in his presentation of this moment in the song, but the jist is, we understand are protagonist is in trouble. The end of this song is open to interpretation, but let's just say it doesn't go well for our protagonist. Russia put many of its own soldiers to death who were held and released by the retreating Germans or who had succeeded in getting far behind enemy lines. They believed they were spies. The irony being that some of them were the most effective and loyal soldiers in Russia's armed forces. Their reward was execution. This is a song with vivid images and the music is amazing. Rad or Larry could go crazy with the solos in this song. Anyways here's a a cool link with lots of info and lyrics about the song and the moment in history. http://rylibweb.man.ac.uk/data1/sy/jch/alwords/als45.htm E In the footsteps of Napoleon the shadow figures stagger through the winter Falling back before the gates of Moscow, Standing in the wings like an avenger And far away behind their lines the partisans are stirring in the forest Coming unexpectedly upon their outposts, growing like a promise You'll never know, you'll never know Which way to turn, which way to look, you'll never see us As we're stealing through the blackness of the night You'll never know, you'll never hear us And the evening sings in a voice of amber, the dawn is surely coming The morning road leads to Stalingrad, and the sky is softly humming Al Stewart From "Roads to Moscow" ________________________________________________ Get your own "800" number Voicemail, fax, email, and a lot more http://www.ureach.com/reg/tag ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 19:33:11 -0500 From: Elwestrand Subject: [RS] A list that made me mad I just recieved Amazon.com's votes for the top ten folk albums of the year. No Dar and no Richard. They suck. I could see no Richard cause he's a little obscure for them. But no Dar? I mean they heavily promoted her CD! I'd mention whose on their list, but what's the point. They clearly don't know which end is up. E Who shouldn't be exposed to people's "Top Lists" ________________________________________________ Get your own "800" number Voicemail, fax, email, and a lot more http://www.ureach.com/reg/tag ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V2 #365 ***********************************