From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V12 #299 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 Monday, February 4 2013 Volume 12 : Number 299 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] Much Madness from RG. [] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2013 19:47:03 -0800 From: Subject: [RS] Much Madness from RG. Okay, I know a lot of you have been waiting to join this here tournament until I submitted my votes so you'd know which were the correct choices. But see, although I've read comments by a lot of folks agonizing over these pairings, all but one were pretty much slam dunks for me. But that one has been keeping me up nights. My choices were based on a mix of songs I love to perform and songs I just love. 1. You Stay Here (Mariana's Table) The haunting song (can't get the visual of cleaning blood off of coats taken from corpses out of my head) with the great guitar part over what's easily my least favorite Shindell song ever. 2. Waiting for the Storm (A Tune for Nowhere) Lord, lord . . . one of my favorite Shindell songs, because I love when Richard gets his flatpicking on. Love to play and sing it, and love the whole "Yeah? Come and get me" attitude of the protagonist. 3. Wisteria (Abuelita) I know folks are agonizing over this one, but "Wisteria" may be Richard's most beautiful song and I picked it without a moment's hesitation. 4. Last Fare Of The Day (Get Up Clara) Duh. In the interests of full disclosure, I'm not a huge fan of the studio version. As someone once wrote on the list (might have been me), it's an epic song still waiting for an epic recording. But it's one of Richard's most important songs, whether or not the two couples are the same. Which they're not. 5. Ascent (TV Light) Although "TV Light" is Richard rarity -- a straightforward love song -- anyone who knows me knows I could never pass up a good minor-key dirge about someone on Death Row. And it's another one that's fun to play on guitar. 6. Balloon Man (Easy Street) I just love "Balloon Man," and still can't for the life of me figure out why Richard discarded the final verse that's only on the "Mariana's EP" version. It makes the entire SONG, for chrissakes. For those of you who've never heard the verse, it's this: The balloons are pulling him backwards If he cut them all loose he'd be free But he doesn't, he can't, and he never will Without them, what man would he be? 7. Confession (Fenario) Still intense after all these years. 8. By Now (Howling At The Trouble) Never particularly cared for "Howling," and "By Now" . . . well, you can't beat creepy. 9. I Saw My Youth Today (You Again) Going with my gut on this one. They're both heartbreaking songs, but my heart breaks more for "Youth." 10. Parasol Ants (There Goes Mavis) Never been a fan of "Mavis," and "Parasol Ants" is just a hoot. 11.One Man's Arkansas (State of the Union) Been going back and forth on this for days. My first hearing of both songs couldn't have been more different. Didn't care for "Arkansas" on first hearing, and my first hearing of "State of the Union" made me immediately want to pick up my guitar and learn it . . . always a sign that a song really matters to me. And then hearing the stripped down EP version with the extra verse made me love it even more: The public defender was matter-of-fact It was Rikers or back to the program Guilty as charged, released on time served And that's where you find me today But then I was lucky enough to get my hands on a recording of that original version of "Arkansas" again . . . strummed and done much faster . . . and heard these extra verses at the end: I understand your hesitance There's no sense holding out At least not out of reverence For what you see here now Look, when they float that highway bill This exit's going through And the traffic to the outlet mall Will funnel right through you In the end I just sorta asked myself which song I could listen to over and over, and I went with "Arkansas." Plus I just love the title. 12. On A Sea Of Fleur-de-Lis (Hazel's House) As much as I like "Hazel's House" because it's an honest-to-goodness Richard Shindell song about Richard Shindell, "Fleur-de-Lis" has always been a favorite. And like the rest of you, I don't understand it either. 13. So Says the Whippoorill (Mary Magdalene) I know "Mary Magdalene" is a classic, and will likely easily win this pairing. But "Whippoorwill" is my choice because of Dave Carter. ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V12 #299 ************************************