From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V12 #373 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 11 2013 Volume 12 : Number 373 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] RG's picks. [] Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. [RFC ] [RS] A Request for Concert Reports [Vanessa Wills ] Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. ["cvz" ] Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. [Chris Foxwell ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:17:26 -0800 From: Subject: [RS] RG's picks. Here are my Round 1 Part 2 selections. Not really anything resembling a difficult choice in the whole batch. 1. May (over Bye Bye) Whether the slightly overproduced version on "Reunion Hill" or the one I prefer on the Fast Folk album, "May" just does it for me on so many levels, from the story to the performance to fhe fact that it's fun to play on guitar (I loooove Open D tuning). And -- this is the non-Beatles fan in me coming out -- I didn't understand "Bye Bye" when I first heard it because, okay, I'll tell the truth, I was not familiar with the song it was referencing. Making me probably the only person on the planet who first heard "She's Leaving Home" AFTER the song it inspired. Also, because it's fun to share early versions of RS songs, here are the two missing half verses from the Fast Folk recording of "May" that didn't make the studio version. I'm calling from some booth And no, I can't come home THEY'LL BE WATCHING YOU DO NOT TRUST THE PHONE PLEASE MAY, DO NOT CRY ALL WILL BE ALL RIGHT This is not goodbye I love you more than life 2. Arrowhead (over Beyond the Iron Gate) For lots of reasons, but mostly because "Arrowhead" is my favorite song on the live CD. I play that sucker LOUD. And also because it's fun to catch Richard screwing up the lyrics during almost every live performance. 3. Blue Divide (over Juggler Out in Traffic) Because I love the phrase "blue divide" to describe "a big honkin' ocean" the same way I love Warren Zevon using "hasten down the wind" to mean "please leave." And the that long last note that Richard holds on the song may be my favorite single vocal moment in all his songs. 4. Kenworth of my Dreams (over Grocer's Broom) An early favorite, and a rare fun Shindell song. And because "hauling vermin up to Buffalo" was an early misheard lyric. 5. The Things that I Have Seen (over Gray Green) The lullaby is sweet, but I'll take a powerful minor key war song that references Route 17 every time. 6. Money for Floods (over Lazy) Slam dunk. I'ts probably my favorite RS song to play on guitar. Also, since I've been using this tournament to share rare lyrics and stuff . . . I first heard "Money for Floods" at a house concert in February 1997 when Richard had first written it and it was a very different song. The melody was closer to "Sparrows Point" in feel and pacing, and although the "When I was 16" verse was the same as eventually released, there was no "governor" verse, a slightly different first verse and an additional last verse: My name is Eliza from Richmond, Virgina My daughter Louse will be three in the spring If spring ever comes; it's beginning to feel Like winter will never surrender the fields It's one in the morning, the furnace is straining And Louise is asleep in the bed next to me I should carry her back, but I don't have the heart The house is too cold to be sleeping apart And speaking of alternate verses, back in the day, Richard occasionally followed up performances of "Lazy" by talking about a verse he wrote but never recorded. See, he'd say that an "up" song like "Lazy" was so far removed from the death/greed/sorrow/murder songs he usually writes, that he needed to add a verse that would bring the song back to more familiar RS territory. So he'd sing this: I know This song is stupid I should get serious Write something morbid I'd really like to But I'm too . . . lazy . . . 7. The Weather (over Memory of You) For Gene. 8. The Courier (over Spring) Although I really love the instrumental coda to "Spring," "The Courier" is my all-time favorite Richard Shindell song, hands down. 9. Cancion Sencilla (over Smiling) A deliciously romantic song that's fun to play and sing, especially when there are people in the audience who know Spanish. Plus, "Smiling" is my second least favorite Shindell song after "Mariana's Table." 10. Sparrows Point (over Gethsemani Goodbye) My second favorite Shindell song, with a wonderful instrumental break. And there's no apostrophe. 11. Che Guevara T-Shirt (over Castaway) Another no-brainer. First heard the song at the Knitting Factory in March 2003. Totally knocked me out. And the T-shirt gets lots of comments when I wear it. 12. The Island (over Nora) The only difficult choice here, but only because I'm not really a huge fan of either. But I'll go with "The Island." And again, here are some additional verses from an early version. They help flesh out the story (the third verse here is from the studio version, but I've included it because it helps give the fourth one some context). So I set out on a guided tour We gathered 'round the little flag And the logo of the agency Led to the notable and the picturesque But weary of the megaphone I lingered in the old stone church As the crowd continued up the hill Onward to the wonders of the customs house But time is on the ocean's side The beaches shift, the cliffs erode Though the engineers do what they can Every day another house just slides away For islanders thus compromised Island law is very clear All rights derive from property Those with none are sent out to the open sea Now on my own as evening fell I walked an empty avenue Until the sidewalks and the cobblestones Crumbled into nothing down at water's edge And standing on a jagged bluff Like fireflies their lights appear Flickering beyond the reef The lanterns of the disposessed on ocean's swells ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 12:16:14 -0800 From: RFC Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. That's pretty much the case with much of the "Reunion Hill" CD in general, especially the title track. But if the version of "May" you're referring to is the Fast Folk version, yeah, that's pretty much the definitive one in my opinion. On Feb 11, 2013, at 5:26 AM, Chris Foxwell wrote: > I actually > fairly loathe the instrumentation for "May" on the studio recording; it's > way too overwrought and heavy-handed for my taste, approaching parody in > its degree of melodrama. A bootleg/live recording version I have saves it > for me, though. (Not sure of the recording's origin; it's acoustic, > lighter, and more effective.) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:33:04 -0500 From: Vanessa Wills Subject: [RS] A Request for Concert Reports As Richard's tour continues underway, I'd like to put out a plea for concert reports. This is something we used to do a lot on the list and they really are nice to read, especially for those of us who will only catch maybe one show or no shows at all. Also, the current tour includes two co-bills with Lucy K. and at least one show (Feb. 14 at New Hope Winery) with Antje Duvekot. I think many of us who won't be seeing those lineups would really like to hear notes and impressions from those who do. In case you've thought about writing show reports but have no idea what to put in there, I've pulled a few examples from the archives. They can be short, sweet, and to the point, essentially an annotated setlist, like this one: http://www.smoe.org/lists/shindell-list/v02.n013 It could have more of your own personal experience of getting to the show, how well you liked it, what your reflections were, like this one at the end of Digest vol. 2, no. 33: http://www.smoe.org/lists/shindell-list/v02.n033 And it could be longer with lots of great detail, like this one Chris F. did back in 2006 that got a lot of positive comment on the list: http://www.smoe.org/lists/shindell-list/v08.n174 Now's as good a time to start as any, so if you were at the Norfolk, CT show on Sunday night, consider telling us about it. :) Cheers, Vanessa ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:25:05 -0500 From: "cvz" Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. I was going to re-listen to some of these as I hadn't played the earlier cds for quite a while. Then I realized most of my RS music is in KC. Luckily I have a lot of these memorized. I can't dredge up the May melody however even though I remember the story. When I went to look for it on utube, it was not to be found. I'm wondering if RS has ever performed this one live. Perhaps long ago? 1. May - *May* I guess - it's a bit more heart-wrenching. I like bye-bye too. Bye Bye 2. Arrowhead - *Arrowhead* is such a classic I'm gonna have to chose it although I love BTIG. Beyond the Iron Gate 3. Juggler Out in Traffic -*Juggler*. I'm not a big fan of Blue Divide. Blue Divide 4. Grocer's Broom - *Grocer's Broom*. I like sad songs. Kenworth of my Dreams 5. The Things that I Have Seen - *Gray Green*. It's such a wonderful, simple lullaby. Gray Green 6. Money for Floods - * Money for Floods* Lazy 7. Memory of You - *Memory of You* The Weather 8. The Courier - *Courier* - another classic. I love RS war stories. Spring 9. Cancion Sencilla - *Smiling* Smiling 10. Gethsemani Goodbye - *Sparrows Point*- even with all the chat about GG I never connected with it. Sparrows Point 11. Castaway - Did I say how hard it is to pick between any 2 RS songs? Really, I wouldn't have this much trouble with another songwriter. *Che Guevara*. Che Guevara T-Shirt 12. The Island - Uh oh. Another tough one....for me. I'm gonna pick *The Island*...even though I find Nora so complex and interesting, Nora Carrie in BB By the way, right now I'm listening to RS at the Kalamazo library on utube. There are 7 clips. Good Recordings! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:26:20 +0300 From: Chris Foxwell Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. My picks for round 1, part 2. 1. May (over Bye Bye) I don't love either song, which seems to put me in a minority. I actually fairly loathe the instrumentation for "May" on the studio recording; it's way too overwrought and heavy-handed for my taste, approaching parody in its degree of melodrama. A bootleg/live recording version I have saves it for me, though. (Not sure of the recording's origin; it's acoustic, lighter, and more effective.) 2. Arrowhead (over Beyond the Iron Gate) Tough call, but not overly so. I like both songs, but Arrowhead is a classic Shindell Story. 3. Juggler Out in Traffic (over Blue Divide) Damn, damn, damn. This was very hard, and I've changed my mind several times while writing this. I love both songs, and "Blue Divide" resonates with me much more than "Juggler", but there's just no getting around Juggler's greater strength as a song, in all aspects (in my opinion). It's just too good to lose to BD, regardless of my personal fondness for the latter. 4. Grocer's Broom (over Kenworth of My Dreams) I kinda can't stand "Kenworth", which again seems to put me in the minority. The light piano accompaniment contributed by Radoslav on a certain live recording--again, no idea of its origin--makes it more palatable, but not enough to overcome Grocer's Broom. 5. Gray Green (over The Things That I Have Seen) I don't much care for "Things", whereas "Gray Green" is just lovely. 6. Money for Floods (over Lazy) "Lazy" is a yawner for me, though I can certainly appreciate the sentiment, heh. MFF is powerful yet quiet, and I find both the melody and the arrangement oddly compelling, though I can't say exactly why. 7. The Weather (over Memory of You) I've never much cared for MoY, although it's the rare song whose *Courier *version is weaker, in my opinion, than the studio recording. "The Weather" makes me feel cheerful, though I also don't love it overmuch. 8. The Courier (over Spring) This was probably tougher than it should have been. "The Courier" is a superb song, one of Richard's best, but there's something about "Spring"'s bubbly carefreeness, and that irrepressible fiddle/flute melody, that gives me pause. Urgh...no, gotta go with "The Courier". 9. Cancion Sencilla (over Smiling) Easiest call in the lot. I really, really love "Cancion Sencilla", and I would (will?) vote for it over many other "better" songs. As a grammar nerd who does a lot of ESL teaching, and who also happens to be a big cheesy romantic...yeah, it's pretty much the perfect tune. (Whereas "Smiling" is one of Richard's weakest songs.) 10. Gethsemani Goodbye (over Sparrow's Point) Ouch. In a reversal of the call I made in "Juggler" vs. "Blue Divide", I'm here gonna go with the song I just plain enjoy listening to more. "Sparrow's Point" is a stronger song, I think, but I've just never really cared for it all that much, and I almost never put it on just to listen. Gethsemani Goodbye, on the other hand, really grabs me. There's a gentleness to Richard's voice that doesn't often come out in other songs, and there's just something about the chorus that I find very soothing and relaxing. I think I wrote a listserver e-mail about it a few years back, trying (clumsily) to articulate and quantify the latter. 11. Che Guevara T-Shirt (over Castaway) "Che Guevara" is just an amazing, amazing song, in my opinion one of the strongest that Richard has ever written. Nothin' but love for "Castaway", but, it doesn't come close to measuring up. 12. Nora (over The Island) Hmm. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I find quite a bit more going on in "The Island" than most folks see in the song. To me, it is an examination of the concept of escape, a commentary on the various perspectives of leisure and "going on holiday", and is actually really interesting. (Again, the subject of a listserver e-mail some time ago.) "Nora", however, is just the stronger song, and possesses even more depth and layers of interpretation. An ex-girlfriend from long ago introduced me to the story of Abelard and Heloise, and I remember doing a bit of "Nora"/A&H analysis on the listserver -- yet *another *frequent subject in days gone by. Chris - -- "We were born in a dark age out of due time (for us). But there is this comfort: otherwise we should not know, or so much love, what we do love. I imagine the fish out of water is the only fish to have an inkling of water." --J.R.R. Tolkien ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:42:36 -0000 From: "Claire Latham" Subject: [RS] Fast Folks Recordings I didn't think to check Spotify for these but there they are. Now I know what you have all been talking about. Just listened to this version of 'Castaway' and Richard's treatment of it makes it a very different song for me - in a good way. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:40:09 -0500 From: Howie Subject: Re: [RS] Much Madness Round One continues. >1. May An easy one for me I went back through my archives to >January 1998, when I wrote: Subject: [Richard Shindell] May, revisited Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 07:59:43 -0500 From: howie@lucent.com Reply-To: richard-shindell@magenet.com To: richard-shindell@magenet.com OK. Here's the definitive analysis of May. We'll start stating the facts we know and the assumptions we'll make and then crank through the analysis and let things fall where they may (sorry!). We will assume there are three people in this song, the singer, the singer's wife and May, the receiver of the phone call. We'll return to this assumption later. We know there is a fugitive and a fugitive's wife. We know there are kids. We know the singer speaks of "sending a few quid", indicating a strong tie to the British Isles, but also calls a pay phone by its American name, a "booth". For the sake of clarity, let's put names on the other characters, and call the singer Richard and the wife Sally (to pick names totally at random - any resemblance to actual blah...blah...blah) We've established that Richard is at a public phone, talking to May. Things are grim. At first blush it looks like the May character and the Sally character are the same person. But wait! What if we assume that the person on "this" end of the phone is not Richard, but Sally? Let's further assume that Richard and Sally are both fugitives, making that frantic call. So how do we reconcile the lines, "This is not goodbye" and "I love you more than life"? Obviously Sally and May are lovers. But what about the kids? Seems like a little assumption may (ach!) have snuck in when we weren't looking. What if Richard and Sally are goat farmers who really care for and about their flock? Hmmm. One more challenge, and it's done. Initially, we assumed three characters but now it's obvious that there are only two and that Richard doesn't really exist! So we have Sally, the fugitive goatherd, an American who has lived abroad long enough to refer to money with the slang "quid" but not long enough to call it a "box" under stress, frantically calling May, her lover, telling her she's been betrayed, but she will return, and asking May to take care of things till she gets back. I am constantly amazed at how well Richard Shindell can write from a woman's perspective! >2. Arrowhead I went from really liking Arrowhead, to not being able >to listen to it AGAIN, and back to really liking it. > >3. Blue Divide Just like the imagery better. > >4. Kenworth of my Dreams An easy choice. > >5. The Things that I Have Seen While a little obvious, I still like >this more than Gray Green, which doesn't do much for me. > >6. Money for Floods Very tough choice. We just had this huge >snowstorm, and there's always money for salt, too. > >7. Memory of You Sorry, Gene, but Memory of You is one of my most favorites. > >8. The Courier Another easy choice. > >9. Smiling By a little bit, but neither are strong faves. > >10. Sparrows Point Another of my top favorites (no appostrophe either!). > >11. Che Guevara T-Shirt A tough choice as well. I once lived in a >college housing unit unofficially named (sign and everything) >,"Ernesto Che (Red Rat) Guevarra Dormitory for Men and >Women." Never did get the t-shirt. > >12. Nora While I like the concept of The Island, I really like all >of the empty spaces in Nora that we get to fill in ourselves. - -Howie ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V12 #373 ************************************