From: owner-shindell-list-digest@smoe.org (shindell-list-digest) To: shindell-list-digest@smoe.org Subject: shindell-list-digest V12 #303 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 Tuesday, February 5 2013 Volume 12 : Number 303 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [RS] My Introduction and my Madness picks. ["Sue Maskaleris" Subject: [RS] My Introduction and my Madness picks. Hi All, Ok, I have purposely avoided reading everyone elses picks and analysis so that I would not be influenced by them. Im new to the list and have not yet attempted the mammoth task of reading the archives. I cant wait Brief intro: My name is Sue and I too am a refugee of the old AOL music boards back in their heyday before the WWW took off. I remember you, Ron, didnt you used to hang out over on the Nanci Griffith board? Me, I could be found over on the MCC board along with the other Susan, Susankr (Hi there, long time no see) Anyway, fast forward: I am new to RS, and to this list, only discovered his music a year or so ago via Pandora, of all things. I cant remember what station I was listening to but one of Richards songs caught my attention and I bookmarked it. I believe it was Darkness, Darkness, anyway, there it sat for awhile. Every now and again I would sample it thinking that one of these days perhaps Id download it from Itunes. Then I started previewing some of the rest of his catalog. When I did decide to purchase an entire album I started with Somewhere near Patterson followed shortly thereafter by Courier. After listening to both of them, I was hooked and now, here I am. Im approaching the tournament in this way: Im a newbie, I have only his recordings on which to draw on. I have never seen RS live in concert so I dont have a long list of concert experiences to compare them to. (I do have tickets for his concert at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA. Later on this month, YEA!) I guess Ill play the naove RS newbie and approach my picks and justifications from that perspective. With that said, let the Games begin 1. You Stay here  No contest, You Stay Here, hands down. This song evokes such imagery and emotion. I lived in Europe at the time when the Bosnians were being ethnicly cleansed by the Serbs. Everyone wringing their hands, watching the slaughter, wondering what to do, doing nothing while genocide was happening. It was awful. 2. Waiting For The Storm  Just because. I guess Im fond of the guitar work and the rhyming pattern and the harmonies. 3. Abuelita vs. Wisteria- - NO, NO, dont make me choose between these two, its not fair. Wisteria makes me cry when I listen to it and Abuelita, well it is just a great sad story. Ill have to go with the one I play most -- Abuelita 4. Last Fare Of The Day -- How can you vote against as song about NYC post 911? I like Clara, its a fun song but it cant compare to LFOTD 5. Ascent  Very powerful. Love whatever that haunting instrument is in the middle of the song 6. Easy Street -- I read somewhere that to get to the meaning of his songs, RS makes you work for it. That is so true. After the end of the tourney, Id love some perspective on what the meaning or back story on this one is. I have some ideas but would love to hear yours. 7. Fenario Another easy choice for me although I do like the round-like ending on Confession. Fenario is another heart wrenching song. Ive been there, wanting to stop time, knowing I have to say goodbye and knowing there is nothing I can do about it. 8. By Now  I like both songs but the first time I heard By Now, it literally sent chills down my spine. I am the mother of a daughter and this song creepy beyond words. The way RS sings it, so calm and without affect, makes it all the more chilling. I could write a whole post on this song alone, his use of language infers volumes more than what the words themselves say. More on that in a later post. 9. I Saw My Youth Today - Another hard choice. This one brings tears to my eyes when I hear it so it gets my vote. There seems to be some disagreement as to what exactly this song means. I look forward to polling the room and finding out what you all think. I know what I think it means. 10. There Goes Mavis A no brainer here. Im not fond of Parasol Ants. I skip over it every time. Mavis is a cute song, not sure how it would fare against stronger competition, though. 11.One Man's Arkansas  Love this song. The tune is melancholy and the subject close to my heart. My grandparents were family farmers and I saw how hard they worked. The family farm is a dying institution and I am sad about that. 12. On A Sea Of Fleur-De-Lis -- Love the imagery of this song, thats why 13. So Says The Whipporwill  I love listening to this song, its uplifting to me, energizes me, dont know why. OK, Im done, bring on the rest, Sue ------------------------------ End of shindell-list-digest V12 #303 ************************************