From: owner-velvet-station-digest@smoe.org (velvet-station-digest) To: velvet-station-digest@smoe.org Subject: velvet-station-digest V2 #3 Reply-To: velvet-station@smoe.org Sender: owner-velvet-station-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-velvet-station-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk velvet-station-digest Thursday, January 7 1999 Volume 02 : Number 003 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [VS] Just some tidbits ... [Yngve Hauge ] Re: [VS] Just some tidbits ... [=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Ms_Elin_Gyda_Sj=F8lie_=28D] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 12:26:40 +0100 (CET) From: Yngve Hauge Subject: [VS] Just some tidbits ... Hi, I think I promised a closer description of the artists on my top 10 list some time back. But first I want to clear something. Don't be afraid to write to the list - no matter how off topic it is. The reason why I created this list was to get us VB fans together, not only to discuss VB as then it would be very quiet inbetween albums. And ... We need an info-file for the list. Someone got inspiration enough to write a such? If you wonder what it is supposed to look like then do the following : write to majordomo just as when you did subscribe to the list, but with info ecto in the body instead of subscribe velvet-station and you'll get the info-file from Ecto in return. Ok, here is the descriptions of the artists (seems like I'll only get as far as to Happy Rhodes this time ... the other ones will not be this long): - -- Warning -- very long sequence -- Happy Rhodes (Hope you like the rest of the album as much as you - ------------ liked the one song you heard, Elin) She did start performing publicly with her own songs as early as 1983 (16 years old), and was then discovered by a sound technician, who talked her into getting her songs on tape. He gave her some free studio time. So in 1984 she did begin producing what was going to end up in 4 albums released 2 and 3 years later. As she didn't know many people in the music industry and didn't have money to pay them for that matter she did end up doing everything herself. Whenever she did need an instrument she didn't play she had to learn to play it or use her voice to compensate for it. In the beginning she didn't think very much about how it would sound - she actually didn't have time for that. It was never the meaning that the material should be released, but then she met Kevin Bartlett working with some of his own stuff at the same studio (a really nice guy btw) and he could see her potensial and "signed" her to his own label Aural Gratification in 1986. This resulted in 4 albums in 2 years - Rhodes I, II and Rearmament released the same year, and Ecto released the next year. At this time only on cassette (they were all rereleased on CD in May '92). After these 4 releases Kevin and Happy (Her first name is really Happy. Her birthname is Kimberly Tyler Rhodes though her brother couldn't pronounce it. She was such a "Happy baby" so he called her Happy and it got stuck. Everyone called her Happy except for the teachers, but she didn't like it much in school anyway. She changed her name to Happy when she was 16 - that means as soon as she had the right to do so) decided to try to work as a duo. This did result in a few demoes (very Genesis and Yes inspired except for maybe a few songs that did end up as bonus tracks on the CD releases of the 4 first albums). They did a few performances in the Albany area, before they decided to go their own ways musically. They were just too stubborn :) This was an important point in Happy's career. She had to decide how to go on. As the label was very small, and didn't have the money reserve as the big ones, they had to take up a bankloan to make an album the way she wanted it to be. Warpaint was the result - released on April 1 1991 (wonder if it was joke from their side or not :). The album is amazing to say the least - she isn't using her whole vocal range, but still she shows that her talents when it comes to music is amazing. She had her first hit as well - Feed the Fire (a song written as a thank you to all those artists inspiring her to make music) was the most requested song on a radio station in the Philly area. That year Ecto was created after extensive noise on rec.music.gaffa (the Kate Bush newsgroup), and some people started bitching about it being a Kate Bush newsgroup ... so Ecto was a factum starting out with 7 subscribers (there are 300 today ... ). I'll take it short from here : 1992 Rerelease of her back catalogue (Rhodes I, II, Rearmament and Ecto). They had all thank you's to the Ectophiles in the liner notes. 1993 Equipoise was released early that year. Here she uses all her voice for the first time in several years. (Vickie Mapes is mentioned in the linernotes - She is just the nicest person!!) The same year RhodeSongs is released after the requests for the single (with Feed the Fire, Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie), Summer and an accustic tribute version of Feed the Fire adding bits of songs by Ian Anderson (YES), David Bowie and Kate Bush). The album is a combination of old songs, new version of songs and new songs. 1994 Building the Colossus is released. Here she for the first time faces the problems about bankloans. She is forced to mix the album in only 3 days, and she ends up being far from happy about it. It is when she decides that the next studio album is going to be released on a bigger label. 1995 the Keep is released. This is another compilation album, but with more new songs and IMHO more interesting versions than the first one. 1996 I see her live and meet her and Kevin for the first time - Aug 10 (the day after her birthday) 1997 She signs a recording deal with Samson Records - a brand new international company. 1998 Her best album (IMHO) Many Worlds Are Born Tonight is released on Samson. She is using all her talents on this one, and it is the first album after the 4 first she is producing on her own. For more info check out Ecto Guide to Good Music (www.smoe.org/ectoguide) Hmmm ... hope I didn't bore you to death :) *hugs* - -- Yngve n.p. Sarah McLachlan - Solace n.r. Still Buffy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 12:35:13 +0100 (MET) From: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Ms_Elin_Gyda_Sj=F8lie_=28Dreaming_Girl=29?= Subject: Re: [VS] Just some tidbits ... On Wed, 6 Jan 1999, Yngve Hauge wrote: >Happy Rhodes (Hope you like the rest of the album as much as you >------------ liked the one song you heard, Elin) Oh, yes! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou, Yngve! I love it! Esp. "Tragic" is incredible beautyful! Her music is defenately my cup of tea. And for those who haven't heard her yet: I reccomend her music strongly! Elin - -- elings@hedda.uio.no http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Styx/3213/ La_Luna@IRC ------------------------------ End of velvet-station-digest V2 #3 **********************************