Love-Hounds Digest (Issue L7)
Love-Hou...@eddie.mit.edu
Topics:
* Home of the Brave (new Laurie Anderson Movie)
* Hi, me again ... Show 'n' Tell Time:
* stuff (don't you love uninformative subject lines?)
* Cutout Bin TD
* KD-TD in cut-out bins
* Re: MSABAF & TH
* Irate IED
* Rappin' 86 at the Baltimore Civic Center, 6/27/86
* "Don't Give Up"
* Sorry, this is long...
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 86 12:22:22 pdt
From: Andrew Scott Beals <ba...@lll-crg.ARPA>
Geographic-Location: Second-Class Housing, Ground One, Livermore Ca
State-Of-Mind: interviewed and waiting to be shrunk
Subject: Home of the Brave (new Laurie Anderson Movie)
Yow! Pretty good stuff.
Did anyone else notice that (shriek!) Adrian Belew was in it?
andy
[][][][][][][][][][]
Subject: Hi, me again ... Show 'n' Tell Time:
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 86 13:54:52 -0700
From: J. Peter Alfke <al...@csvax.caltech.edu>
Funny how infrequently I'm reading my mail now that I don't have a terminal
in my room anymore (definitely one of Tech's better moves -- putting Ethernet
plugs in the dorm hallways). Anyway:
"Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares" (4AD CAD603)
A collection of Bulgarian folk music, recorded some years back by a Frenchman
and just re-issued by Ivo of 4AD who, as we know, has a tendency to become
entranced by unusual female voices (Liz Fraser, Lisa Gerrard...). The music
on this record is performed by choirs of young women, with occasional
orchestral accompaniment. The liner notes explain why Bulgarian folk music
evolved the way it did, Ottoman invasions, repression and the like, but
the music is certainly not yer average Western-type folk music; it actually
reminds me a lot of Indian (India-Indian) music. There are lots of odd
tonalities and harmonies; the notes point out that one woman holds the
dominant note while the others weave harmonies around it, coming very close
to that note without hitting it. It's very easy to make comparisons to
the Cocteau Twins, but they really aren't similar enough for such compari-
sons to be valid or useful. This is very different from any other music
I own, and very beautiful. Listen to it.
Cabaret Voltaire "The Drain Train" (Caroline Records)
A-side, one song, 45rpm; B-side, two songs, 33rpm (thanks guys). Plus,
the specially-marked packages have a free disc which contains two more
mixes of the A-side song. (Had I still a terminal in my room, I could
give titles, but I don't, boo hoo.) CV are pretty much past their prime,
but their stuff's still fun to listen to if I don't take it too seriously.
Slap the needle down and groove to the beat-beat of the synthetic tom-toms
for a while -- wasn't that refreshing? Now play the remixes; hey, it's
the same song but different, kinda like the same song continuing and doing
some more stuff. There's a dub mix, interestingly enough because the
song has no bass (which is always my favorite part of a dubububub). The
B-side songs are actually better, moodier and evocative-ier. Summary?
Overall this is nice ambient industrial music, good stuff to read J. G.
Ballard to, or put in your Walkman while you tour a dry-ice factory.
I get this feeling that Kirk and Mallinder recorded everything
from "Drinking Gasoline" to here in one day, so maybe when that runs out
they'll release something more challenging. Until then, thud thud thud
squawk thud thud ...
The Smiths "The Queen Is Dead" (Sire)
No review yet. It's taken me many listenings to get to like each of the
Smiths' albums, and this is no exception. After one listening, it sounds
good, but a disappointment; but then so did all the others for a few
months. I never believed the Smiths to be God (how can they be God if
you can understand the lyrics? :-) ), but they're *damn* good, and this
album will most likely strike me as *damn* good in a while.
I'm intrigued by the Art Barbeque album somebody here mentioned, but can't
find it. And all the Sonic Youth I can find is EVOL and the album with the
centerfold (xeroxed*) on the cover. What should I get?
And oh yeah: Pere Ubu's "Song of the Bailing Man" is just too way.
--Peter Alfke
al...@csvax.caltech.edu
"Stormy weather
It might get better
In a week or a wink of an eye"
*"Xerox" is a trademark of a company I used to get paid by.
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 86 16:23:41 EST
From: hs...@ec.purdue.edu (Bill Hsu)
Subject: stuff (don't you love uninformative subject lines?)
< Peter Alfke asks about Sonic Youth albums >
I'm not sure what you mean about the centerfold, but if you were looking
in Poo Bah, it probably was the Death Valley '69 12" (which I don't have).
EVOL is fine if you can't get Bad Moon Rising. It's more, um, accessible
(there's another reason, but I'm getting ahead of myself...)
< Music to read Ballard by >
There's a song on EVOL about a car crash (kinda) that has Thurston Moore
chanting wild lyrics over great distorted music. First time I heard that
I thought: Wow! A song to read Ballard's CRASH by! Actually it's a little
too intense to have on when reading...
< A comic to read when listening to Bauhaus >
Just picked up this curious campy looking B&W comic called Samurai #7
(yes, it looks corny). The art is decent atmospheric stuff; plot is
either a vague, Ramsey Campbell-style horror moodpiece, or diffuse
artsy garbage, depending on what your tastes are. There's a character
who's obviously supposed to be Peter Murphy, and one of the audience
in a concert scene wears a Bauhaus t-shirt. There are extended quotes
from William Burroughs and the Hollow Men. All kind of atmospheric,
a little pretentious, and good campy fun, perfect for closet Bauhaus
fans.
"There's a hole in his head
Where his mind should have been"
Bill Hsu
[][][][][][][][][][]
From: Jeff Dalton <jeff%aiva.edinb...@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK>
Date: Tue, 1 Jul 86 21:01:47 -0100
Subject: Cutout Bin TD
... I believe that TD will soon appear in cut-out bins. Annd willl be
the first of kate's albums to go 'Out of Print'. ...
In the UK (e.g., Virgin Records), The Dreaming is a low-price LP (3.99
pounds); the others cost 5.99 or so. This is probably a good thing since
more people will buy it, but I'm not sure what it means for the future.
Do you remember More Songs About Buildings and Food? That seemed to go
almost straight to the cut-outs in the US (where I lived at the time), but now
its one of the most expensive TH lps (UK). What do thes things mean? Not
popular enough?
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: 2 Jul 86 22:48:00 PST
From: "ROSSI J.A." <ro...@nusc.ARPA>
Subject: KD-TD in cut-out bins
Reply-To: "ROSSI J.A." <ro...@nusc.ARPA>
I have to admit, I don't remember More Songs About Buildings and Food, nor
do I know who TH is (Is this a sat question?). At any rate, to be honest,
it appears to me that two types of LPs make it to the cut-out bins here in the
good new USA; 1) Those things which were believed to be big hits by the
p9{esasingf company (e.g. EMI and The Dreaming) or those things which entered
too many pressings, probably caused by one or two blockbustewr hits (e.g.,
the first Areosmith album).
'We've all gone to look for America (sic)'
John
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 86 21:18:18 PDT
From: Jordan Hayes <jor...@titan.arc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: MSABAF && TH
Really-From: "ROSSI J.A." <ro...@nusc.ARPA>
I have to admit, I don't remember More Songs About Buildings
and Food, nor do I know who TH is (Is this a sat question?).
Uh, Does "Talking Heads" ring a bell? How about the song "Take me to
the River" ...? 1978 ...
I feel old.
/jordan
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 86 22:52 PDT
From: IED0DXM%UCLAMVS...@WISCVM.ARPA
Subject: Irate IED
>sings (eg "Not This Time" -- actually I've listened to this a bit more
>and agree with rpk: there's a good song in there trying to come out,
>but the arrangement is naff).
The above was a senseless and foolish comment the first time it was
posted, and it hasn't improved in reiteration.
>So how'd you stumble onto Zaine Griff, Sue? I've never met anyone
>who's ever heard of him except 'cuz KB's on one of his albums. He and
>Kate are friends because they were both in a dance class taught by
>Lindsay Kemp.
IED bought his first album in 1979, because it sounded
(and he looked) promisingly Bowie-ish. It was, mildly. ("Flowers"
appears on his second album. He has put out nothing of his own since
then, as far as IED is aware, although he did share a lead vocal with
the French singer Ronny on one track from Yukihiro Takahashi's
fourth LP, "What, Me Worry?")
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 86 08:04:42 EDT
From: ambar (Jean Marie Diaz)
Subject: Re: MSABAF && TH
Don't feel too old, Jordan. I bought the album only a few
months ago (for 3.99.)
Jean
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 86 11:25:13 EDT
From: James B Hofmann <hof...@AMSAA.ARPA>
Subject: Rappin' 86 at the Baltimore Civic Center, 6/27/86
Hofboyy BreakDances at the Civic Center - pictures at 11
Well, like the Dick Clark Cavalcade of Stars, the mainstream rap-
sters of Def Jam are travelling the country now that school is
out. If they come to your town, you'll probably see: The Beas-
tie Boys / LL Cool J / Whodini and Run-DMC. I'm not too enamored
with large shows as you may have figured out - but this was pret-
ty much worth the parking/crowd/sound problems inherent in these
venues... and afterall minimalism doesn't suffer too much in a
large room. I felt like I was the only white guy over 22 there
but no one seemed to care. Missed the Beastie Boys, someone told
me they were "baaaaad" (which means good of course).
Came in on LL Cool J - he's kinda like the Springsteen of Rap,
the large crowds (and probably the paycheck, too) have helped him
get over his alienation so "Radio," his hit crossover tune does
seem outta place, but what the hell, this is dancin' not thinkin'
music anyway (not to imply that ALL rap is strictly this way how-
ever... see Bambata or Fresh or Kurtis Blow) He's also become
the darling of all the girls and women there and he knows it AND
capitalizes on it.
Whodini were suprising. I was expecting some sort of rap version
of New Edition but instead got a raunchy set a la George Clinton
on speed.
And of course, we got Run-DMC, which were great, although a bit
overdone on the histronics (I mean it seemed a little fake with
Run acting all hostile to an adoring crowd). They opened with
"Raising Hell" and man, I've grown to love that tune with the
PhilSpectorish Glockenspiel sampling and closed with Rock This
House/ King of Rock. In between, they pushed their 70's metal -
rap hybrid into maximum intensity doing songs that make you go -
"I know that song, what is it... damn.." Alas, they aren't doing
"Walk This Way", the run-away song from their latest album -
maybe because of the lack of guitar? One neat thing was when
JamMasterJay wheeled out a drumset and they played a song without
an "melodic" accompaniment. Now if they'll only get a guitar
player (my whitebread rock attitudes shine through)...
Chet Howland, Village Voice crit is rumored to say it's one of
the best concerts he's ever witnessed. Well, I thought it was a
tad overpriced myself (13.50$) but it's one of those things you
can't miss if it comes through your town... sorta like a yearly
or biyearly thing to do like the Dead.
----------------------------------------
One another note, I heard a song on the radio by COWBOY MOUTH (?)
who I assume are from Boston since it came off Throbbing Lobster.
Any details on this band from you Bahhhstonites would be appreci-
ated.
Jim
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 86 11:51:56 EDT
From: bu-cs!sam (Shelli Meyers)
Subject: "Don't Give Up"
I'd just like to take this opportunity, as the person on this list who
usually loves the "pop"-type songs, to say that I *hate* "Don't Give
Up" with a passion. It's even worse than the run-of-the-mill Lionel
Richie/Diana Ross duet.
Ick.
- Shelli
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: 3 Jul 86 15:49:00 PST
From: "ROSSI J.A." <ro...@nusc.ARPA>
Subject: TH(?) and oldness
Reply-To: "ROSSI J.A." <ro...@nusc.ARPA>
I doubt that your age has anything to do with my lack of understanding
of 'TH'. If you want to use an acronym, you should define it first. In
this journal, certain acronyms are taken for granted because of the nature
of the digest (e.g. KB, HoL, TD, RuTH, etc), since this is suposed to be
a Kate Bush forum. If everyone staerted using acronyms olf their own
choosing when talking about something, it would bve a probabil,ity game in
deciding bwho knew what (ort who) they were talking about. For example,
TH (could equally be The Hour) as well as Talking Heads. Anyway, Talking
Heads wern't worth listeniong to before Eno broadened their musical style
so that it came outy of teenybopper syndrome, anyway. As for age, I think
that \i was peaking while getting hammered by the Berlin people at that
time.
'Only Time Can Close the Door'
John
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 86 14:33:11 PDT
From: Jordan Hayes <jor...@titan.arc.nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: TH(?) and oldness
Really-From: "ROSSI J.A." <ro...@nusc.ARPA>
Talking Heads wern't worth listening to before Eno broadened
their musical style so that it came out of teenybopper
syndrome, anyway.
More Songs About Buildings And Food *was* produced by Eno.
/jordan
[][][][][][][][][][]
Return-Path: <umcp-cs!jhunix!jhunix!ins_aset>
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 86 20:01:45 EDT
From: Susanne E Trowbridge <umcp-cs!jhunix!ins_...@seismo.CSS.GOV>
Subject: sorry, this is long...
Dear innocent Love-Hounds readers,
I am sorry that this reply turned out to be so loooong. Really I am,
but when I am flamed, I fight back. Can't help it. I promise that
I shall never write something this lengthy again, and I hereby propose
to Messrs. Hofmann and Wicinski that this discussion be transferred to
net.music, if they wish to continue it (though I wouldn't mind if it
stopped)...
>From: James B Hofmann <hof...@AMSAA.ARPA>
>Subject: Smiles all around.
>J.D. is a mediocre writer (much like his friends). Why doesn't
>he hang it up and get a real job?
If this is supposed to be a sideways attack on me, sorry. It is not
hard to get a job freelancing for the City Paper. If you can do better,
give Russ Smith (the editor) a call at 889-6600 and tell him you want
to do music reviews. Then the world will finally be blessed by some
un-mediocre music writing. However, I shall keep writing for the CP
'til they kick me off, because I need the money. And I'm sure JD shall
keep writing for Musician, the Post, the Sun, etc. until they kick him
off. He enjoys writing. He gets paid well for it. WHY should he "hang
it up and get a 'real' (yeah, writing's not a real job, is it) job?"
Because you say so? Christ. Many of the musicians he interviews have
mentioned that they like his work, so obviously the world consensus is
not with you.
>>As for sending out free records to critics, what the hell's wrong
>>with that?
>Because we the record buyers are paying the overhead for promos,
>that's why. Most critics write pretty meaningless drivel to help
>enhance their egos. Personally, I'd rather have a well-educated "describer"
>than a critic. This is one of the reasons I like Sound Choice
>over the overpriced, less copy/density "Musician".
I personally never buy Musician because I haven't the slightest interest
in reading about "Simon LeBon's favorite microphone" or "Stevie Ray
Vaughan's favorite guitar" etc. etc. Like the title says, it is for
musicians, or at least those plenty interested in such specs. However,
I hate to admit it, but sometimes that "meaningless drivel" has
convinced me to buy a record, and in many cases it turned out to be a
GOOD record...R.E.M., the Velvet Underground, and many more were bought
by me strictly because I read about them. Am I alone in this? I think
that the promo copies, sent to radio stations AND reviewers, give
returns beyond their cost. Also, as stated above, I do not write to
enhance my ego, I write to make money. Writing is my secondary
source of income, and if I can earn some extra $$ from it, where's
the harm.
Also, I get no promo records as a reviewer. Very few critics are
"famous" enough to get promotional copies of records. You guys make
it sound like any dickhead could start up a xeroxed zine and get
twelve promo copies of each new Warner Bros. record. It is not true.
Generally, magazines and papers get record service and pass the
records out to the reviewers, giving them "assignments" (more on
this later). How hard is it to get record service? Well, for a
few years I wrote for the Grand Rapids Press, which has a circula-
tion of about 150,000. Despite attempts, we could only get record
service from Elektra and Warner Bros. No one else thought we were
worth bothering with. When you think of the (rapidly dwindling)
number of "big" newspapers and music magazines in America, the
number of promo copies sent to reviewers JUST ISN'T THAT LARGE.
> From: The weenies are everywhere.... <wici...@nrl-cst.arpa>
> Subject: babble babble, babble
Another load of ego-enhancing meaningless drivel from sue "weenie"
trowbridge...
>I have a collection of everything JD baby writes in the post, from his
>blasting england synth bands (which I liked and would shake his hand for
>it) to his articles on 'Genesis stioll rocking'. Yawwnnnnnn...
Okay. The Post. The music EDITOR at the Post is named Richard
Harrington. A couple times a week, Richard calls JD and says, "We
need a review of the new Madonna/Van Halen/Stones etc. record, could
you have it in by Monday?" In other words, JD does NOT DECIDE WHICH
RECORDS TO REVIEW FOR THE POST. He is an employee, working under
Richard Harrington, a middle-aged fellow with rather pedestrian
tastes. However, I'm sure he'd appreciate you collecting his works.
Now, Musician is a whole different matter. He is free to decide what
he shall write about in his Short Takes column. As mentioned before,
he strikes a balance of about 50/50 between indies/major labels.
Oh, sorry, if it's on Homestead it IS a major label, isn't it, Tim?
What would Greg say if he knew he was purchasing major label records?
Are you out there Greg?
>I call a major label anyone who charges list price (8.98 or similar) for
>an album. Homestead and Enigma are major labels, as are Rought Trade,
>and the Cartel. Skate Punk Hardcore, you have re affirmed my belief in
>you sue.
Always glad to affirm people's beliefs in me, I know I'm so well
thought of around here. (sarcasm off) Rough Trade and the Cartel
can't be major labels by your criteria, Tim, because most of their
LPs go for about five pounds ($7.50) in England. They sell for about
$9.99 over here, but that's just because it costs a lot to send
records air mail to America. And they do send them air mail.
My criterion for what makes a major label is different. What records
do you see in your local mall record store? No Enigma or Homestead
there, just MCA, Warner Bros., Atlantic, CBS, etc. I think that
their network of retail distribution has more to do with it than
what they charge. Also, it's shocking to me that in so many record
stores, you see all the Homestead/SST/etc. records shunted away in
the "Import" bins, selling for import prices.
>We pay for it. The consumer that is. Which is why the american indie
>labels sell there records for cheaper than list price cause they don't
>send that many promos out.
See above on comments on how hard it is to get record service.
Now, radio is a different matter, it's ridiculously easy to get record
service if you're a radio station, no matter how small...WJHU is only
10 watts, but we get service from all the majors and many, many indies
(obviously, there are more indie labels than we could ever find out
about...) But think about it. If a radio station plays a cut from
your album, you're essentially getting a three or four-minute ad
for your record. Also, towns with progressive radio stations tend
to have more progressive record stores which stock the records, and
in many cases the stores and stations work together.
>My feeling is that the big record labels are trash. critics are trash.
>we are trash. everything is trash.
Great, I'm arguing with a nihilist.
>I think that Fripp's idea of "small, mobile, and intelligent" (actuall
>Bennet's) should be applied to record labels. What I would like to see
>is a collection of small labels which put out bands that live in the
>same area as the label (Ace of Hearts, Dischord, and Rabid Cat come to
>mind as prime examples). These labels can concentrate on local artists,
>and releasing albums with little publicity.
How many people see a record in a bin by an artist they've never heard
of, and just buy it for the hell of it? Publicity serves a purpose.
Locally, of course, bands can become well known by playing area clubs,
but how many Baltimoreans are going to know about bands popular in
Boston? They could hear them on the radio...WJHU plays *lots* of music
by Boston bands...but, oops, that would require sending out promo
copies. We get good service from Ace Of Hearts, hate to disillusion
you, but it's true...
> The resulting products can
>be sold for a cheaper price, since most other expenses could go away.
>Also I can't see why record companies be non-profit. Most operate like
>that anyway due to reality.
How naive! It takes TIME to run a company, a lot of it. People can't
work from nine til five and then come home and work on their little
cottage industry record company. Who has that much energy? People
like Gerard Cosloy (Homestead's prez) and Nick Cucci at Relativity
can put their all into their small labels and make a living off it too.
People gotta eat, Tim.
>I also don't see too many big critics reviewing any cassette releases ???
>too much pressure from the record industry ??
Probably the fact that virtually no record stores (even the progressive
ones) carry cassettes have more to do with it. Also, radio stations
often don't like to play cassettes because they're a pain to cue up.
Another reason: many cassettes are just put out and sold by the band
itself, a "one time only" thing. Cassette distribution services or
cassette-only labels seem to be the answer. ROIR's releases get a
good bit of publicity, as does the company itself.
You won't like this, but bands who put out cassettes don't tend to
send out promo copies. WJHU gets maybe one cassette a month. As I
said, you don't see them in stores. The only way for critics to get
a hold of 'em would be for them to read "Sound Choice" or "Option,"
send away for the cassettes, and review them.
> Did you buy a copy of the
> fanzine they (Morning Glories) were selling, Greed ??
No, unfortunately. Didn't even notice they were selling a zine.
If I see a copy when I'm down in DC, I'll pick one up.
-Sue
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Thu 3 Jul 86 19:32:21-PDT
From: Bob Knight <KNI...@SRI-NIC.ARPA>
Subject: Re: sorry, this is long...
Well, I can see both sides, but I think Sue's right...if it weren't for
critics, I wouldn't have bought some things sound unheard that I really
like a LOT. And, radio stations don't have infinite bucks to buy records,
so promos are where they get them from. Shit, critics are like music -
you gotta find one that you like (or, translated, has taste that parallels
yours).
I can see your points, Jim and Tim, about people that deserve exposure
not getting it. And they're valid. But, there's another level to it -
I would wager that 80% of "contemporary" material getting released by
indie and major labels doesn't get airplay outside of major markets.
So, your points have validity up to labels such as Rough Trade, etc.,
and you're labelling people like Rough Trade major (and bad?). Would
you argue that they're not pushing valid music? For the most part,
I think not.
I'd shy away from saying that if something's released on a major its bad.
It may be, but there ARE good and committed musicians making music on
majors. Just because they're making money (or mortgaging their future)
doesn't make their music any less worthwhile.
I guess the point that I'm weaving around here is that you can't argue
black and white in music. I buy lots of major releases, and I also buy
indie releases. I buy what sounds good to me and what I like. I'll
admit that my tastes are not as fringe as some people's, but I don't
think that they're bad because of that more "mainstreamity."
Bob
[][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Fri, 4 Jul 86 04:35:41 EDT
From: nessus (Doug Alan)
Subject: Re: "Don't Give Up"
> [Shelli:] I'd just like to take this opportunity, as the person on
> this list who usually loves the "pop"-type songs, to say that I
> *hate* "Don't Give Up" with a passion. It's even worse than the
> run-of-the-mill Lionel Richie/Diana Ross duet.
> Ick.
I'd like to take this opportunity, as a person on this list who has no
particular love for the typical "pop"-type songs in the world, to say
that "Don't Give Up" isn't all that bad. In fact, it's pretty okay.
It's sort of a country/western-gospelly like number, which definitely
isn't my genre, but I like it any way. It's nothing great, but it's
definitely worth listening to: orders of magnitude better than Lionel
Richie/Diana Ross crap, and significantly better arranged than "Not
This Time".
-Doug
"What chance do I have, being here
Put an end, put an end, put an end
To every dream"
[][][][][][][][][][]