Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU (01/21/87)
Really-From: IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU News: Kate's LP The Whole Story has indeed already gone double platinum in England, signifying sales of 600,000 units (a hell of a lot of LPs for a country the size of England). In fact, however, it had already sold more than 750,000 units BEFORE attaining the number one spot this week over there, so, according to Record Mirror's chart file expert, it is destined to become Kate's first-ever million-seller in the UK. Cashbox puts it at number 63 in the U.S. this week. For the sake of argument (and out of a profound sense of desperation), IED challenges anyone reading this to name ONE record made since the early Seventies that attains a level of thematic and musical complexity, multi-level meaning and sophisticated cohesion of music and production comparable to that achieved by Kate Bush since 1982. IT CANNOT BE DONE! SUCH MUSIC DOES NOT EXIST! I BET MY MUM'S GONNA GIVE ME A LITTLE TOY! -- Andrew Marvick
Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU.UUCP (01/21/87)
Really-From: Joel Kollin <mit-amt!joel@seismo.CSS.GOV> From: joel@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Joel Kollin) In article <8701210112.AA28287@EDDIE.MIT.EDU>, Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.ED> Really-From: IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU > > For the sake of argument (and out of a profound sense > of desperation), IED challenges anyone reading this to name ONE record > made since the early Seventies that attains a level of thematic and > musical complexity, multi-level meaning and sophisticated cohesion of > music and production comparable to that achieved by Kate Bush since 1982. > IT CANNOT BE DONE! SUCH MUSIC DOES NOT EXIST! > > I BET MY MUM'S GONNA GIVE ME A LITTLE TOY! > > -- Andrew Marvick The early seventies reference seems to indicate that the last group you put on a pedestal was the Beatles, or perhaps Pink Floyd. While their latest stuff is comparatively lame, both Davids Byrne and Bowie can be considered to be at the very least in the same league as Kate Bush in terms of lyrics and music, not to mention (over-)production. The albums produced by Brian Eno are particularly interesting, especially "Remain in Light" by the Talking Heads. In fact, I would find it hard to believe that Kate was not influenced by these artists, and probably Peter Gabriel as well. On the other hand, it seems like all of the above except Eno have sold out, and I am hard pressed to find any good music (in this vein) produced in the past few years besides KB. Well, there's Suzanne Vega, the Cocteau Twins... Wait a minute, I'm starting to see a trend here... joel kollin (joel@MEDIA-LAB.MIT.EDU) How do you use one of those .signature things, anyway? [Kate was definitely *very* influenced by The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Brian Eno, and Peter Gabriel. I doubt that she was much influenced by David Byrne, though. I've never seen her mention him and Talking Heads were not very well known in England until about a year ago. -- Doug]
Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU (01/21/87)
Really-From: rosen%ji.Berkeley.EDU@BERKELEY.EDU (Rob Rosen) > >For the sake of argument (and out of a profound sense >of desperation), IED challenges anyone reading this to name ONE record >made since the early Seventies that attains a level of thematic and >musical complexity, multi-level meaning and sophisticated cohesion of >music and production comparable to that achieved by Kate Bush since 1982. >IT CANNOT BE DONE! SUCH MUSIC DOES NOT EXIST! > David Sylvian's "Gone to Earth." -- Rob Rosen Computer Systems Support Group University of California rosen@ucbarpa.Berkeley.EDU (the syntactically correct address) ucbvax!rosen (for people who actually LIKE source routing)
Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU (01/22/87)
Really-From: seismo!udenva!showard (Steve "Blore" Howard) >For the sake of argument (and out of a profound sense >of desperation), IED challenges anyone reading this to name ONE record >made since the early Seventies that attains a level of thematic and >musical complexity, multi-level meaning and sophisticated cohesion of >music and production comparable to that achieved by Kate Bush since 1982. >IT CANNOT BE DONE! SUCH MUSIC DOES NOT EXIST! One? I can name a couple dozen. Let's see, you want a) thematic complexity, b) musical complexity c) multi-level meaning and d) soph- isticated cohesion of music and production. A partial list: Peter Gabriel: Ouevre Talking Heads: Fear of Music, Remain in Light, Speaking in Tongues King Crimson: Discipline Pink Floyd: The Wall, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here Alan Parsons: Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Pyramid Shriekback: Big Night Music Joy Division: Closer (Fact XXV) Various Artists: Lost in the Stars: the music of Kurt Weill Neil Young: Rust Never Sleeps Pete Townshend: All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, White City The Who: Who's Next (you said early 70s) XTC: Black Sea, The Big Express Boomtown Rats: The Fine Art of Surfacing I count 24 albums here (5 for Gabriel), each of which I am prepared to defend as examples of IED's four virtues. Each of these, I contend, is equal or superior to Kate Bush in the first three categories. The fourth (sophisticated cohesion of music and production) I will amend somewhat to read "sophisticated cohesion of music and production, within the limits of the available technology," as none of these albums were recorded at Abbey Road since 1982. I still dispute whether d) is a virtue or not, but that's a whole 'nother thing. -- "Wait a minute! These aren't blender wounds!" Steve "Blore" Howard, not playing with a full deck {hplabs, seismo}!hao!udenva!showard or {boulder, cires, ucbvax!nbires, cisden}!udenva!showard
Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU.UUCP (01/22/87)
Really-From: bc@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (bill coderre) In article <8701212341.AA14099@udenva.UUCP>, Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU writes: >For the sake of argument (and out of a profound sense >of desperation), IED challenges anyone reading this to name ONE record >made since the early Seventies that attains a level of thematic and >musical complexity, multi-level meaning and sophisticated cohesion of >music and production comparable to that achieved by Kate Bush since 1982. >IT CANNOT BE DONE! SUCH MUSIC DOES NOT EXIST! "Blore" regrettably forgot Brian Eno, perhaps the most obvious example. It still amazes me that whenever I find someone doing a cover of an Eno tune (serious musicians I respect, mind you, like Birdsongs of the Mesozoic), you can actually say, "Wow, what a great cover -- but Eno did this and that and the other thing which make it much superior." Eno pretty much cannot play any instruments, but knew enough about tape recorders, and had a severe case of artists' discipline, which made him produce 4+ records of the best pop music ever. (I base this on the fact that it's >10 years later, and not too much that I've heard comes close.) And don't forget the non-mainstream stuff that also just happens to be equally complex as this Miss Bush. Two immediate examples are Pere Ubu and Matching Mole. Pere Ubu's "The Modern Dance" remains brilliant like no other. Whenever I listen to it, after these thousand or so times I've heard it, it still picks me up and shakes me. Scary, enrapturing, a dark and wonderful look at things. What might now be called "deathrock" (although it has nothing to do with death or despair), it had all the noisy guitars and tapes of breaking glass years before the competition. Available on Italian (Base Records) import, good quality vinyl, $7 new or so. If you like that, then be sure to check out "Terminal Tower" which is a collection of their rarities, mostly from an impossibly out-of-print EP "Datapanik in the Year Zero". *That's* on Twin/Tone records, a pretty big label, and freshly printed. Should be easy to find. (The other Pere Ubu records are entirely different, more resembling poetry with accompaniment, so I've skipped them, even though I happen to like them.) Matching Mole has one of the most complicated name-stories in history. Several members of Soft Machine (which you should also check out) splintered off and produced "Matching Mole's Little Red Record", brilliant subversive communist mood music, with nice hooks. You catch yourself humming along, then you go "But wait! What are they saying?" then you figure it out.... Oh yeah, the name story. Well, "Soft Machine" *en Franc,ais* is "Machine Molle" <=sounds=like=> "Matching Mole." This record is readily available around Boston for $3-$4 for a good used copy. Well, I'm sorry I'm not coherent right now, but I'm sure you get the idea. Bands, for the most part, do not have their collective head up their collective posterior. They know about how to craft records, and many opt to make their sound unique. Some more than others, sure, but.... If Mr IED is filled with "desperation[sic]" at not hearing anything else as "good" as Kate Bush, perhaps he should open his ears and listen to something else. It's too bad that it's tough to find this stuff on the radio, but hey,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,bc
Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU.UUCP (01/27/87)
Really-From: wmartin@ngp.utexas.edu (Wiley Sanders) In article <8701210237.AA19529@MEDIA-LAB.MIT.EDU> you write: >Really-From: Joel Kollin <mit-amt!joel@seismo.CSS.GOV> >From: joel@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Joel Kollin) > >In article <8701210112.AA28287@EDDIE.MIT.EDU>, Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.ED> Really-From: IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU >> >> IED challenges anyone reading this to name ONE record >> ... that attains a level of thematic and >> musical complexity, multi-level meaning and sophisticated cohesion of >> music and production comparable to that achieved by Kate Bush since 1982. >> IT CANNOT BE DONE! SUCH MUSIC DOES NOT EXIST! > Please igmore previous message! I hadn't read the question! The previous message extolled the virtues of "Never Mind the Bollocks": Thematic and Musical (mucus-ile?) Complexity - NONE Multi-Level Meaning - NONE! Sophisticated Cohesion of Music and Production - You've got to be Kidding! Still - NMTB is still in my top five. Along with KB, of course. -w