[mod.music.gaffa] Better than/as good as Kate?

Love-Hounds-request@EDDIE.MIT.EDU.UUCP (01/24/87)

Really-From: drukman%UMass.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU  (Jonathan S. Drukman)

> IED couldn't name twenty-four LPs made
> since, say, 1973, that are even
> classifiable as "very good", even
> without introducing comparative
> values

Here's where we get down to the wire - how can any record be judged at
all objectively?  There's absolutely no way to do it!  You can say, well
this one has 15 bad edits and lots of hiss, so it stinks, but this one
has perfect sound, even though the material is shit, so it's great!
The point is, how can we sgive IED a list of "better than/as good
as" Kate Bush music?  Obviously, IED likes Kate a whole lot (and I had to
go to college to figure that out...) so what's the point saying: "Hey,
IED, listen to this - it's just as good as Kate Bush" when he'll probably
say something like "Well, it's ok for what it is, but it can't touch Kate
with a 10 foot pole" -- I'm not implying that IED has a closed mind
and can't appreciate good music; the point is that how can we say that
what we happen to ENJOY LISTENING TO is as good as/better than Kate
Bush?  It's a personal judgement.  I happen to like Shriekback, and
Frank Zappa and think that there is at least one album by each of them
that scores in lyrics, music, production and thematic cohesion just as
high and sometimes higher than Kate.  So what?  Should I sit here all
day screaming at IED to get a life and buy a Shriekback album?  It's
not very productive.  Why don't we instead just say "here's a list of
albums that *I* consider as complex and innovative as Kate's music"

Oh, regarding the old "let's cover kate's songs" topics - a friend and
myself have just recently recorded "Wuthering Heights" as a thrash/
hardcore song
if you're interested in hearing it, send e-mail to
(bitnet) drukman@umass
(arpanet) jsd%oz@mit-oz
and I'll let you know where to mail a blank tape and/or money for one
to.  Just to warn you, if you don't have a sense of humor, you'll be
offended.  We call our version "Withering Heights"...

----jon drukman