declann@scol.UUCP (11/24/89)
Right then. I've been reading Love-Hounds for about a year now and to be honest I'm really getting a bit tired of the fact that decent discussion of the MUSIC is constantly overshadowed by items of almost unbelievable triviality. Here we have the first album from Kate in years and yet the only topics that are receiving any sort of attention are things like "Oh where's the hidden symbol then ?" The number of times Kate got played on some radio station. The kind of video rotation on MTV The position of the laugh etc. etc. ad nauseum. WHAT ABOUT THE BLOODY MUSIC !!!! Well I guess most people have made their comments about _The Sensual World_ by now so I suppose I should add my 2 pence worth. So here goes... (Every sentence to be mentally prefixed by a "IMHO" of course ;-) ) The Sensual World 1. The Sensual World When I first heard this I quite liked it. The textures, the mood appealed to me. Being Irish, I particularily like the celtic feel of this song. However, as time passed I just got tired of it, I guess it never really made "the connection". The vocals are good, the arrangement is good, but there's something missing. Maybe I'll give it a few more spins..... 2. Love and Anger A good solid piece of music and an obvious choice for the American market. It's definitely chart fodder though and while I like it, is nothing really to write home about. 3. The Fog Ah ! This is more like it ! Yes, the best song on side one by a long shot with its rich instrumentation and textures. Lyrics are a bit disappointing and the song does tend to meander a bit after a while but great to listen to loud and in the dark. 4. Reaching Out Well, well, this is a bone of contention isn't it ! Taken purely on its own merits, its just about ok, but for a song by Kate, its a pretty feeble effort. Her voice is good but, but, but THIS IS NOT THE KATE WE KNOW AND LOVE !! 5. Heads We're Dancing I nearly always turn this off halfway through because it gets pretty boring after a while. Interesting idea though, and a pity it didn't really come off. I mean this should exude menace and evil but ends up going nowhere. 6. Deeper Understanding I work with computers everyday and to be honest, the lyrics here come very close to making me cringe with embarrasement. Sung by anyone else, this song would make me gag, but as it happens I do like it and it is definitly saved by the Trio B. 7. Between A Man and A Woman For me, this is probably one of the most boring songs Kate has ever recorded. The melody is boring, the lyrics are so trite I find it hard to believe she wrote them. I just don't think the idea of one person telling another not to interfere in the relationship of two other people is a particularily interesting one. In fact, this kind of rubbish makes me angry when we all know what she's really capable of. Ugh. 8. Never Be Mine Excellent. This is one of the best on the album being full of atmosphere and incredibly evocative. It took a while to grow on me but now I love it and unlike the last song, the lyrics are very good. The idea of fantasy vs. reality is intelligently and beautifully handled, while the whole song itself has a very sad and reflective atmosphere to it. 9. Rocket' Tail Like a lot of other people, this was the song which grabbed me first. Indeed its like two songs, both very different yet dovetailing together in an almost perfect match. The sad, wonderful harmonies of the Trio Bulgarka are nicely complemented by Kate, and David Gilmour kicks in at just the right moment. Cliched guitar solo ? Yes, of course but its still powerfully affecting together with the brilliant cacophony of voices which carries the song through. An exilirating roller coaster of a song. 10. This Woman's Work The perfect complement to the previous song. It is quiet, sad and moving. 11. Walk Straight Down The Middle I've tried very hard to like this song but except for her vocalising, this is a really mediocre effort and probably should have been left off the LP and cassette versions so as to allow the album to end on This Woman's Work, which would have been the perfect ending. In conclusion, I have to say that this album is a big disappointment and it doesn't even begin to scale the heights of _The Ninth Wave_ or _The Dreaming_. I mean for Gods sake, how could someone who has written the darkest, most intense mindf*ck of a song, i.e _Get Out Of My House_ come up with the insipid _Reaching Out_ ? The world is full of great mysteries, my friends. In comparison with most of whats out at the moment, this is a good album. In comparison with her older material, it just dosen't cut it, as you Americans might say. I think this album is particularily weak in the lyrics department but very strong in terms of vocalising and arrangement. Well, I sure I've pissed off just about everybody but thats your problem. As I've said, everything is IN MY OPINION ONLY !!! Get that folks ? So no stupid flames please. I am interested in hearing constructive comments only, so if you feel the need to post saying "I think xxxx song is brilliant, and you are a shithead" then I suggest you go lie down for a while and practise breathing exercises, and then come back and post something constructive. That said, I am interested in hearing your comments and hopefully we will get around to discussing the old albums as well. Don't all shoot at once !! Declan ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Declan Nolan | Europe : ..!ukc!pyrltd!scol!declann | "This Stairway ain't to SCO Ltd, UK | The declann@sco.COM | Heaven. This one's to | World declann@santa-cruz.co.uk | OBLIVION !!" | | The Wonder Stuff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [][][][][][][][][][]
tynor%prism@GATECH.EDU (Steve Tynor) (12/02/89)
In article <8912011659.AA14137@GAFFA.MIT.EDU> declann@scol.UUCP writes: ... >Well, I sure I've pissed off just about everybody but thats your >problem. As I've said, everything is IN MY OPINION ONLY !!! I for one found it refreshing. There is far too much Kate-worship in this group. I think she's brilliant (and TD is _still_ my favorite album), but I think its important to be critical when listening to Kate. I listen to her music because of it's high quality - not because of ther hair style, or whether a particular radio station plays it... If the quality isn't there (and I agree that TSW is substandard (I'll ditto most of the points made in this article), we should feel free to talk about it and not be afraid to be burned to the crisp in a flame war. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Progress means replacing something wrong with something more subtly wrong. Steve Tynor Georgia Tech Research Institute Artificial Intelligence Branch tynor@prism.gatech.edu
woiccare@CLUTX.CLARKSON.EDU (Woj) (12/02/89)
tynor%prism@GATECH.EDU (Steve Tynor): > I for one found it refreshing. There is far too much Kate-worship in this > group. I think she's brilliant (and TD is _still_ my favorite album), but I > think its important to be critical when listening to Kate. I listen to her > music because of it's high quality - not because of ther hair style, or > whether a particular radio station plays it... If the quality isn't there (and > I agree that TSW is substandard (I'll ditto most of the points made in this > article), we should feel free to talk about it and not be afraid to be burned > to the crisp in a flame war. Yeah, I do have to agree that parts of TSW just don't cut it. I find it incredibly interesting that many magazines (discounting _Time_ and the _Wall_Street_Times_) have praised the album, while the majority of the Love-Hounds are disatisfied. I would imagine that it *does* have alot to do with us comparing it to the previous works, but we really shouldn't condemn or praise the album in comparison to her earlier mat- erial, rather we should do so upon its own merits. So what are its merits? Well, I (for one) consider the best parts of TSW to be (in no particular order) the Trio Bulgarka, Mick Karn and Kate. I have to agree with the original poster (whose name I forgot, oops) that the best songs are the ones that are most similar to the ones of the past ("The Fog", "Never Be Mine", "This Woman's Work"), but the newer style songs do have some hope as well. "Heads We're Dancing" continues with the style she began develop- ing in "Exp IV"; "Deeper Understanding" and "The Sensual World" seems to me to be extensions of what she has done before and, imho, are actually quite good; as for "Reaching Out", well, I'll take the fifth ;) (I don't mind it like Drukman, mostly since it does have some of her best singing on the album, but I don't particularly like the anthemic feel to it (that has been mentiolned before)); "Love and Anger" doesn't appeal to me in spite of the fact that it does resemble "The Big Sky" in its construction and I really don't think that Gilmour adds to the song; "Rocket's Tail" is kinda the same way -- the song is great up until the rock part -- which was great until I got tired of it (although the bass line in there still overwhelms me!) and Gilmour... (I know at least one person who will flame me -- in person! -- on that one); "Walk Straight..." has its good points and I think it also shows off some of her singing ability, however, I do not see the similarity to Gabriel that ewveryone else hears... Hence, on its own, TSW deserves a bit'o'praise, but I don't think it was worth the four year wait (although she only worked on it for two, I know). I really hope that the nest one (whenever it might be) will be incredible. Lastly, has anyone found a better sequence for the songs when recorded from CD? I was thinking about that today, to see if I could improve the flow a little bit, since the present order is a bit disjointed. I only organized 'em into some rough groupings similar to the way HoL is arran- ged, but didn't bother to take it farther since I had to go to class. Oops, one more thing. Does anyone know anything about the bassist on "the Big Sky" named Youth. I think I've heard of him, but can't place the name... woj --- woiccare@clutx.clarkson.edu [ Youth used to be in Killing Joke. -- |>oug ]
jsd@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (Jon Drukman) (12/06/89)
In article <8912020701.AA02146@clutx.clarkson.edu> woiccare@CLUTX.CLARKSON.EDU (Woj) writes: >I find it incredibly interesting that many magazines (discounting _Time_ >and the _Wall_Street_Times_) have praised the album, while the majority >of the Love-Hounds are disatisfied. I would imagine that it *does* have >alot to do with us comparing it to the previous works, but we really >shouldn't condemn or praise the album in comparison to her earlier mat- >erial, rather we should do so upon its own merits. The same thing happened with the last XTC album. The critics were hot to say "Totally brill!" and the fans (barring me) said: "Well, it's OK, but not the best..." I think it's only natural. When you encounter ANYTHING, be it music, or a book, or a film, or even a car, by someone who has done something sterling in the past, you are incredibly tempted to compare the new thing to the old. But, I agree with you entirely. We should examine TSW based on its merits. And, indeed, you so rightly ask: >So what are its merits? It has a lot of strong points. It also has a lot of weak points. My positions have been pretty well established, so I'll just rip yours to shreds (ha ha, joke, you're pretty on target, as far as I'm concerned.) >"Rocket's Tail" >is kinda the same way -- the song is great up until the rock part -- which >was great until I got tired of it (although the bass line in there still >overwhelms me!) and Gilmour... (I know at least one person who will flame >me -- in person! -- on that one) It's amazing how divided people are on this one. OR rather, it's amazing how much the people who dislike the Pink Floyd-ish part of the song hate it. Julian West I believe falls into this category. Personally, I love it when the rock section kicks in, and I wish it went on for a few more minutes. My initial comment, in fact, was: "Way too abbreviated!" I don't like the way the drummer keeps leaning on the crash and splash cymbals. They really eat up too many high frequencies. >"Walk Straight..." has its good points >and I think it also shows off some of her singing ability, however, I do >not see the similarity to Gabriel that ewveryone else hears... I think the arpeggiating Fairlight bells in the choruses bear a striking similarity to the beginning of "San Jacinto," and overall the track reminds me a little of "Mercy Street." Although, "Deeper Understanding" is much closer in tone to "Mercy Street" when you get down to it... >Hence, on its own, TSW deserves a bit'o'praise, but I don't think it was >worth the four year wait (although she only worked on it for two, I know). Aw hell, TSW deserves a LOT of praise, but it is not a perfect record by any stretch of the imagination. I would probably call it "a flawed masterpiece." >I really hope that the nest one (whenever it might be) will be incredible. Me too, but I wouldn't get too anxious about it. I don't think we'll ever see another "Dreaming" or even "Ninth Wave..." >Oops, one more thing. Does anyone know anything about the bassist on >"the Big Sky" named Youth. I think I've heard of him, but can't place >the name... Well, he's on "Mother Stands For Comfort" actually, and he was in Killing Joke and another band called Brilliant which I don't think went anywhere, at least stateside. +---------------------- Is there any ESCAPE from NOISE? ----------------------+ | | |\ | jsd@gaffa.mit.edu | "Suck on this, | | \|on |/rukman | jsd@umass.bitnet | planet of noise bimbo!" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
beyer@FRITH.EGR.MSU.EDU (Don W Beyer) (12/06/89)
I am glad to hear from someone else who concedes that (gasp) TSW was not worth the four (two...who cares) wait! I guess I can come out of my closet now, and put in my $0.02 worth: I find _The Sensual World_ to be rather hyped. I bought this CD over two weeks after it's release date, becuase after hearing the TSW single, I was not impressed. In fact, I bought this album only because I have all of her others--almost entirely for the sake of continuity. My fave KT album is still, and from the looks of it, always will be, _The Dreaming_. While I agree that one must look at a work of art individually, TSW is truly going to live in the shadow of Kate's earlier works. I find it interesting that all the talk on this group has shifted from rather reasonable (or unreasonable :-)) and philosophical talk about Kate's music to her VH-1 Itenerary (If that alone doesn't tell you about the state of her art, I don't know what does!) and where the bonehead engineers put the laugh on the CD. How could those poor fellows (gals) have known that the sleep patterns of all English speaking nations would hang upon where they put that all-important laugh. Not that I don't find it interesting, but I really doubt that it deserved soooo much bandwidth--must be the EE in me... Perhaps we should form a new group for those who will staunchly defend TSW from any form of criticism whatsoever and call it rec.music.seedcake. That way, us poor simps who were slightly disappointed by TSW can resume the discussions that I found so refreshing and interesting pre-TSW... Tom LeMense All opininions expressed here belong to me and my all-bassett hound bowling team...
butterworth@MSCF.MED.UPENN.EDU (12/08/89)
In article <8912011659.AA14137@GAFFA.MIT.EDU>, declann@scol.UUCP writes: > Right then. > [stuff deleted] > WHAT ABOUT THE BLOODY MUSIC !!!! > [more stuff deleted] > ok. my turn... i haven't looked at this group in a while - probably because, what with there not having been an album out in quite some time, love-hounds have had to contend with amusing themselves (as is their want) with discussions concerning the arguable location of the kate symbol on old album jackets and the names of her cats -- STUFF WHICH DOESN'T INTEREST ME ONE IOTA! but now that her new record has hit the streets, i figured i'd catch up on some of the stuff that DOES interest me, i.e. other people's comments (both positive AND negative) on "The Sensual World. i bought the new album last week having only heard "This Woman's Work." wasn't particularly crazy about the title but it's no worse (or no better) than, say, "Hounds of Love" or "The Dreaming" for that matter. i've listened to the album about a dozen times so far (in a week; i guess that doesn't make me a true love-hound, eh?) and here's what i think: 1. the sensual world knocked my socks off the very first time i heard it. great vocals, great backing, great pacing. love those opening church bells. once i discovered this was based on molly bloom's speech from joyce's "Ulysses" i liked it even more - i remember sally kellerman's reading of the speech in the movie "Back to School" (of all films) and read the book looking for it, only to find it came right at the very end. kate has kept the "feeling" of the speech surprisingly intact, with some nice changes too ("machiavelian girl" as opposed to "andalusian girl", for example). as far as i'm concerned there are only two things wrong with this cut: (i) at under 4 mins. it's way too short and, (ii) as i consider this to be the best track on the album, "The Sensual World" goes down hill from thereon out! point of confusion: was this song the first single from the album or was that "Love and Anger"? sources appear to vary. 2. love and anger if this is, indeed, the first single from the album then i think the title cut would have made a better choice. i found this to be somewhat choppy and a bit "noisy" in places. i don't recall dave gilmour's contribution from the inner sleeve and i can't say his usually unmistakeable guitar sound is in evidence here. more anger than love, if you ask me. 2.5 "the laugh" does there have to be a reason for EVERYTHING anyone - even kate - does? 3. the fog this is the kind of blend of voice, vocals and instrumentation that worked so well on "Hounds of Love" - solid yet disparate, the album's most transcendental cut. 4. reaching out controversial track #1. personally i like it a lot. love and anger would be a better title for this cut if you ask me, what with the soft, controlled verses matched by an emotive and powerful chorus. but it's not just WHAT she sings (only kate could qualify a hand reached out for as one that "spanked") that makes this track so strong but HOW she sings it (listen to how she grapples with the word "explode"). not quite the sawing strings one normally associates with michael nyman but hear me now (and believe me later); they'll be singing this one at english soccer games before the turn of the century. (a real "scarf waver" if ever i heard one!) 5. heads we're dancing kate at her quirky best and this album's answer to "Get Out of My House" or "The Wedding List." yeah, sure - hitler is a bad lyric to use in a song but she doesn't dwell on it and has the audacity to follow up the reference with a bunch of anything-but-evil do-do-do's. no-one else could go from the sublime to the ridiculous (and back again) with such confidence. 6. deeper understanding anyone involved in computers should find this lyrically embarrassing. not only does she press "execute" but puts in that cutesy computer sound to supposedly punctuate the irony. come on; that's pretty old hat now (the pet shop boys have been doing it for years!) it's as if kate just got her first commodore or something. musically it's probably the most (dare i say it?) "commercial" cut on the album - certainly more accessible than most - but the banality of the lyrics spoil it for me. 7. between a man and a woman nothing special here but some nice arrangements nonetheless. 8. never be mine this is more like it! substantive, generous, sincere - these are just some of the words i'd use to describe this, one of the best tracks on the album. the chorus just folds you up inside; it's a beautifully controlled, heartfelt offering. 9. rocket's tail controversial track #2. this one's wasted on me. a lot of indecisive musing topped off with a riff which falls way short (ooh - just like a rocket... maybe i'm missing something here?). but again, i didn't "hear" gilmour and even if i did it'd be too late. this cut's much ado about nothing as far as i'm concerned - definitely the weakest on the album. 10. this woman's work. kate puts away the production pyrotechnics and simply let's her voice pull it off. and she does a very nice job, methinks... 11. <cut missing> i have the album, not the CD/tape. summary: "The Sensual World" is a fine album which, although not quite up to the sophistication of its predecessor, stands head and shoulders above the rest of today's recycled pap. kate certainly hasn't lost anything in the last four years but let's just hope we don't have to wait as long for the next release. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David N. Butterworth UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of Information Technology 1R N.E.B. -- 420 Service Drive Philadelphia, PA 19104-6020 Internet: butterworth@a1.mscf.upenn.edu "Which shoes are those?" -- f.f. "Some girls' mothers are bigger than other girls' mothers..." -- Morrissey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
waya@ll2vax.UUCP (Way A) (12/11/89)
In article <8912020701.AA02146@clutx.clarkson.edu> woiccare@CLUTX.CLARKSON.EDU (Woj) writes: >as for "Reaching Out", well, I'll take the fifth ;) (I don't >mind it like Drukman, mostly since it does have some of her best singing >on the album, but I don't particularly like the anthemic feel to it (that >has been mentiolned before)); I dunno what gives with you guys - I mean, why all this slagging off of "Reaching Out" ? The line where she sings "Reaching out for Mama", especially at the end, makes my spine tingle. For me, it's the best moment on the album. BTW, if this doesn't get a flame from Drukman I'll be disappointed (:- ... Jon, your postings are _the_ most interesting on the net. At least you _say_ something, not like some people "...Ooh, TSW was played 32.657 times on so and so station today (yawwwnnnnn ...)) Andy.
jsd@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (Jon Drukman) (12/14/89)
In article <2709@servax0.essex.ac.uk> Way A <waya@essex.ac.uk> writes: >I dunno what gives with you guys - I mean, why all this slagging off >of "Reaching Out" ? The line where she sings "Reaching out for >Mama", especially at the end, makes my spine tingle. For me, it's >the best moment on the album. > >BTW, if this doesn't get a flame from Drukman I'll be disappointed >(:- ... Jon, your postings are _the_ most interesting on the net. At >least you _say_ something, not like some people "...Ooh, TSW was >played 32.657 times on so and so station today (yawwwnnnnn ...)) > >Andy. Another Andy for me to bait! Oh joy! Lissen up, you little person, I don't FLAME on request, OK? I personally don't give a squirt whether Reaching Out turns your hormones onto overdrive or not. On the other hand, you made the fatal mistake of stroking my already perversely bloated ego. However, I must jeer at you for making fun of Ed Suranyi, who is performing a very important service in keeping us informed of Kate's radio success. Admittedly, I don't really care how many times a Bay Area station plays her songs, since I don't live in the Bay Area and am not even planning a visit any time soon (although Tracy Roberts, our lovely Santa Cruz jewel might be able tempt me. howsabout it my little flower child? :-), but the information might conceivably be of value to someone. It should be available, in any case. Freedom of information is utmost on my personal political agenda. On an unrelated note, it seems as if I'm the only love-hounds to be positive about the latest VH-1 special. This is a rather odd turn of events, but I guess my main complaint was seconded by most of the other responses I've seen. WHEN am I gonna get to see the whole videos? +---------------------- Is there any ESCAPE from NOISE? ----------------------+ | | |\ | jsd@gaffa.mit.edu | "Suck on this, | | \|on |/rukman | jsd@umass.bitnet | planet of noise bimbo!" | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
steve@sensual.wa.COM (Steve Schonberger) (12/22/89)
I initially wrote these reviewish comments as replies to someone else's note, but they are general enough that I thinik they stand as a review by themselves. So anyway, here is a sort-of review of the album. Enjoy or flame as you wish. In-Reply-To: <195@mscf.med.upenn.edu> by uunet!a1.MSCF.UPENN.EDU!butterworth > 1. the sensual world > knocked my socks off the very first time i heard it. great vocals, > great backing, great pacing. love those opening church bells. [The only problem is that] > "The Sensual World" goes down hill from thereon out! One of my favorites too. Great start for the album. > 2. love and anger > if this is, indeed, the first single from the album then i think the > title cut would have made a better choice. i found this to be > somewhat choppy and a bit "noisy" in places. i don't recall > dave gilmour's contribution from the inner sleeve and i can't say > his usually unmistakeable guitar sound is in evidence here. more > anger than love, if you ask me. Well, for the U.S. market, I think it's probably a better single choice, since it is somewhat more accessible. I didn't notice a Gilmour contribution on it, positive or negative. I like it a lot. > 3. the fog > this is the kind of blend of voice, vocals and instrumentation > that worked so well on "Hounds of Love" - solid yet disparate, the > album's most transcendental cut. This one never really caught me much positively or negatively. Only when I've listened specifically for it have I noticed it, but then I've liked it quite a bit. > 4. reaching out > controversial track #1. personally i like it a lot. On the other hand, I'm on the don't like it side. It's good, but not up to her usual top quality stuff. I'd have rather had her include something else and cut this, or leave it for a b-side or something. > 5. heads we're dancing > kate at her quirky best and this album's answer to > "Get Out of My House" or "The Wedding List." I like this a lot too. It's really accessible, and if not for the risk of misunderstanding I'd say it would be a good single choice. With that, she's best off not putting it on a single, unless the promoters think controversy will boost sales more than it will suppress them. (Since writing this, I've heard rumors to the effect that this will be the next single somewhere. Not sure if it's the next U.S. single, the next U.K. single, or if the rumors are just plain bogus.) > 6. deeper understanding > anyone involved in computers should find this lyrically > embarrassing. not only does she press "execute" but puts in that > cutesy computer sound too I like it. I agree that the technical view of computers is pretty cutesy, but I think it's nice. Assuming that the computer friend is a program is technically unrealistic, but it's a nice literary device. Assuming it's the net (or better, something interactive like CompuServe CB or French Minitel) makes it sound like a biography of a lot of people I've known, ones who would on Usenet be told to "get a life". > 7. between a man and a woman > nothing special here but some nice arrangements nonetheless. A lot like my impression: Nice but not great. > 8. never be mine > this is more like it! substantive, generous, sincere - these are just some > of the words i'd use to describe this, one of the best tracks on the album. > the chorus just folds you up inside; it's a beautifully controlled, heartfelt > offering. This is one of my favorites too. I really like the wide vocal range in the music. I don't notice the lyrics much unless I listen for them, but they're really nice if I do. The music is so cool that even the really good lyrics are secondary. > 9. rocket's tail > controversial track #2. this one's wasted on me. a lot of > indecisive musing topped off with a riff which falls way short > (ooh - just like a rocket... maybe i'm missing something here?). > but again, i didn't "hear" gilmour and even if i did it'd be too > late. this cut's much ado about nothing as far as i'm concerned - > definitely the weakest on the album. I like this one a lot. The switch from being critical of the friend's strange entertainment to joining into it enthusiastic really works well for me. The transition from Kate and Trio mostly vocal to loud guitar based rock goes really nicely with the thematic transition. Musically, I'd say it's one of the stronger, showing off a lot of the best musical resources Kate had to work with, her vocal range, the Trio, and Gilmour's jamming. (and HOW can you MISS Gilmour on this, without skipping the latter half of the song?) > 10. this woman's work. > kate puts away the production pyrotechnics and simply let's her > voice pull it off. and she does a very nice job, methinks... I like this one a lot too. And it's my girlfriend's favorite song of any by anyone. I didn't see the movie so I don't know the context other than from the explanations of it I've heard and read, but I think it stands up well with or without it. When I'm with my girlfriend to see her reaction to it, it's my favorite too, but by myself it's just better-than-average-Kate. > 11. <cut missing> > i have the album, not the CD/tape. It's really great. It is a lot closer to deserving to be a single than a bonus track, in my opinion. It's worth the price difference between the LP and the CD. I might still get the LP for the big cover though, but I haven't so far. They should have made "Reaching Out" the bonus track instead -- this is a lot better. My overall impression of the album: Something of a disappointment. Not because it isn't a wonderful album, but because there was an inadequate track (in my opinion, "Reaching Out"), and because it just didn't quite make the expectations I had after the four year wait and two godlike predecessor albums (and three more almost as great). Taking it out of comparison with other Kate, it's top of the line wonderful though! Merry Christmas to all... -- Steve Schonberger Why should I disclaim anything when I own this site? steve@sensual.wa.com (Yet another site named after a Kate Bush song) I think I'm mapped. If it fails, use "nwnexus!sensual!steve" instead.