Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/18/89)
Really-From: Michael Mendelson <mendel@cs.uiuc.edu> As I sit in my office on the first bitter day of autumn, The Sensual World begins again for what is about the sixth or seventh time since this afternoon when it left the store and became a part of me. I couldn't imagine this album being released in any other season on any other day... this was just perfect. The Sensual World is the softest, silkiest, smoothest and most intensely personal of Kate's work yet. At the same time, Kate seems to have mellowed a bit -- there's no Big Sky; no Babooshka; no Wow; not even a Pulling Out the Pin. Instead, the music seems easier to appreciate more quickly... that impenetrable wall erected in The Dreaming and fortified by such Ninth Wave songs as Waking the Witch and Jig of Life has all but crumbled and been replaced by a new peace -- a pre-song GIGGLE! Kate is "all grown up now" and it shows. There are no backwards vocals, no indecipherable sounds, and on the surface this album seems alot simpler than previous ones. Deceptively so. Broken lyrics are replaced by rich string arrangements, and strange, melifluous instruments. For me, and for Kate, this album represents a couple of firsts: 1) For the first time, I feel I have "caught up" to Kate. This is the first album I have been conscious of on the very day of its release. So happy to be alive. 2) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the first time any non-Kate females have sung *at all* on any Kate track. How perfectly appropriate that it be 3 sixty-some year old Bulgarian women. If any females could have persevered enough to attain a Kately enough level to be allowed to sing on her album, I guess they could. I, too, disagree with the choice of Love and Anger as an American single. I suspect The Sensual World would have done fine, but in my opinion, Deeper Understanding would make a wonderful single. Everything about this song is fantastic. As with the album as a whole, this effort is trance-inducing, hypnotic. There lies through the chord of the album an irresistable subconscious appeal. The only (minor) complaint I have is with Heads We're Dancing, which, despite having the best title of any song on the album, would be better off not referring to Hitler. Kate says in NME that she'll be angry if anyone is offended by this song, but this unfortunately reflects Kate's lack of full understanding of the profundity of the Holocaust and said genocidists crucial role therein. Hitler's crimes against society are so heinous, that even a cautious reference tends to trivialize these acts. I, and many to whom I am close, feel strongly that allusion to Hitler in any light (e.g. his human side, attractiveness in the midst of "devil," etc.), however fleeting and cautious, must simply be avoided no matter the temptation. Aside from this small blemish, Kate has once again out-done herself. That she can be so consistently excellent time after time is indeed beyond mortal limit. Whatever her secret, I hope she can continue and live long. The Sensual World was most worth the wait, and any future Kate effort will be again, even if it's five years the next time. Sensually Yours, . /\/\ / /\/\ / / /_/ / / / "No pinky ring hustlers, No sabre-tooth neighbours"
Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/18/89)
Really-From: greg@beach.cis.ufl.edu (Greg O'Rear) In article <8910180204.AA04467@m.cs.uiuc.edu> Love-Hounds@GAFFA.MIT.EDU writes: >Really-From: Michael Mendelson <mendel@cs.uiuc.edu> > >...Kate seems to have mellowed a bit...that impenetrable wall erected in The >Dreaming and fortified by such Ninth Wave songs as Waking the Witch and >Jig of Life has all but crumbled and been replaced by a new peace.... Yeah, no challenges, no adventurous undertakings, no chances taken, not much of real substance to latch onto. >For me, and for Kate, this album represents a couple of firsts: > >2) (referring to Trio Bulgarka being the first female BVs for Kate): > How perfectly appropriate that it be 3 sixty-some year old Bulgarian > women. If any females could have persevered enough to attain a > Kately enough level to be allowed to sing on her album, I guess they > could. I'm sorry, but Trio Bulgarka (especially on "Rocket's Tail") blow Kate out of the water. No question of them working for decades to reach the level of ability to be allowed to sing on her album; they outshine Kate something fierce. At least on this album, Trio Bulgarka provide the most interesting and amazing vocals, period. >...The only (minor) complaint I have is with Heads We're Dancing, which, >despite having the best title of any song on the album, would be better >off not referring to Hitler. Kate says in NME that she'll be angry if >anyone is offended by this song, but this unfortunately reflects Kate's >lack of full understanding of the profundity of the Holocaust and said >genocidists crucial role therein. Hitler's crimes against society are >so heinous, that even a cautious reference tends to trivialize these >acts. I, and many to whom I am close, feel strongly that allusion to >Hitler in any light (e.g. his human side, attractiveness in the midst >of "devil," etc.), however fleeting and cautious, must simply be >avoided no matter the temptation. How thin-skinned can one be? You acknowledge that Kate did not intend to offend anyone, yet you insist on being offended by the mere mention of Hitler's name. Further, you state that Kate is therefore largely unaware of what Hitler and his men did and stood for. This sounds like something from "Life of Brian". "Hitler was a corporal in WWI" "Blasphemy! You said _Hitler_!" Give the lady some credit for knowing the history of her own country.... -- Greg O'Rear Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, University of Florida Address: greg@beach.cis.ufl.edu
Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/25/89)
Really-From: stewarte@ucscc.UCSC.EDU (The Man Who Invented Himself) Was I only dreaming, or did Michael Mendelson <mendel@cs.uiuc.edu> say: >The only (minor) complaint I have is with Heads We're Dancing, which, >despite having the best title of any song on the album, would be better >off not referring to Hitler. Kate says in NME that she'll be angry if >anyone is offended by this song, but this unfortunately reflects Kate's >lack of full understanding of the profundity of the Holocaust and said >genocidists crucial role therein. Hitler's crimes against society are >so heinous, that even a cautious reference tends to trivialize these >acts. I, and many to whom I am close, feel strongly that allusion to >Hitler in any light (e.g. his human side, attractiveness in the midst >of "devil," etc.), however fleeting and cautious, must simply be >avoided no matter the temptation. I disagree completely. To recognize that Hitler was human does not trivialize his actions; just the opposite. If we insist on convincing ourselves that Hitler was not human -- that he was some sort of demon, monster, something fundamentally different from the rest of us -- then we increase the chance that we won't recognize the next Hitler for what he is. Because if another leader like Hitler comes to power, in any country, you can bet he won't have horns on his head and a long red tail. The capacity for evil in humanity is what we really have to watch out for. -- Stewart -- "I have screaming rabbits in my dreams." -- beckyw /* uunet!sco!stewarte -or- stewarte@sco.COM -or- Stewart Evans */