Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/18/89)
Really-From: JONES%RPIECS.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu
Hi there fellow Love-Hounds--
Like the rest of you who weren't fortunate enough to get your hands on
a promo copy of _The Sensual World_, I hit the local Record Town yesterday
and snagged it. The girl behind the counter commented that she had just
finished putting all the CD's out a few hours before...and I think I took
the last copy from the bin.
Anyway! Just thought I'd throw in my two cents' worth about Kate's
latest.
The first time through the album, there were things that instantly
caught my attention:
_Love and Anger_
The absolutely GLORIOUS laugh between _Love and
Anger_ and _The Fog_
The POWER of the vocals in _Reaching Out_
The funky little rhythms at the beginning of
_Heads We're Dancing_
_Deeper Understanding_
To perfectly honest, I just about cringed the first time I listened to
_Rocket's Tail_. There was just something about it that I hated. But
never fear, you Hounds out there. I used to hate Marillion's _Misplaced
Childhood_ and Gabriel #3 at one point too. For that matter, I used to
have doubts about 3/4 of the stuff on _The Dreaming_. I'm sure that with
a few more listens, it will start to grow on me. :)
So far (after 2 listens), my favorites are _LAA_, _Reaching Out_, _Deeper
Understanding_. I loved _This Woman's Work_ then and still love it now (I
get goosebumps about the size of dimes). This album is pretty different
from _Hounds_, but that certainly doesn't make it WORSE. I think Kate is
defintely growing up, and her use of the Bulgarian Trio and a more 'ethnic'
sound reflects that.
Ah, but the sound of that laugh still haunts me...I guess somewhere, the
child in Kate still lurks.
Happy listening to all!!
All the best,
Deb Wentorf
P.S. Someone commented earlier on the "lameness" of the front picture. I
really disagree. The lack of color forces you to search elsewhere
in the photo. You can't look away from those eyes, but if you do,
you see and can almost imagine the velvety feel of those rose petals,
can see the creamy slice of bare shoulder. It's a very seductive
picture; what could better convey the idea of sensuality/sexuality?Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (10/18/89)
Really-From: Jon Drukman <jsd@GAFFA.MIT.EDU> >Really-From: JONES%RPIECS.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu > The absolutely GLORIOUS laugh between _Love and > Anger_ and _The Fog_ Having the CD finally answered the question that's been bugging me ever since hearing the album: namely, does the laugh belong to the end of "Love and Anger" or the beginning of "The Fog"? The answer is, it's the beginning of "The Fog." And what a fantastic song that is. It broods and brews and bubbles and brims with ominous intensity. > The POWER of the vocals in _Reaching Out_ Oh, but what a waste of good lungwork. > The funky little rhythms at the beginning of > _Heads We're Dancing_ I am firmly convinced that the percussive hits are supposed to represent the dance that Kate and Hitler were doing. The little reversed whooshing hit sounds like the turnaround at the end of a tango. Anybody else think so? > _Deeper Understanding_ WHY are there bird sound effects at the end of this song? Did the protagonist suddenly get out into the real world? I really wish there wasn't a happy ending. > To perfectly honest, I just about cringed the first time I listened to >_Rocket's Tail_. There was just something about it that I hated. But >never fear, you Hounds out there. This is what makes love-hounds so interesting. The first time I heard it I had to stop the tape and take deep breaths. It was a (to quote S'Express) SCREAMING ORGASM of sound! Completely brilliant. >This album is pretty different >from _Hounds_, but that certainly doesn't make it WORSE. The thing that makes Hounds and Dreaming better albums for ME PERSONALLY is the amazing amounts of contrapuntal rhythms and melody lines. |>oug Alan summed it up best to me by saying: "On _TD_ and _HoL_ you had thousands of things all working against each other. On this album, you have thousands of things all pushing together." I guess I just like conflict. >P.S. Someone commented earlier on the "lameness" of the front picture. I > really disagree. The lack of color forces you to search elsewhere > in the photo. You can't look away from those eyes, but if you do, > you see and can almost imagine the velvety feel of those rose petals, > can see the creamy slice of bare shoulder. It's a very seductive > picture; what could better convey the idea of sensuality/sexuality? That was me. The problem is that the jewel booklet is really badly printed. The cover photo is passable, but the inside printing sucks the grand wazoo. Also, the photo really needs to be seen larger to have any impact. I cut up the cardboard box that came with it, but to make it not look stretched, they cropped it so "the creamy slice of bare shoulder" is missing. I still like the single cover better. It has more resonance. -- +---------------------- Is there any ESCAPE from NOISE? ----------------------+ | | |\ | jsd@gaffa.mit.edu | "I like George Bush, but this `kinder, | | \|on |/rukman | jsd@umass.bitnet | gentler' crap is killing us." - D.Trump | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+