Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (06/22/89)
Really-From: barth@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Richards) >Really-From: "David K. Young" <wasatch!mailrus!BBN.COM!dyoung@cs.utexas.edu> > >This might sound a little strange, but I'm curious about how people listen >to a record for the first time. > >Why? Well, yesterday I bought the soundtrack to "Batman" by Prince. For >some reason I decided that for my first listening I would follow along with >the enclosed lyrics. But after I had finished listening I felt rather >untouched by the music. Later in the evening I listened to it again, this >time without looking at the lyrics -- just listening without any >distractions. And guess what? I really enjoyed the record a lot more than >the first time. Not such a strange question. Various albums have hit me in different ways. If I read the lyrics to an album and think they're good, then I usually enjoy the album more, knowing what the lyrics are. If read the lyrics and I don't think they're good, finding out what they're really singing can ruin the album for me, though if the music is still good, I can try to ignore the lyrics. A good case in point is the Sugarcubes album. When I first got it, I thought it was pretty cool. Then I read the lyrics, and it seemed like the lyricist was trying very hard to be "deep" in a language he (or she) couldn't speak very well. They came across as sophmoric and clumsy, which made it difficult for me to listen to the album without smirking, but I've since learned to listen to the music and ignore the lyrics (sort of). A good example of the other sort is Marillion's first album. I liked it a lot when I first got it, but the US pressing didn't come with a lyric sheet, so I didn't always know what Fish (the lead singer) was saying. I later got the UK pressing, which comes with the lyrics, and had a chance to read them. As I really liked the lyrics, I enjoyed the album even more, knowing what Fish was singing. 888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 88 88 88 Language is a virus from outer space. Barth Richards 88 88 AT&T Bell Labs 88 88 Naperville, IL 88 88 - William S. Burroughs !att!ihlpf!barth 88 88 88 888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (06/23/89)
Really-From: John Precedo <jp@doc.imperial.ac.uk> I usually hear a record for the first time on the radio. This means that it is just to get a feel of the record. By the time I actually buy it, I have decided that I like it. If I haven't heard a song on the radio before (eg album tracks), I just sit there and let it wash over me, so it's pretty much the as before. Incidently, there are songs I hear that I HATE, and yet can't stop humming...you've probably heard some like this yourself. According to my sister, the Germans call them "ear worm". That's the trivial fact for today. -John
tim@toad.COM (Tim Maroney) (06/24/89)
Quoted-From: barth@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Richards) >A good case in point is the Sugarcubes album. When I first got it, I >thought it was pretty cool. Then I read the lyrics, and it seemed like the >lyricist was trying very hard to be "deep" in a language he (or she) couldn't >speak very well. They came across as sophmoric and clumsy, which made it >difficult for me to listen to the album without smirking, but I've since >learned to listen to the music and ignore the lyrics (sort of). Speak for yourself! (Yeah, I know, you are, but it's the ritual response and I'd hate to offend traditionalists.) I think the lyrics of the Sugarcubes' songs are a perfect complement to the LSD-inspired performance style. "This is hot meat, this is metallic blood...." The imagery is evocative and powerful. The lyricist has a deep grasp of the natural rhythm of language and could easily have been a postmodern poet rather than a song writer. Yes, there is a certain naivete to the style; naive style is "in" these days, and with good reason. These people may not be Tutuola, but they are damn good. -- Tim Maroney, Mac Software Consultant, sun!hoptoad!tim, tim@toad.com Postal: 424 Tehama, SF CA 94103; Phone: (415) 495-2934 "Women's wages are 56% of men's -- but that's not necessarily evidence of discrimination in employment." -- Clayton Cramer in news.groups and soc.women
Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (06/27/89)
Really-From: barth@ihlpf.ATT.COM (Richards) In article <8906232013.AA15154@hop.toad.com> tim@toad.COM (Tim Maroney) writes: >Quoted-From: barth@ihlpf.ATT.COM (me) > >>A good case in point is the Sugarcubes album. When I first got it, I >>thought it was pretty cool. Then I read the lyrics, and it seemed like the >>lyricist was trying very hard to be "deep" in a language he (or she) couldn't >>speak very well. They came across as sophmoric and clumsy, which made it >>difficult for me to listen to the album without smirking, but I've since >>learned to listen to the music and ignore the lyrics (sort of). > >Speak for yourself! (Yeah, I know, you are, but it's the ritual >response and I'd hate to offend traditionalists.) I think the lyrics >of the Sugarcubes' songs are a perfect complement to the LSD-inspired >performance style. "This is hot meat, this is metallic blood...." > >The imagery is evocative and powerful. The lyricist has a deep grasp >of the natural rhythm of language and could easily have been a >postmodern poet rather than a song writer. Yes, there is a certain >naivete to the style; naive style is "in" these days, and with good >reason. These people may not be Tutuola, but they are damn good. Hmmm...well, I guess all I can say is that I'm glad *you* enjoy them. Perhaps I would like their Icelandic lyrics better, as the lyricist(s) would be working in a more familiar language. The CD of their album includes a couple songs in Icelandic, but the lyric sheet did not include the Icelandic lyrics. Does anyone know where these, and any other of their Icelandic lyrics, could be gotten? And who's Tutuola? 888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 88 88 88 Language is a virus from outer space. Barth Richards 88 88 AT&T Bell Labs 88 88 Naperville, IL 88 88 - William S. Burroughs !att!ihlpf!barth 88 88 88 888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888