On Mon, 23 Dec 2002 00:44:26 -0500 "Steve Smith" <ssmith36@sprynet.com> wrote:

25 New Releases

It points out to me how far out of the record-buying-and-listening loop I've been that I've only heard one of your top 25, David Bowie's "Heretic". And, FWIW, that one didn't do much for me -- the arrangements seemed lusher than the songs seemed to want, and the only songs I can remember from it, a few months later, are the cover tunes. It reminded me a lot of his "Tonight" album, where a lot of the same things went awry, though that was redeemed by some stellar moments like "Loving the Alien". Probably not something I would put on my top list if I had bought enough CDs for there to be a meaningful one. Though the new Peter Gabriel almost definitely would make it. -- | jzitt@josephzitt.com http://www.josephzitt.com/ | | GPG: A4224EFA http://www.mp3.com/josephzitt/ | | == New book: Surprise Me with Beauty: the Music of Human Systems == | | Comma / Gray Code / VoiceWAVE Silence: the John Cage Discussion List |

Digging through my CDs, I discover that the CD that we've been calling "Heretic" for the past few messages is actually "Heathen". But I'm pretty sure we're talking about the same disc. Meanwhile (I'm still thinkin')... On Mon, 23 Dec 2002 02:25:13 -0500 "Steve Smith" <ssmith36@sprynet.com> wrote:

(remember, I don't really know 'Outside' or 'Earthling' aside from a subsequent live performance).

Well, the problem here is that you've leapfrogged over some of his finest work, from one mediocre period into another that may be marginally better. It's unfortunate spoken-word sections aside (and I'd rather hearing a Bowie project mess up as it did there from overambition than from the sloth I hear on 'Heathen'), 'Outside' is a textural wonder, in ways that specifically did not come across live: multifaceted and highly varied, with intricate composing and mixing, and songs that are far beyond the fairly trivial structures I hear in the past couple of albums. His lyrics also went much farther out on those than what he's writing now, edgier and more interesting. I find the current lyrics kind of hovering in a dull threateningness, as if he had hired some other OK songwriter to give him some Bowie-like lyrics. (Actually, one song on the previous album *did* have imitation Bowie lyrics, by someone who won a contest through his website.)

And while the textures on 'Heretic' perhaps weren't created or even supervised by Bowie, at least they were *mandated* by him -- which to me suggests that he knows the Top 40 is at last out of reach, and his is no disgrace that this should be so.

I don't hear this textural richness on 'Heathen'. If he's stopped trying to reach the Top 40 (and I doubt he's been trying for it for quite a long time), it's hard to hear what he is trying for, other than perhaps putting himself out to pasture. I found it telling that the coverage I recall seeing for this album was more in fashion magazines than in music magazines -- he seems to be comfortable being defined by the suits he's wearing so well. Sure, he may not be teen pop anymore, but I still think he has it in him to do more than croon these forgettable tunes. That he mandated the sound of this album doesn't seem like a point in his favour, IMHO, especially as compared to what he was doing not long ago. I don't think getting together with Tony Visconti helped much, other than letting him fall back into something comfortable.

Honestly, the cover tunes are what I remember least, although I do remember being amused that Bowie might think a Pixies cover would mean anything at all. It's that spooky intro that remains with me... "where the heat goes..."

And I think here we may have hit the flip sides of what we haven't heard: I'm not sure I've ever heard the Pixies, and wasn't familiar with any of the covered tunes ahead of time or in other arrangements, so I may be missing some things about them. Looking back at the lyrics online, I recall that I did enjoy the song about Uncle Floyd -- but as with much I hear on this, that was an exercise in nostalgia for me as a Jersey boy who occasionally watched the show.

I liked the new Peter Gabriel more than I'd expected -- Nine Inch Nails affectations, posthumous Nusrat performances and all. His voice is just gorgeous, no two ways about it. But it simply didn't compel me to revisit it enough to make this admittedly subjective list.

I've been playing it most days at work (we have a fairly weak playlist of allowed CDs), though, come to think of it, I've been putting on the Five Blind Boys of Alabama CD even more often. And all this may just be grumpiness from a couple of days at work that make me feel like I've been running a marathon. It's kind of funny watching what people are buying as pre-Christmas presents. I'm beginning to think that we should just package the recent Andrea Boccelli, Josh Groban, and Norah Jones discs together as combo of Music That Will May You Think That Other People Will Think You're Classy. Or something. *grumble* -- | jzitt@josephzitt.com http://www.josephzitt.com/ | | GPG: A4224EFA http://www.mp3.com/josephzitt/ | | == New book: Surprise Me with Beauty: the Music of Human Systems == | | Comma / Gray Code / VoiceWAVE Silence: the John Cage Discussion List |

hi patrice my understanding is that the burst of music after 'a day in the life' *is* on the original LP, only most turntables would automatically lift the needle before reaching it. i have a vague memory of fiddling with my turntable many years back so as to get access to this fabled bit of beatles ephemera. happy new year, whit On Mon, 23 Dec 2002, Patrice L. Roussel wrote:

On Sun, 22 Dec 2002 22:37:43 -0800 Joseph Zitt wrote:

...

It points out to me how far out of the record-buying-and-listening loop I've been that I've only heard one of your top 25, David Bowie's "Heretic". And, FWIW, that one didn't do much for me -- the arrangements seemed lusher than the songs seemed to want, and the only songs I can remember from it, a few months later, are the cover tunes. [...]

Talking about Bowie, I saw yesterday a special pressing of ZIGGY STARDUST with a bonus CD ($25). Any idea if it is worth checking?

Also, a question for the Beatles fans. A few years ago I bought the CD pressing of SERGEANT PEPPERS and I was surprised by the short piece of music (after a blank) at the end of "A Day in the Life". I swear, this was not on my old LP pressing. Does anybody know the story behind this?

Thanks,

Patrice.

NP: NUITS DE LA FONDATION MAEGHT 1970: Albert NR: A L'ECOLE DES SORCIERS: Rowlings

_______________________________________________ zorn-list mailing list zorn-list@mailman.xmission.com To UNSUBSCRIBE or Change Your Subscription Options, go to the webpage below http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/zorn-list

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Whit Schonbein Department of Philosophy Philosophy - Neuroscience - Psychology Program Washington University St. Louis, Missouri, USA wwschonb@artsci.wustl.edu http://artsci.wustl.edu/~wwschonb/ *** contact me for mailing address *** ----------------------------------------------------------------------