Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site mit-eddie.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!gds From: gds@mit-eddie.UUCP (Greg Skinner) Newsgroups: mod.music Subject: Love-Hounds Digest Message-ID: <922@mit-eddie.UUCP> Date: Fri, 10-Jan-86 16:23:10 EST Article-I.D.: mit-eddi.922 Posted: Fri Jan 10 16:23:10 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 11-Jan-86 07:44:15 EST Organization: MIT Lusers and Hosers Inc., Cambridge, Ma. Lines: 135 Approved: gds@eddie.mit.edu Love-Hounds Digest Friday, January 10, 1986, 16:23 Today's Topics: Kate Bush in Digital Audio M+M update & KB 'reviews' [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 19 Dec 85 20:17 MST From: "James J. Lippard" Subject: Kate Bush in Digital Audio Reply-To: Lippard@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA Performance: 9/10 Sound Quality: 9/10 Kate Bush's music has always come from the heart. Although Hounds of Love is a complex and richly layered work, it's no exception to the rule. Since releasing the primitive but inspired The Kick Inside at the age of 18, Bush has evolved into a kind of modern renaissance woman: writer, producer, and Fairlight "player." Her lyrics go far beyond the expected pop music norm of adolescent writing. They have depth and are always interesting, even though some of the meanings may be known only to Bush herself. Bush isn't a "churn it out no matter what" kind of artist; she has never followed the album-a-year formula. For this reason, her works tend to be creative and unique. This does not, however, mean that Hounds of Love is for everybody. Bush has always had a highly original and idosyncratic style that never allows a listener's opinion to fall on middle ground. But once planted, the seeds of Bush's strange but seductive vocal melodies and harmonies grow and ripen with each listen. Part of the success of Hounds of Love stems from its use of so many different textures without compromising musicality. These include processed and/or layered vocals, unusual tones and sound effects, traditional instruments, all manner of real and electronic drums and percussion...the list goes on. "The Big Sky" and "Waking the Witch" are fine experiments in varying textures. Bush says she aimed for a perfect blend of the best acoustic and electronic sounds on this recording. Striving for acoustic perfection she solicits the help of instruments such as fiddles, whistles, bouzouki, uillean pipes, and dijeridu. On the electronic side, Bush skillfully explores the possibilities of the Fairlight--that part keyboard, part computer which enables the competent user to create a variety of sounds almost without limitation. "Watching You Without Me," a song with a distinctly Eastern flavor, is a gorgeous blend of acoustic bass and Fairlight. The sound quality of this disc is first-rate. Part of this may be attributed to Bush's sensitive approach to producing her own music, competent engineering, and digital mixdown--all of which leads to a clean and well-balanced recording. If you're tired of waking up to the same old CDs every morning, the freshness of Hounds of Love will make your day. -- Hugh Hardy Bush's most wonderfully eccentric performance yet. -- Scott E. Smith, Nashville, TN Kate Bush: Passionate and classy. Analog, but fine anyway. -- Sugith Varughese, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [From Digital Audio, January 1986] Jim (Lippard at MIT-MULTICS.ARPA) [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 19 Dec 85 10:13:20 est From: H. Chai Subject: M+M update & KB 'reviews' Just happened to come across the Oct 85 issue of _Canadian Musician_, and the cover story was M+M. They were in England then, working with David Lord (P. Gabriel's producer), at his studio at Bath, on their next album _The World is a Ball_. The article is by Daniel Richler. Mark Gane on their new album: "Our music has long occupied two extremes. Since _This is the Ice Age_ we've split off into a rhythmic thing and an ambient thing. This record seems paticularly schizophrenic. You'll hear ironic juxtapositions. You're thrown from one thing to another. That and the title, _The World is a Ball_, are meant to exemplify the kind of life we have in the 20th century. We're bombarded by so many different and violent conflicting elements." Several musicians who work with Gabreil also appear in this album, including Tony Levin, Jerry Moroder, Dick Smith, the last of whom brought "a vanload of third world instrumnets", including a bass marimba, maribula, and something called a 'rainmaker': "which sends seeds cascading through a spiral on the interior of a bamboo tube". Richler commented that several songs sound as if they incorporate African rhythms, but Mark says that the resemblance is accidental. "A lot of those rhythm loops were done on a little effects box we have at home that came out before all those computerized samplers. It does overdubbing onto a click track, then you can make it go backwards or change octaves. We've been using it for years. Often you don't know what time signature it's making or anything. It does sound evocative, but I wouldn't know how to make an African rhythm if I tried." Sounds like a very interesting album to look forward to. } Really-From: nessus (Doug Alan) } I've seen very very few negative reviews of HoL. Well I just read one yesterday! It was in a British mag called _Hi Fi Answers_ (if I didn't remember it wrong). The reviewer said HoL is as overproduced as _The Dreaming_, and that tD didn't win her any new friends [what? who just said "HA"? :-] and HoL won't either. "Still a talented artist, but someone has to take her by the scruff of her neck." Well, you good people, what say we all go over to England and take the reviewer by the scruff of HIS neck, eh? And while we're there we could also camp outside KB's door......(Doug, we're still waiting for your transcipt of the interview! :-) In this month's _Graffiti_, KB was featured in a one page article. This one contained nothing exciting, but it does have a color pic of KB: the "hands in hair and pouting" one offered in the limited edition package. (BTW, _Graffiti_ is a Canadian rock music mag). -- henry [][][][][][][][][][] -- It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under. Greg Skinner (gregbo) {decvax!genrad, allegra, ihnp4}!mit-eddie!gds gds@mit-eddie.mit.edu