From: owner-zorn-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (Zorn List Digest) To: zorn-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: Zorn List Digest V3 #5 Reply-To: zorn-list Sender: owner-zorn-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-zorn-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk Zorn List Digest Sunday, August 6 2000 Volume 03 : Number 005 In this issue: - Sonic Youth Recomendations recent purchases Seeking Merzbow Burn Re: Seeking Merzbow Burn Re: recent purchases Re: recent purchases Big Gundown Sonic Youth Re: Sonic Youth recommendations? Re: recent purchases Re: next Unheard Music Series releases Re: SY recomendations ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 01:37:06 -0400 (EDT) From: James Graves Subject: Sonic Youth Recomendations I'm not a big SY fan, but I REALLY like Daydream Nation. And although it isn't very represenational of their total output, Goodbye 20th Century is a wonderful foray into SY's take on 20th century art music adding a harsh rock edge to pieces by Reich, Cage and even Yoko Ono. Jamie - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 21:21:43 +1000 From: "Julian" Subject: recent purchases This is a multi-part message in MIME format. - ------=_NextPart_000_0078_01BFFFEC.518FB340 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable A few comments... - - Jamie Saft "Sovlanut" - I really enjoyed his brilliant work with = Previte and not so obviously brilliant but still pretty good work with = Zorn, so I ordered this album basically as soon as I heard it was = coming. Maybe it will grow a bit on me, but after a few listens I'm a = bit disappointed. There are a few interesting bits, especially the more = melodic parts, but generally it gets a bit repetitive... Also features = Jim Black and Chris Speed. - - Uri Caine/La Gaia Scienza "Love Fugue" - This is truly strange, even = after hearing Caine's other classical/jazz works. Here he takes a = different approach, and basically turns the Schumann's Dichterleibe into = quirky pop songs. The basic group is Uri Caine (piano), David Gilmore = (guitar) and Mark Ledford (vocals). The vocals are a bit 'cheesy' and = may put people off. David Moss weirds the recording up a bit with some = growling noises over 3 of the tracks (any recommendations of other stuff = this guy's done?) and there's also some tracks featuring poets. Oh, I = almost forgot, for some reason, the four movements of the Piano Quartet = Op. 47 are inserted in at various points, played straight by La Gaia = Scienza. - - Medeski, Martin & Wood "Best Of 1991-1996" - I've always liked a = couple of tracks off each album, but never enough to actually go out and = buy them. So, this was pretty perfect for me! It's got one track off = their first album, 3 or 4 each off the next 3, one off their Bubblehouse = EP, and one live track... - - Rahsaan Roland Kirk "Dog Years In The Fourth Ring" - I got this 3 CD = set because I wanted to get more into Kirk's work, and I noticed that it = contained stuff that other people had covered, like 'Breath-A-Thon' (on = Dave Douglas' latest trio album) and Bacharach's 'I Say A Little Prayer' = (on Ground Zero "Plays Standards"), as well as some Coltrane, Monk and = Miles tunes which I figured would be interesting to hear by Kirk. = Anyway, what I didn't know is that the third CD is actually "Natural = Black Inventions: Root Strata", which features Kirk playing nearly = everything himself (with no overdubs, that is) and playing all sorts of = horns at once, plus a lot of percussion. Towards the end it gets a bit = stale, but it's certainly an interesting CD, and a great bonus for "Dog = Years..." Julian. http://www.hartingdale.com.au/~jcurwin - ------=_NextPart_000_0078_01BFFFEC.518FB340 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
A few comments...
 
- Jamie Saft "Sovlanut" - I really = enjoyed his=20 brilliant work with Previte and not so obviously brilliant but still = pretty good=20 work with Zorn, so I ordered this album basically as soon as I heard it = was=20 coming. Maybe it will grow a bit on me, but after a few listens I'm = a bit=20 disappointed. There are a few interesting bits, especially the more = melodic=20 parts, but generally it gets a bit repetitive... Also features Jim Black = and=20 Chris Speed.
 
- Uri Caine/La Gaia Scienza "Love = Fugue" - This is=20 truly strange, even after hearing Caine's other classical/jazz works. = Here he=20 takes a different approach, and basically turns the Schumann's = Dichterleibe into=20 quirky pop songs. The basic group is Uri Caine (piano), David Gilmore = (guitar)=20 and Mark Ledford (vocals). The vocals are a bit 'cheesy' and may put = people off.=20 David Moss weirds the recording up a bit with some growling noises over = 3 of the=20 tracks (any recommendations of other stuff this guy's done?) and there's = also=20 some tracks featuring poets. Oh, I almost forgot, for some reason, the = four=20 movements of the Piano Quartet Op. 47 are inserted in at various points, = played=20 straight by La Gaia Scienza.
 
- Medeski, Martin & Wood "Best Of = 1991-1996" -=20 I've always liked a couple of tracks off each album, but never enough to = actually go out and buy them. So, this was pretty perfect for me! It's=20 got one track off their first album, 3 or 4 each off the next 3, = one off=20 their Bubblehouse EP, and one live track...
 
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk "Dog Years In The = Fourth=20 Ring" - I got this 3 CD set because I wanted to get more into Kirk's = work, and I=20 noticed that it contained stuff that other people had covered, like=20 'Breath-A-Thon' (on Dave Douglas' latest trio album) and Bacharach's 'I = Say A=20 Little Prayer' (on Ground Zero "Plays Standards"), as well as some = Coltrane,=20 Monk and Miles tunes which I figured would be interesting to hear by = Kirk.=20 Anyway, what I didn't know is that the third CD is actually "Natural = Black=20 Inventions: Root Strata", which features Kirk playing nearly everything = himself=20 (with no overdubs, that is) and playing all sorts of horns at once, plus = a lot=20 of percussion. Towards the end it gets a bit stale, but it's certainly = an=20 interesting CD, and a great bonus for "Dog Years..."
 
 
Julian.
http://www.hartingdale.co= m.au/~jcurwin
- ------=_NextPart_000_0078_01BFFFEC.518FB340-- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 12:28:45 +0100 From: Stephen Fruitman Subject: Seeking Merzbow Burn Has anyone got a copy of Merzbow & Christoph Heeman, _Sleeper Awakes on the Edge of the Abyss_ (Streamline 10003 CD) from 1993 that they could make a CDr of for me? Your efforts will be richly rewarded.... All the best, Stephen - ---------------------- - ---------------------- ############ P=E4r Eliasson Department of History of Science and Ideas Ume=E5 University S-901 87 Ume=E5 Tel (+46) 90 768 68 89 =46ax (+46) 90 14 33 74 E-Mail: par.eliasson@idehist.umu.se ############ - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 10:35:40 EDT From: JonAbbey2@aol.com Subject: Re: Seeking Merzbow Burn hi, Stephen. << Has anyone got a copy of Merzbow & Christoph Heeman, _Sleeper Awakes on the Edge of the Abyss_ (Streamline 10003 CD) from 1993 that they could make a CDr of for me? Your efforts will be richly rewarded.... >> I have this, and I could make you a copy, but if you're basing this on David Keenan's ludicrous description of this in the new Wire as not only the best Merzbow record, but also the best Heemann record, you're almost definitely going to be sadly disappointed. it's one of the least consequential records from the first wave of Streamlines (many of which are essential, the two Intersystems and the Morphogenesis come to mind first), before Anomalous took over the label. it tries to be atmospheric and ambient, but I've never thought it added up to much. I played it again after reading Keenan's review, but my opinion still holds, and I even talked to some other Merzbow and/or Heemann fans (both of which I'd consider myself, to varying degrees). no one has any idea what he's talking about. anyway, if you're still interested, contact me offlist. Jon www.erstwhilerecords.com P.S. the best Merzbow CDs, not even mentioned in Keenan's top 10, are the two volumes of Music For Bondage Performance (Extreme). - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 13:43:59 -0400 From: Matt Laferty Subject: Re: recent purchases I would add that NBI:RS is also the Kirk album that Zorn cites in the notorious Radio Show cd.  I've been enjoying "Blacknuss" myself lately, and have got my eye on the Mercury box set.  I've really listened to the Dog Years box more than any other Kirk...and have heard the Warner Brothers compilation and the Mercury "two-fer" of "Don't You Cry Beautiful Edith..." but not much else.

Any nice and obscure Kirk references out there?

Matt
 

Julian wrote:

 Anyway, what I didn't know is that the third CD is actually "Natural Black Inventions: Root Strata", which features Kirk playing nearly everything himself (with no overdubs, that is) and playing all sorts of horns at once, plus a lot of percussion. Towards the end it gets a bit stale, but it's certainly an interesting CD, and a great bonus for "Dog Years..." 
- - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 14:08:05 -0400 From: Brian Olewnick Subject: Re: recent purchases Matt Laferty wrote: > Any nice and obscure Kirk references out there? Just to add that NBI:RS has always been my favorite Rahsaan record and I was pleasantly surprised that the track Zorn plays on the Radio Hour disc is "Black Root", is one of my single favorite pieces of music ever. As is another of his selections, the Mantler/Sanders collaboration, 'Preview'. Brian Olewnick NP: Jon Gibson, Two Solo Pieces - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 18:21:09 GMT From: "Arthur Gadney" Subject: Big Gundown Hey! Somebody mentioned that he got his hands on a prerelease version of "The Big Gundown 15th Aniversary". Could you enlighten us with a bit more information about the bonustracks? Apparently they are newly recorded. Titles? Musicians? Thanks a lot! ARTHUR_G ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 18:29:20 GMT From: "Arthur Gadney" Subject: Sonic Youth Hey! About Sonic Youth, it seems I have a bit different attidue than most: I think the new stuff is easily the best! It seems many people thought they went kind of downhill when they gave up the powertools and started in the more normal and melodic song vain. I don't think so. I think as noise makers they are far from the top. Compare the guitar work to the real master (my opinion) like Haino Keiji, Jojo, Null, Yamamoto Seechi, Marc Ribot, Fred Frith and so on, Lee and Thurston seems rather uniteresting. Especially if you check out some of the dreadfull side projects and impro CDs. But for melody, SY are great. One of my favorite's is "Experimental Jetset, Trash And No Star" (I forgot the correct title, sorry). Probably their most poppy one, also. But great songs! And they are great singer all three... (about the lyrics I'm not so sure...) But best of all is the new one "NYC Ghosts And Flowers". No noise at all (more or less...), but very long minimal "psychedelic" pieces. And very melodic. Sublimely produced by Jim O'Rourke... Lyrics are also quite good. Just my 2 cents, ARTHUR_G ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 17:30:49 -0500 From: Steve Smith Subject: Re: Sonic Youth recommendations? Martin_Wisckol@link.freedom.com wrote: > I'd like to delve into the pool of Sonic Youth and could use some > recommendations. Also, since I'll start at the used record stores, I'd > be glad to know which albums I needn't bother with. My own preferences are as follows: 1. EVOL - My first SY and still my favorite. Dark and disturbing, but with enough of the nascent craftsmanship that would burst through in 'Daydream Nation' to make it more recommendable than the earlier releases. Tracks like "Tom Violence," "Shadow of a Doubt" (based on Hitchcock's 'Strangers on a Train') and "Expressway to Yr. Skull" still haunt me. (The followup, 'Sister' is similar but has never gripped me so tightly as this one.) 2. DAYDREAM NATION - Truly the breakthrough album, and the one to get if you're only getting one. This is where the early experimentalism is met in equal measure to the structured songwriting to follow in subsequent years. 3. GOO - Gets a bad rap for being the group's above-ground sellout album, but frankly the pop songs are good ("Dirty Boots" and "Kool Thing" - the latter with hilarious posturing by Public Enemy's Chuck D.) and there's enough here of real interest (the slightly silly but touching encomium to Karen Carpenter, "Tunic," and the dark, atmospheric "Disappearer") to make it a worthwhile album. (The followup, 'Dirty,' has its adherents, but I'm not one of them. 'Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star' is not quite as good as 'Goo' but better than 'Dirty.') 4. A THOUSAND LEAVES - This one came after the disappointing 'Washing Machine' and the woodshedding of the first few SYR EPs, and strikes me as both a return to form and a wistful, almost valedictory set from an edgy group finally easing into middle-aged maturity. I enjoyed this one much more than I expected to. (Lots of people have good things to say about the new one, 'NYC Ghosts and Flowers,' but this one struck me as a far more self-conscious attempt to meld the experimental and the songful than did 'A Thousand Leaves,' which to me sounded completely organic. Don't know how much of that was due to the presence of Jim O'Rourke as outside provocateur.) Finally, many on this list have lauded the double CD of modern classical "covers," but I've still not gotten around to that one. Hope this is helpful to some extent. Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com NP - Stanley Turrentine & the Three Sounds, "There Is No Greater Love," 'Blue Hour - The Complete Sessions' (Blue Note) - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 20:36:05 -0400 From: "Caleb T. Deupree" Subject: Re: recent purchases At 09:21 PM 8/6/00 +1000, Julian wrote: >>>> David Moss weirds the recording up a bit with some growling noises over 3 of the tracks (any recommendations of other stuff this guy's done?) <<<< This past week I listened to Full House, a series of duets with many of our usual suspects (e.g., Frith, Zorn, Lindsay, etc.) and found his vocal mannerisms a little wearing. I prefer him on drums and percussion, especially his work with guitarist John King, such as John King's Electric World on Ear-Rational, and Texture Time, the Dense Band recording on Intakt. They feature him in more of a rock setting, where his vocals work a little better for me, and where his drumming is much more in the forefront. His solo album on Intakt, My Favorite Things, isn't too bad, and got generally good reviews when it came out (including one in Cadence). I've also got an improv album with Moss, King, and Otomo which is interesting too. Patrice has a good discography of him at http://www.nwu.edu/jazz/artists/moss.david/discog.html, especially good at listing all of his sideman dates. - -- Caleb Deupree cdeupree@erinet.com Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. - -- Satchel Paige - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 06 Aug 2000 20:46:36 -0400 From: "Caleb T. Deupree" Subject: Re: next Unheard Music Series releases At 09:29 PM 8/4/00 EDT, JonAbbey2@aol.com wrote: > >Belle-View is so ass-kicking that John Corbett has selected it as the initial >release in a UMS miniseries: "Unheard Greats of Swiss Electroacoustic >Improvised Music". ^^^^^ I'm not sure whether to be pleased that there are so many unheard greats in Swiss electroacoustic improvised music, or to wonder what happened to the unheard greats in electroacoustic improvised music from outside Switzerland. Must be a more well populated genre than I imagined. - -- Caleb Deupree cdeupree@erinet.com Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. - -- Satchel Paige - - ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Aug 2000 18:05:12 -0500 From: "abulafia" Subject: Re: SY recomendations > I'd like to delve into the pool of Sonic Youth and could use some > recommendations. Also, since I'll start at the used record stores, I'd > be glad to know which albums I needn't bother with. Well my list for this is long so lets try to sum up a bit, lets start at the beginning. I still have no problems recommending "Confusion is sex + kill yr idols" this is a great, rough, harsh record that has amazing depth under a think layer of afrontive scrawl & bad recording. From there "Bad moon rising" & "Evol" area fine albums but probably better left to fill in the gaps. "Sister" & "Daydream Nation" are often sited by critics as there best works, & they may well be. Though not my all the time favorites they do encapsulate what made SY an almost popular band. That is, the synthesis of pop construction and abstract, chaotic, post-modern punk. These records also hold the first hint of the future SY, that is the sea of phased-out indy guitar swing, floting off into the mist,..... but just hints. "Ciccone Youth, the Whitey Album" has been on various days my favorite. Macbeth stands as one of there best single efforts. (not to say "an effort at a single") Make "Goo" the last SY album you buy. Many will try to lead you astray by saying this is there best album. IT'S A DAMN LIE! they had just got signed, and recorded wonderful punk songs with a major label studio & it's producer. If you want to hear what "Goo" is supposed to sound like, go rent "91' the year punk broke" or seek out some bootlegs of that era. Moving on, "Dirty" was my first favorite SY album, that & "Experimental, Jet set...." are also the most likely ones you are to find at any given used bin. either is a great investment. "Dirty" is far more punk driven, in a way it reminds me of Nirvana's "Nevermind". "Experimental..." is much quieter, but is so chalk full of hooks it's a instant hit. But that being said, it runs the danger of getting it's self played out. From there Sonic Youth entered there current era starting with "Washing Machine", "SYR1", "SYR2", "SKR1", "A Thousand Leaves", "SYR3", "SYR4", & "NYC Ghost's & Flowers" I would not recommend SYR3 (it takes a high degree of patience), SKR1 (it was a one off lark with little cohesiveness), or SYR4 (it is SY performing works by other 20th century modern classical composers). These are nice in there proper context but are not there most striking works. of "Washing Machine", "SYR1", "SYR2", "A Thousand Leaves", & "NYC Ghosts & Flowers", I have a hard time splitting these up in my mind in that they are so connected conceptually. Moving from one to the other is like seeing the band conceive of and than execute new facets of music that seem like it should be well know to us by now but has been turned around to face a different goal other than just entertain us. If a pool of Sonic Youth is to be delved into this is certainly the deep end. And of them I would say that Washing Machine & NYC Ghosts & Flowers Might be your best bet. Sorry if I failed to pin down a sure fired winner for you but good luck, to sum up again, my picks would be Ciccone Youth Sister Daydream Nation Dirty Washing Machine NYC Ghost's & Flowers in no particular order (though confusion is sex, experimental..., syr1,syr2, & a thousand leaves are fine record too) abulafia@i1.net - - ------------------------------ End of Zorn List Digest V3 #5 ***************************** To unsubscribe from zorn-list-digest, send an email to "majordomo@lists.xmission.com" with "unsubscribe zorn-list-digest" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "zorn-list-digest" in the commands above with "zorn-list". Back issues are available for anonymous FTP from ftp.xmission.com, in pub/lists/zorn-list/archive. 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