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From: IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 86 13:34 PDT
Subject: bacKdaTed postings of moment to KulTists
The following postings were refused by
Doug's autopilot the first time, no doubt motivated by
some mechanistic anti-Katian disposition.
Subject: An L-H BarKs; a coKTeau wins; and KloThing TalKs
IED with asked-for and unasked-for information
to satisfy curiosity or clear up Philocanine delusions:
About Nancy's question concerning
Cocteau Twins: IED does NOT recommend
Garlands as the first LP of theirs to
get, especially if you're hoping for
Kate Bush influence. Garlands, their
first LP, is much more like Siouxsie
Sioux than Kate Bush, and the tracks,
although without doubt good, are somewhat
crude, and two-to-three chord-based.
Furthermore, they are relatively devoid
of melody, one of the strongest points of
the later Cocteau Twins records.
IED recommends Treasure without hesitation
as the first Cocteau Twins LP to buy. Failing
that, the compilation disc The Pink Opaque.
Treasure is the
first real flowering of the Cocteau
Twins' sound, every track on it has real beauty,
and the production is spectacular. Although
it doesn't sound like The Dreaming, Treasure
is comparable in that it is the Cocteau Twins'
breakthrough album (albeit a breakthrough
commensurate with the group's insignificant
status in relation to that of KATE BUSH).
The three subsequent EPs (Aikea Guinea, Tiny
Dynamine and Echoes in a Shallow Bay) and
the follow-up album Victorialand are all
very close to Treasure in style and sound,
but increasingly lack (in IED's opinion,
of course) the substance and depth that
distinguishes Treasure. The records
preceeding Treasure (Head Over Heels,
Sunburst and Snowblind, etc.) are good, but are
more akin to Never For Ever (only in the sense
that they show signs of major advances without
really standing as landmark works on their own).
Of course, the single most clearly Kate-influenced
track of all by Cocteau Twins is the cover version
of R. Harper's "Another Day", sung by Elizabeth Fraser.
It's on This Mortal Coil's only LP, a kind of collaborative
record featuring members of various 4AD groups.
No matter what anyone says about Fraser's decision to
sing this song, there can be absolutely
no doubt that she saw the Kate Christmas special and heard
Kate's version of the song with Peter Gabriel.
Nancy is absolutely right about the lines from
"Waking the Witch", of course. This "come" business,
quite regardless of whether it is appropriate or not,
is simply NOT THERE. The words are "Tell them", not
"Come". Period. And Nancy is right to point
out that "Tell them" makes perfect sense
in the context of the song.
In response to Mark's offer to compile a list of t-shirt
designs: No, Mark, you haven't missed anything. The fact
is, nobody ever actually DID anything about the t-shirts.
IED is all for a vote by ballot, however you want to
organize it. Below are two designs submitted by IED, but
partially based on other Love-Hounds' suggestions.
Number One:
F R O N T
_________/ \__________
| Love-Hounds | < this line in HoL script
| An International |
|______ Kate Bush ______| < These lines in upper-
| Computer Forum | and lower-case block
| ___________ | print, taking up less
| | 9th Wave | | space than as shown;
| | or | |
| | gold key | |
| | photo here| |
| |___________| |
| |
| |
| |
|___________________|
B A C K
---------/ \----------
| |
| | These lines in
|______ ...With a kiss I'd ______| Hounds of Love
| pass the key... | < script, unless
| | someone can do
| --__--__--_ -/_ | J.C. Bush-style
| || /// | calligraphy
| |// |
| | \\ | The logo roughly
| | \\ | < drawn, or as though
| | \\\ | painted on; N.B.:
| || \\ | unwise to copy KBC
| | logo exactly
|___________________|
Number Two (based on the body-calligraphy idea):
F R O N T
_________/n \__________
| a d |
| | I' |
|______ | s ______|
| s s |
| d . i |
| n . k |
| u . |
| o W a |
| H i h |
| \ t |
| e |
| v |
| o |
| L |
|___________________|
B A C K
---------/ \----------
| p B u I |
| a s n |
|______ s e h t ______|
| s t e |
| a F r |
| t K o n |
| h m r a |
| e l u t |
| a i |
| k n o |
| e |
| y . . . |
| |
|___________________|
Subject: a KaTalogue, (ad-)Dressed to the Nine(th)s
The following is a list of observations and
points of confusion in IED's Swelling Itching
Brain about The Ninth Wave. If anyone has
anything at all to offer in the way of explanation
of these points, IED would greatly appreciate
the input.
1. "And Dream of Sheep"
a. Source of sound directly after first "...and dream of sheep...":
sounds like a fishing rod?(supposed to be radio turning on)
2. "Under Ice"
a. "Hay-ho" or just "Oh-oh"? (This in reference to credits on LP sleeve)
b. "Sonar, take it deep to deep six..."?
c. Clinks during harmonics passage at end of "Under Ice"and an
uncredited dijeridoo? (ditto intro of Meteorological Mix of BS)
3. "Waking the Witch"
a. Sound leading into the first "Wake up!": static, and
a backwards piano chord?
b. Wake-up passage:
"We should make the night
But see your little light's alive"
"Stop that lyin' and a-sleepin' in bed -- get up!"
"Hurry up! Ma wants a shower! Get up!" This line is dubious, no?
"A good morning, ma'am -- This is your early morning call."
("Little light...")
(Whale-song)
"Wake up, man!" (Scottish accent? If so, why?)
"Where?"
(Whale-song)
"Over here" (referring to the "little light"):
contrast with "Over here!" in "Jig of Life" (referring to "this
moment")
Change of first person, from singular to plural
Who are "they"?Who are "we"? What are all these people doing here?
"We are of the going water and the gone
We are of water in the holy land of water..."
(Whale-song)
"Don't you know you've kept him (?) waiting?": Who is "he"?
c. The song proper:
Before "You won't burn!": words?
"Spiritus sanctus in nomine ________"
Is the last word "luminorum"?; "domino"?; "deus, amen"?
On the second, third and fourth times the syllable "spir-" is
sung, it is accompanied by a a drum or man's vocal sound
"Deus et deu dominum ________"?
Same sound is heard here, as well
Directly after the first "Help this blackbird -- There's a
stone...": there is a sibilant sound like a cymbal, but vocal
After "I am responsible for your actions":
Kate cries or moans in a distinct way heard no-where else,
accompanied by a synthetic (? guitar?) moan
"That proves it!" ("Not guilty!"? identify)
After "That proves it!" the inquisitor makes a sound, either
an inarticulate cry or the words "The heaven"?
Lyric sheet lists "Take her away" -- cannot find in recording
Lyric sheet lists "Wake the witch" -- in fact, the words are
"Wake OF the witch", which makes explicit the obvious
double-entendre
4. "Watching You Without Me"
a. Fairlight (or sung?) note underlines the "you" in "saying to you"
after first chorus
b. With first "But I'm not here": a bowed double bass (? cello?)
along with pizzicato string sound
cf. bowed cello line underlining "his little heart beats so fast"
in "Hounds of Love"
c. "Zwoh neekh lawn, zwoh neekh lawneet (rest) eeb vee-ee nahn
widthawngee noy"
HASN'T ANYBODY GOT AN IDEA ABOUT THIS LINE YET?
d. Re the backwards track: is this backwards, or is it a "double
envelope with a phonetic shift"?
e. Backwards, it sounds like "ee knocking us, knocking us...": in other
words, it makes no more sense backwards than forwards
N.B.: More on this in future L-Hs
f. "We receive"? "We recede"? "Really see"?
Surf sounds accompany the above line
g. "Talk to me baby help me baby talk to me IT'S TOO LATE (or IT'S
TRUE, BABY) listen to me LISTEN TO ME talk to me talk (? or help?)
IF EH EH IT'S ____"??
h. S.O.S.: returns three measures before backwards track begins;
Second radio noise heard here -- identify, translate, if possible
i. Directly after (or before?) the second scatter-voice, a low voice
says something (unidentified), after which the Fairlight or
vocal accent recurs, as follows:
j. "Listen to me listen to me baby help me help me baby talk to me talk
to me talk to me baby talk to me" "SOMETHING SAID HERE" with
accompanying accent note; also heard after second (of second
verse's) "You can't hear me"s
k. HERE IS ANOTHER BIG MYSTERY:
In second verse, with (or after) second "But I'm not here",
a voice sings unidentified words -- heard again (?) as
the penultimate utterance of the recording
5. "Jig of Life"
a. Story-telling framework? (John's two "she said"s)
b. Two speakers: the heroine, and her future self
c. Following climax of jig, under the first "I put this moment here",
are more clinking sounds, and extra, not quite fully
erased jig music -- is this the very same music, or another
bit of the jig which was subsequently excised? Likely the latter,
and not simply a magnetic tape-echo
Note: Either way, this was NOT meant to remain audible
d. Is the first "over here" the SAME "over here" that is
in "Waking the Witch"?
e. "Can't you see where memories are kept bright,
Tripping on the water like a laughing girl?
Time in her eyes is spawning past light
One with the ocean and the woman unfurled
Holding ALL THE LOVE that waits for you here
Catch us now for I AM your future
A kiss on the wind and we'll make the land
Come over here to where when lingers
Waiting in this empty world
Waiting for then, when the lifespray cools
For now doves ride in on the CURL OF THE WAVE
{these words spoken with chorus}
And you WILL dance with me in the sunlit pools
WE ARE OF THE GOING WATER AND THE GONE {with chorus}
WE ARE OF WATER IN THE HOLY LAND OF WATER {with chorus}
And all that's to come runs in
With the thrust on the strand"
6. "Hello Earth"
a. Four voices, three (?) on land, one (?) in space capsule:
First voice: "Columbia now at nine times the speed of sound"
Second voice: "Roger that, Dan, I've got a solid tach-end {?}
locked on, uh, tach-end twenty-three"
Third voice: "The, uh, tracking data, map data and pre-planned
trajectory are all one line on the block"
Fourth voice: Show {?} your {?} block {?} decoded {? recorded?}"
b. Very complex group of sounds in transition from end of first chorus
to end of "over America": whales, sonar, whistling wind and
harmonics?
Enough of that. Just remember, there will be
a spot quiz on the above problems at the party.
gniddi KT suj
Speaking of the party, a 20XBR is now in residence
and will be ready for duty on the 31st.
To answer Hugh's question (Welcome home, Hugh! Coming down
to L.A. for the party?):
Yes, the showing of "RUTH" (the official version,
not, IED was relieved to see, the Wogan lip-synch)
was the one announced in this week's issue of
Billboard. It appeared right on schedule, directly
following one of the first of several hundred thousand
scheduled airings of Lionel Richie's "Dancing On the
Ceiling". Not sure when the final awards are scheduled,
and unless IED can find out the date without watching
a single minute of MTV, he is destined to remain in the
dark.
STOP PRESS:
AT PROSPECTIVE GUESTS' REQUEST, THE DATE OF THE PARTY HAS
BEEN C H A N G E D .
The party will be given at the same address (10499 Wilkins
Avenue, L.A. 90024), but one week after the originally
scheduled date.
Specifically, the party will be held on Saturday, September 6th,
beginning at 8 p.m.
If anyone has objections to the revised plan, PLEASE LET IED
KNOW ASAP.
That is all.