misKTrivia

[IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu]

>Subject: Digital recording & Kate/Single version of Sat in your Lap
>(Really from Hugh Maher)
>Glad to hear someone was interested in my posting yesterday - Thanks Andrew!
>Whatever anyone might say about IED, at least he's consistently the
>most polite person on the net!

As flattered as he feels by this remark, IED has to say
that it isn't true. He is the first to admit that his usual
sense of decorum is occasionally overcome by bouts of ugly temper,
which tend to show themselves in words of heavy sarcasm and frank insult.
Still, at least he tries...

Your synopsis re Kate/digital extremely interesting; IED
will take your suggestion and rummage through old videologues from
HG.

The passages of muddy sound you notice are undeniable in HoL.
But IED thinks he understands what Kate means when she says that
signs of hiss are "comforting". At any rate, he has his own reason
for appreciating such traces of hiss, especially in Kate's work.
First, we're talking about traces of hiss which come and go throughout
a given track, and these can only be detected on the CD versions.
Both other media have far too much hiss or other surface noise of
their own to make Kate's master/demo hisses audible.
Now, what's interesting is hearing where the hiss comes in and
goes out. On "Mother Stands for Comfort", for example, not only can you
hear where the different master tracks are augmented by the earlier demos
(or perhaps vice versa), but you can also hear very distinctly a constant
low hum, which may come from the Fairlight (being left on throughout the
recording). Whatever the cause, these traces of the recording experience
are like traces of underpainting beneath the final touches on an oil
painting: they are reminders of the artificiality of the illusion,
the stamp of the studio environment.
Anyway, that would explain her comment that
"she LIKES a certain amount of tape hiss, 'Just to remind you that
you're listening to a tape'. It's the artist's love of process, an
unwillingness to remove all traces of her "handwriting", so to speak.

>I have to admit, I sort of worry about her
>using Del as the sole engineer - sure it saves money, but how good is he
>around the studio?

IED thinks she only uses Del as the sole DEMO engineer, isn't that right?
But anyway, Del is not one to insist on handling a job that someone
else can do better, as you can tell from his complete willingness
to bring in guest bass-players on specific tracks. IED
has the feeling that whatever expertise in the studio Del
may lack (and remember that he has been in on the design of the home
studio right from the very beginning, which probably gives him as much
expertise as anyone else, at least for that particular studio), the
emotional comfort and artistic support that he alone seems to be able
to give Kate during early recording more than compensates for his
possible technical deficiencies. You don't mean you wish she had gone on
with people like Hugh Padgham for HoL, do you? It just wouldn't be as
much Kate's own work if she'd had a hardened professional like him. In a
way, Del's amateur status helps to ensure Kate's artistic control.

IED apologizes to L-Hs for including the following in Love-Hounds,
but he was unable to post directly to Mark Ganzer. Please scroll
past the next fifty lines, unless you're looking for Kate video in L.A.

Subject: Re: Source for KB video?
>Although I am relatively new to the love-hounds mailing list, I have slowly
>been wading through Doug's archives and have enjoyed all the info you have
>posted. I'm looking for a source for the "Single File" video (either tape
>or lazer-disk).Is there someplace in L.A. that handles imports of this type?
>(I get up there quite frequently on business).
>
>Thanks in advance
>
>Mark T. Ganzer              Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
>Internet: ganzer@nosc.mil   UUCP: {ucbvax,hplabs}!sdcsvax!nosc!ganzer

You're welcome in advance, too, Mark.

The video-cassette of "The Single File" was never available in
this country except as a Japanese import (at least on the
U.S.-compatible system, NTSC). However, Tower Records has
had copies for rental in the recent past here. They have
two video branches in the area: one on Ventura Blvd. in
Sherman Oaks, about a block and a half west of Van Nuys Blvd.;
the other on the Sunset Strip, at about Sunset and Holloway Drive.
Also, Videotheque, which now has a branch at the same Sunset corner,
will order any video-cassette currently available anywhere, providing
you make a suitable deposit. The problem, you see, is that "The Single
File" is no longer a new item, having been superceded by "Hair of
the Hound" and "The Whole Story" videos; consequently, it may not
even be available in Japan anymore.
The same is not the case for the "Live at Hammersmith Odeon" video,
because it was released domestically. It is available periodically
from Tower Video on Sunset in both Beta and VHS, and it only costs
$19.99 nowadays!

If neither Tower pans out, try Intergalactic Garage, a mail-order-only
service specializing in KT. No address offhand, ask again if you need it.

As for Laser-disks, the only really good place in town is
Dave's Laser Video, on Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. (Sorry again,
no exact address.) They do have both "Hammersmith
Odeon" and "The Single File" available for disk rental only,
but they are very agreeable about special ordering imports (both
the disks are Japanese imports, and presumably will cost a pretty
penny, but of course they are infinitely superior to even the
Japanese Beta cassettes). Tower Video also may conceivably get
a copy of one or the other occasionally. IED recently ordered
a copy of the most recent Japanese Kate Laser-disk, "Hair of the
Hound", from Dave's Laser Video. It is due in about five or six
weeks.

Happy searching.

Btw, if you go to Dave's, check out the proto-type LV-S1, an industrial
LV disk-player that can perform all CAV special effects for any CLV disk!
Available here around June -- for $1800...

-- Andrew Marvick