misc. and misK.

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

IED was just kidding about the June 10th deadline for
sending in your signatures on stickers for inclusion
among the signators of the Love-Hounds Katemas card.
If you'd still like to contribute a note and/or your
signature, you'll have till the beginning of July to send
it in to Andrew Marvick, 10499 Wilkins Ave., L.A., CA 90024.

Thomas Dolby not only worked with Mrs. Sakamoto on "Radio Silence",
but also put out a 12" single called "Field Work" with
her husband, Riuichi Sakamoto. The connection is close enough
to make it unlikely that Dolby could use the
name "Sakamoto" in a recording without having some kind
of specific intention. Mrs. Sakamoto (Akiko Yano) has been
recording pop albums of her own in Japan since even earlier
than Riuichi Sakamoto or Thomas Dolby. She started as a
children's "enka" singer -- recording children's folk songs
and her own equivalents. When she married Sakamoto (one of
the three members of the now-defunct Yellow Magic Orchestra
(YMO)), he began producing her records, and gained some attention
in the West. She has often been inaccurately described as
"the Japanese Kate Bush" because her singing voice is very high
and girlish. This comparison arises from Westerners' lack
of familiarity with Japanese female singing styles -- the majority of
female Japanese pop singers use a high, girlish voice of one kind or
another. To her credit, Yano does write most of her own material,
and it is very sophisticated progressive pop. She has an unfortunate
respect for (and tendency to show the influence of) L.A. folk/jazz
fusion, and her style of performance
can be pretty hard to take in large doses.
About half of her stuff is sung in English with a slight Japanese
accent, thinly coated with a naive (and unconvincing) imitation of
American twang.

Since The Flat Earth came out, Thomas Dolby has released a twelve-inch
or two under the name "Dolby's Cube", in addition to the "Field Work"
12". He also wrote/produced the music for the movie "Howard the Duck"
(sung by the actresses in the movie). Most recently he scored the
music to the Ken Russell film "Gothic", the soundtrack album of which
(all-instrumental, all-Fairlight III) has just been released
domestically.

Just for the sake of nit-picking, Dan P., the On Stage record
was an EP (four tracks), not a full-length album.
But you probably knew that.

-- Andrew