son of _obsKuriTies_?

[IED0DXM%OAC.UCLA.EDU@mitvma.mit.edu]

 To: Love-Hounds
 From: Andrew Marvick
 Subject: son of _obsKuriTies_?

     First, a further word about the sound quality of IED's new
tape of the demos. He was definitely exaggerating the flaws in
the sound the other day. He has now had a chance to listen to
the tape on a good system, and finds that it was almost certainly
_not_ done "through the air", but directly, through patch-cords.
The better system also makes it clear that much of the noise of which
IED complained actually is the noise made _by_Kate_ in between songs!
Between all but one song on the tape there are a few seconds of dead
air, and in that space one can hear not only some loud clicks (much
like the sounds of switching on and off an old-fashioned tape-recorder),
but even the sound of a page (of music, apparently) being turned. Also,
the echo-delay applied to two of the twenty-two songs is now clearly
audible as part of the _original_ recordings, not something added at
a later stage. Therefore IED thinks that although the sound is by no
means wonderful, nor even particularly clear, it is relatively unlikely
that a significant improvement can be expected from the future volumes
of the vinyl EPs, if and when they are ever released. And one should
remember that the vinyl will bring its own problems to the final sound,
too. IED is genuinely sorry to have to offer potentially unsatisfying
sound-quality to his fellow fans. On the other hand he finds it a little
weird that anyone could place such importance on sound-quality that he
would rather risk never hearing this music at all than settle for a
less-than-perfect copy. We're talking about KATE BUSH DEMOS, for
petesake! Which brings us to the issue of distributing copies:
     This time IED would like to do it the simple way, which means it's
gonna cost everyone some actual money this time. The options would
take IED too much time and trouble. So here's how it could go: there's a
local and very high-standard duping service near IED's home. They do
real-time dupes and only real-time dupes. Their rates, using a Maxxell
UDX II C-90 which they provide, is $6.50 per copy for anywhere from
51 copies to 100 copies; or $6.00 per copy for 101 copies and up.
(If the demand were below 50, the rate would be $8.50 per copy).
     IED will therefore provide one master copy of the full 22
demos (which includes the four that already appeared on obsKuriTies 1,
because they should go together and because some people wanting this
tape may not have gotten a copy of the first one), and he will
add a few of the guest-vocals Kate has made on other people's
records over the years, to fill up the rest of the space.
     Then he will wait until July 1 for anyone who wants a copy
to send IED $6.50 plus a pre-stamped, self-addressed envelope.
(If by that time enough people have sent in their money to bring
the rate down to $6.00, IED will return the four bits with each
cassette when they are ready.) This means that everyone will have
to fork over some dough before they get anything, and it means
they'll have to wait a whole month to get the music. IED is not
able to afford to pay the minimum $325.00 that will be required
in advance with his own money, especially without any real assurance
that 50 people will actually send him their $6.50. Therefore he
has no choice but to wait until the quota of $325.00 has been received
(in either cash or personal checks) before going ahead with the
project. Once the deadline has actually passed, and once
everyone's $6.50 share has been pre-paid and received, IED will go
ahead and order the copies, and mail the finished cassettes back
to each person just as soon as he gets them back from the duping service.
     If anyone has suggestions for ways to improve upon this plan,
please let him/her speak up now. IED has never done anything like
this, and has no assurance of his competence in such matters.
     He wants to put his foot down about one thing, however, right
from the start: The deadline, once it is definitely decided upon (a
final decision will be made by next Sunday evening, June 4), will
be _absolute_, as far as IED is concerned. In other words, once
D-Day has come and gone, IED will _not_ accept further orders for
copies of the cassette. This project is going to take a lot of his
time as it is, and one whole month should be ample time for anyone--
even the fickle Love-Hounds who only tune in once in a while--to
find out about the project and get in on it. If they are too late,
they can always scout around for other Love-Hounds who _were_ in time
to get a copy of their own, and arrange a deal with them through
their own e-mail correspondence.
     There is one big advantage to this method: since the services
of no L-Hs other than IED will be required, it will _not_ be
necessary for each interested party to post a boring, space-consuming
notification to the group. Instead, if you want a copy, just mail the
dough and the SSAE and you will be counted in. IED will post update lists
of the names of people whose envelopes/money have been received, and
any further complications can be worked out either through L-Hs
or by mail or by phone. Also, one final thing: if you want a copy,
you'll have to take IED's word for it that he won't just skedaddle
with the dough. Neil's acute observations about this problem in
regard to the hypothetical KoncerT-ticket pool apply equally to this
case.
     If you're not sure that these demos are going to be worth your
hard-earned cash, IED will be supplying the lyrics to all twenty-two
songs in future postings during the next couple of weeks (or at least
all the lyrics he is able to decipher), and perhaps they will guide
you in your dilemma. Meanwhile, you should be warned that these
recordings are completely without guile or gimcrackery--that is, they
hold no wonders of production, no seductive rhythm-tracks, no anything
of that kind. Furthermore, dating as they do from Kate's pre-_The_Kick_
_Inside_ period, all of the songs feature the high--sometimes piercingly
high--vocal range which characterizes her work at that time. So be
forewarned: what you will not get is a commercially viable programme.
What you _will_ get is five early demos of songs which eventually
appeared on Kate's first three albums, plus _seventeen_ songs that
Kate has never released in any form anywhere ever (and fifteen of those
weren't on _obsKuriTies_I_ either).  And those songs are
_every_bit_as_good_ as anything on _The_Kick_Inside_ or
_Lionheart_. In fact, the more familiar IED gets with these songs,
the more masterful and heartbreakingly beautiful they seem to become.
He feels as though he made fifteen lifelong friends this week.
     So anyway, does IED's proposed plan seem fair to you people?
If Love-Hounds have any suggestions or comments, please share them
soon. Thanks.

-- Andrew Marvick

P.S.: As a gesture of good faith, here is a transcription of the lyrics
(as well as IED can make them out so far) of one of the "new" songs, to
which IED has given a title based on his guess of what it might really
be.

_Playing_Canasta_in_Cold_Rooms_     Kate Bush, ca. 1972-77

I fell in love with Rinfi the gypsy.
He said when I grew up he'd marry me,
Carry me away on his steed.

"Don't worry, my baby!
 Don't die, my funny little darling!
 I'm going away for a little while,
 And shouldn't be gone for very long."

Ooh, then I really fell for Geoffrey, our gardener.
He said he'd marry me, too.
Oh, and I believed him, just like a fool.

"Don't worry, my honey!
 Don't die, my funny little doll!
 I'm going away for a little while.
 Shouldn't be gone for very long."
 (Ooh, a very, long, long time!)

     Playing canasta in c-cold rooms,
     Playing canasta in cold rooms,
     Playing canasta upstairs, downstairs,
     And in my lover's...ooh...

I met a boy who took me upstairs,
Then took me in his arms and told me
I comforted him, uh-huh.

"Don't worry, my dear,
 Don't cry, you weird little stranger.
 I'm going away.
 You probably won't ever see me again."

Oh, yes, I know, I'm always falling,
Gazing at hazy goldfish in your swimming eyes.
How could I not lie there with you?

"Don't worry, my darling!
 Don't die, my silly little baby!
 I'm going away for a little while,
 And shouldn't be gone for very long."
 (Ooh, long, long, long!)

     Playing canasta in c-cold rooms,
     Playing canasta in cold rooms,
     Playing canasta upstairs, downstairs,
     And in my lover's...ooh...