Re: Reaching Out (was Re: The album's cover + Melody Maker)

[gatech.edu!mit-eddie!GAFFA.MIT.EDU!jsd@cs.utexas.edu (Jon Drukman)]

In article <8911130835.7827@munnari.oz.au> CCJS@cc.nu.OZ.AU (James Smith) writes:
>For me Kate's most beautiful work has always been that in which she
>shows off her voice rather than that in which she shows off her skills
>as a producer.  I much prefer The Kick Inside to The Dreaming, because
>the songs feature her singing and her voice.

Well that's the fundamental difference between you and me, quite
obviously.

>What has Kate's style to do with the beauty of her work?  If she's
>choosen a style akin to Barbara Streisand, so what?  She's still
>produced a beautiful piece of music.  Or are you saying that the
>style of music Kate chooses to produce in some way affects how
>good or bad it is?

I don't think "style" as an abstract concept is separatable from the
work that embodies it.  They are necessarily intertwined!  If Kate did
a song with bone-crunching guitars and huge drums and a nasty guitar
solo in the middle, wouldn't it be called "heavy metal"?  Particularly
if it followed the proper metal chord changes...  Would we not have a
right to say that it's utter shit in this case?  I'm not suggesting
that it would be crap, but I certainly don't like many songs done in
the heavy metal genre. 

>> My personal opinion is that Kate
>> is at her best when telling us stories.
>
>This is, I guess, why I posted.  You are saying "Reaching Out is
>horrible" instead of "I think Reaching Out is horrible"; you are
>putting forth your own opinion as though it were the absolute truth,
>albiet unintentionally.  I'm sure this rubs a lot of people up the
>wrong way--it certainly does me.

OK, let's not beat around Kate Bush here -- YOU ARE NOW BEING
FLAMED.  What the hell are you talking about, bozo?  I am putting
forth an absolute truth?  Well, here's an absolute truth for you:
You are a complete illiterate.  Does it not say IN THE VERY LINE
YOU QUOTED that "MY PERSONAL OPINION IS..."  Does this mean anything
to your moth eaten brain?  Currently the vogue acronym on losenet
is "IMHO" standing for "In My Humble Opinion" but in my very
pompous opinion, you need a basic lesson in reading skills.

Flame continues.

>Reaching Out is a perfect example of the sort of song that it is.  It
>is well produced, has a beautiful melody, is arranged beautifully, and
>features great performances from those who made it.  Are you really
>objecting to the quality of the song, or to its style?  And if so, is
>it fair to brand this song as bad just because it doesn't appeal to
>you?

It is a perfect example of shit.  And shit is very definitely what it
is.  It stinks like last week's garbage.  Every time I hear more than
five seconds of it I am seized with uncontrollable nausea and want to
puke violently on those near me.  I object to EVERYTHING about it.
The lyrics are trite to the point of inanity, the music is revolting
to every aesthetic twinge I am capable of feeling.  The vocals are
histrionic rather than powerful.  In short, it sucks.  It is
perfectly fair to call it BAD because anybody who heard me say that
with an IQ higher than that of a demented iguana will understand
full well that I THINK IT SUCKS.  You can love it, I will leave it.

Flame over.

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|  |   |\       | jsd@gaffa.mit.edu | "To serve God, you gotta be stupid and  |
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