Ladyslipper catalog listing.

[chris@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Kansas City)]

Vickie here. Where is everybody? Just because it's the holiday season
everyone thinks they can go off, goof around & have fun? Geeeeeezzz!

Determined to keep Love-hounds full of line-consuming triviata while
you all are off eating fruitcake and watching football games, I hereby
present you with Kate's listings from a WONDERFUL place called Ladyslipper.
It's a mail-order, non-profit music distribution company, focusing on 
female performers, writers & vocalists.

          If you would like to get a Ladyslipper Catalog,
          write to: P.O. Box 3130, Durham, N.C. 27705 
          Orders: 1-800-634-6044 Mon-Fri 9-6
          Inquiries: 919-683-1570 M-F 9-6
          FAX: 919-682-5601  


KATE BUSH
THE KICK INSIDE
Kate Bush is weird. She is also this reviewer's favorite artist. A
pianist with obvious classical training, she writes songs of simple
themes coupled with bizarre ideas. Combine these factors with her
voice (falsetto is too extreme a word, but you get the general idea)
and you get a spirited, sometimes wild, experience. Best cuts: Saxophone
Song, Feel It, Them Heavy People
(EMI17003) LP & CS...$9.95    CD...$15.95 (Postage not included)

KATE BUSH
LIONHEART
The mellowest Kate Bush LP we've found, if Kate can ever be called
mellow...Symphony In Blue and Oh England My Lionheart are both melancholy
and beautiful, while Kashka From Baghdad's a light, shimmery piece about
two men in love, and Fullhouse documents the inner splits and struggles
we face as women.
(EMI17008) LP, CS & CD prices as above

KATE BUSH
NEVER FOR EVER
No question, strangeness reigns. The general mood of this LP is one os
fantasy, with a little frenzy thrown in. The vocal impact of Kate's
sometimes chilling harmonies is stunning. Great instrumental back-up.
Includes Army Dreamers and Babooshka. Import [? I don't know why they
wouldn't have domestic copies]
(EMI17115) LP, CS & CD prices as above

KATE BUSH
THE DREAMING
This LP wins the "Wildness of the Year" Award-the instrumentation is
exquisitely intricate and complex, using an assortment of electric
pianos, synthesizers, Uillean pipes, pennywhistle, bouzouki, mandolins,
etc. The vocals are lower than Kate's usual siren blast--perhaps she's
been coached by Nina Hagen on this one? But the real strength lies in
the lyrics--she creates surreal landscapes of fantasy and fact--no clear
lines here...The title song is an eerie, haunting recreations of a dream
about the colonization of Austrailia--sure to give goosebumps! Other
songs include: Night of the Swallow, Get Out of My House, Suspended In
Gaffa and Houdini--the jacket is a somewhat disturbing photo related
to a line in the song ("with a kiss I'd pass the key"). Recommended.
(EMI17084) LP, CS & CD prices as above

KATE BUSH
HOUNDS OF LOVE
This 1985 recording resembles little in Kate's previous discography.
Images of spirituality and conflicting layers of consciousness pervade;
myth and reality merge and split love and life and death and rebirth--
you'll be lucky to land with your feet on the ground!! Instrumentation
is similarly textured: subtle vocals and piano peek through wave after
wave of electronically-altered keyboards, drums, vocals, a wide array
of synthesizers. Side 2 is subtitled "The Ninth Wave" in reference to
Tennyson's The Coming of Arthur. Highly, highly recommended for the
acoustically challenged.
(EMI17171) LP, CS & CD prices as above

KATE BUSH
THE WHOLE STORY
This is a BEST OF album, with some of her most well-known cuts from
previous recordings invluding Babooshka, Wow, Breathing, Wuthering
Heights.
(EMI17242) LP, CS & CD prices as above

KATE BUSH
KATE BUSH (12" EP)
A 5-song compilation of some of Kate's best: Sat In Your Lap, James
and the Cold Gun (live version), Babooshka, Suspended In Gaffa and
Un Baiser D'Enfant (the French version of The Infant Kiss). Import
[again, I don't know why they don't have the domestic version]
(EMI19004) LP only $6.95



One of my listeners put me on the Ladyslipper mailing list and I
was in awe when I saw the catalog. It's all "music by women" as
opposed to "womyn's music"(though there is a category for that horrible
junk). Here are a few examples of listings about other artists that
I like (WARNING: NONKATE STUFF COMING UP!):-)

In the category Latin American: 
MERCEDES SOSA-Lo Mejor de Mercedes Sosa (The Best Of...)
Mercedes Sosa is an Argentinian New Song vocalist/interpreter/people's
musician, who almost deserves a section unto herself. Her vocal qualities
are not easily described, but words like penetrating, melancholy,
searing, dark, intense, reverent, steadfast, beautiful, exquisite,
soothing, intelligent, come close. She sings in Spanish but somehow
communicates a message that is political even to those who don't 
speak that language. Her music was very popular in Chile in the early
'70's, but her records were banned when the military junta took
power. We hope she will become more widely reconized by the greater
U.S. population soon, as she is just beginning to be, and we hope
everyone who reads this catalog will try out her music. This volume 
includes some but by no means all of her best material. Since all
of her titles are imported and go in and out of availability, we
reserve the right to substitute another title if necessary.
Specify LP(Phillips 5252) or cassette(Phillips C-9634)

In the Aisian-Pacific category:
NAJMA-Qureeb                                          
This beguiling album showcases the ethereal, haunting music of this
stunning Indian vocalist based in Great Britian. With power and grace,
she mixes ancient Indian ghazals (short romantic poems) with original
melodies in an "Indipop" style, combining traditional and western
instrumentation. An album of great immediacy and impact, offering
an arresting new musical experience. 
(SHN64009) LP: $9.95...CS: $9.95...CD: $15.95

In the Folk-Tradional category:
MARY COUGHLIN-Tired & Emotional
A thoroughly unusual debut album from an Irish woman who has developed
quite a buzz, even a cult following, among music fans. She delivers
her mixture of jazz, blues, country and folk with a voice quite
compelling in its moody, sensual, seductive quality, in addition to,
as indicated in the title, its sheer emotional presence; you'd think
she'd been singing professionally for her lifetime, but in fact her
recent entrance into this arena was a lucky fluke. Intriguing and
different.
Specify LP(Green Linnet/Mystery 001)or cassette(Green Linnet/Mystery C-001)
I only have the LP but I think it's available on CD now.

In the Jazz category:
VALAIDA SNOW-Hot Snow-Queen of the Trumpet
Valaida sings and swings on these recordings re-issued from 30's and 40's
singles. This amazing woman, in addition to excelling on the trumpet,
sang, danced, could play every instrument in an orchestra, wrote lyrics,
conducted, acted as producer when called upon, and spoke seven 
languages. In 1941, while working in Europe, she was incarcerated by
the Nazis in a concentration camp for 18 months, came close to death
from starvation and abuse, but somehow survived and resumed her
career.  LP only (Rosetta 1305)

In the Country category:
k.d.lang and the reclines-Angel With A Lariat
This Canadian artist has become a major sensation in country-rock, and
for good reason! Her deep voice is strong and resonant (yes, even
that worn-out word powerful), her delivery punchy and her high
energy inspires a raucous good time; and she's already creating
some new fans of country and rockabilly, from the ranks of women's
music as well as from the mainstream. Includes several originals 
such as Watch Your Step Polka and the title song, plus other rousing
numbers like Tune Into My Wave (Vickie says "One of my unofficial
theme songs for my radio show!"). Fabulous!
LP(Sire 25441) cassette(Sire C-25441) CD(Sire CD-25441

Well, you get the idea. This place is WONDERFUL!! They're non-profit
too. The catalog has hundreds of listings, though some of my very
favorite artists aren't listed. I'm hoping that Victoria Williams,
Mary Margaret O'Hara, Sheila Chandra, Throwing Muses, Happy Rhodes
Bel Canto and others will show up in the 1991 edition.

            ------------------------------------
Two other new artists:

Wendy Wall is very good-I love her lyrics. 'Suspended In Gaffa'
is my *official* theme song, but I have 3 *unofficial* ones:
Wendy Wall's 'A Woman's Voice'
k.d. lang's 'Tune Into My Wave' and,
Kate's 'Be Kind To My Mistakes' (Hey,I'm NOT a professional DJ!)
 
Julee Cruise's album is just gorgeous, but did anyone happen
to see her on Night Music? Put it this way, if there'd been
a Holiday Inn type lounge in the movie Beetlejuice and they'd
had a musical act going on...! Lounge Lizard From Hell I tell ya!
And I mean that in the nicest possible way-really! Surreal is the
word. David Lynch wrote all the music on the album and where he
found her to sing it I don't know. I like her!
                         
                              Vickie (one of Vickie'n'Chris)