Danielle Dax and Diamanda Galas

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

Vickie here. I sent this via e-mail to a friend, but thought I'd go ahead
and post it too since Danielle's being talked about.



Danielle Dax-I don't know a whole lot about her. She's been around for years
and used to be with a band called The Lemon Kittens. She's sung back-up for
various people (one song on Robert Fripp's "The League Of Gentlemen", she
also drew the cover of that album). She's also acted and was in the film
"The Company Of Wolves" (only a bit part).

As a solo artist she has tons of 12"s and an album called "Inky Bloaters".
But there is a compilation album out (in America) called "Dark Adapted Eye"
and you should get that because it has most of the 12" stuff also.
We also have a Japanese CD with 16 other songs, all of which were too weird
to put on DAE. That CD is called "Up Amongst The Golden Spires". It says on
the front: Featuring tracks from the albums "Pop-Eyes" and "Jesus Egg That
Wept". I don't have either one of those albums, but there are tracks on this
CD that appeared on an album (well, EP) called "The Janice Long Sessions".


DAE is one of my favorite albums (after the KateJanePeter ones) but it
took a few listens to get used to it. Maybe it will for you, maybe it won't.
Her music? Well......hmmmm.....uh.......gee, I guess you could classify it
as "Intelligent Dance". I don't generally like most "Dance" music, but
this stuff can be listened to as "real" :-) music (some loud, some raunchy,
some downright weird, some beautiful, some chilling, some un-expainable, some
alien, some somewhat familiar, some strange, some happy, some funny, some
silly, some....well, you get the idea) The thing is, IF you feel like it,
you could also get up and dance to nearly all of her songs. She'd at least
have your toes tapping. She's never had a "Dance Club" hit (at least not in
America, I don't know about England) because she's just too weird. Her voice
is versitile and she can do some amazing things with it. 

All in all, I really love the album "Dark Adapted Eye" and I got it on CD
and was very glad I did. If you can't find it (though you shouldn't have
a problem, it's on Sire Records) then "Inky Bloaters" is worth having, though
I think it's only available as an import. She's weird and wild and crazy
and fun and not for the faint of heart. 

                  ------------------------------ 

Diamanda Galas-would eat Danielle, Kate, Jane & The Innocence Mission for
breakfast and be ready for a hearty lunch. Makes Nina Hagen look like
Kylie Minogue. *** THE *** *** WEIRDEST *** music you'll ever hear!!!

    VERY ODD  VERY SCARY  VERY ALIEN   VERY FRIGHTENING   VERY ANGRY


I like her.

Has a "I'm PISSED and you all are going to HEAR about it!!!" attitude. She's
been working for years on music inspired by AIDS and Christianity (the kind
that likes to be bigoted, racist, sexist and what-have-you). The music is
very, very, very, VERY ** DARK ** and ** DISMAL ** and ** ANGRY **. 
Might need heart medicine to listen to. Might need a therepist handy too!
She's classically trained, plays the piano and writes her own music, though
her lyrics are often taken from other things, like the Bible. She's so 
scary that the Fundamentalists are terrified of her and, as far as I know,
have never bothered her, even though she's released albums with titles like
"The Litanies of Satan" and "Double-Barreled Prayer" (which might be the
easiest album to get into, though it's not "easy" at all). Everyone is ready
for certain things at certain times of their lives. If I'd heard Diamanda
10 years ago I might have run screaming from the room. I'm much more...uh
"open-minded" I guess you'd say, so now I can listen and "enjoy" (you can
NEVER "enjoy" listening though, because the music, lyrics and vocals are
inspired by deep, intense, raw pain--she's had lots of friends die of AIDS),
though even I can only listen in very tiny doses and there are works of hers
that I can't listen to at all. Her vocals are terrifying! She screams....no,
she SCREEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! more often than not,
and she's got an amazing range. Her highest pitched voice will chill you
to your bone marrow and her lowwwww voice will have you quaking.

Do I recommend her? That's a tough one. I don't know. Each to their own
and in their own time. You'll have to decide for yourself.

If you're religious, definitely STAY AWAY! She SLAMS religion, mainly 
because of those who have called AIDS "God's Gift to Humanity".

She was on Night Music a few months ago and she has to be the most intense
performer ever to appear there! And all she did was play the piano and sing.
I have a video that would scare anyone out of their wits. She covers herself
with blood al la "Carrie" but this is serious business when she does it.
I believe it's meant to represent all the people who have died of AIDS,
though it could mean anything from crime victims to those who have died in
wars (if that's the case, knowing her attitude, it's probably "religious"
war victims). It's very disturbing to watch so I haven't given the lyrics
the attention they deserve. I'll have to gather up my nerve and watch again.

In any case, she's a very serious artist with very serious messages to
convey. All of her songs are based on real-life horrors, witch hunts,
disease, bigotry etc. and she takes the pain of victims and makes it real.
Her screams are thier screams and you'll feel that pain...believe me. 

Don't know what else to say about her. You can't dance to her anyway :-)
If nothing else, she'd definitely clear out a party if you couldn't get
the bums to leave!


Vickie (one of Vickie'n'Chris)
katefans@world.std.com