from Little Light

[Jeff Tucker <R3JMT%AKRONVM@vm1.cc.UAKRON.EDU>]

  The following appears in Little Light, Summer 1991,
published by The American Association of Them Heavy
People, PO Box 221, Cuyahoga Falls OH 44222-0221.
  Replies are welcome, as are letters to the editor
or other discussion.

REVIEWS
THE JAPANESE BOXED SET: THIS WOMAN'S WORK
     The Japanese release of this boxed set is very similar to the British
release. I will merely note the major differences:
     1) There are two booklets in this set- the booklet included in the
        British release (though stapled in a slightly different order), and
        a second, thicker booklet that includes what is apparently a
        timeline.
     2) The Kick Inside features the Japanese (pink top) cover.
     3) Never For Ever's cover is a blowup of the American and British
        cover; but the regular cover, complete with titles, is featured as
        page 3.
     4) All the discs are painted black, but feature an identical musical
        product.
     5) Jewel-case end cards are in Japanese.
     6) The Hounds Of Love front cover is tinted very red, and the liner
        notes feature an additional photo not included in the British
        edition.
     7) This Woman's Work I and II feature lyrics in both English and
        Japanese.
     8) Each of the six albums have extensive notes in the liner, in
        Japanese.
     I recommend it, but not to the exclusion of the British edition or
vice-versa.
                                             JEFF

LIVE AT HAMMERSMITH
(video re-release)
     As reported in last issue, Kate's only live video has been re-released
in the US by EMI. The only appreciable difference is the packaging, in
which the original release's plastic case is replaced by a cheap cardboard
sleeve.
     The performance is practically flawless, musically and
choreographically. Kate proves that she can run (not walk) a straight line
even after being spun in the air for twenty seconds (how does she do
that?). The only criticism I have is for the director. Keef MacMillan shows
he has very little idea of what a concert video should be by layering as
many as four shots of Kate on the screen at once. We all love her, but when
you are trying to soak in this imaginative performance, one Kate is enough!
                                             BILL

PASSING THROUGH AIR
     Yet another bootleg from Chapter One Digital Recordings- but don't let
their name fool you. None of the recordings are digital, they are just
mastered for CD that way. Don't expect quality when you pick up this (or
any other) bootleg.
     The tracks on Passing Through Air are listed as being "Home Demos
(1974), Studio-Outtakes with K. T. Bush Band (1975), and Live on T.V. with
Peter Gabriel (December 1979)". I am ignorant of any studio demos that the
K. T. Bush Band may have recorded, and since Kate has mentioned that
"James and The Cold Gun" was the only original track they played, I find
this note to be potentially misleading. These tracks are more likely
rehearsal outtakes from the Tour Of Life, or studio outtakes with the
musicians on the first two albums.
     As before, the home demos were lifted from the vinyl "Cathy Demos"
bootleg, and there are only a handful of new titles here. "A Rose Growing
Old", "Keep Me Waiting", and "Disbelieving Angel" are among the never
before on CD tracks. The CD also has early demos of "The Kick Inside" and
"Hammer Horror", which are nothing of real interest.
     Interesting, though, are the tracks purported to be done by the K. T.
Bush Band, which include raw versions of "Kite", "Moving", and "Don't Push
Your Foot On The Heartbrake". The only other attractive moment on this disc
is the Bush/Gabriel duet of "Another Day" by Roy Harper.  Unfortunately it
was poorly recorded from the TV performance and this detracts from the
interest.
     On the whole, unless horrible dynamics and tape hiss are your thing,
give Passing Through Air a miss.
                                             BILL


THE FOUR SEASONS
     Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons is one of the most familiar and
easily recognized pieces of the classical music genre. From car
commercials to hotel lobbies, one often hums along involuntarily to the
opening measures of "Spring". So I found myself unexcited to hear of
Nigel Kennedy's recording, due to over exposure and relative boredom
with the piece. But this is not a watered-down, Muzak performance for
the complacent listener. It is one of the most expressive recordings I
have ever heard of this old classic.
     When The Four Seasons was published in 1785, Vivaldi had already
established himself as a very accomplished composer of the concerto
(which is often used by musicians as a show for their technical skills).
With this work, he included a set of poems that gave "a precise account
of the concertos and how it portrayed its allotted season" (from the
liner notes). These prefatory poems are the basis on which many
interpret the music.
     Mr. Kennedy's performance shows complete understanding and is a
brilliant interpretation of the poetry of The Four Seasons. To convey the
music, Kennedy has used almost every technique known to students of the
violin. He is not enticed by the romantic way of playing, which is to
give in to interpretive whim while remaining static with technique. With
the changing weather of the different movements, his style of playing
varies drastically. This best conveys the musicality of the piece.  When
I first listened to the recording I was not entirely pleased. In the
first movement of "Autumn" there are some rather loud snapping sounds
that are most disconcerting. But as I listened to the recording again, I
read the poems for each movement (included in the CD booklet). These
loud snaps became obvious to me as gunshots for the hunt that this
movement portrayed. In the first movement of "Winter" there are some
harsh dissonances that are not entirely pleasing to the ear. But with
poems in hand these could be chalked up to artistic interpretation of
the bitterly cold winter.
     Most of the credit for this piece must be given to Vivaldi. But
Kennedy plays this piece with style and grace, and with fresh insight and
interpretation.  I urge music lovers to buy a copy of this recording for
your own collection. Take time to read the prefatory poems. I don't think
you will be disappointed.

                        JENN


 P. O. V.
     Peter Gabriel is one of this generation's most original and ingenious
 performers. That said, let's answer the most obvious question: no, the
 Royal Albert Hall duet with Kate on "Don't Give Up" is not the version
 featured on Gabriel's new concert video P. O. V. (or "Point Of View").
 However, Gabriel adds new dimension and perspective by performing the song
 solo. As a matter of fact, Gabriel manages to add something to nearly
 every one of these tracks recorded in Athens, Greece on his 1986-87 world
 tour.
     "Games Without Frontiers" is transformed into a poppy march with a new
 chorus melody. "In Your Eyes" is extended to become a twelve minute
 celebration of love and life in which Youssou N'Dour shares lead vocals
 and David Rhodes shows that he can play guitar while spinning himself
 dizzy. However, the true show-stopper is Gabriel's near suicidal back
 wards stage dive that has become the cen ter piece of his shows. During
 "Lay Your Hands On Me" he builds the tension until there is a throng of
 fans waiting to catch him. After the stunt, Gabriel is missing a jacket
 but doesn't seem to mind (he's probably happy to be alive). The director
 managed to get ideal camera angles for this sequence.
     Gabriel's band shows that musically, Peter knows how to pick them.
Tony Levin appears as the world's only true master of the "stick" as well
as a world-class bass player. David Rhodes, Peter's long time collaborator,
shows his talent on guitar and backing vocals. Manu Katche drums with
flair, and David Sancious rounds out the band on keyboards.  Together,
these musicians form a powerful force that only Gabriel could front.
     With all its pros, this video does have its cons. The downside appears
in the form of video snippets throughout the tape. "Games Without
Frontiers" can hardly be seen under the clutter of clips from home movies
and old documentary footage that has been piled on top. With such a
stirring, brilliant performance as Gabriel's, it's hard to imagine why
producer Sandy Lieberson chose to clutter it up in this manner. While the
clips are interesting, they would have been much more at home on Gabriel's
video compilation, C. V. While the footage does impede the flow of the
concert, the major disappointment was how the cameras missed most of the
vari-light crane movement, especially on "Mercy Street" and "No Self
Control". However, the fact remains that on P. O. V. Peter Gabriel delivers
one of the best, most vibrant performances in the last ten years.
                                   BILL