london music et cet

[ANGELINE@MARY.FORDHAM.EDU]

Well, just got back from London, kinda a fun town.  I purchased the RM 45
because it came with a poster, and when I got back to the states I finally,
after all these months and all the discussions, got to hear the songs (sorry
woj, but the telephone was just a tease).
	Well, I really like them.
	RM is a very bouncy and brilliant remake of the original that
does what all good remakes should do--remain faithful to the original but
add something special.  I am walking around singing this song, playing the
pipes in my head...and I never even liked Rocketman before!  Candle
in the Wind is simple, beautiful and passionate.  The electric piano does
not sound cheesy, and anyway, to my mind there is no better instrument to
epitomize Elton John than electric piano.  The backing vocal swirls added 
a real emotional depth to the piece.  Yes, we all know that this would have
been best done had Kate stuck to just the piano and sung it in her breathy
lower voice...but since when has Kate done what was expected of her?  The 
only complaint I have is that perhaps she was leaning a bit towards overkill.
But would that we all could be so amazing with a "last-minute knockoff".
	This single made me excited to hear new Kate again.  THe thrill has
returned.  I listened to her "oh-no-no-no"with the headphones and my knees
quivered.
	As for "Room For the Life", yes, it's very woman-oriented, but I wonder
how many die-hard feminists would appreciate a song that celebrates women due
to their ability to give birth?
	And as for surnames, in Germany the couple has the choice of whose last
name to take.  It's not that radical an idea.
                                              --John