Re: Sound quality / Peter Gabriel's "Us"

[jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu (Jeffrey C. Burka)]

Andrew writes:

>I can't imagine why everyone loves FBP so much.  I find it so utterly
>grating and unenjoyable.  Would someone please tell me what I'm missing so I
>can enjoy it too?

Probably the same thing that makes you think KaTe has lame songs on her 
albums.

I, too, really like "14 Black Paintings".  I think the lyrics are wonderfully
simple and to the point.  The music is full of hope and expectation.  I 
think it's getting hard to do a human rights struggle sort of song without
sounding trite, as if a member of the "I'm the Natalie Merchant and *I* 
*CARE*" school (my biggest complaint about _Blind Man's Zoo_ is that it 
cares about too many issues.  Musically and lyrically it's brilliant, but
because of the wide range of issues, I feel that it comes off as insincere.
Still my favorite 10,000 Maniacs album).  Anyway, "14 Black Paintings"
doesn't fall into this simply by the fact that it's not _about_ an issue,
it's about struggle, and it can be applied to just about any human rights
issue.  
 
I will admit that I'm glad that there's a relatively long silent bit before
"Kiss That Frog" starts, so the mood isn't _immediately_ ruined.  And
I _love_ "Kiss That Frog", another prime single candidate.

Jeff
-- 
|Jeffrey C. Burka                | "Show what you are / Be strong, be true  |
|                                |  Time for you to / Be who you are."      |
|jeffy@syrinx.umd.edu            |                         --Happy Rhodes   |