Re: Rate Kate

[evelyn.beckett@canrem.com (Evelyn Beckett)]

In response to Andrew D. Simchik's responses to my innocent opinions
regarding Kate's albums....

E> >this album and the attention it received.  Again, every track here
E> is >brilliant, but I find "Mother Stands For Comfort" and "Watching
E> You >Without Me", though terrific, spoil the flow of their respective
E> sides.
A> If by "spoil the flow" you mean "go slow", sure they do.  But I love
A> them both, and they fit perfectly for me.

Hmmm... I seem to recall "And Dream of Sheep", "Under Ice" and "Hello
Earth" are pretty slow, too - but I didn't mention them.  All I meant
was that Side A is pretty much a collection of pop singles and an
oddball track like "Mother" stands out like a sore thumb.  You'll also
note above that I called both of these tracks brilliant.  As for
"Watching You", it comes after one frenzy ("Waking the Witch") and
before another ("Jig of Life").  Texturally, it is the simplest song on
the side and just doesn't seem to belong - it also lacks the intense
drama of all the other songs, which make The Ninth Wave one of Kate's
finest achievements.

E> >"Fullhouse" and "Coffee Homeground") make it better than...
->
A> "Fullhouse" a highlight?  Even minus the ghastly accidental TV
A> associations conjured by the name for me, I consider it much more of
A> a "dud" than Violin.
E> >classic if she had rewritten the lyrics substantially.  The chorus
E> of >"Lily" makes me grate my teeth every time I hear it.
->
A> That's what I love about it!

With regards to "Fullhouse" - yes, I consider it a highlight on an album
that also features "Symphony in Blue" and "In Search of Peter Pan".
It's a very good song from someone who's not yet turned 20.
And "Lily" - oh dear.  It's just something about that stomach-churning
calculated catchiness.  She sounds tired and uninterested there compared
to the fine verses.

There's my further 2 cents, bringing the total to almost half a dime.

Evelyn

"The spots!"
        - Eddie Bracken, "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" (1944)