Kate and Happy at the record stores

[gearnoise@news-e2c.gnn.com (Neal Mulvenna)]

While in Sarasota, FL a couple weeks back, we stopped in at a 
record store by the name of Boogie Woogie.  Had the widest 
selection of rock/alternative CDs I'd ever seen, including all Kate 
legal CDs and a bunch of (probably) bootleg stuff, listed as 
"imports" with a 50% adder on their price tags.  Also 5-6 different 
Happy Rhodes CDs.
I picked up two CDs:
1. Kate Bush - Collaborations. About an hour's worth of stuff, from 
live Peter Gabriel concerts, etc. Most fun was the "Do Bears" duet. 
Sorry, I'm in NC at the moment, and the CD is in Alabama, so can't 
give any more details until next week, if anyone wants.
2. Rhode Songs.  Sort of Happy's "The Whole Story".  I was amazed 
at her vocal range (yes, I too checked the liner notes to see if 
she was singing a duet on some of the songs!). At the high end her 
voice easily reaches mid-range Kate (and sounds much like Kate), 
and at the low end, low-range Anne Murray.  Someplace in the middle 
I suspect is Happy.  I've listened to the album about 5 times now 
and still can't make up my mind about her (sorry, Miss Vickie!). In 
a couple of her songs it seemed that there was no real reason for 
her to switch "voices" on the lyrics except to show off.  And my 
son felt that she didn't show much emotion in the David Bowie 
cover.  She did credit Kate for using a line or two from Running Up 
That Hill in one of her songs.

A couple odds and ends:
1. Who wrote Candle The Wind (The Marilyn Monroe tribute) that Kate 
sings? Some of the lyrics sound like Harry Chapin stuff.
2. There are NO consistently good radio stations in Florida!  The 
best I found in a couple weeks around the state was WNCM, 88.5 FM 
in Tampa, nights and some parts of mornings/afternoons.  Widest 
selection of "techno" music I'd ever heard on the radio.  Plus 
blues hours, jazz hours, etc, etc, etc.
3. Looks like there's a new Bel Canto album out called Magic Box. 
Any opinions on it?
4. Sorry Sean, I was going to give you more details on the O'Riada 
album I saw in Atlanta; I wrote the info down, but lost the paper. 
And for the next couple weeks I am avoiding traveling through 
Atlanta.  I do remember it was a Shenachie (sp?) label though.

Neal Mulvenna, e-mail to:  gearnoise@vnet.ibm.com