From: bt979@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeff Preston)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Subject: Re: The Cubby Papers
Date: 27 Jan 93 11:50:10 GMT
Reply-To: bt979@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeff Preston)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, MHB@MITVMA.BITNET ("Michael H. Bloom") says:

>Thinking about it more, I feel the same way about record store personnel.
>Unless they're convinced their workplace is a supermarket for the Hot 100,
>they should feel a sense of commitment to diversity. It should be a mark of
>pride to get somebody to buy something he's never heard of, and to have him
>come back the next week and say, Wow, you were right, that was amazing!

  Yeah, that's in an ideal universe, though. In reality, for $4.25/hr.,
these folks are probably just barely grateful for not having to clean
grease off a grill. This is the McDonaldization of America.

>I think Dero was the Enigma fan. Enigma did great stuff in their reissue
>program-- Can, Beefheart, Tim Buckley. Their own artists were amusing but
>not stellar-- other than Holdsworth, of course.

  Why do I get the distinct feeling you said that to keep *me* from
saying it?  ;)
  Since I haven't ranted in a week or so, I guess now's as good a time
as any. I recall about a month ago, we had some local net trouble which
prevented me from replying to this before, so here goes (sorry, no headers
saved, but this is Mr. Bloom speaking):

>Okay. Since the only Xmas present I received was Ken Koester's mostly medieval
>Christmas tape (which I quite liked, and I'm really not being insulting when I
>say it reminds me of what I like about Philip Glass), I went out on Sunday and
>gave myself a couple of presents: the Dixie Dregs' reunion CD, which is pretty
>good, and _Wardenclyffe Tower_, which is really nice, a step back from the
>somewhat stultifying harmonic density of _Secrets_. Steve Hunt's tune is weak,
>but on the other hand, as a friend of mine pointed out, he has one of the least
>enviable gigs in the world: he gets to take his solo after AH has blown away
>everybody else in the room. Does drummer Gary Husband really play keyboards?

  You think "Dodgy Boat" is really weak?  I wasn't that taken with the
title track, but otherwise, I thought this was a real winner. I do have
to agree with the part about Hunt... this came up on Atavachron not long
ago. A lot of people think there's not enough tension between Holdsworth
and Hunt; that their styles are too similar to be complimentary. Yeah, 
I can go fo that. I think his band would be better served by either a
world-class pianist like Jarrett, or a smokin' sax player (hmmm... what
do y'all think of Bob Berg?), especially in the opposing soloist's role.
  Oh, and yeah, Husband plays all sorts of instruments, actually. I
just hope he doesn't lose his grip on a piano and hit Holdsworth in the
ass with *that* (like he does with drumsticks)!  ;)  The rumor mill says
that Husband has left Level 42 and will be putting out a solo album
towards the end of 1993, with you-know-who doing the guitar honors.
  Gee, I got lots of rumors, but I'm waiting for the interview man to
post them to Atavachron before I start flappin' my gums...

  Jeff ("n.n.")

-- 
| Jeff Preston - owner and moderator of | "We don't  get  many requests |
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| *** To subscribe, send e-mail to: *** |  Atoz, from the '69 Star Trek |
| <atavachron@morekypr.morehead-st.edu> |  episode _All Our Yesterdays_ |
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