Emily wrote:
>hi jason! (and kakki!) i was waiting to see what you'd
>have to say about my aimee mann review, since i know we've
>written about her before. unfortunately, she didn't do
>"ghost world" (killer song) OR "4th of july" (which i think
>i remember elvis put as one of his "best records of all
>time" in that vanity fair piece). i would have LOVED to hear
>more stuff from "whatever"...like "should've known" (i can't
>dig her voice enough on the line "but i was busy talking
>on the PHONE") or "mr. harris" (sentimental fave) or
>"fifty years after the fair" (the lyrics here are haunting,
>strange, and wonderful all at once).
Aimee doesn't seem to perform much from _Whatever_ these days, which is a shame --
it's an almost flawless record, one I never tire of. "I Should've Known" is an
incredible song. My own favorite part is the entire verse that leads up to and ends
with "... but you still live in those days, when I'd stay awake just to watch you
sleeping."
I agree with what you said about "Fifty Years After the Fair" -- that song has
entranced me from the first listen. There's some elusive quality to it that I can't
put my finger on that makes it so special and undefinable. And I absolutely love Roger
McGuinn's 12-string guitar on it.
>i thought "calling it quits" came alive in the concert,
>especially the "get tough girls" line that she did
>a cappella...and that one was never a super favorite of
>mine. um, what else? the crowd loved "deathly" and
>"one"...but "it's not safe" is still ringing in my mind...
>why do i think if joni's heard that song she loves it?
You're at least two up on me -- I still haven't heard "Deathly" live, and it's one of
my favorites (the "You're on your honor" verse never fails to give me goosebumps). I
also haven't heard "Calling it Quits" live, but I always felt like it would work
better in live performance than it does on the album.
I like the idea of Joni hearing "It's Not Safe" -- she's spent so much of her career
wanting to "do something good," when seemingly everyone else wants something
unchallenging and would rather "choose swine over pearls." I know the song is
interpreted by a lot of people as being angry, but to me it comes across more as a mix
of frustration and resignation, wondering why you'd even want to continue any further
when no one seems to understand, yet never allowing yourself to give in. I think Joni
could at least appreciate the honesty and content of the lyrics, if not the music
itself.
>and i know i was kind of harsh on michael: first of all,
>he's a total babe (yowzers, though, i think his jeans were
>tighter than hers!) -- and i enjoyed his songs. i don't have
>any of his stuff but i'm going to look into the one that
>you mentioned. there was one song he did, kind of bluesy,
>or country, something about "you look good from the
>freeway" (?) that i really liked.
Yeah, I have to wonder about Michael's jeans myself. I remember reading in an article
a year ago a comment by Aimee saying how Michael really wanted them to have children
-- I think he'd better get some relaxed-fit jeans first, or they might run into
problems! ;)
The song you liked is called "Brave New World," and it's from Michael's first album,
_March_, which also includes his best-known song, "No Myth" ("What if I were Romeo in
black jeans? What if I was Heathcliff, it's no myth..."). Unfortunately, that album
has been out-of-print for a while now, but if you're a member of Columbia House, they
still seem to carry it. Apart from that, you could always check the used or cut-out
bins or try eBay or SecondSpin.com -- copies have been known to turn up periodically.
Of course, there's also Napster, if none of those other options pan out for you. It's
a great album, though, so it's worth getting the entire thing, not just that one song
in particular.
>as for the comic...i'm still blllleeeccchhh on him. banter--
>who cares about banter???--ira and georgia barely said two
>words at that amazing irving plaza show i saw a couple of
>months ago (yep, i'm a huge YL fan and now "and then the
>nothing" is never off the player) and they were captivating.
>plus they did an achingly beautiful, feedback drenched
>version of "somebody's baby" by jackson browne (!). i'm
>not kidding!
I'm just imagining this, and I'm already sitting here feeling envious. ;)
Do you know if any recordings of that show have surfaced? I'd love to hear this.
Cheers,
Jase
