From: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org (alloy-digest) To: alloy-digest@smoe.org Subject: alloy-digest V5 #101 Reply-To: alloy@smoe.org Sender: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-alloy-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "alloy-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. alloy-digest Wednesday, April 26 2000 Volume 05 : Number 101 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby [Jon ] Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby [hubcity@exit109.com] Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby [Jon ] Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby [hubcity@exit109.com] Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby [DAbbitt32@aol.com] Re: Alloy: Joe's Cows (digital vs analog) ["Ian Gifford" ] Alloy: Live Wireless on DVD (was driving) ["Keith Stansell" ] Re: Alloy: Live Wireless on DVD (was driving) [Brian Clayton Subject: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby Back in the early 80's when I was a broke teen, I would have to tape my recently purchased albums at my friends house, so I could listen to them on my father's car stereo. Hmmmm, that sounded a lot more dismal than it actually seemed at the time! At any rate, whenever I listen to the Blinded By Science EP and TGAOW, regardless of whatever emotions or images are evoked, the experience is always one of moving, or travelling. Sure, I am blissfully depressed while listening to the extended version of airwaves, but no matter what romance I am dreaming up, I also remember driving down highways on cloudy days, passing blinking radio antennas, and huge refineries. Which brings me to a mini-revelation I recently had. And if I am wrong, don't tell me...why ruin the fantasy. I just moved to Westchester County, NY. I find myself driving alot along a nearby highway called 287. A few months ago, I was listening to the radio, and decided to explore where this short highway led to. Very quickly, I found myself crossing a bridge and ending up in New Jersey. And it hit me....Weightless....Westchester Thruway...sumps leaking all over New Jersey. So now, one of my favorite Dolby songs brings me even more joy. I say to myself "he was here, he knows the feeling!" And I'm gone again. - -jon ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 14:42:24 GMT From: hubcity@exit109.com Subject: Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby jon wrote: > I just moved to Westchester County, NY. I find myself driving alot > along a nearby highway called 287. A few months ago, I was listening to > the radio, and decided to explore where this short highway led to. Very > quickly, I found myself crossing a bridge and ending up in New Jersey. > And it hit me....Weightless....Westchester Thruway...sumps leaking all > over New Jersey. Well, I won't tell you you're wrong, but I think you stayed on I-287 too long. I think he got off at the Palisades Parkway, and threaded down to the NJ Turnpike, where there's a whole lotta funk goin' on (and not in a good way.) I'm only saying this 'cause I-287 didn't continue on to NJ back when the song was released. For more on the subject, http://www.nycroads.com/roads/cross-westchester/ will tell you more about the road than you ever thought possible. - -HubCity ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 15:08:12 -0400 From: Jon Subject: Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby I agree...I just didnt want to boggle folks with crazy directions....basically, after the Tappan Zee, I just took the Turnpike hubcity@exit109.com wrote: > > jon wrote: > > I just moved to Westchester County, NY. I find myself driving alot > > along a nearby highway called 287. A few months ago, I was listening to > > the radio, and decided to explore where this short highway led to. Very > > quickly, I found myself crossing a bridge and ending up in New Jersey. > > And it hit me....Weightless....Westchester Thruway...sumps leaking all > > over New Jersey. > > Well, I won't tell you you're wrong, but I think you stayed on I-287 too long. > I think he got off at the Palisades Parkway, and threaded down to the NJ > Turnpike, where there's a whole lotta funk goin' on (and not in a good way.) > I'm only saying this 'cause I-287 didn't continue on to NJ back when the song > was released. > > For more on the subject, http://www.nycroads.com/roads/cross-westchester/ will > tell you more about the road than you ever thought possible. > > -HubCity ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 20:43:24 GMT From: hubcity@exit109.com Subject: Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby > > I agree...I just didnt want to boggle folks with crazy > directions....basically, after the Tappan Zee, I just took the Turnpike > Heh, infinitesimally useless trivia is my strong suit. By the way, that was my de-lurk... - -HubCity ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 16:47:18 EDT From: DAbbitt32@aol.com Subject: Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby In a message dated 04/25/2000 1:46:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, hubcity@exit109.com writes: << Heh, infinitesimally useless trivia is my strong suit. By the way, that was my de-lurk... -HubCity >> Duly noted. By the way, this is my de-lurk. - -Dabbitt ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 11:12:57 EDT From: "Ian Gifford" Subject: Re: Alloy: Joe's Cows (digital vs analog) Hi all, First...congrats on the big Alloy meeting, I am a little jealous as I intended to meet /\/\iles in Detroit (only 2 hours away) but as usual....life got in the way of that. I felt your presence Stephen and I wish I could have been there to shake your hand...but WE WILL MEET and it will be grand! second...I have moved again into a lovely 1 bedroom flat with a Bay window that faces the west to catch some gorgeous sunsets! I haven't played quite so much guitar since I got that window, I can sit right inside it with the french doors closed around me If I wish!! LOVELY!! Now.... The digital vs, Analogue debate was a big one at school (I went to learn to be an Audio Engineer. My last roomie and I had a vinyl player which we used alot....we both have quite the collections. Unfortunately I don't think that of the 4 media commonly available (LP, Casette, CD and mp3) that there is a perfect one amongst them. Here are my thoughts on each.... 1) Vinyl..... Oh lovely vinyl....tis true that it has a warm tone to it...it is commonly used as the last mastering phase for CD's these days. It is unfortunate however that about the last seven minutes of an LP (pardon the expression) sound like shit! I mean it! Listen to an LP for the first 3 minutes and it is like Heaven....the last 3 like you know what! It has to do with the size of the turn that the needle has to contend with. Of course there are some good tables out there that can help to compensate for the smaller rotation but generally it will never sound as good as the first half of the record. 2) cassettes....I always had my walkman with me when I was younger and a backpack filled with dozens of cassettes. Friends at parties Loved me because I always had something fresh and new for them to hear! I love the portability of cassettes but not the durability as it is non-existent!!! They die way to quick! Also, when you record to a cassette you lose alot of thehigh end from the recording which will tend to muddy up the sound of it all. Yuck!! I still have a milkcrate full of cassettes however that I rarely listen to anymore. It is an unwritten rule that you should never send a music cassette to a college radio person because you can't always cue them effectively...especiall on the fly. In other words if you send an album on cassette, the DJ is most likely to play only the first song on either side or none at all!! 3) CD's.....Personally I love these things.....I still don't feel that there are to many engineers who really know how to record for the CD. I have found that when I am recording for a CD, I go for a recorded interpretation of the room that I was working in and use TONS of ambient mikes around the room. The downside is the fact that CD's can have alot of hidden frequencis that will add to the overall mix and make for some odd sounds. Keep in mind that we as humans naturally have a diminished capacity for hearing between 16,000hz and 20,000hz. Cd's pick up those frequencies rather well where as vinyl and cassettes do not.... so if there is alot of stuff going on up in that range it can create a noise that we can't hear all that well, but when it is mixed with the information that we DO hear, it can make for distortion or overtones that can be simply annoying. I see it this way....CD's are like painting on glass....lp/cassettte like canvas. With the canvas, you have to build your colours around the grade of white that the canvas is but with glass you will get the truest colours possible, straight from the pallette and brush. With canvas you can use that white as a colour without much effort with glass that white has to be put into it...which could get tricky. WIth canvas that white is always that white! With glass that white could be altered with light shining behind it (a reference to eq of course) 4) Mp3.... at the right recording/playback level these things are too darned incredible! YOu will sacrifice disc spce but the internet and computer co.'s have ways around that for you! The beautiful thing about it is that once you have it in your drive, there is nothing that you can't do with it. There are programs designed to simulate a vinyl player with your music file or a cassette player...or how about speaker modelling? You can actuall take an mp3, listen on headphones and have it sound as if you were listeng to it in your favorite room on an old Marantz stereo if you so desire! THAT IS COOL! I truly love the fact that digital music can be anything that YOU want it to be! There will be differences from "the real thing" of course but you will get used to it! It is like when I went to eating vegetarian hotdogs from "meat" ones. I lost a little of the taste that you get from all that extra fat but the texture and genral flavour were almost exactly the same! So I believe that the whole discussion is totally subjective. What do you like to hear? What do you hate to hear? No one media is better than the other except to the individual. Each has their technical faults that can be gaged with complex electronic devices etc. But the fact is...if you grew up with vinyl...you will probably hold an affinity for it due to memories of the situations that you were listening to those LP's in.... I am like that so I can't relate to kids these days who have no idea what An Album or casette even sounds like because they have always had CD's. Personally I will listen to them all.....FOR THE MUSIC. I am a music freak so if you were to put it on tin foil wrapped around a toilet paper roll (Thomas Edisons first ever recording was on one!) I would take it all in, in the context of which it was being presented and tune into the music...not the media. THis is a good discussion to have....made for interesting fights at school Any other thoughts from the Alloyance? Ian ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 17:31:09 -0400 From: "Stephen M. Tilson" Subject: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy OK, gang. Here are the lyrics to New Toy as best as Europa and I could hear them. (We searched, but did not find these lyrics published anywhere on the web.) So read through and tell us what you think! *********************************************************** NEW TOY -- circa 1980 Did I ask you for your love Did I ask you for your dedication I don't want I don't want your love I don't want I don't want your affection But I've got to have the car (I need it for the weekend) I've got to have the stereo (And a couple of deletions) I've got to have the freezer (Put some fun back in my eating) I've got to have it all 'til I'm complete I want a New Toy To keep my head expanding I want a New Toy Nothing too demanding Then when everything is in roses Everything is static Me and my new toy... You'll find us in the attic You Sometimes you make me feel I feel so insecure Sometimes you make me feel Nothing at all I'm sick of the TV (Well, look at the news) I'm sick of the radio (Well, what can you do) I'm sick of the Hoover (My mind's a vacuum) I'm sick of it all So what can I do I get a New Toy To keep my head expanding I get a New Toy Nothing too demanding Then when everything is in roses You don't get any headroom Me and my new toy You'll find us in the bedroom You You must You must want What do you want You You must You must want What do you want You must You must want What do you want New Toy New Toy Oh-eee-oh *********************************************************** editor's notes: The difference between "is in" and "isn't" is possibly quite significant to the meaning of the song. I hope that we can resolve this. ...discuss... /\/\iles ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 17:37:42 -0400 From: "Stephen M. Tilson" Subject: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby Jon "otterpunk" offered: > Back in the early 80's when I was a broke teen... Regardless of the veracity of Jon's supposition about "Westchester Thruway", I found his post evocative and poetic. Thanks! /\/\iles ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 18:53:56 -0400 From: Sean Carolan Subject: Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby Folks, Ah, that's what was missing in my reply...the *humanity*! Jeez, and it *was* a good story too... In the future, I promise to appreciate a story before I try and ground it in (essentially meaningless) facts. But enough about my insensitivity...when's Live Wireless gonna be out on DVD? - -HubCity (Whose Betamax tape of an MTV broadcast of Live Wireless has succumbed to the ravages of age.) At 05:37 PM 4/25/00 -0400, you wrote: > >Jon "otterpunk" offered: > > > Back in the early 80's when I was a broke teen... > >Regardless of the veracity of Jon's supposition about "Westchester >Thruway", I found his post evocative and poetic. Thanks! > >/\/\iles > > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 17:11:21 -0600 From: "Keith Stansell" Subject: Alloy: Live Wireless on DVD (was driving) Perhaps we should have a writing campaign to Pioneer Electronics. I think Live Wireless and The Golden Age of Video combined on one DVD would be a great package. I wonder if they own the rights to put those out still. I've noticed they are re-releasing many of their old music Laser Discs on DVD now. We can only hope. - -Keith - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sean Carolan" To: Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2000 4:53 PM Subject: Re: Alloy: Driving Mr. Dolby > > Folks, > > Ah, that's what was missing in my reply...the *humanity*! Jeez, and it > *was* a good story too... > > In the future, I promise to appreciate a story before I try and ground it > in (essentially meaningless) facts. But enough about my > insensitivity...when's Live Wireless gonna be out on DVD? > > -HubCity > (Whose Betamax tape of an MTV broadcast of Live Wireless has succumbed to > the ravages of age.) > > > > At 05:37 PM 4/25/00 -0400, you wrote: > > > >Jon "otterpunk" offered: > > > > > Back in the early 80's when I was a broke teen... > > > >Regardless of the veracity of Jon's supposition about "Westchester > >Thruway", I found his post evocative and poetic. Thanks! > > > >/\/\iles > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 16:18:45 -0700 From: "Kathleen T. Presser" Subject: Re: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy The lyrics to New Toy are like a poem. Kinda reminds me of that song 'New Drug' but a little better. Wish there was more video footage of Lene Lovich. She's something else! Kate;-) Stephen M. Tilson wrote: > OK, gang. Here are the lyrics to New Toy as best as Europa and I > could hear them. (We searched, but did not find these lyrics > published anywhere on the web.) So read through and tell us what you > think! > > *********************************************************** > NEW TOY > -- circa 1980 > > Did I ask you > for your love > Did I ask you > for your dedication > I don't want > I don't want your love > I don't want > I don't want your affection > > But I've got to have the car > (I need it for the weekend) > I've got to have the stereo > (And a couple of deletions) > I've got to have the freezer > (Put some fun back in my eating) > I've got to have it all > 'til I'm complete > > I want a New Toy > To keep my head expanding > I want a New Toy > Nothing too demanding > Then when everything is in roses > Everything is static > Me and my new toy... > You'll find us in the attic > > You > Sometimes you make me feel > I feel so insecure > Sometimes you make me feel > Nothing at all > > I'm sick of the TV > (Well, look at the news) > I'm sick of the radio > (Well, what can you do) > I'm sick of the Hoover > (My mind's a vacuum) > I'm sick of it all > So what can I do > > I get a New Toy > To keep my head expanding > I get a New Toy > Nothing too demanding > Then when everything is in roses > You don't get any headroom > Me and my new toy > You'll find us in the bedroom > > You > You must > You must want > > What do you want > You > You must > You must want > > What do you want > You must > You must want > What do you want > > New Toy > New Toy > Oh-eee-oh > *********************************************************** > > editor's notes: The difference between "is in" and "isn't" is > possibly quite significant to the meaning of the song. I hope that > we can resolve this. > > ...discuss... > > /\/\iles ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 19:28:35 EDT From: Keys35@aol.com Subject: Re: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy Well - Here's what I've been screaming at the top of my lungs in the car for 20 years: But I've got to have the car (I need it for the weekend) I've got to have the stereo (And a couple of deletions) I've got to have the freezer (Put some fun back in my eating) <- something to put my meat in I've got to have it all 'til I'm complete I want a New Toy To keep my head expanding I want a New Toy Nothing too demanding Then when everything is in roses <- is in Everything is static Me and my new toy... You'll find us in the attic I'm sick of the TV (Well, look at the news) I'm sick of the radio (Well, what can you do) I'm sick of the Hoover (My mind's a vacuum) <- the noisy vacuum I'm sick of it all So what can I do ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 17:49:05 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Clayton Subject: Re: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy I could never quite make out what the background singers (is TMDR singing on this?) were saying. Your lyrics are more reasonable than anything I've come up with! > Then when everything is in roses Seems more like "is in" than "isn't" to me. > Everything is static > Me and my new toy... > You'll find us in the attic I've always heard this as "Your my new toy/The finest in..." however, this works too. > ...discuss... "Tawk amongst yourselves...here's a topic: The Holy Roman Empire isn't holy, nor Roman, nor an empire: discuss." BC (off to find my copy of New Toy for a listen...) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 17:55:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Brian Clayton Subject: Re: Alloy: Live Wireless on DVD (was driving) On Tue, 25 Apr 2000, Keith Stansell wrote: > Perhaps we should have a writing campaign to Pioneer Electronics. I think > Live Wireless and The Golden Age of Video combined on one DVD would be a > great package. I wonder if they own the rights to put those out still. > I've noticed they are re-releasing many of their old music Laser Discs on > DVD now. We can only hope. Let us not forget the seemingly lost videos from "Astronauts and Heretics" which have yet to be released commercially. Or perhaps a feature about The Virtual String Quartet? The list goes on...there must be a lot of performances, interviews, etc, that could be compiled into one or two nifty DVDs. BC ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 19:10:42 -0600 From: "Keith Stansell" Subject: Re: Alloy: Live Wireless on DVD (was driving) Great idea Brian, Now if they could get Beatnik involved to create content that could be accessed on a computer with a DVD drive, you would really have something there. They could put a bunch of Beatnik GrooveGrams on the disc that would load in no-time. With the speed and capacity, there could be some really amazing Groove Grams on the DVD that would not be possible over a modem. Throw in other content such as biography, lyrics, etc... wow. I guess the question about A&H videos is who owns the rights. I would guess Pioneer has the rights to LW and GAOV, but perhaps not the other videos. But it would definitely be cool if they did append them to the golden age. Throw in some rare audio tracks in the menu system and you could have the definitive TMDR collection - and it would all fit nicely on one disk. Hey Thomas, if you can possibly nudge Pioneer in this direction, do so for us. Thanks!!! - -Keith - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Clayton" To: Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2000 6:55 PM Subject: Re: Alloy: Live Wireless on DVD (was driving) > > On Tue, 25 Apr 2000, Keith Stansell wrote: > > > Perhaps we should have a writing campaign to Pioneer Electronics. I think > > Live Wireless and The Golden Age of Video combined on one DVD would be a > > great package. I wonder if they own the rights to put those out still. > > I've noticed they are re-releasing many of their old music Laser Discs on > > DVD now. We can only hope. > > Let us not forget the seemingly lost videos from "Astronauts and Heretics" > which have yet to be released commercially. Or perhaps a feature about > The Virtual String Quartet? The list goes on...there must be a lot of > performances, interviews, etc, that could be compiled into one or two > nifty DVDs. > > BC > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 21:52:14 -0400 From: "Stephen M. Tilson" Subject: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy I neglected to mention, per Europa's suggestion, that these lyrics are "as heard" from the original Lene Lovich single. My bad, and now you know. Thomas' version during the Flat Earth tour had Fairlight samples of, "A coffee percolator" "A compression tester" "A digital lawnmower" included in the bridge. /\/\ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 20:04:54 -0600 From: "Keith Stansell" Subject: Re: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy I've got a digital lawnmower - well close - it is electric. Stephen, I think this song speaks to me. (Gadget whore that I am). - -Keith - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen M. Tilson" To: Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2000 7:52 PM Subject: Alloy: Song of the Week: New Toy > > I neglected to mention, per Europa's suggestion, that these lyrics > are "as heard" from the original Lene Lovich single. My bad, and now > you know. > > Thomas' version during the Flat Earth tour had Fairlight samples of, > > "A coffee percolator" > "A compression tester" > "A digital lawnmower" > > included in the bridge. > > /\/\ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2000 00:59:31 -0400 From: "Melissa R. Jordan" Subject: Alloy: A Weather Report From The Top of the Stairs Hello, Alloy Friends, I just wanted to let you all know that, after a month and a half in the hospital, my mother is finally home. She made an amazing return from the edge of death, and, despite having lost 40 pounds and being pretty wobbly, she's not doing too badly! Coincidentally, her release from the hospital matched my visit to Illinois for a trade show, so I got to help escort her home. When I got to the hospital on Saturday morning (having driven down from Chicago in the pickup truck (!?!!?) that the car rental folks gave me!) I gave Mom a set of devil horns I got from a software company at COMDEX. She wore them all day - her short term memory is shot, so she kept forgetting that she was wearing them! Blessedly, Mom's cognitive abilities have returned. Honest to god, my sweet 78-year-old mom told me that, at the height of the "ICU Psychosis" she suffered, she believed she was in a bordello, and all the nurses were prostitutes, the doctors were johns, and Mom was there to take the money! :-) It's amazing what the brain can do. Anyway, I want to thank all of you for your wonderful messages of support through this very difficult time. You have been simply lovely people, and I am most grateful. Now, it's time for me to take a deep breath, and try to sort out the life I've had on hold since February. I now return you to your Dolby content. Cheers, Melissa - -- Melissa R. Jordan Owner/Artist/Rubber Maven, Compass Rose Studios (http://crstudios.com) Chief Navigator, Compass Rose Consulting (http://askcrc.com) ------------------------------ End of alloy-digest V5 #101 ***************************