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Post by Adey on Dec 6, 2007 14:11:03 GMT
Absolutely gutted today to see Aerial in the "2 for £10" section, at the city centre HMV store. I felt like complaining to the manager.. Work of this quality at give away prices? Prior to this it has been consistently and highly priced.
Not so gutted of course, that I didn't immediately buy 2 more copies. Jeez, my collection of Aerial recordings is really starting to back up..
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Post by tannis on Feb 25, 2008 22:55:12 GMT
On Aerial Given KB's involvement with The Golden Compass (based on the fantasy novels of Philip Pullman), maybe KB has read 'The Darkangel Trilogy'... Meredith Ann Pierce, The Darkangel Trilogy1. [purple]The Darkangel (1982)[/purple]"The servant girl Aeriel must choose between destroying her vampire master for his evil deeds or saving him for the sake of his beauty and the spark of goodness she has seen in him." 2. [purple]A Gathering of Gargoyles (1984)[/purple]"Painfully aware that her husband Irrylath is still not free of the White Witch's spell, Aeriel sets out on a dangerous quest to gather the winged steeds that Irrylath and his brothers need to do battle against the powerful witch." 3. [purple]The Pearl of the Soul of the World (1989)[/purple]"With the aid of a shimmering pearl, Aeriel battles the White Witch to free her husband Irrylath and discovers her own true destiny." - www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/p/meredith-ann-pierce/- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Darkangel_Trilogy----- Or how about AERIAL and AERIA GAMES...In a time before time, when the world was only in darkness, a Goddess came from another dimension named Etaine, with a mission to create the world of Shaiya in harmony and prosperity. In 333 days, through her will, strength, and a desire for a perfect world, she created the vast and rich land called Teos Epeiros. She initially created one large ocean that she immersed herself in to create all the continents out of her flesh. Mountains were made high and rivers ran deep throughout the land in likeness of the veins that ran within her body. She created green forests and plains that engulfed the lands in the likeness of her youthful complexion. The sky and stars inherited their exquisiteness from the likeness of her eyes... shaiya.aeriagames.com/info/storyShaiya Online Aeriagames.comwww.youtube.com/watch?v=9alY7m8Jnhg
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Post by tannis on Feb 26, 2008 0:32:14 GMT
On Aerial TalThe Tal'mahe'RaThe [purple]Tal'mahe'Ra[/purple] are a fictional sect of vampires, composed of several clans and bloodlines, from White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade books and role-playing games. White Wolf, Inc. is an American gaming company, most famous for the role-playing game. The sect is often confused with the Black Hand. ----- Now I know nothing about role-playing games, but I found a site that does. Notice that [purple]Tal'mahe'Ra[/purple] has been abbreviated to [purple]Tal[/purple]. Could it be that Aerial Tal is a vampire role-play gaming name? ----- Tal'Mahe'Ra (Black Hand) -- 01:36:08 07/15/98 EDT The origins of the Black Hand predate the Sabbat, the Camarilla, Lupines, Fairies, Highlanders; just about everyone. When Mummies were walking the earth and just finding out about the secrets to immortality and resurrection, the beginnings of the Death Cult called the TalmaheRa were in full swing. For countless centuries, the [purple]Tal[/purple] studied about death and the afterlife, seeking help from Euthanatos Mages and sprits from the Deep Umbra. Lots of shit happened that isn't too clear, and the [purple]Tal[/purple] were a mystery until the [purple]Tal[/purple] allied itself with the Euthanatos Mages and those of the Wraith Worlds to jointly explore the Deep Umbra (490 BC). In 489 BC, the last expedition by Methulsulah Andeleun, a Tzimisce, found a curious creature that infected him with a disease. Later, among the many treasures that the [purple]Tal[/purple] brought back with them from the Deep Umbra worlds, Andeleun found that during the worst part of the Anarch Revolt (1420 AD) the TalmaheRa joined the Sabbat and became known as the Manus Nigrum...- from www.tigerden.com/~twilight/vampire2.html----- Four & Twenty Blackbirds by Mercedes LackeyIn the city of Haldene, constable Tal Rufen ponders a string of brutal murders. The victims are all poor street-musician girls, but Tal's clues are confusing: The perpetrators are also all dead (they always commit suicide right after carrying out a murder); in every case, the weapon is a knife with a characteristic blade, but somehow it invariably vanishes from the crime scene; as for the weather, it's always raining--because water washes away traces of magic? Confronted with indifference by his superiors (the cases are, after all, technically solved), Tal resigns when the murders stop and heads for Kingsford, a city in chaos where such crimes could go undetected. Sure enough, the murders begin again. Tal, now working for High Bishop Ardis, investigates and eventually discovers that a mage named Rand, who has the ability to transform himself into the Black Bird, seeks revenge for perceived wrongs done him in the past. And so he has orchestrated the murders as a means of enhancing his magical powers. Between the leisurely setup and the protracted windup lie hundreds of pages of verbose twiddling. Only fans who need everything spelled out in the tiniest detail will stick around. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Post by rosabelbelieve on Feb 26, 2008 1:38:43 GMT
Hmm.. It's interesting, but somehow I don't suspect Kate knows a whole lot about role-playing games, either. Though you never know...
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Post by tannis on Feb 26, 2008 3:28:49 GMT
[purple]...but I really think the answer may lie here, in the Hindi definition: Taal or Tal - Indian musical rhythmic pattern[/purple] [purple]Repeatedly I have brought up the 'Carnatic' and Indian influence on this album! No one seems to have taken me seriously however. The phrasing, the timing and pauses all lend themselves to a fusion of contemporary lyrics and instruments with traditional and ethnic bridges. This is analogous of Kate's progression in perspective and philosophy. One more reason to call this work genius.[/purple] Yes, those previous posts were a bit batty! ;D I have since read the 'Aerial Tal' thread - recommended... ...and agree that Aerial's Tal probably refers to the Indian system of Tal rhythm ( Tal variously transliterated as "tala", "taal" or "taala"). I think Kate is using her songbird voice in a clapping-drum-rhythmic manner. I found this site most helpful: - www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/tala.htmlSheila Chandra's SPEAKING IN TONGUES, from THE ZEN KISS (1994) uses the psychology of the Indian drum rhythm: "The idea stems from an Indian technique of calculation for drummers. The sounds that drummers make on the two, main classical drums (tabla in the North and mrdingam in the South) are repeated as onomatopoeic syllables. You learn the syllables first, before you pick up the drum. In South India it has become a vocal art form called konnakol. I have discarded the calculation and the rigid time cycles and use the technique to achieve a purely emotive collage of sound." (Youtube: Although the 'fan video' is pretty awful, but you can hear speaking in Tounges III at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngn0o7mg618Maybe KB has followed this sort of discipline to achieve the song of the birds... ----- MySpace music profile for Sheila Chandra: www.myspace.com/sh31lachandra
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Post by tannis on Feb 26, 2008 13:28:37 GMT
[purple]AERIAL NEPHELAE, NYMPHS OF THE CLOUDS[/purple]
Orphic Hymn 21 to the Nephelae (Clouds)
Aerial Nephelai, through heavens resplendent plains who wander, parents of prolific rains; who nourish fruits, whose watery frames are hurled, by winds impetuous round mighty world. Loud-sounding, lion-roaring, flashing fire, in air’s wide bosom bearing thunders dire: impelled by each sonorous stormy gale, with rapid course along the skies ye sail. With gentle gales your watery frames I call, on mother earth (Gaia) with fruitful showers to fall.
THE NEPHELAI (or Nephelae) were the Okeanid nymphs of clouds and rain who rose up from the earth-encircling river Okeanos bearing water to the heavens in cloudy pitchers. With their rains, the Nephelai nourished the earth and fed the streams of their River-god brothers. The Nephelai were depicted as beautiful, young women pouring water from pitchers or as women flitting across the sky with billowing robes.
THE OKEANIDES (or Oceanides) were the goddess Nymphs who presided over the sources of earth's fresh-water. Their numbers included the Nephelai (Cloud-Nymphs), Aurai (Breeze-Nymphs), Naiades (Spring and Fountain Nymphs), Leimonides (Pasture Nymphs), and Anthousai (Flower Nymphs). They were all daughters of the great, earth-encircling, fresh-water stream Okeanos and his wife Tethys.
Another group of Okeanides were described as attendants of the Olympian goddesses, the most prominent of these were the sixty Okeanis companions of Artemis, Peitho the handmaiden of Aphrodite, and Klymene a handmaiden of Hera.
The nymph MELIA was carried off by Apollo, and became by him the mother of Ismenius and of the seer Tenerus. She was worshipped in the Apollonian sanctuary, the Ismenium, near Thebes.
THE NYMPHAI ARTEMISIAI formed the core retinue of the goddess Artemis. Their names suggest they were regarded as Nephelai (Cloud-Nymphs).
"[Artemis] and maiden Aura mounted the car [Artemis' chariot], took reins and whip and drove the horned team like a tempest. The unveiled daughters of everflowing Okeanos her servants made haste to accompany the Archeress: one moved her swift knees as her queen’s forerunner, another tucked up her tunic and ran level not far off, a third laid a hand on the basket of the swiftmoving car and ran alongside. Archeress diffusing radiance from her face stood shining above her attendants ... The goddess [Artemis] leapt out of her car [of her chariot]; Oupis took the bow from her shoulders, and Hekaerge the quiver; the daughters of Okeanos took off the well-strung hunting nets, and another took charge of the dogs; Loxo loosed the boots from her feet." - Nonnus, Dionysiaca 48.302
from Aristophanes' The Clouds
Chorus of Clouds: Zeus, thou almighty Ruler of the heavens, Thee first we call, accept our dance, we pray; Thou too who wield'st the stern and savage trident, Lord of the Earthquake [Posiedon], hear our song today. Father renowned who nourishest all creatures, Ether, most holy, thee we also praise; And him who drives the fiery solar chariot [Apollo], Mortals and gods refreshing with his rays.
Leader (addressing the audience): We Clouds, my dear spectators, feel we must Say that the way you treat us is unjust. More blessings than all other gods we bring To you; yet you make us no offering Nor even pour libation. Just reflect What care we take your city to protect. Suppose you make a great strategic blunder: Then we send omens bad, like rain or thunder, And send you home while it's not yet too late. . .
Chorus of Clouds: Thou who art throned on Cynthus' rocky summit, * Graciously hear us, Phoebus, Delian Lord [Apollo]; Thou too, Blest Maid [Artemis], who dwell'st in the Ephesians' Temple of gold, by Lydian maids adored. Thou our Protectress, wielder of the aegis [Athene], Stay of this city, Pallas, hear our song; Last but no least the reveller of Parnassus, Bacchus, we call, amid his Maenad throng. . .
* Mount Cynthus is located on the isle of Delos, part of the Greek Cyclades. In Greek mythology, Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis on this island.
[purple]Incidentally, the album covers for TKI and NFE both feature "the sun and the moon..." Apollo and Artemis...[/purple]
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Post by rosabelbelieve on Feb 26, 2008 19:08:49 GMT
I did think you probably were being a bit tongue in cheek. I read the Aerial Tal thread- the ideas about it being influenced by Indian music are very interesting. And I love the Orphic Hymn to the Nephelae.
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Post by tannis on Feb 26, 2008 20:00:21 GMT
Yes, I can't quite imagine KB being a White Wolf Game Master Storyteller! The Aerial Tal thread is very good, and the ideas about it being influenced by Indian music are indeed very interesting. And check out Sheila Chandra's MySpace music profile - she is great! And pleased you loved the Orphic Hymn to the Nephelae...
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Post by rosabelbelieve on Feb 26, 2008 21:42:34 GMT
I did check it out, and I like it very much. Thank you for the link.
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Post by tannis on Feb 27, 2008 19:28:48 GMT
[purple]MOON, EARTH AND SUN PUT ON AERIAL DISPLAY...[/purple]The cover art to Aerial seems very much dedicated to Apollo, the Sun God... the chariot of the sun, set out on some horizon, sunlight dancing about the sea...And as early as 1978, Kate Bush confirmed that she was interested in the Occult:There are frequent references to her occult in her music; to Beelzebub, to her love of the "whirling of the dervishes", and even the invitation in 'Wuthering Heights' to "let me grab your soul away". KB: "That's really interesting, that's an amazing thing about interviews, they really make you think. I am interested in the occult but not the negative side of it. I really don't know much about it. I believe we are controlled by forces... the moon and the stars." And, as she describes in 'Strange Phenomena', seemingly purposeful coincidence. "Haunting Kate Bush" (1978)gaffa.org/reaching/i78_nz.htmlI believe we are controlled by forces... the moon...Maybe, just maybe, KB has identified herself with Artemis, the Moon Goddess, in the photograph accompanying 'Joanni'? ... Like a moony-lamp of Night, her face could be the amber orb of the moon floating in the night sky... Maybe KaTe believes she has become the moon... a controlling force...So when one flicks through the CD booklet, the Sun and the Moon appear to be in direct alignment... Indeed, given the interluding cartoon 'King of the Mountain' sketch, one could say that "the sun and the moon meet on yon hill..."----- [purple]PHOEBUS[/purple] - i.e. the shining, pure or bright, occurs both as an epithet and a name of Apollo, in his capacity of god of the sun. [purple]PHOEBE[/purple] - a surname of Artemis in her capacity as the goddess of the moon (Luna), the moon being regarded as the female Phoebus or sun. see more: Aerial and Apollo[/i][/color] katebush.proboards6.com/index.cgi?board=leaveitopen&action=display&n=1&thread=1998&page=1
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Post by tannis on Mar 12, 2008 5:45:38 GMT
October 20, 2005In an almost entirely demystified universe, getting to know Kate Bush is still a bit of an ask. Touchingly eccentric, she belongs to the same exulted class of disappearing artists as Salinger or Pynchon, and we can never be sure if such reclusivity is whether the work is too important or we - the commoners who await - aren't important enough. No matter. We're making out like bandits, even if we had to wait over a decade. Yes, there really is a new Kate Bush album, a double album no less, though even while listening to it one can scarcely believe such a thing came to pass. Never one for the blandishments of show business, for the past 12 years it seemed entirely plausible that Kate had slipped off, most likely accompanied by Gandalf or Syd Barrett, to some strange English idyll in a world not entirely the same as our own. There were rumours of course. All the usual conspiracies were regularly aired. The Red Shoes, her intricate '93 electro-operetta, had done her in. She would never recover or again darken a studio door with her elfin shadow. She was suffering from body dysmorphic syndrome, unable to look in the mirror as the ravages of age (she's now 47) took hold, or indeed leave the house. The truth was rather more mundane. She was on maternity leave, raising her son Bertie and tinkering in the studio these past six years whenever she found the time. We may never know Kate Bush, but we may know this - she's been very happy thank you very much. Both parts of Aerial - A Sea Of Honey (the collection she calls 'Kate songs') and A Sky Of Honey, a concept album inspired by birdsong and in part, Rolf Harris, are infused with joy. A Sea almost functions as a brand new retrospective, a classically watery wall of sound with gorgeous pop hooks. There are millions of impossibly beautiful things about it - the hippity hoppity reggae beats across the oceanic pop of 'King Of The Mountain', the pretty jangling guitars of 'Pi', the bongo sensuality of 'Joanni', the Latin noodles on 'How To Be Invisible', the familiar Hey Nonny Nonny Ophelia groove of 'Bertie', an achingly sweet ode to her son ( "Here comes the sunshine/Here comes that son of mine/The Most truly fantastic smile I've ever seen") which suddenly sweeps into a baroque masquerade ball. There's an arch wit to match the playful rhythms. 'Mrs Bartolozzi' is a brilliant inverted mock epic with thundering theatricality about a washing machine spiralling out to the sea before returning to a chorus that runs 'Swishy Swashy'. A Sky Of Honey, though rather daunting and potentially new age on paper, is equally delightful. Decadently and pleasingly fashioned from birdsong, giggling and electronics, there's a nice circularity in Sky's bassy echoes of Dark Side Of The Moon, bringing Kate right back to Dave Gilmour where it all began. It's apt. It's a neat reminder that this most girlish talent - a woman who sings of posies and kisses and crushes on Heathcliff - has always, beneath the whimsy, been skilled enough in musical architecture to fit snugly into record collections built around Kraftwerk and Can. If there's more where Aerial comes from then we'll wait and we'll like it. see more: Aerial Supremacygaffa.org/reaching/rev_aer_ire.html
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Post by rosabelbelieve on Mar 12, 2008 19:06:24 GMT
An entertaining review. Thank you for posting it.
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Post by tannis on Mar 12, 2008 23:05:08 GMT
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Post by rosabelbelieve on Mar 12, 2008 23:17:23 GMT
Yes, I was looking at them! I'm glad Aerial got such lovely reviews- it really does deserve them.
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Post by tannis on Apr 11, 2008 2:43:42 GMT
"Aerial[/color] is packaged as a lovely and inventive gatefold with the photography of John Carder Bush and Randy Olson, a painting by James Southall (Fisherman), a portrait of Kate by Trevor Leighton, and some additional drawings by Bertie Bush (Kate's son). I mention the design and packaging because, it's a long time since I have been this drawn-in by CD artwork, in fact, it takes me back to the days when album covers really really mattered and this CD art matters! The two CDs, Disc one (Sea of Honey) and Disc Two (Sky of Honey) are an intrinsic part of the John Carder Bush washing line photography.. it's inspired art folks and I love it!" gaffa.org/reaching/revaeweb3.htmlThe double vinyl Aerial comes with lush packaging - large lyric booklet, lined matt black record sleeves and silver-black record center labels. The vinyl run-out features a calligraphy letter 'B' (for Bertie?) or maybe it's a 'CB' (for Catherine Bush?). And the back cover features a drawing suggestive of Kate Bush calculating Pi... Anyone know who the artist is?Somewhere in between The waxing and the waning wave Somewhere in between The night and the daylightDay and NightThe album cover references Day and the inner black sleeves suggest Night. Remove the vinyl from its black sleeve and hold the sleeve up to daylight, you see a 'Full Moon'. Hold it up to lamplight, you see an 'eclipsed moon'. Indeed, each time you remove the vinyl from its sleeve, you see the 'Waxing moon'! ... The Waxing MoonWaxing Moon means the moon is getting larger in the sky, moving from the period of the New Moon to the Full Moon. The Moon is growing and has a pulling in effect on all things exposed to her energy. This is the time of great psychic enhancements and effects. A time for spells that attract love, good luck, growth. A time for new beginnings, to conceptualize ideas, to invoke. At this time the moon represents the Goddess in her Maiden aspect. Give praise to Artemis, Epona, Branwen, or one of the other Maiden Goddesses. Energies: Abundance wishes - New projects - Expansion- Increasing health and well being -New love affairs - Increasing knowledge and spirituality - Planting herbs - Fertility.
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