week XIX

[Al Truest]

In light of my recent whining , I'm going to continue to post bonus tracks (at least for my own edification ) Now however, they will be seperated from the Kate Bush tracks. That way if you wish to hear them, they are there as suggestions. You guys are all pretty smart, so you can find the links on your own. Right? If not let me know and I'll post the URL's.

This week's theme is the macabre. Most of these selections are angular and /or creepy. (I'll do a re-run on halloween ) Please listen to these tracks and comment on the content of the lyrics or the mood of the music:

1) 'Hammer Horror' from "Lionheart"
2) 'Leave it Open' from "The Dreaming"
3) 'Mother Stands for Comfort' from "Hounds of Love"
4) 'Get Out of My House' from "The Dreaming"
5) 'Waking the Witch' from "Hounds of Love"

bonus tracks:

* 'The Feeling Begins' from Peter Gabriel's "Last Temptation of Christ" soundtrack
* 'Vampire Hunter's" from Kilar Wojcvech's "Bram Stroker's Dracula" soundtrack
* 'Sympathy for the Devil' from the 'Stones' "40 Licks"
* 'Shock the Monkey' from Coal Chamber's "Chamber Music" (Ozzy Osborne on vocals)
* 'Love Song for a Vampire' from "Dracula" soundtrack again. Annie Lennox on vocals (to bring you down peacefully) Alternate the bonus tracks with the Kate Bush tracks if you'd like. But please listen and comment.

[august]

Wonderful theme. The Kate songs you picked fit in perfectly. I notice you omitted Wuthering Heights but maybe that was too obvious? Just the title Hammer Horror makes me recall the old Hammer horror movies I would stay up and watch. There are a few contributions I'd like to make as well: "Cry Little Sister" from the Lost Boys soundtrack. Bloodletting(the vampire song) by Concrete Blonde. People are Strange by Echo and the Bunnymen. Dead Man's Party by Oingo Boingo.

[Al Truest]

Thanks August. I had thought about 'Wuthering Heights', but I had just used it on recent playlist. It does fit the theme tho'.

These are probably some of her 'Goth' fans' favorites as well. It would be incorrect though to pigeonhole her music. Death is only one of the many issues that she uses to emphasize the precious quality of life.

I plan to listen to your additions and respond soon. I am looking foward to everyone elses comments and suggestions as well.

[Al Truest]

I'm having a bit of trouble finding all the links to your suggestions August. I'll get back to you soon.

Meanwhile, I'd like to share a poem written by a 12-13 year old Kate Bush:

'Death'

"A word could not harm me
A stone could not bruise me
A gun could not shoot me
for I am not here
Yet I come to receive you,
to hold you,
to keep you
For I am Death,
I am here
And I speak,
Yet you are dumb
You cannot hear that I am here
But I am gone
And you come to."

[august]

I couldn't find a link yet for Cry Little Sister by Gerard McMann. I did find a link to the lyrics though.

www.cheezey.com/thundercats/fanfic/crylittlesister.html

[Al Truest]

Thanks! Very appropriate to the theme. This topic need not be entirely morbid. As evidenced in the lyrics of this track. Life has more value and contrast when we are reminded of our mortality or the concept of immortality .

[august]

Just found a great site for Oingo Boingo. It even has a radio station for them. They have some excellent tunes. Take a listen.

mahatmarandy.com/rb/

[Al Truest]

Downloading ;D

[Al Truest]

August, must you and I do all the work here?

Sheila,Colleen,Zan,Lori,NEO,Sto'.. you don't get off that easily. Let's here some comments!

[august]

Maybe they're still listening and taking notes?

[Sto]

Hammer Horror is another example of Kate's marvellous ability to tell a story with a song. Her character's dilemma is a spooky one - she questions her ability to make the right decisions (betraying a friend or fame/success - "is this the right thing to do?") whilst questioning her faith (is her "hunch" right? Is her old friend haunting her?). The crash at the end is very powerful, although I would have preferred it to have come 10 seconds after the track ended and REALLY loud. You'd think "Ah, the album's ended..." and then suddenly CRASH! I find it odd that this "crash" originally ended demo for "Don't Push Your Foot On The Heartbrake"

Leave It Open
The effect on her voice keeps her at a distance from the listener, whilst adding a slightly mysterious and non-human atmosphere to the song. Hr vocals are quite desperate and frightened, whilst at the same time sounded quite sinister. "Harm is in us" - she sums up man's archaic illness of having a dark side and a tendency towards evil in four lines! "We let the weirdness in" is very spooky and my favourite part of the line. Although unintentionally, when it's played backwards it sounds like "They were buried here" - even spookier!

Mother Stands For Comfort
A murderer with a soft touch for his mother. Sometimes our love is so blind that it survives through anything. I actually find this to be more comforting than frightening. The wailing at the end, however, is both bitter and sombre. I always think of it as ghostly - even when she's dead, the mother will still her child.

Get Out Of My House
This one is just plain scary, aside from being brilliant genius. Kate's sense of humour is still intact, however, as her French-accented monologues add comic relief from the rest of the song. If I were you Kate, I think I'd prefer to get out of the house instead of asking the spirit to! The "eee-aaaw"ing at the end fits in well, and it's meant to be like a "boo!" to the ghost, but I think it was just a straightforward excuse for Kate to be as weird as possible!

Waking The Witch
If you think, from the beginning of the song, that it's going to be calm and melodious, you are extremely mistaken! Just when the drowning woman thinks she's safe from "Under Ice", she gets accused of being a witch and set on trial, almost immersed into the water by a jury, interrogated by the Devil and told to "Get out of the water!" by a passing helicopter (don't you think she's already tried that?!) - what a terrifying experience, even if it is all in her imagination! By the way, does anyone know who the voice of the Devil is played by in the record?

Great playlist Al' and I'll do the other non-Kate tracks if I can find them!

[Al Truest]

What a great response. It will be later today before I'm able to comment on your articulate observations.
Thanks!

[Sto]

LOL! Thanks Am I going to get feedback on my feedback then? Anyway, hang on, I'm not quite done yet!

Peter Gabriel's "The Feeling Begins" in wonderful. It kind of reminds me of a slightly sinister "The Sensual World". The beat which signals the climax leading to the end is very "Get Out Of My House", which I love. Is that some sort of monster roaring at the end? "Vampire Hunters" is very dramatic, with a lot of tension boiling under the strings. I haven't seen the film, but I can really visualise from the title and the music the kind of atmosphere the film has. I'm not a great fan of Annie Lennox, but "Love Song For a Vampire" was really rather good! "Sympathy for the Devil"is very interesting, I love the concept behind it. The lyrics are brilliant - we associate so much evil with the Devil, it's almost as if he's a scapegoat for anything bad that happens.

I'd like to add a bonus track. It isn't really scary, but it follows the trend of the supernatural. Lara Fabian - "You're Not From Here" from the album 'Lara Fabian'. You should be able to find it without much struggle (hopefully). It's about meeting a ghost who you knew in the past, or perhaps a past life.

[Al Truest]

I plan to use Lara Fabian in "The French Connection" (upcoming playlist) until then please continue to comment on this and any other thread on this board.