YTSEJAM Digest 3151 Today's Topics: 1) The Chances... by Ryan Good 2) Minneapolis Show; Intelligence by Jay Omega 3) Instrumentalists by Phil Carter 4) New Haven, readable, and ****SPOILERS**** by Michael Burstin 5) Chicago show -- I'll be there by "Paul W. Cashman" 6) DT at Toad's Place **Spoiler** by Isaac Sabetai 7) Scarred.....DT listened!!! by email_address_removed 8) Changes In Billboard by Dave Thomas 9) Billboard [ndtc] by Scotch 10) UNCLASSIFIED:-Re: Scarred.....DT listened!!! by email_address_removed.au 11) Long Island.. and DT by Jeremy Kube 12) The Charts by "Richard A. Rivera" 13) Accessibility by "Neal Brown" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 08:07:05 -0600 From: Ryan Good To: email_address_removed Subject: The Chances... Message-ID: Hey all- What do you think the chances are of Dream Theater changing up their set list from time to time on this tour? Do you think they'll whip out some odd tunes eventually? _____________________________________________________ "Brought to you by the letter B" _____________________________________________________ Ryan Good - Music Stapher from WSUM - Madison's idea of College Radio! - The Unofficial-Official Madison Progressive Rock Monster Home - 608-285-8695 Radio - 608-262-1206 "Madison Student Radio: It's coming!" WSUM/MSR Homepage: http://msr.wisc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 20:15:10 -0600 (CST) From: Jay Omega To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: Minneapolis Show; Intelligence Message-ID: To the people asking about the MN show get-together, please email Brian Hayden at email_address_removed He's getting together the get-together, or something like that. Of course, as on-the-ball as he is, he's probably mailed you already. And he's maintaining a page at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Alley/3771/dt.html for _all_ the get-togethers for _all_ the shows. ------ On Sun, 26 Oct 1997, Stephen Dedalus wrote: > I think it's silly to put down the intelligence of the general populus. Well considering that... On Sun, 26 Oct 1997, email_address_removed wrote: > Please don't email me anymore and delete my name and email address from > you records please!!!!!!!! ..I'd say you're wrong. :) He's had a copy of the unsub instructions in front of him within the past two weeks and still can't unsub himself? (As well as having no concept of grammar, despite posting from an .edu address.) I once heard a theory that the total amount of intelligence on this planet is a constant... and the population is growing. --Jay "of course, some people don't get that joke anymore..." Omega --NP: Renaissance - Songs From Renaissance Days :) :) :) <- a few more smileys for anyone trying to take me seriously. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 21:26:12 -0500 From: Phil Carter To: email_address_removed Subject: Instrumentalists Message-ID: Greetings ye 'jamanoids... For those out there who've been looking for instrumental recommendations, here's a whole bunch: Rock/metal/electric guitar instrumentalists: 1) Joe Satriani. The God of the Guitar. Unique tone, outstanding songwriting, and incredible abilities. 2) Steve Vai. The original horizon-pusher. Vai makes guitars do things they weren't meant to do. He also writes some very catchy tunes. 3) Jason Becker. One of the true tragedies of our time is that this fellow will never be able to reach his true potential as a guitarist. Stricken with ALS, he's nevertheless refused to let it slow him down, and has composed some of the most uplifting and powerful music out there. 4) Steve Morse. A seriously cool guitarist with an instantly recognizable tone (acoustic or electric), with strong fusion influences and GREAT chops. His song titles *always* fit well, too. 5) Marty Friedman. Originally a pure shredder. His first album was mostly pure speed, but had a few real gems. Tasteful licks abound in his later efforts, plus some more relaxing new-age stuff. 6) Steve Howe. The Yes guitarist has released some very fine solo work, mostly clean-toned electric stuff with orchestral overtones. Well-written. 7) Frank Gambale. A jazz/fusion influenced, jazz-toned guitarist. Sweep picking and shredding with a good instrumental backing. 8) Al DiMeola. Another jazz/fusion influenced guitarist, with lots of speed and a nice clean tone. Acoustic/fingerstyle guitarists: 1) Billy McLaughlin. I just raved about him not long ago. He has incredible ability, and isn't always obsessed with pure speed, like many fingerstyle guitarists. Has a nice tone as well. 2) Jesse Cook. Flamenco/rumba/world beat/jazz/pop guitar. Interestingly impossible to categorize. More fiery flamenco than anything else. 3) Andres Segovia. One of the true masters of fingerstyle, he took the acoustic guitar to new heights with his own classical compositions as well as other classical works. 4) Christopher Parkening. Another of the fingerstyle/acoustic Gods. Parkening's work is jaw-droppingly fast and impeccably smooth. Classical overtones in most of his work, though there's some pop stuff too. 5) Oscar Lopez. Powerful rhythms with an unmistakable Latin/Hispanic flavor to them. 6) Govi. A new-age-style guitarist who writes catchy, uplifting tunes, many with a Caribbean flavor to them. Keyboards/new age/new age-style: 1) Yanni. Blends keyboards and piano with beautifully orchestrated music. Catchy songs with driving rhythms and a sound-stamp that is uniquely his own. It's not hard to see why his fans (like me) are absolutely mad for his music. 2) David Arkenstone. A musician who plays nearly 2 dozen instruments (and all of them well), Arkenstone's compositions frequently tell stories. Layers of keyboard sound mix with acoustic and electric instruments in a powerful combination. Three of his albums are concept albums, while another is a foray into pure electronic music, and others have concept overtones. All of it is well-written, and all of it is impeccably played and executed. A brilliant composer and musician. 3) Jonn Serrie. The original "space-music" composer. Serrie's compositions for planetariums around the world evolved into powerful songwriting. Waves of sound fade in and out; very ethereal. 4) Nicholas Gunn. A flutist with massively impressive abilities, both as a composer and player. His songs weave brilliant musical tapestries, speaking of the American Southwest and Native American traditions. Gunn's flute playing is haunting, while his pop arrangements and compositions will grab your attention and keep it. Highly recommended. 5) Kitaro. A longtime veteran of the new age world, Kitaro's compositions are very Eastern in style; mostly keyboards with guitar, drums, wooden flutes, some chanting and the odd orchestral piece. 6) Michael Gettel. A pianist with a beautiful style and very strong songwriting abilities. 7) Tangerine Dream. More longtime veterans of the new age world. Mostly layered keyboards with some electric instruments and some orchestral arrangements. The songwriting is catchy and will stick with you. Lots of music to choose from, too. Well, that ought to keep you 'jamanoids busy for a while. I've lots more up my sleeve; just say the word! Cheers, Phil ========================================================= Phil Carter -- email_address_removed http://www.negia.net/~carter "Music brings peace to the restless, and comforts the sorrowful. They who no longer know where to turn find new ways. And those who have despaired, gain new confidence and love." -- Pablo Casals Currently playing: Rush -- "A Farewell to Kings" ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 21:53:02 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Burstin To: email_address_removed (Ytsejam Mailing List) Subject: New Haven, readable, and ****SPOILERS**** Message-ID: Well, made it back from the show in one piece, although, unfortunatly, my car did not :(... First off, great show, possibly the best of the 7 I have seen so far... the guys sounded amazing (will get into more details in the spoilers below) and did some cool new and different stuff. As I have said before, and will say again, DT is so much NOT a band to mosh/crowd surf to, and for some time, people didn't. Unfortunatly, some little morons midway into hte show decided to show up in my general area and were very annoying (I bent my cool FII poster that I took from the wall while trying to imitate a brick wall (with some success)). Then, after the show, one of the same asses was perstering the entire band to try to get into the tour bus, or have someone take something onto the bus to have Myung sign, I think that all of us were ready to take the fuck off to the side and pummel him. It was great to meet even more new Jammers... I think we had a group of about 20-30 people from, the Jam gathering afterwords talking outside... remember, after the shows, head towards the front of the stage and try to meet up with some others... Also, someone who talked to Mike relayed the info that the set list will be changing possibly in as little as a few days, so I am interested to hear what happens. Unfortunatly, the shirts for the tour were not ready yet. So for all of those still waiting for shows, you are in for one hell of a night, and remember, if a crowd surfer somes in your area, the best place to push him is DOWN! :) Oh, once again, a very large thanks to Rachel & Augie for the assistance after the show. You guys (I know, but I don't know a better way to put it, sorry Rachel) were great!!! Lets see, now, some time for some ********SPOILERS************** S P O I L E R S Well, the set list was amazing. I won't bother to post all of the details, as they have already been mentioned. They started with some unreleased tracks, which sounded studio recorded, followed by Rooster, the trazdition remains alive, and finally the theme song from A Clockwork Orange, as on the Fix shows. Derek walked out onto the stage alone, and started playing the intro to Lines In The Sand. I think that this was a really cool way to begin the show, unique starting with an extended solo instrumental, and was kinda cool. Derek had a few lava lamps sitting behind him, which was pretty cool. They played Scarred, which is one of my favorites, so I left a happy camper. Unfortunatly, no Trial of Tears, one of my favorites (well, too many favorites on the CD (LitS, PS, and ToT). James tried to use a megaphone again for Just Let ME Breathe, as in Providence, but it didn't work, so he sang instead (which was cool to me). Peruvian Skies rocked, and New Millenium sounded amazing. The song really kicks some ass live, however, I didn't like it as the encore, thought it was better as either an opener, or in the set. I was struggling to see Myung playing the stick, really cool amazing instrument. Lets see, what else that hasn't been mentioned too much... well, they played a sorta intstrumental medley during the show, starting with Puppies on Acid, and a few others, which was a cool effect. Metropolis was the last song before the encore, which was a good place to use it. I thin Metropolis should always be something to leave the stage with, either to end the set, or as encore. I love the little blues jam that they do in the middle (after the long complex instrumental portion). Anyway, thats probably about all for me for now. -- +------------------------------------------+-----------------------+ | A daily dose of eMpTyV | Dream Theater | | will flush you mind right down the drain | Falling Into Infinity | | --- taken from: Just Let Me Breathe --- | In Stores NOW!! | +------------------------------------------+-----------------------+ Michael Burstin: email_address_removed Oh my God, they've killed Kenny!! http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~mikeb/ Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email: http://www.cauce.org ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 18:58:18 -0800 (PST) From: "Paul W. Cashman" To: email_address_removed Subject: Chicago show -- I'll be there Message-ID: The extra ticket I had to the Chicago show is no longer available....because I'll be going. :) Last-minute financial aid appeared and I'll be flying up. Looking forward to it. :) -- +-- ...once the cloud that's raining ---+- Paul W. Cashman ---+ | over your head / disappears | email_address_removed | | the noise that you hear | www.crl.com/~vanyel | +--is the crashing down of Hollow Years.... --+---- ICQ #4151223 -----+ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 22:16:43 -0500 From: Isaac Sabetai To: Ytsejam Subject: DT at Toad's Place **Spoiler** Message-ID: My day started out great. I met up with all the Boston Jammers at Pizzeria Uno's. It was cool meeting all you guys. Then we headed to Toad's Place. Big Wreck was good. I would have preferred a band with more in common with DT to have opened for the boys, but Big Wreck was still good. In Toad's I met Matt and Ytsejim. The next DT album is going to rock. All the songs that did not make FII are high quality. The concert was amazing. Derek has mucho stage presence. He moves around and does some strange jigs. James was on. Whoever has complained about him: prepare to eat your words. John P. was awesome like usual. John M. was perfect, but I wish he would interact with the crowd more. The setlist was great. I won't post it again, but the highlights were Scarred and the seven string medley (Puppies on Acid/The Crimson Sunset/Just Let Me Breath). The only thing bad about the show was the moshing and crowd surfing. After the show I met with James, Derek and Mike. The band was in Toronto today, filming the video to Hollow Years. James was real nice. After the show, I reached to get a setlist, and I saw that he had the words to Scarred written down. I one of the papers. I handed it to him when he was signing. He took it and began signing, then he noticed what it was. He laughed a little and said, "I need these every once in a while." Myung snuck into the bus. And Petrucci was late because he had a problem packing up his stuff. I also met some more Jammers after the show, Augie and Wisha. We went to a diner. Then I eventually got back to Boston. WHAT A NIGHT! Isaac -- "It sounds diminished ... but it's not"- John Petrucci ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 22:27:19 -0400 (EDT) From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: Scarred.....DT listened!!! Message-ID: I am happy to hear that my FAVORITE DT song is going to be played in 4 days!!!! On another note, has anyone noticed T-Boy at the shows? He is their road dude and all...... And what's this about no shirts?! What gives? Rock on.... Jeff E. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 07:29:21 -0800 From: Dave Thomas To: "'ytsejam'" Subject: Changes In Billboard Message-ID: "Partha S. Mukhopadhyay" said: >anybody know what kind of >changes Billboard made to its system in the late 80s? or what kinds of >changes took place in the record industry around that same time that made >metal go down the tubes? (i'm looking for a better answer than 'blame >MTV", that's too easy.....) The changes made was more accurate reporting of sales. Previously, stores sent in a list provided by the manager or some other person, and of course if this person didn't like a particular style of music, perhaps they'd under-report those sales. The new system (called Soundscan, I think) takes the sales info right from the registers, tabulates it, and sends the report to the record companies and other organizations, like Billboard. It was reported shortly after the system went on-line that a few genres showed remarkable gains in sales: Rap, Country and Metal. As far as why Metal isn't as popular, blaming MTV is a good idea, because a lot of people do consider them to know what the music listening public wants (I find this about as valid as the Nielsen ratings being an accurate measurement of TV viewing habits, but that's another tale). The other reason is the huge surge in corporate ownership of radio stations, and the establishment of large chains of stations owned by the same company. These people are only interested in the bottom line, and want to steer clear of controversy as much as possible. Metal often (unfairly) gets slammed as a corrupting influence, so it's no suprise that programming was moved away from that direction. Yes, sometimes Rap music gets the same criticisms as Metal, but the main difference seems to be that protests and cries of "racism" don't get tossed around if a Rock station changes its programming. Would a radio station/MTV take seriously a protest that they're not playing enough Dream Theater or Metal? Probably not. Dave Thomas - Pixel Planet Reviews of CG software, books, games, comics, movies, programming tools and more! http://www.pixelplanet.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 22:43:40 -0500 From: Scotch To: Delirium Tremens Subject: Billboard [ndtc] Message-ID: Partha writes: > anyway, the stuff above is serious question.....anybody know what kind of > changes Billboard made to its system in the late 80s? I remember this, sort of, when it happened. I think it was something like: the old system tracked how many CDs/tapes were shipped to stores, and the new system is based on actual sales. So it became more of a consumer-oriented thing, which is better all around I'd say. I'm not sure. Maybe Richie would know better, since he's in the record-selling biz. > or what kinds of changes took place in the record industry around > that same time that made metal go down the tubes? Two things: Guns n' Roses sort of faded out (after the Use Your Illusions), and then Nirvana (and the others of the Sub Pop brethren) got big. Where the hell are GNR anyway? I miss those bastards. Nautilus, Scotch. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Oct 1997 14:46:57 +1000 From: email_address_removed.au To: email_address_removed Subject: UNCLASSIFIED:-Re: Scarred.....DT listened!!! Message-ID: >I am happy to hear that my FAVORITE DT song is going to be played in 4 days!!!! So I guess you'd be mighty pissed off if DT those 'your' night to change the set around and drop 'Scarred'. :) gRaham_ Envious downunder jammer. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 23:17:24 -0500 From: Jeremy Kube To: email_address_removed Subject: Long Island.. and DT Message-ID: I have a question... I am originally from Islip NY. I moved to NH when I was 6. I am curious as to find out what part of Long Island that the members of DT grew up in\around. I would love to find out because I have a lot of family down there still and also my parents grew up there.. Later, J ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 23:24:36 -0500 (EST) From: "Richard A. Rivera" To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: The Charts Message-ID: On Sun, 26 Oct 1997 email_address_removed wrote: > > anyway, the stuff above is serious question.....anybody know what kind of > changes Billboard made to its system in the late 80s? or what kinds of > changes took place in the record industry around that same time that made > metal go down the tubes? (i'm looking for a better answer than 'blame > MTV", that's too easy.....) Okay, I'll try to help. Sometime in 1991, Billboard magazine adopted SoundScan to tabulate it's charts. The way it works that when you buy an album at a retail store that has SoundScan (not all do, which is an important point), that purchase is recorded (a decent analogy is the scanner at the grocery store) and sent to SoundScan headquaters (or whatever they call it). What this means is that SoundScan measures what is ACTUALLY being sold. What I said about it not being in every store is important. It's got somewhere between 60 and 70% of the market and then rest is guessed. While is pretty accurate for a Puffy Daddy or a Hanson (maintstream), it is less accurate for more underground music that is sold at independent stores. But it's continuing to grow. How does this differ from the 80s system? In the 80s, royalties and chart position was determined by an estimate of the number of records sold. I'm not entirely sure of the formula they used, but it had to do with extrapalting an estimate based on how many units were SHIPPED. And as we all know, not every record shipped is going to be sold (this gets into RESERVES, which is a whole other ball of wax). Also, SoundScan is the reason that you see very few platinum-selling (million copies) artists these days, whereas in the 80s it seems that everyone and their brother went platinum (if not multiplatinum). Anyway, with the rise of SoundScan, suddenly different genres were finally being recorded, which helps to explain the rise of alternative and country on the pop charts (Garth Brooks, as talented as he is, should fall to his knees every night and thank God that SoundScan is around). Think about it: SoundScan is adopted in 1991. Just two years later, alternative EXPLODED. This is no coincidence. A lot of people will tell you that the reason 80s metal died is because it became tired and cliched and to some extent that it is true. Another reason really does have to do with MTV. I have my theories as to why they decided to switch formats, but whatever the reason, bands that used MTV to help launch their careers suddenly found themselves without a treasured resource. If I had a dollar for every person that has browsed through my CD collection, seen the post-Cherry Pie Warrant albums, and asked "I didn't know that they were still around. I forgot all about them" I could buy MTV and still have enough money left over for breakfast. There's a lot more I could say about MTV, but I'll quit while I'm behind. I hope this helps out. Richie ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 20:33:34 PST From: "Neal Brown" To: email_address_removed Subject: Accessibility Message-ID: This is largely in response to Kirby and Seroussi's respective posts from 3150....and no, this isn't a flame either. WARNING: THIS POST WILL CONTAIN A SNOOBY, ELITIST ATTITUDE. Okay....let's stare the problem right in the eye. Some people like wacked out, complex, over the top music. Other people like straightforward, simplistic stuff. Other people prefer a balance. Quite frankly, I'm in the first camp--written in a time sig that can only be expressed through calculus? Gimme. =) Yet another 4/4 moderate tempo I-IV-V verse-chorus radio-friendly hook-laden tune? Barf. I've heard them before. I'm sorry. >> 1) People are too damn stupid to really appreciate DT as they are; >> they'd much rather listen to smashing pumpkins or jewel since it's >on a >> level more accessible to them. This means that, logically >speaking, >> either DT has to raise the IQ of half the people around or they >have to >> change their music. You figure out which one is more likely. >Oh, I bet you got a high IQ score and now you think you're really >smart, right? >Well, FYI, the human intelligence cannot be summed into one number >and having a >high IQ doesn't determine your success in life. Fuck you. Okay, well, we can digress about the validity of IQ tests as much as we want, but the point is that DT has put some fucking awesome music, and that the music *industry* recognizes neither talent nor creativity nor originality, just marketability. That's it. If it sells, fine. If not, well...obscurity. And yes, people are stupid. Work in a fast food joint or a grocery store some time. People are generally fucking idiots. They've got more important things to worry about than whether or not the band they're listening to has any artistic integrity at all. >> For examples of ideal levels of success, >> look at Al Dimeola, John Mclaughlin, Chick Corea, etc. Say these >names >> to the average dickhead, and you'll get blank countenance and a >"huh?" >So if someone is not familiar with any of these people, he >automatically becomes a dickhead? I guess I now know how I should >call my 1 year old cousin... Well, that was a nonsensical retort. Does your 1 y/o cousin even speak much yet? Although I wouldn't classify anyone who doesn't know who those guitarists are a "dickhead," I would classify them as having missed out on some amazing damn music. Each one of those guys is well off, certainly, but have certainly contributed lots and lots to the music world. Sorry this is so long, but lemme summarize: if you want more stuff that's accessible, easy to understand, and not intellectually/technically challenging, go ahead and listen to whatever MTV throws at you. Seriously. Sad but true. If you want music that was not written by amateurs, you're on the right mailing list. ;) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ End of YTSEJAM Digest 3151 **************************