YTSEJAM Digest 3277 Today's Topics: 1) New DT Tracks by email_address_removed (Michael Bradley) 2) Re: Musical Maturity (Beta 1.0) by CLARK ABEL 3) Ballroom? by "Jason Birzer" 4) My Web Site by "Buck Stodgers" 5) Re: Dream Theater covers and a lot of off-topic things... by Seroussi 6) GooseBumps. by Jon Kretschmer 7) Maturity and Musicianship are not a Contradiction by Isaac Sabetai 8) maturity and you by email_address_removed 9) POUGHKIPSEE SHOW by Big Perm 10) labels, Monks, and *Labels* by Banister 11) Tradewinds last nght.... by Mohamed Gaffoor 12) Woo-hoo ! Hollow Years single out in Holland, Marillion (LONG) by Mark Bredius ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 14:35:59 -0400 From: email_address_removed (Michael Bradley) To: email_address_removed Subject: New DT Tracks Message-ID: Hey guys, I'm back from the dead after I was somehow unsubscribed for a couple weeks. I just have a question to anyone who has seen DT on this tour. At the Toad's Place show the music playing over the PA before the band went on was all new DT. I heard "Raise the Knife" WITH vocals and a few other new tunes I hadn't heard before. These were all studio quality, too. After the show, they played a really funny lounge-singer version of Under a Glass Moon. I think it was a Derek Sherinian creation. This may have come up on the jam, but any info would be greatly appreciated. I want these new tunes!! Later! -Mike ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 14:35:13 -0400 (EDT) From: CLARK ABEL To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: Musical Maturity (Beta 1.0) Message-ID: >And yet you're the one who's disappointed by FII because its such a >'departure' from I&W. Well, yes and no. I'm disappointed by it because it's not the music that I really want to listen to, not because it's a departure from I&W. So was Awake, but I love that. Yes, the fact that I have such high expectations for DT is a factor in my dissapointment, because I expect to love everything they do, but whether I actually DO enjoy it or not has nothing to do with what they did before... does that make sense? My expectations for the band are part of my dissapointment, but not a factor in my enjoyment. If FII had been by another band I had never of, my opinion of the quality of the album would be the same, but I wouldn't be dissapointed, since I had no expectations for the band. -Clark ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:04:09 -0500 From: "Jason Birzer" To: Subject: Ballroom? Message-ID: I haven't heard anything from the DC jammers about meeting someplace before the show. Are there going to be any plans for tomorrow? I can't wait! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jason Birzer "One likes to believe in the freedom of music "The Longshot" but glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity." email_address_removed Rush - The Spirit Of Radio -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:46:23 -0500 From: "Buck Stodgers" To: Subject: My Web Site Message-ID: Hello, All those who think this may be spam, I apologize. Okay, I have an idea for my web site, and I want all youse guys input. So here it is: I want to create a resource for high school and college students selecting a college to attend. It would be similar to Barron's big book, except in one respect: I only want to near the negatives about people's colleges. I want to create a site that would tell students the not-so-good or just plain bad things about their colleges so they can make a more educated choice as to where they may attend. Why choose this idea? For one, I was a student who made an uninformed choice. Not because I didn't check around, but because there is no way to find out bad stuff through books and even the school's themselves. Another reason, I think schools try to hide this kind of thing from students, and students suffer as a result. My plan: create a page with standardized questions for all schools, and answers individual to each school, answered by students attending those schools. Examples: [How well does your school's administration handle financial aid? What is the average wait to get food at the dining hall? Are dorm rooms comfortable and presentable? Do school regulations ruin social activity?] These are just examples. I need to get specifics ironed out, of course. So what do you all think? I'm particularly interested in the college and high school students on here. Would you use it? Would you submit for it? Let me know! If I get a poor response, I'll just go with a cheesy music and movies page like 90% of the web. :) Later folks! _______________________________________________________ "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter..." -Yoda, the Jedi Master _______________________________________________________ Andrew Forcier a.k.a. Buck Stodgers _______________________________________________________ --List Manager, The Peppermint Tribe, the Saigon Kick Mailing List For e-mail inquiries, mailto:email_address_removed The Official Saigon Kick Website: http://www.saigonkick.com SK CD and Merchandise available at: http://www.bvbmusic.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------- --Maintainer, The List of Ytse-Traders of Repute To view the HTML list: http://www.ime.usp.br/~rbrito/ytselist.txt To submit names or request a copy: mailto:email_address_removed **************************************************************************** ** ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:53:04 +0100 From: Seroussi To: email_address_removed Subject: Re: Dream Theater covers and a lot of off-topic things... Message-ID: <3476F1CF.88F68585@algonet.se> > From: Rogerio Brito > Subject: Dream Theater covers and a lot of off-topic things... > > BTW3, wouldn't it be nice if Dream Theater did a complete cover of > that song by that "sellout" band that I like a lot (Damage, Inc. & > Metallica). I think DT should reduce the number of covers played to minimum and concentrate more on playing their own stuff. If I wanted to hear metallica, I'd listen to metallica (and if I wanted to hear crap, I'd listen to load ;) [That smiley above indicates I wasn't being serious] > All the versions that I have aren't sung or only have those > horrible growls by Barney Greenway (you know, the Ronnie Scott's > Uncovered). Am I the only one who thinks these growls complimented the song? I think they fit the song more than james' (not KJLB) thrash-metal vocals. > BTW4 :-), I haven't heard ReLoad yet. And I don't know why we > can't have reviews of Metallica albums. >From the welcome message: Welcome to YTSEJAM, the Dream Theater mailing list! This list is for fans of Dream Theater, and will discuss them and any related topics. (Related topics include other progressive metal bands like Fates Warning, King's X, Crimson Glory, Inferno, etc.) Metallica isn't progressive metal. > Just because some people here can't stand those Hammet > soloes, but would love to be able to cite Friedman as an influence? There's a difference between kwahirk and friedman. > BTW6, I guess I'll enter the AAAAA. American Association Against Acronym Abuse? > Let the flames begin (man, it is really nice to be able to filter > mail...). Seroussi will be the first to flame me (I know, it happened > before :-) ). disagreement <> flaming but if sender1 = asshole then sender2 * disagreement might -> flaming understood? ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 13:21:53 -0800 From: Jon Kretschmer To: email_address_removed Subject: GooseBumps. Message-ID: >> And last, but not least, Hell's Kitchen is the most goose-bumpiest sond on >> FII for me. Especially the last minute or so. It ranks up there in my >> book along with the end of the old ACOS for GPI (Goosebumps Per Inch (of > >For me it's Peruvian Skies (the "telling her secrets won't take them >AWAAAAAAAAYYYY" line :) ), and TOT ("still awake, bringing change, >etc...") But none of the instrumental parts make me feel like that the >way so many of the songs like LTL, Erotomania, Met1, etc. do. I love that line in Peruvian Skies. However, absolutely the most goose-bumpiest (if we are going to use the goose-bump factor) section in all of Dream Theater is the "Whoah oh oh, Whoah oh oh, WHOAH OH OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" part of Learning to Live. I shiver every time I listen to that song. Runners up include the guitar solo in TAMP (And all those years/Are gone somehow/The crowd applauds/The curtain Falls), the solos toward the end of Scarred, the first time the chorus come into Voices. There are so many to choose from. Allright, back to chem. Jon Jon email_address_removed ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 16:25:09 -0500 From: Isaac Sabetai To: Ytsejam Subject: Maturity and Musicianship are not a Contradiction Message-ID: > When FII came out, alot of the members of this list defended DT's new > song-writing direction as being more "mature". > I've taken issue with this in the past; I happen to think that it's a > bunch > of bullshit. The reason I think FII is more mature is because instead of individual members playing a solo or section ala on Ytsejam, the whole group gets into the groove and plays his take on the riff and modifies it ala Lines in the Sand. On FII the songs are more team oriented. *That is not a flame on any DT album* > But my question is this: to all of you who said that (that the > shorter, poppier, simpler, and supposedly less "wanky" songs on FII > are more > mature than DT's previous work), how come I don't remember anyone > ever > complaining about this before FII came out? I don't think FII is more mature because it's songs are "shorter, poppier, simpler, and supposedly less 'wanky'." I think FII is more mature because it seems like the band has learned to build off each other better instead of starting trying to outdo each other. > Maybe it's just my bad memory, but > I don't recall seeing too many posts last year that said "You know, I > like > I&W and Awake, but I really feel that DT's songwriting is somewhat > immature." In comparison to FII, I+w, Awake and WDADU seem immature. I could not have known that before FII was released. > The album, to my ears, is such a drastic departure from DT's other > work, that I just find it hard to believe that so many people on this > list, who were brought here by their common love of DT's previous > work (they had to be, since FII just came out) weren't just tailoring > their expectations of FII and their musical > standards in general to what they got, as opposed to really listening > to the > album objectively. Why are you putting words in my mouth? I got into DT from a friend's recommendation. Back then I had no idea what prog was. I bought Awake, and what made me a believer was the versatility of DT. What other band can follow Voices with The Silent Man and follow that with Mirror/Lie, LSoaD, Scarred and Space Dye Vest? FII went above beyond my expectations. Yes FII is different, but different is NOT bad. > I'm not saying that many people probably don't like this > album better exactly for what it is, but the part that bothers me is > that it > seems like alot of the same people who used to rave about DT's > dazzling > instrumental prowess and complex song-writing are now hailing their > "maturity". > And that just seems a little too convenient to me. FII showed us another side of DT. There is more to DT than psychotic musicianship, which could be banned in 34 states. :) Why can't someone rave about both DT's "dazzling instrumental prowess" *AND* "maturity?" They are not a contradiction. As a guitarist I have always found JP's rhytm guitar parts as difficult as his solos. And FII is loaded with strong rhythm playing. Isaac -- "It sounds diminished ... but it's not"- John Petrucci ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 16:43:36 -0500 (EST) From: email_address_removed To: email_address_removed Subject: maturity and you Message-ID: I would just like to say that compared to me, EVERYTHING is extremely... mature. So it would be silly for me to try and grade the maturity of other entities, be they rock bands or Kathie Lee Gifford. I am the pinnacle of immaturity. I would also like to comment on the idea that Neil(if that's who started it) is talking about, that we should not confine these restrictive conditions to music, and art in general. I believe that I can sum up my stand on this with three words: Frank Stella sucked. For those who don't know, Stella was an artist a couple o' decades ago, and he got famous with his minimalist works, many of which were just big squares with lines. I don't know what kind of statement he was trying to make, but my opinion is that he did not successfully *make* any statement, and that his work is, with some exception, totally lacking in aesthetic interest. He purposefully painted "boring" stuff, under the pretense that he wasn't trying to create any kind of illusion, which I think is BS. I think that while I may lean more towards ptakec and his crusade, I don't totally believe in it. I think there are shades. Whether something is "good" or "bad" may be impossible to define, but HOW "good" or "bad" it is, I think can be looked at. As an example, let me point out supermodels. We all have our own opinions of which supermodels are the prettiest, or if any of them at all are(I personally don't care for the "glammy" supermodel type but I wouldn't stop any of them from giving me a lap dance), but I suspect that if I randomly polled enough people, I would start getting some similar answers. And the degree to which one person likes a certain model would relate directly to how often that model's name came up as an answer by other people. It's all just a long-winded way of saying that I think popularity *is* one way of guaging how "good" something is, even though we can't say if it's actually "good". Some things suck. And some things suck more than other things! And some things suck so much that almost everyone can hate them, like Stella. I'm not going to accept every piece of art or every piece of music as being equally strong. Everyone has their own opinion, but I don't think *anyone* actually feels that *every* piece of art is equal. No. And *we*, all for different reasons and all in different manners, love Dream Theater. Right? And mostly hate the Spice Girls, right(the band, not the girls, who again, I wouldn't stop from giving me a lap dance)? There's a ton of variety here. I'm not going to try and say we all like and dislike the same stuff. But there are TENDENCIES. It is politically correct these days, to try and point out tendencies in anything, without someone shoving the phrase "Don't generalize!" down my throat. Excuse me, I meant to say politically incorrect, but my editor is crap and it's up a few lines now. My point is, DT is obviously going to have certain tendencies that are different from other bands' tendencies and this results in our tending to like them. Now, that said, you can't just do whatever the fuck you want and expect fans to accept it because of the "statement" you're making. You have a responsibilty to give the people whatever it is that makes them like you. Otherwise you risk becoming a band that I am not allowed to mention on this list, that starts with M and ends with A and has BULLSHIT in the middle. What defines a song, neil? I don't know, I guess it is different for everyone. But for the people on this list, there will be strong tendencies as to what defines a good song that will be fairly accurate for many of us. There will surely be several different standpoints, but many, many similarities in ideas. Personally, I don't care for the Metropolis solo. It's excessive. I *still* like the song, tho. It just annoys me a little. And I have a right to be annoyed if I think the guys are wanking. But my opinion serves no purpose here; I just felt like vocalizing that. My point is, whatever one's tastes may be that brought them to DT, there are ABSOLUTELY key elements that the band must fulfill in order to keep that person a fan. And, whatever one's tastes may be that brought them to like music in the first place, the same thing applies. If everybody started playing songs in ancient mongolian styles, the elements that are common to songs today would likely be lost, and people would stop liking the music that they had grown used to. And by the way, don't anyone try and say that popularity can't imply goodness by using DT as an example. Every magazine article that I've read about FII raves about it. Popularity does not just mean how many people off the street like something. Ok, my sentences are starting to break down faster than a Yugo. I apologize for the length of this post. josh email_address_removed ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 15:45:01 -0700 From: Big Perm To: email_address_removed Subject: POUGHKIPSEE SHOW Message-ID: Dave Plotkin here, aka BIG PERM, aka DHP, aka wanting a BHP of fries... Is anyone carpooling to the show next Tuesday? If anyone is willing to tag along an extra person to The Chance, please let me know ASAP. I'm going to try and make an earlier flight from Wisconsin on Tuesday so I can get in for the show. It's not definite that I'll be able to work things out, but I'm counting on it, as no flights are completely overbooked yet :) I could always wind up going myself, but I'd much prefer to meet up with people and go together!! Please do keep me informed. Thanks much. Best Regards... Dave Plotkin, "On the Leading Edge of Life" email_address_removed ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 16:49:16 -0500 (EST) From: Banister To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: labels, Monks, and *Labels* Message-ID: > From: Mark Jeffrey McEuen > Subject: Re: That review, the hierarchy, response > > imprisoned by them. And I'm not even going to TRY to attach a label > to FII. I wish I could avoid labeling things, but then, when someone asks you "what kind of music do you like," and all you can say is "I like. ..er... dammit, I like music that's {insert mad raving definition of prog) blah blah blah! Don't you understand?!," that person will ask you to kindly step off your street corner and hand you some change... > purposes of communication. A label such as "prog" enables one to > succinctly describe a lot of characteristics of the music. It's far from > perfect, of course, but it's a good starting point. yah. .don't quite know what to call DT, either. We've been mostly happy to call them Prog Metal, but then, wasn't there some huge stink about whether they're metal or not? I just don't like an overemphasis (if that word exists) on labels, and people being against a certain type of music if it's 'alternative' and not 'progressive.' Although i'm probably as big an offender as any. .. ;) One other thing.... a little bit ago someone said he asked JM about the Del Fuvio monks, and was told that the members of DT actually are said monks. But then, if you read the liner notes, it says the Del Fuvio Monks appear courtesy of McGuyver records. First of all, does this record label exist? And second of all, if it is DT, and if it is a record label, does that mean that DT is finally stepping outside their label and making their own? Contractually not possible, probably, but isn't it fun to speculate? figuratively, Rich ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 16:59:47 -0500 (EST) From: Mohamed Gaffoor To: email_address_removed Subject: Tradewinds last nght.... Message-ID: Guys, I went to the show last night at the Tradewinds and thought it rocked. It was the first DT show I've ever seen and I was amazed. I must admit that I have gained a new appreciation for the band after actually SEEING them play the songs off the album. They were very tight and together musically. It was definitely worth standing outside in the pouring rain. One question I have is whether or not they played ytsejam last night? I have all the albums except WDADU (say anyone know a good place to get it? The record stores by me don't have it and Music Blvd is out of stock) and there was the great insturmental that I did not recognize (which I assumed was ytsejam). Another intresting thing was that when the show was over they (they meaning the Tradewins people and not DT) started playin this mellowed out version of ....glass moon.. It was cool. My only critisism was that I wished that they had played one or two songs different than their originial version. That's one thing I love about concerts. It's cool to hear a band experimenting with their songs. Do they ever do that at any shows? They did play around at the end with the solo of Metropolis which was a treat. Also, do they ever do covers at their concerts? Mohamed Gaffoor "The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom. A lot of people will tell you that a phony fever is a dead lock, but if you get a nervous mother, you could land in the doctor's office. That's worse than school. What you do is, you fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school." -Ferris Beuller commenting on how he got his day off... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 23:00:13 +0100 From: Mark Bredius To: "'Ytsejam'" Subject: Woo-hoo ! Hollow Years single out in Holland, Marillion (LONG) Message-ID: After two months of bugging one record store about this single, I ended up calling *another* one today and buying it there instead :-) Heheh. Good thing I called ahead and reserved my copy (I always do that). They didn't have any extra copies in the racks. Anyway, turns out the single was already released in Holland last Friday. 1. Hollow Years (Radio Edit) 4:10 2. Hollow Years (LP Version) 5:53 3. You Or Me (You Not Me - Demo Version) 6:22 4. The Way It Used To Be (Non LP Track) 7:48 I'm not too impressed with TWIUTB (how's that for a cool abbreviation). Typical bside stuff, nowhere near as good as anything on FII, IMO. I've only heard it twice so far, so who knows. "You Or Me" is very different from "You Not Me"... IMHO, Desmond Child's involvement saved this song. Still, pretty cool for a demo. :-) I *also* got Yes' new CD "Open Your Eyes" today, and finally broke down and bought Fiona Apple's "Tidal". Btw, the Yes CD has some weird 15 min "hidden track" after the last song. I noticed it, when I checked the CD for scratches before playing it. There's also some funky cogwheel thing that faintly shines through the transparent side of the CD. Looks cool. ___ Chris Ptacek wrote : > Color pictures of the new DT shirt will be available at Under > A Cyber Moon later today, for anyone who wants to see them: > http://www.prognosis.com/dream Just added them, and a scan of the Hollow Years single ! Also, the back of the shirt features the giant erection I posed for, in case anyone is interested. ;-) ___ Seth Hatlelid wrote : > I'm curious as to why everyone calls Marrillion prog? First off it's Marillion (only one R). Honest mistake, no big deal. Everyone calls Marillion prog, because they've been one of the most important bands in progrock since the mid 80's. Their first singer, Fish, left in '88 when they were at the peak of their popularity... He was replaced by Steve Hogarth in '89. The old stuff with Fish is very progressive, but don't expect them to "rock your nadz" like DT does. They're more into the whole band thing than trying to impress people with solos and stuff (although they're all great musicians). That's what I love about FII... DT is starting to sound more like a band, than just a group of brilliant musicians. Tight musicianship, that's basically what Marillion is about. The stuff with Hogarth on vocals is more laid back and direct. I'd categorize their albums as follows : "Script for a Jester's Tear" and Fugazi" (with Fish, vocals/lyrics) Music : 70's (Gabriel-era Genesis) with an 80's twist. Lyrics : Cryptic, mysterious, "this is your mind on LSD" "Misplaced Childhood" and "Clutching At Straws" (Fish, vocals/lyrics) Music : Tight, warm, emotional, very progressive, sheer perfection Lyrics : Poetic, romantic, "this is your liver on alcohol" :-) All of Fish' lyrics are characterised by their symbolism. These are not just simple straight forward lyrics. *Just* like Jammers disect Dream Theater's music, Marillion fans tend to disect Fish' lyrics. The lyrics on the rest of the albums were written by Steve Hogarth, and a guy named John Helmer. They're more direct than Fish' lyrics, but easier to relate to. This means that Fish' lyrics will probably impress you, but the Hogarth/Helmer lyrics might move you more emo- tionally... I try not to compare them, beyond that one observation. "Seasons End" and "Holidays In Eden" (with Steve Hogarth) Musically, these are both "safe" albums. The first one is "safe" in the sense that they didn't want to change too much... Getting a new singer was enough change for one album. That is why Seasons End has the old logo, instead of the one they used on Holidays In Eden. HiE is considered to be their "pop" album. This was Marillion's attempt to get a bigger audience. Half of the album is brilliant, while the other half sounds like (very well written) radio friendly ballads. "Brave" and "Afraid Of Sunlight" Brave is in my opinion their masterpiece. It is a 78:04 minute epic concept album with some of the most moving/emotional stuff you will ever hear. Very progressive, dark/disturbing lyrics, *lots* of cool references between songs (both musically as well as lyrically). You will probably have to give this one some time to grow on you. After Brave, they "knocked out" Afraid Of Sunlight. AOS has the same kind of "vibe" Brave has. They basically threw it together because there was no way of out-doing themselves after Brave. Still, lots of fans consider AOS as (one of) Marillion's best albums. "This Strange Engine" This one is more keyboard oriented. Basically the point was to make Mark Kelly (their keyboardist) "shine" on this album. Steve Rothery (GREAT guitarist) is featured mostly on acoustic guitar on this CD, with only a few typical Rothery solo's. The next album (they started writing it last week) will probably be a lot more experimental (dunno what that means, but that's what the guys said). > Granted, I have EXTREMELY limited experience with them is 6 of one, > half dozen of the other. I'm not impressed with it at all. It seems > like fairly commericial pop to me. Of course, this may be because it's > a "greatest hits" album and they simply put their most commercial > tracks on, That's exactly it. As a matter of fact the European version of this CD is called "A Singles Collection 1982 ~ 1992", in addition to the "Six Of One Half-Dozen Of The Other" title. There's also a 2CD best of called "Best Of Both Worlds" (I was one of the 4 people who made up that title, woo-hoo !). The cool part about compilations is that you can get a sample of a band's back catalogue. The crappy part is that the track selection is usually pretty lousy (only "hits"). :-) I also feel that they take songs out of the context they were meant to be heard in, especially in Marillion's case, IMO. Sorry about this monstrously long Marillion plug, but I do not have the time to answer all the inquiries I would've gotten after a much shorter one (like "what are they like" or "what cd do i get first") Just speaking from experience, that's all. ;-) Next up : A post from Chris Ptacek, about how boring he thinks Brave is. :-( ;-) Mark email_address_removed I feel shipwrecked, _ _____ ___ _ _ _ _ I might as well be shipwrecked : |:__ __| __\: |_: |: \_ | I'm helpless and alone, drifting out to sea : | : |: (___: _ | :_ / (Genesis - Shipwrecked) :_| :_| :___/:_| :_| :__/ _________________________________________________________________________ Dream Theater online "Under A Cyber Moon" http://www.prognosis.com/dream/ Itchy's http://www.prognosis.com/itchy/ H Website http://www.a-vip.com/H ------------------------------ End of YTSEJAM Digest 3277 **************************