snarf wrote: I'll go with the Missing Persons, changing the gender of the singer. About the only real similarity to Rush is the occasional jump to the stratosphere in the vocals, but even then, that's really a Missing Persons affectation or maybe Gary Numan up an octave, but not the way Geddy would do it. Raven

I remember when I was in high school, I got into the born again movement (I was raised athiest, so that was a bit of a shock - I'm now ...well... speculative with philosophical pagan leanings). This man was considered pretty much at the pinnacle of the contemporary Christian music business. I gather he still is, though if Kerry Livgren is still in there (with or without A.D.), he's got some competition in the writing department, especially in terms of lyrics. But that's absolutely gorgeous guitar work - right up there with Leo Kottke or Michael Hedges (or Craig Olson, if you want a Pagan equivalent). The Spirit prevails, whatever you call Her/Him/It. Or for Rush folks, The Spirit of Radio. Radio Paradise now... :) But I digress... Raven

It's a paradigm Enya - one of those that defines her style. It would be nice to see the translation - if it were Welsh I'd have a fighting chance (at least the references) but Gaelic is another matter. Raven

wwgordon wrote: Oh yes - oh yes - and oh yes! Between him, Paula Cole, the band, and the staging, the song on DVD is wonderful, but then again, the DVD is a "must get" for any PG fan. Raven

Bought this on the strength of this song. The whole CD is strong, as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to check out later stuff, too. Raven

...makes me even more impatient for Bristol RenFaire to open up this summer. Thankfully, I've got a sf/f con this weekend (with my birthday to kick it off) to keep me at bay. Raven

dave_porter wrote: I concur - there are a couple of skips. Likely that the .mp3 was made from vinyl. But the song itself is good - the "no bass line in a dance song" bit is quite unusual and interesting. Raven

Not bad - well executed - but it's really country than anything else. Then again, we got J.S. Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor and I loved it, so I can't complain... Raven

jannes wrote: Oh, you noticed that too! Bill! Don't Do That To Us Classical Music Fans! Raven

joe1 wrote: Check what CD this came from - the piece is played on a real pipe organ - one of the better European ones. Not even sampled ;) . Raven

...and then the Animals after that... maybe it shows that I'm really I'm not the rock fan I keep claiming that I am, but that just doesn't go. If you going to play rock after that, try Emerson Lake and Palmer's "Jerusalem", for example. Thank you, J. S. Bach Raven p.s. - and who deigned to vote a 2!?!?

wynn wrote: As a side note, Kate Bush is credited with background vocals on the original version, so it's not surprising that you'd hear her in the remix. Remixes can go all the way from subtle changes all the way to complete rewrites - I did once about a year ago that kept the same basic structure of the original piece, and used samples and such from the original, but once I was finished ended up with a piece that was twice the length of the original and included a new solo in alternating odd time sigantures. So you can do just about anything, just as long as the original writer doesn't kill you in the process. Raven

Of course, one of her more unexpected of her career moves (or should I say stunts?) was her guest vocals with Rush on "Time Stand Still" on their CD Hold Your Fire. Now, they don't drop people into their projects for exposure's sake, but because of a musical contribution that they hear - Geddy's voice blended well with Aimee's. What was especially interesting is that live, they played the piece, using samples (plural!) of each word Aimee sang - Geddy played each of her notes/"words" on his pedalboard during the chorus. Of course, they played it up to the hilt on the video, where the four of them were filmed as 3-D cutouts on whatever backdrops, including Neil on a "floating" drumset and Aimee usually on a sitting video camera. Then again, Rush is know for a sense of humor, lyrics aside. Raven

jasong wrote: Not with the electronica, but with the frenzy often enough, yes. Try Tempest. At this rate, I think I'll upload some their choice material, just to see what happens, even though it's not their most current... Raven

bluedot wrote: Ditto! Raven

kevinc wrote: Part of it, I think, was the technology available. In particular, the technology available for Seconds Out was infinitely better than most of what the band had available during the times they recorded the Gabriel-era albums. Another interesting note is that on Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering, and especially Seconds Out, Phil Collins didn't at all sound like the "pop" PhilCo we know nowadays. Take a look at his pictures on Seconds Out - with his (almost) full head of hair and very full beard, he look quite gnome-like, and his vocal tone was somewhere between what you expect out of that look, with a few Gabriel-esque quirks thrown in. You could almost imagine Gandalf pronouncing the first verse of "Dance on a Volcano": Then came PhilCo and ruined the whole thing... :( Raven

ottonorse wrote: I tend to be the one here to talk about musicianship and production values, and this song has those, but I'm afraid the first thing that comes to mind when this song comes on is when I was a year out of high school and at the end of the school day, I would pick up my girlfriend (eventually, fiancee - we were together 5 years - and still are communicating as friends after 26 years), and take her home ... the long way ... hearing this song on the radio... Thanks, Bill... :) Raven

The music of the Mideast, between the rhythmic patterns and the harmonic and melodic structures, interests me enough that I'd like to study it in depth (I'm a professional musician/producer). I've borrowed from that well a little bit already - fairly frequent use of 7/4 in a non-traditional, yet rock context, and one long solo that shifted through several modes, but it would be good to see how it was used in the original traditions. So this song didn't bore me in the least. Raven

drH wrote: Concerning the band name, seriously! The name was first coined in a Monty Python skit (I think it's on the Contractual Obligation album), where a music commentator is describing the rises and falls of a particular band, and during one of its phases, this "band" takes the name "Toad The Wet Sprocket" (among about 20 different ones). So these guys decided to take the name for themselves, though I would suspect they had to clear it with the Monty Python folks (with no problems, I'm sure). You should hear the original - it's a stitch. Raven

absolutemotion wrote: For that matter, if you like the style, but want the energy level cranked up a bit, try out anything by the band Tempest. Led by a Norwegian named Lief Sorbye, they do something that comes off like the end of "Matty Groves" here, with both Celtic and the occasional Norwegian influences (Lief plays a couple of double-neck electric mandola/mandolins and flute, as well as covering lead vocals). They've also covered "Locomotive Breath" on a tribute album of Jethro Tull songs on the Magna Carta label. All in the Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span tradition... Raven