HW: Rock City

[Jon Jarrett]

On Tue, 3 Apr 2001, J D wrote:

<few things I wasn't there to speak on or agree with snipped>

> Space Is Deep only really works during second half, with first half solely
> providing the expectation.

        I think this is true. Dave should lead it off with the guitar
still, it's not fragile and empty enough on keys. Hey, let's have a
12-string on stage :-)

> Where did Owl & Pussycat title come from?
> I heard nothing that resembled it (it's the only poem I know!)

        Maybe they didn't do it? At Croydon it was a random piece of
space-noise with vocals by Ron, which started with waffle about
cryogenics, with a refrain based on the word `scream', then wandered into
a Furry Freak `Owl and Pussycat'; I had lost interest in the words by this
point and I only really know the first few verses, so when Kirsten pointed
out that that's what it was it took me ages to pick it up, but it was all
right; he was back on the pseudo-science by the end of it though.

> Dave played guitar pretty much throughout which was pleasing to see & hear.

        He's even breaking into lead runs in a few places, isn't he? There
should be more of that... His lead is different from Jerry's and I see no
reason why we can't have them both.

> Jerry's singing is much more prominant and is more than adequate.
> Dave & Jerry should do all the singing and Ron move back to bass.

        Not at all sure about that: Jerry's voice isn't very powerful, I
don't think he could carry a song by himself with a whole band behind
him. `Alchemy' and `Hippy' tend to show this, and the Star Nation stuff
suffers from it too IMO. Ron on the other hand can sing pretty well when
he has a mind to. I just wish he'd concentrate a bit more and act the
lunatic frontman as he did on the Alien & Love in Space tours, though I
suppose since so much of that was programmed he had a fair idea what his
limits were. He was a perfectly good bass player of course, I think the
Strange Daze set shows him off really well, but I'd still rather have
Alan.

> I hate all this talking between songs that has crept in these last few
> years.
> We don't need song introductions or between member banter (well, I don't
> anyway).

        I like it, it shows they're having fun, except it always seems to
make Ron the butt of the rest of the band's jokes. Still, maybe that's how
they work. Dave seems to take the piss out of everyone, mind. On the other
hand if it was a bit more orchestrated, a bit more of a show, as I say
above, I wouldn't mind at all. The whole Ledge of Darkness thing is still
being talked about I see from the IRC log... Yours,
                                                    Jon

ObCD: Sons of Selina - _Nour d'Oui_
--
              Spooky peanut terror bringing pain and death!
   ===================================================================
     Jon Jarrett (01223 514989)      jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk