Date:    Fri, 27 May 1994 12:46:54 -0700
From:    Brant Nelson <nelson@EGGNEB.ASTRO.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Mouth By Mouth differences

The US version.
        Several samples removed by the Warner Brothers
        Sample Police (Warren's term). Also called
        the 'raped and degraded' version (also
        Warren's term). The song "The Homesick Waltz"
        is missing.

The UK version.
   Vinyl. Unique artwork, different from the CD insert.
          All samples present. "The Homesick Waltz" is
          listed on the sleeve, but it is not included
          on the album.
   CD.    Same artwork as the US cd. All samples present.
          "The Homesick Waltz" is not listed, but is
          included on the cd.

I haven't spent a lot of time comparing the two CD versions,
but at first listen, the differences seem to be really minor.
A seemingly pointless sample at the end of "Jackrabbits" was
taken out, and the Jack Nicholson sample in "The Dirteaters"
isn't there in the US version. But Warren makes such a big deal
out of it that there are probably more differences.

Hope this helps.


            Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 23:42:36 -0600 
            From: Darryl Stephen Roy
            (dsroy@OWLNET.RICE.EDU) 
            Subject: Re: HNIA and Livonia


      Livonia remains my favorite of HNIA's albums: it is their most
      idiosyncratic and the still reminds me of long nights in dark rooms
      waiting for tabs o' acid to clear out.  Otherworldly chirps, tribal
      candances, and guitar sheets loop in and out of arctic madrigal like
      vocals.  Pretentious, but in an original direction. It's the
      hallucinogenic one.

      Home is in Your Head captures the remorse and resentment (and the
      self-loathing for feeling these) of a lost relationship, and lost time.
      Slow, treated accoustics, and gaping empty spaces.  It's the spooky one.

      King of Sweet, largely remixes from the Home is in Your Head area, is a
      mix of pistakes and reverbed out varients on HIIYH pieces.  It's the
      completest fetish disjointed one.

      The Dirteaters EP is eponymous work of a conventional all-femme noise
      band which resembles early HNIA in the lyrical content and sing songy
      vocal rhythms.  It came with the domestic HIIYH CD, but I rarely listen
      to it.  Earlier HNIA is inspired, this is pastiche with self-parodic
      vocal overlays.  It's the disappointing one.

      Mouth by Mouth alternates atmospheric sound contructs as from their HIIYH
      days with the noise pop of the Dirteaters.  My feelings about it are
      mixed in the same proportion.  I'm bewildered why others consider it
      their "best" work, or that the concessions to pop convention are
      considered progress.  Then again, there are those who think CT peaked
      with Heaven or Las Vegas.  There's no accounting for taste.

      (And there ain't no justice.)  Spieling for kicks... Darryl


Date:    Wed, 11 Nov 1998 04:19:43 -0600
From:    Jeremy L Orr <j.orr@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Ooh, HNIA fans aren't going to like this...

---from C K aka chad:

> > [HNIA] struck me as being nothing more than puerile indie-pop
> > of occupying the lowest tier of quality and interest. I mean,
> > really, bongos and carboard giraffes?!!! They only confirmed my
> > theory that bands going on immediately before headlining bands
> > are chosen dilberately because they suck ass and will thus make
> > the headliners look even better than they already are.
>
> Alright don't send me hate mail but, post-mouth by mouth I'd have
> to agree.  Livonia, Home is in Your Head and Mouth by Mouth are
> incredible though.

Exactly.  As I was saying to a friend a couple of days ago, I don't think
it's mere coincidence that, ever since _MbM_, Warren has been relying
more and more heavily on distracting cutesy gimmicks (puppet shows,
cardboard giraffes, etc), "mysterious" wannabe-mythmaking in interviews,
and so on, while HNIA's music has become less and less adventurous and
interesting.  Yes, I know, we can't expect him to make the same albums
over and over again, blah blah blah...but I reserve the right to be
unimpressed by his/their unimpressive output.  And apparently, I'm not
the only former HNIA fan who feels the same way, because if I was, they
wouldn't have to go from headlining their own tours to opening for a band
roughly half their age with a back catalogue roughly one-third of theirs
in size.  (And artistically speaking, HNIA aren't even fit to *roadie*
for Komeda, much less should they be opening for them.)

---Jeremy <j.orr@juno.com>