Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 10:09:37 -0800 From: Jens Alfke (jens_alfke@POWERTALK.APPLE.COM) Subject: Re: Batchelor Pads / Lida Husik The Purple Sage asks: >Perhaps an odd question, but is there any connection between this and the >"Esquivel" album of the same name? Or is this some bizzare coincidence of >titles? (I've never listened to Esquivel, but it's something several of >my friends are always raving about - not something I'd associate with >Stereolab though...) According to the liner notes of that Esquivel CD, the phrase was coined by Byron Coley, describing the whole genre of '50s-'60s hi-fidelity exotica music as produced by Esquivel, Martin Denny, etc. The kind of stuff young guys with fancy stereo hi-fi's would play to (a) show off how good their system sounded (most of this stuff was extremely well recorded for its time) and (b) produce an exotic mood perfect for cocktail parties or coaxing female visitors out of their taffeta gowns. Stereolab are big fans of this stuff, as their sleeve art and titles indicate. It shows up to some extent in their music, too. The Esquivel CD is great stuff. Zany beyond belief. I have to assume E. had his tongue firmly in cheek at the time; the arrangements are wacked out by the standards of any time. Also worth checking out are Combustible Edison. Date: Fri, 5 May 1995 08:29:18 -0700 From: Jens Alfke (jens_alfke@POWERTALK.APPLE.COM) Subject: Re: Stereolab lyrics >>with Stereolab, there's some pretty intelligent political stuff being >>discussed. Rex Arthur quotes some dumb lyrics and concludes: >sorry. i'm just super-critical and i love a good argument. stereolab is one >of my favorite bands, but honestly i do feel the need to occassionally >tune out the vocals. sorry to always disagree. Granted that many of their lyrics are just a few lines of stuff; but how about "Laissez-Faire" from the "Low-Fi" EP: It will come to us as a shock / but we're letting it happen People with their carelessness / governments with their laissez-faire Are going to lead us straight to it / that's for sure History will only repeat itself once more The western world is going more and more right wing Yearning for some kind of perfection, too scared to do anything Not to take the path that's dragging us down, oh no Remember it's in our power not to go down I can feel it more and more: Within ten years we'll have a war And all the lyrics from "Peng!" are pretty amazing. "Surrealchemist": Even more than philosophers Aiming at no less than the total transformation of man and the world Begin with the dissolution of superfluous matters So that desire and consciousness are free Noew man new woman proud and free New man new woman happy to be True life embodying pleasure principle's noblest triumph Over the cowering mendacity of bourgeois Christian civilization Alchemical Situationist Marxism ... Gotta love it. Jens Alfke ________ OpenDoc Geometer _______ jens_alfke@powertalk.apple.com Zachary Taylor was a Barosaurus and, at 89 feet, was possibly our longest President ever. Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 00:53:55 -0700 From: a device for squeezing a calico extract (NMARSHALL@POMONA.EDU) Subject: Re: various artists and ivo's no balls (a response) > stereolab - again from the tape swap, i found i liked them. i picked > up peng! i'm impressed. > could someone mail me a comparitive review of there other albums so > that i can decide which one to pick up next (and after that, and after > that, and after that - til i have them all - i'm hooked). Essential Stereolab: _Switched on Stereolab_: Get the Slumberland one before it's reissued by American and save a few $s. The sound is similar to _Peng!_; it's a compilation of their first three brilliant EPs. The classic, poppy, goovin', droney Stereolab with melodies you'll sing for days. _Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements_: The title gives something of a description. The longer tracks just groove forever, taking some inspiration from Neu! and making it a lot more. There is more noise, more samples, harsher sounds, with everything orchestrated perfectly. Less essential, but quite good: _Mars Audiac Quintet_: Jens always says he doesn't like this one.... I love the song _Three Dee Melodie_ to death, one of my favorite songs of theirs. This album is kind of Stereolab lite, leaning more in the Esquivel-la-la direction, away from TRNBWA. I like it only a little less than the above albums. The other ones you might want to get to later, or hear before you buy. If you've been browsing the www, visit the Stereolab site. There's more discography info and news a fan could want. There are some sound samples too. hope this helps. -nick Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 10:37:06 +0100 From: Andrew Norman (nja@LEICESTER.AC.UK) Subject: Stereolab a device for squeezing a calico extract wrote: > > Essential Stereolab: > > _Transient Random Noise Bursts With Announcements_: The title > gives something of a description. The longer tracks just groove > forever, taking some inspiration from Neu! and making it a lot > more. There is more noise, more samples, harsher sounds, with > everything orchestrated perfectly. I listened to this a couple of days ago for the first time in ages - I think it's my least favourite Stereolab album. "Jenny Ondioline" and the final three tracks are superb, but the first half of the album is dull, to my ears. > > Less essential, but quite good: > _Mars Audiac Quintet_: Jens always says he doesn't like this > one.... I love the song _Three Dee Melodie_ to death, one of my > favorite songs of theirs. This album is kind of Stereolab lite, > leaning more in the Esquivel-la-la direction, away from TRNBWA. > I like it only a little less than the above albums. Stereolab's "pop" album. I love it, but I hope they get back to the heavier droney style (the limited "Amorphous Body" EP suggests they are heading in a lighter direction, though). I'd go for "Mars Audiac" or "Peng" as an introduction. -- Andrew Norman, Leicester, England // nja@le.ac.uk // 16/08/95 On my walkman this morning : The Fall - The Infotainment Scan Upon the straits; - on the French coast the light Date: Tue, 5 Sep 1995 09:17:58 +0100 From: Andrew Norman (nja@LEICESTER.AC.UK) Subject: Stereolab & Pram Here at last! "Refried Ectoplasm" is without doubt the finest album Stereolab have ever released - it covers all the styles from early head-banging grooves to sweet pop and droning experiments. "Lo Boob Oscillator" sums up their entire career in six minutes, starting with a cheery tune about the Moon being free (I think - like most of the songs on this disc it is written in THE DEVIL'S LANGUAGE), and winding up with an orgy of organ droning and choppy guitar. Comes in a double digipak thing made out of sturdy wholemeal cardboard, with details on the inside of where everything comes from - it seems to pretty much wrap up the Stereolab discography up until "Jenny Ondioline". Dates may be a bit dodgy, though - I'm sure I bought my clear vinyl Sub Pop 7" last year, not in 1993. I think if the weather was better I'd still be wandering round Victoria Park with my walkman on 11. Date: Tue, 12 Sep 1995 12:20:23 +0100 From: Andrew Norman (nja@LEICESTER.AC.UK) Subject: Re: Stereolab/geetars/Pale Nudes Larry Koch wrote: > > Andrew wrote: > > >like most of the songs > >on this disc it is written in THE DEVIL'S LANGUAGE) > > Oh...d'you mean Stereolab are singing in German now? ;) Ah, how refreshing > it is to see such unabashed xenophilia, especially from a Brit. [pause] You > *were* being ironic, weren't you? My aversion to the French language comes from being taught it by a man who was, if not Beelzebub, at least a close friend. I have nothing against the French per se, if they want to engage in filthy sexual practices while munching on garlic and snail baguettes and exploding atomic bombs in the Pacific, who am I to criticise? There are some good things about France, such as L. Sadier, and, um... Bernard Ingham (Mrs Thatcher's press secretary), when asked if he would be boycotting French goods, replied that being an Englishman he didn't own anything made in France. That's enough xenophobia for the while. On a music-related note, does anyone know where the Main tracks "V" and "VI" are to be found? (I have already asked on the droneon list). -- Andrew Norman, Leicester, England // nja@le.ac.uk // 12/09/95 On my walkman this morning : The Fall - The Infotainment Scan Hearing it by this distant northern sea. Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 09:13:21 -0800 From: Jens Alfke (jens@MOOSEYARD.COM) Subject: Re: Help! Stereolab Burt Reynolds asked: >Could some of you Stereolab fans point me toward a good starting >point album-wise? I'm interested in hearing them, but don't know >where to begin. "Switched On" compiles their earliest singles and demonstrates the Stereolab sound par excellence. If the first 30 seconds of "Super-Electric" don't get you hopping around the room like a crazy person, there's no hope for you. (Originally released on Slumberland in the US, possibly Too Pure in the UK. I _think_ American has rereleased it.) "Peng!" is overall mellower than "Switched On" and I found it a bit less immediately catchy, but it's a great album. (It's on Too Pure, rereleased by American.) "Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements" is another excellent album with some great pop songs and longer more experimental tracks like "Golden Ball" and "Jenny Ondioline". It should be easy to find since it's on Elektra in the US. "Refried Ectoplasm" is the sequel to "Switched-On" and despite being a collection of rarities and b-sides is just as strong as the prequel. It includes some of their best songs, such as "John Cage Bubblegum" and "French Disko". (It's on Drag City.) I wouldn't recommend "Mars Audiac Quartet" or "The Groop Played Space-Age Batchelor [sic] Pad Music" as first purchases; they're both rather weak and include some listless novelty pop numbers. __________ __________________ Jens Alfke jens@mooseyard.com ________________________ http://www.mooseyard.com Date: Sun, 7 Apr 1996 04:35:43 -0400 From: Susan Curran (susan@ACS.BU.EDU) Subject: Stereolab & Prolapse Just have to second the vote for Peng! as best Stereolab album, even better than Switched On (despite that album's amazing pop moments). Stereolab are really more of a singles band, and their lps are kind of spotty, but Peng is their first and best. Plus, it has "Super Falling Star" which is probably my favorite song by them. Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 15:07:59 -0500 From: Jeremy L Orr Subject: Re: Stereolab/Ui ---from Ciaran Weldon: > With stereolab it seems, to me, they are an exceptional singles/ > ep band but the albums sorta fail in a way, Except Emperor tomato > ketchup which nearly got their. I couldn't possibly disagree more. They may put out some good a-sides, but the b-sides and additional tracks usually end up sounding like half-baked throwaways (with the odd exception, like "French Disko"). I've been a fan Stereolab since the _Transient Random-Noise Bursts_ album, and to me, _ETK_ was the real disappointment, one that left me completely burned out on them. Because of that, I didn't expect to like _Dots and Loops_, but now I think it's the best thing they've ever done. ---Jeremy Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1998 13:21:02 -0700 From: Spunaround Subject: Re: Stereolab/Ui It's interesting. It seems as if everyone is in agreement on the albums up until Mars Audiac Quintet. MAQ, for me, is an awful album with overly long songs--just listen to ANAMORPHOSE, probably the worst song they've ever done. Of course, I still own it for the songs I enjoy. As for singles, I could never keep up with them after Ping Pong. ...and is there a band with more offshoots? I'd be broke if I bought all the Stereolab related releases. Travis