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AM Fan Letter • 1997

12-05-97

AMERICAN MUSIC: THE VIOLENT FEMMES MAILING LIST currently run by Pat. Wary ************************************************************************* The Quote Of The Day: Hey sister have you heard? Some people stand like trees without a word and what that means is that some people don't TALK -From Never Tell -Submitted by send your VF quotes to ************************************************************************* ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ANY AND ALL CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS LETTER SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ************************************************************************* WEB PAGES: Official: http://www.vfemmes.com Unofficial: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~mmerry2/femmes.html Guitar: http://www.bucknell.edu/~wtorres/violent_femmes/ TAB DIGEST: The tab digest is give and take; remember to share what you have. ************************************************************************* In Today's Issue: RE: The GBP Soundtrack RE: The GBP Soundtrack RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? RE: What To Get Next? Ages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: The GBP Soundtrack ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ hey hipsters! i just wanted to give shout- outs to the GROSSE POINT BLANK soundtrack. I haven't even seen the movie, but if you like the femmes you will probably like this soundtrack. for all of my fellow cheeeeep sk8s out there: "I will tape you a copy of the Grosse Point Blank Soundtriznak if you do not want to pay for it. just send me a tape and two dollars (or less for postage---sorry---i am not as generous as travis) and thou shalt receive a copy. I will even decorate the case for you!" that's a promise. contact me if you so desire. peace out. ***emily*** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: The GBP Soundtrack ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have seen GPB and it is an awesome movie! I especially like the part where they show the Ambassador Bridge and downtown Detriot. I've been over the bridge many a times and absolutely love dt detroit. Anyway, that's beside the point. Someone had written and asked about BITS 2000, well, I don't have the soundtrack yet (but will soon) but I have heard a bit of BITS 2000 and it's pretty cool. I think that if you're into the Femmes, then get it. Besides, there's a lot of cool songs on the track anyway. Also, I have seen Gone Daddy Gone, BITS, Nightmares, and Breakin' Up in video. I haven't seen any others though, but I know that there are more. Are there any for Children of the Revolution or Fat? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joanna- you mean you don't have the first record? That is, hands down, the best album the Femmes ever put out. If you don't have it yet, GET IT RIGHT NOW. -- Paul -- "The fair damsel knoweth many ways to microwave fair pizza." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ a little advice for Joanna on her next purchase: "The Blind leading the naked" is a great one but "Why Do Birds Sing" is my all time favorite. I'm addicted to it. Good luck. Beth ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ah, decisions, decisions. So much good music, but what to get next. Here's my list of the best Femmes albums from least to best ... 8) Three : it's Femmes so it's better than most stuff, but the album lacks some of the energy and deep emotion that the others have. It's the only Femmes album I have that I dont listen to constantly. 7) New Times: there are some DAMN GOOD songs on here, like Mirror Mirror and I Saw you in the Crowd, but there is some inconsistancy and the album seems to be an acquired taste, and takes some getting used to. Still pretty good overall. 6) Blind Leading the Naked: also a great album, with 'Held Her in My Arms' and 'Children of the Revolution'. More energetic than their first two albums. 5) ROCK!!!!! : this one really surprised me. The sound of many of the songs is very upbeat 60s type stuff (She went to Germany, Life is an Adventure), while there is some punk stuff (Tonight), some slow moody stuff (Sweet World of Angels, I Wanna See You Again) and some just plain good stuff (Didgeriblues, I Danced). It shows much of the angst and emotion of the Femmes' first two albums, but with some added variety. A really good one to get if you can find it cheap. 4) Why Do Birds Sing?: happy happy music, with greats like Out the Window and American Music. 3) Hallowed Ground: 'Country Death Song' and 'I Hear the Rain' are worth the price of the whole cd by themselves. This follows along the same lines as ... 2) Violent Femmes: the classic, with all their greats like 'Blister in the Sun' and 'Kiss off' and 'Add it up'. However, all of these can be found on .... 1) Add it Up: their compilation, including all their best stuff and a bunch of new tracks. Every song is awesome, but you may need to fast forward past redundant things like 'Degredation' 'Vancouver' or 'Old Mother Reagan' after the 100th time of hearing them. 'Kiss off' on here sounds much better than on 'Violent Femmes', and you get a great 5 straight track set of 'American Music' "Out the Window' 'Kiss Off' 'Add it Up' and 'Johnny' all in a row. Every song is one you'll listen to over and over again. So which album should you get next? Since you already have Add it Up and Hallowed Ground, I'd suggest getting either Violent Femmes or Why do Birds Sing?. Why do Birds Sing will have alot more stuff on it that you probably haven't heard before, but then, Violent Femmes is a classic. Decisions, decisions ... GK http://www.wild.net/~gkaiser 'It's not my fault, my parents locked me in!' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Personally, i love "Why Do Birds Sing" and "Violent Femmes".... "Blind Leading the Naked" is good too... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Get why do birds sing. It rocks. Hey Nonny Nonny, He Likes Me, and Look Like That are all really awesome. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ to that person who wanted to know which album to get next, if you haven't already gotten it, you should buy their first album "violent femmes". it should be an essential CD for EVERYONE's collection! it's incredible. Despite having four of the "trendy" (sorry!) songs, it includes so many of their other great songs like "Promise" and "Please Do Not Go". I was shocked and appalled when i didn't see its name pop up as one of the ones you have. maybe you already do and this is useless, but if you don't, go out today and buy it! Ryan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have all of the albums except for ROCK!!!!! I will get it, however, before I get the new one they're working on. 3 is my personal fave, but the blind leading the naked is also real good. I know a lot of people who suggest the very first one (self titled, I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong). It's not bad. It has a lot of good songs, all the ones that everyone knows plus please do not go, which is one of my faves. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RE: What To Get Next? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Joanna, there are many great vf albums, and if you are only going to get one more it would be tough to choose. I personally think Why do Birds Sing is great, but you have a couple of those songs on the ADD IT UP CD. I love Rock!!!, but it might be more expensive and harder for you to find, but you can find it if you really want it. And of course the original Violent Femmes CD is a classic. Not all of those songs are on Add it Up if you didn't know that already. I love all of their albums, and the only one I would not reccommend to get IF you only got one would be New Times. Not that it is a bad CD, but I think the other ones are clearly better. Soon enough you will have all of them and then you wont have to worry about which ones you will have to choose to get next. I hope this helps, and if it were up to me I would get Rock!!!!! only because you don't have any of those songs on Add it Up. good luck Bobby V. p.s Is it definite that the femmes are NOT going to be playing in DC this new years, or are we all just still waiting. Everybody, please cross your fingers for me. thanks -Pat. Says: They're taking the rest of the year off. I don't see anything listed for New Year's. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am only 17 years old and have been a Femmes fan for only about a year. Well, my point is that only a few other people in my high school listen to the Violent Femmes. What are the ages of the majority of the fans? Am I a minority in the VF world only being 17? 1DJEK3 -Pat. Says: From past polls, I'd say you are very much in the majority. The ages of the subscribers to this list range from about 13 to somewhere in the mid 50's. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~