THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #1095 - July 1, 1998
Magical Armchair Digest Wednesday, July 1 1998 Volume 01 : Number 1095
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
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TOPICS IN THIS DIGEST:
Covers, references, defending others
maybe i'm thinking myself in a hole...
bnl
One Angry Dwarf piano transcription
FAVE HARM, POSSIBLE COVERS, AIRPLAY, AND begging/sympathy
steinway? baldwin?
air?
Tour disc?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 09:55:40 EDT
From: Brad654@aol.com
Subject: Covers, references, defending others
In a message dated 98-06-29 20:12:13 EDT, Vito writes:
> to whoever said this... RIGHT ON... it would make a great bff cover. they
> certainly have what it takes for some terrific harmony, and they could
> really rock it.
I remember a few months ago (actually, probably more than a year ago) when
there was some kind of voting procedure on the chair about what cover we
wanted to hear the boys do. Predictably, most of the votes were for songs like
"Rhapsody," and by that, I mean piano-based tunes from piano-based bands.
No one voted for them to do, say, a Living Colour tune (just picking a band
out of the air here), and I'm guessing that's so because there's no piano in
your average Living Colour song, but then where would it fit in with Vernon
Reid playing all over the place?
Anyway, I read where Ben once said they probably wouldn't cover Queen because
they wanted to cover tunes that would be unexpected-- tunes that had no piano
in their original incarnations ("She Don't Use..." and "Crosstown..." are
excellent examples of this credo). Just a thought.
In a message dated 98-06-29 20:12:13 EDT, Grover writes:
> Of course, I find there is a BFF lyric appropriate for ALL occasions. My
> family get thoroughly frustrated with the fact that everything they say
> I'll start singing BFF back at them.
You know, I used to think that there was a "Rapper's Delight" reference for
all occasions, and actually, I still believe that, but lately, I've discovered
the same thing about BF5. But the "Rapper's Delight" references, I think, are
much cooler because they all come from one track. And that's some badass shit
when you think about it.
In a message dated 98-06-29 20:12:13 EDT, Tony Flaminio writes:
> underestimating the consumer....are either of these bands really saying
> anything at all that every other band has alrealy said twice as good? no.
>
> put a good looking band on MTV (no matter how cookie-cutter they sound)
> and they're gonna make money (see hanson).
Well, Matchbox20 and Third Eye Whatever are on my list of least favorites. But
not because they suck (that's my opinion, by the way). It's actually because
they are mediocre. They don't suck. They're not terrible, but they're not any
good, either. And settling for/ wallowing in mediocrity has got to be one of
the worst sins there is. As for good looking bands, hey, that's life. That
philosophy brought us Gavin Rossdale, Debbie Gibson, the New Kids on the
Block, and lots of others. But I take issue with Hanson.
I'm not saying they're a great band or anything-- after all, they're just
kids. But what I am saying is that everyone in the country is running around
saying, "Hanson sucks-- that song is so bad," but then in the next breath,
they're humming "MMbop," however you spell it. I suppose the bottom line is
that like it or not, that's a well-written song, and I'm afraid Hanson will be
around for awhile. The only real detriment to the music biz, though, is that
record labels are already signing 10-, 11-, and 12-year olds to multi-album
deals, and that sucks.
I've rambled long enough.
Brad
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 10:56:32 EDT
From: SmilesGLH@aol.com
Subject: maybe i'm thinking myself in a hole...
hello all,
i'd just like to state my observation as to how many people have answered
(and in many different forms) the question as to what type of piano that ben
uses and the form of travel that he uses for it...i find it rather
amusing...sorry.
um, oh yeah...if you don't mind i'd like some help with obtaining some
bootlegs, etc. i'm a poor deprived child and have to survive on what i've
obtained in CD's and website stuff...um...help, please! thanx so much....have
a lovely day all :)!!!!!!!!
gretchen :)
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 12:37:37 -0400
From: bf5 <bf5@SURRY.NET>
Subject: bnl
<<I think they could do a great cover of Life, In a Nutshell by the
Barenaked Ladies.
S'all from now,
Dustin>>
Wow...I was thinkin the same thing. Especially the part: "She was 3, her
barbie's always did it on the first date..."
\ \/ /
~\/\/hitney =o)
"the band would play, i'd sing my heart out for a drunken crowd, it didn't
mean a thing" -BF
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 13:41:41 -0400
From: cambot@juno.com
Subject: One Angry Dwarf piano transcription
Oaky, I posted this god-knows-how-long-ago, but I figure I should post
this again, since some folks have requested it lately. Here is my
transcription of the intro to One Angry Dwarf & 200 Solemn Faces. It's
probably the cheapest-ass method & Ben prolly doesn't play it like this,
but it's sounds damn-near the same.
Right: C# (octive) B (octive) A (octive) A A# B B (octive) A (octive)
Left: B - octive higher B (in repeated form)
Right: B (octive twice) A (octive twice) B (octive twice) A (octive) D
Left: D - octive higher D (in repeated form)
Right: D# B A# A
Left: B - octive higher B (in repeated form)
repeat
I know more, but I don't feel like posting it & Most of the stuff is
pretty sketchy right now. Ah, here's an easy part of the song (i.e."The
Breakdown") :
NOTE: the right always comes after the left in this part & these are not
CHORDS!)
B G# A A#
B G# A A#
B G# A A#
B B C C#
B C C# D
D C# C (back to beginning)
Well, I hope that I have enriched everyone's life & made you all better
people by reading this post.Probably not, though. Oh well. Bottoms up!
Roll up roll up
Steve!
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 12:48:07 -0800 (PST)
From: ejimenez1@CSUPomona.Edu
Subject: FAVE HARM, POSSIBLE COVERS, AIRPLAY, AND begging/sympathy
>
> I've got to say, my favourite harmony is definitely in Best Imitation in
> the bit where ben's singing 'the problem with you speech' up until 'now if
> it's all the same' makes me melt every time.
hey, finally someone who thinks Best Imitation has the coolest harmony ...
i heard eddie walker a couple of times but i don't remember. i think i'll
take this as a sign to finally buy NPB (hey, i'm sans $$$, okay?).
PAUL NIENOW, pleeeaaaaase, if you can read this let me know if got my tape
in the mail yet.
> oh...and i would LOVE to hear them do a radiohead song...
same thing i was pondering. i think it'd be interesting to hear them
cover "let down" or hmmmm .... "anyone can play guitar" (for those who
can't tell, that was sarcasm)
> Hey kids...i just don't get it, i live in ny..and i have NEVER heard
>anything besides brick on the radio(and i don't even hear brick
>anymore)...is this just a ny thing? am i just crazy or has ny forgot
>about ben and the boys???
i have the same dilemma here in L.A. actually they played alice
childress, BOWWCL and where's summers b? but probably i'd say once or
twice before brick hit it big. but now that it's popularity has waned, i
no longer have any bff on the radio :(
okay, last thing: anyone know if the kate single is still available? and
does it really come with its video? i'm dying to know. and if anyone has
a library of bff music videos they are willing to copy for a fellow
armchair, please, email me privately.
thanks for reading,
elenore
"[she] sees the children smoking pot"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 21:41:09 +0100 (BST)
From: Richard Cheng <richard.cheng@st-edmund-hall.oxford.ac.uk>
Subject: steinway? baldwin?
whatever it is, he ain't gonna be using it any more. he threw his stool
at it last night at the forum, and bits of piano came off.
which is not good for pianos.
rich.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 21:43:32 +0100 (BST)
From: Richard Cheng <richard.cheng@st-edmund-hall.oxford.ac.uk>
Subject: air?
is air going to be on the new album, or am i gonna have to go and get
the whole godzilla album? yick.
(reply to me, please. i sometimes don't get round to reading the
armchair.)
thanks,
rich
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 19:51:48 -0400
From: Adam Tyner <ctyner@clemson.edu>
Subject: Tour disc?
At http://www.sirencd.com/cgi/panel.cgi/?act=future , I saw this:
<<
Air JAPAN CDS $18.99
Japanese tour release. ALL details T.B.C. Release Date: 27-Jul-98
>>
Has anyone heard anything about this?
- -Adam
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------------------------------
End of Magical Armchair Digest V1 #1095
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