THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR
The Ben Folds Five Digest
Issue #193 - March 7, 1997
THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #193
REMINDERS:
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message (not "The Magical Armchair, Issue #nnn").
* Don't quote excessively, or quote the entire digest, when replying.
* Please keep non-Ben Folds Five content to a minimum.
* If you attend a show, you must post a review!
FREE CD!
As is reported below by many readers, Sony is offering a free copy of
one of two import CD singles of BoWCCL through its Independent Record
Dealers. All you have to do is go to their web site, print out the coupon,
and take it to the store nearest you. You can get there from
http://www.bffweb.com but the most reliable way seems to be at
http://www2.music.sony.com/musicdb/IRD.
SPOILER ALERT!
There are a few hundred million folks who still cannot get their hands
on a copy of the new album. This digest (as well as several prior and
undoubtedly many more) contain reviews of the new album. If you'd like to
hear the album first, before you read anyone else's opinion, be aware
that some of the articles below contain what might be considered
"spoilers". Some mailing lists run separate spoiler subscriptions, but
this one won't be doing that due to administrative overhead, so the
reader should beware of what he or she is about to read.
Topics for Today:
LA2 gig sold out :-(
BFF
"i could settle down..."
Re: THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #189
get the import singles FREE!
But when can I get it????
Free BFF discs
A few random thoughts from a random guy...
nannynannybooboo...i already have it.
Whatever and Ever... Amen...
get yer FREE import cd's
Gimme My Money Back, You Bitch
RE: the great idea bit in BoWCCL...and THE correct lyrics.
Crowded House last gig
Ironside
Help with trades
MP3 for rare tracks?
How to look real gormless
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 23:49:54 +0000
From: Paul Mawdsley <pmm26@cam.ac.uk>
Subject: LA2 gig sold out :-(
Hi All,
I posted a message last week asking if people wanted to meet up before the
LA2 gig on Friday. Sadly, when I finally got round to ringing up for
tickets last Wednesday, they had sold out so I am not able to go. :-(((((.
If I get any messages about meeting up, I'll put you all in touch so you
can sort something out. Don't suppose anyone has any ideas where I can get
some tickets from do they?
I just hope I don't have to wait too long for BF5 to come back over here
again. In the meantime, though, the new album is superb! Just as good as
the first, if not better. My skills as a reviewer as awful, so I will leave
that to others, but songs that stand out for me are 'One Angry Dwarf...',
'Song For The Dumped' 'Fair', 'Brick' and 'Selfless....'. My favourite,
BoWCCL, has dropped to 33 on the singles chart over here, but is still
getting a fair bit of radio play.
Paul.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Mawdsley Peterhouse
Cambridge
pmm26@cam.ac.uk CB2 1RD
--------------------------------------------------------------
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 1997 19:10:12 -0500
From: Mike Piccuirro <mikeman@pegasus.rutgers.edu>
Subject: BFF
DO you know anything about the supposed BFF concert in NC on the 26th?
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 18:20:31 -0600 (CST)
From: Megan Hope Foster <mhfoster@artsci.wustl.edu>
Subject: "i could settle down..."
cmj mentions that ben is now 'recently married.' does anyone know more
about this? who? where? when?
re: cmj and college radio stations, to whomever mentioned it in the last
listing: usually what happens is that the radio station gets a larger
issue of cmj, which has stuff like chart listings and even more reviews
and what not. the cmj issue with the cd is much smaller, and you can
probably find it in your average bookstore.
anyway, thanks for any info on ben's marital status! and as soon as anyone
hears of any new u.s. dates, post them!!!
megan.
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 1997 18:45:05 -0600
From: Dan Mauer <dmauer@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: THE MAGICAL ARMCHAIR, Issue #189
> Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 01:35:37 -0600 (CST)
> From: Adam 'DeLicious' DeLisse <adeliss@comp.uark.edu>
> Subject: CMJ...Certain Damage
> I have seen a lot of people mentioning that BFF single comes with
> the new CMJ mag, and my college radio station gets that mag, so can
> someone tell me what volume of Certain Damage (I think that is the name of
> the CD that comes with CMJ) has the single because I can't seem to find it
> anywhere.
It's not on a Certain Damage sampler that I know of... it's in an issue
of CMJ New Music Monthly, not the weekly music report. You can find it
at any Tower Records or most other music stores.
-dan.
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 04 Mar 1997 21:16:17 EST
From: Joel M Rosenberg <jrose@mit.edu>
Subject: get the import singles FREE!
our friends at Sony have a present for us.
go to the web page (www.bffweb.com), click on the stick figures,
then click on "get a free import single." from there, click on "receive
a free import cd single with coupon!", "click here for
more information," and print out the coupon. then go to the
closest store from the page with the US map, and get the CD(s?).
if only there were someplace closer to Boston...
Joel
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 21:27:07 -0500
From: Cassandra Hughes <cfh109@psu.edu>
Subject: But when can I get it????
Hello there!
At the risk of sounding like I just spent the past three months in a hole
or the library with my face stuck in a physics book, I have a question: So
when exactly is the new album coming out (in the US)? I somehow ended up
with two different dates, March 11 and March 18. Or are both of these
wrong. . .
Also, is there anybody else from Penn State out there? I'd like to think
that I'm not the only one on this campus with a copy of BF5 perpetually in
my CD player. . .
Cassie @--'--,---------------
cfh109@psu.edu
I think about my friends
Sometimes I wish they lived out here
But they wouldn't dig this town
No they wouldn't dig this town.
-bf5
[US release date is March 18. -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 21:30:28 -0600
From: "Finnestad, Lucas M" <LMFINNESTAD@CSBSJU.EDU>
Subject: Free BFF discs
OK, so if someone has already posted this, shoot me, or sue me or whatever, or
maybe the list admin will be kind enough to delete this if it's already been
posted but anyhow, the good stuff,
YOU CAN GET COUPONS FOR 1 OF 2 BEN FOLDS 5 Imports for free online!!!! Now
being the cheater that I am I printed out two coupons and had a friend pick up
the one import single for me so I could have both, but it worked out nicely
either way, the cool thing is the sight online even has a little map that you
can click on to find the closest stores that will redeem your coupons for you,
all you need is a printer, a browser, and a way to the store. SO without
further ado, the online address is:
http://www.music.sony.com/
or http://www.music.sony.com/Music/index1.html
the first works for me but not for all browsers so I posted them both, you
should be able to find the offer from there, as it is at the top of the page
and it plainly says find out how to get a Ben Folds Five import free! Follow
the links from there. Later......
Luke
"Some people come into our lives and quietly go. Others stay for a
while and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same."
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 21:50:17 -0600 (CST)
From: NICHOLAS COOK <ncook@umr.edu>
Subject: A few random thoughts from a random guy...
Hey everyone....I've posted to this thing once before. I just have a
couple of things...
Okay, I have been kicking myself for not going to Lollapalooza last
summer. The first stage of the darn concert was in my hometown, and I
didn't even go to see my favorite band in the world. Well, nonetheless,
that night, I went bowling. I know, exciting social life, huh? Well, I
approach the dj (it was Rock and Bowl...Missouri is darn exciting) with
my best friend Lori and request something...anything...from Ben Folds
Five. The dj then tells me that he doesn't have anything from that gay
sounding band...seems he went to Lolla and happened to catch the boys in
their act, and thought that it wasn't up to his par. What his par was, I
don't know. Well, I did anything that a normal Ben Folds Five fan would
do in that situation...me and Lori took him out back and beat the living
crap out of him. You do not deface the sacred name of Ben Folds and his
assembled "five".
Okay, one more thing and I will leave you wonderful people to go on with
your busy days. All this talk about the new album...and far be it from
me to discourage you lucky souls that already have the album...but I had
a question about the old album. It may have been covered before, but any
symbolism in the hidden sounds between tracks? Just wondering....
Well, here's to the continuing success of Ben Folds Five, and salutations
to all of you people.
Nich Cook
ncook@umr.edu
The face of a child can tell you so much...especially the mouth part--Handey
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 21:39:08 -0500
From: John Glosson <JGlosson@webtv.net>
Subject: nannynannybooboo...i already have it.
Hey, everbody...I'm new to the list, but I wanted to fill you in on the
new album. I work at a cd store in Chapel Hill, NC. I have an advanced
promo copy of Whatever...It's aboslutely not a let down! It has the same
classic BFF sound and then some! The Klezmatics play on a track called
"steven's last night in town" which bounces from swing to yiddish and
back again. This album is slower, but better. The opening track is One
Angry Dwarf and 200 solemn faces which opens --"September '75/i was 47
inches high, my mom said by christmas i would have/a (badassmother) GI
joe for you little minds to blow/i still got beat up after class/Chorus/
now i'm big and important/one angry..../if you really want to see me,
check the papers and the tv/look who's tellin who what to do?/kiss my
ass/byebye...it is...great.
Also exciting is the release of import singles which should be available
soon. Both are for 'Battle of..." but each one has two new tracks.
Vol1. contains Negela Hava (the old yiddish song, and For those of
y'all that wear fanny packs (it's an improv caught on tape here in
Chapel Hill, it's hilarious--BFF rapping, and saying s***, goddamn and
mother***er, most of the time...but it's mostly Darren singing!)
Vol2. Contains--Champange Supernova! Recorded live in london, and theme
from Dr Pyser (instrumental).
I'd be willing to copy any of these for anyone,but by the time I got
them in the mail, it would be out in stores! BFF is coming home soon, to
play, and I can't wait!
John
JGlosson@webtv.net
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 00:07:42 -0500 (EST)
From: MrBlakwell@aol.com
Subject: Whatever and Ever... Amen...
well, I admit it, I'm record store scum, and got the new CD about a week an a
half ago, i've been playing it non stop since then!! It's great... I'm
interested in some tapes if someone will either take cash or extra blank
tapes in trade, I don't have a whole lot to give... Lemme know!!
shawn
==============================================================================
Date: Tue, 4 Mar 1997 23:59:32 -0600 (CST)
From: stephanie j nahas <nahas@ripco.com>
Subject: get yer FREE import cd's
a couple of days ago, i found a special coupon at sony's website that,
when printed out and brought into a participating record store, will get
you a free copy of one of the import singles for "the battle of who could
care less," or, if they're nice, two coupons will get you both. i got
mine yesterday. whee! hey, it's a big deal to me; it's hard to even find
a store that carries the first album, and the band has't been here since
last january and i missed them because i found out a few days too late and
bleah.
anyway, find the coupon through http://www.sony.com/Music.
--steph
chicago, il
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 97 23:48:36 PST
From: The One and Only <mms@wolfenet.com>
Subject: Gimme My Money Back, You Bitch
| Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 12:36:56 -0000
| From: Tom Whitaker <tom@tw.prestel.co.uk>
| Subject: Gimme My Money Back, You Bitch
|
| I don't know if this ground has already been covered - it probably has.
| When I saw BF5 in Sheffield, they said something about Darren splitting
up
| with his girlfriend being the inspiration for this song - apparently she
| dumped him after an expensive dinner...
|
When they played Portland last year it was the guy at the soundboard who
had been dumped... can't remember if it was after an expensive dinner or
not.
My then-roomate I saw it with thought they had just seen into her life, as
she had recently broken up with a girl after loaning them a fairly large
sum of money.
I think it's one of those universal experiences we all go through at some
point in time, which is part of the beauty of the song.
Michelle
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 01:59:59 -0500
From: ~Hamlet~ <shaft@sympatico.ca>
Subject: RE: the great idea bit in BoWCCL...and THE correct lyrics.
hello...
many will probably write in with a response to the question...but...here's
my input...
the lyrics to the whole bit...are as follows...at least i think so anyways...
"i've got this great idea...why don't we pitch it to the franklin f***ing
mint...five pewter portraits of general apathy and major boredom singing
whatever and ever amen..."
k. so i just read the rest of the list. and i'm going to leave that as is
anyways...
yeah.. the franklin mint..is a company..in north america..who... make
collectables...cheesy things..in limited edition series... like..scale
models of old cars..umm plates with norman rockwell prints on
them..and...pewter portraits..or figurines..i'm sure everyone's seen
them...little metal statue thingy's. ugly as sin.
anyways..sorry about the incorrect repeat of the lyrics. but it helps
explain the franklin mint bit.
thanks,
G.
"so...now i'll bore you..crying my life away....don't i know it's always the
things i say...always too far...if you could be anything that you want to be
do you think that you would be who you see in the mirror?..if i look long
enough my face will start to change...if i look close enough i'll take away
your pain..oh i don't care..anymore."~GBV
[At least one member of the list would take issue with the "cheesy"
remark, so let's try to head off a debate on the goodness of Franklin
Mint products. -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 1997 18:06:14 +1000
From: Very Fruity Indeed <ad@healey.com.au>
Subject: Crowded House last gig
Hey Kristin, hey all,
> in Phoenix. I will cry real tears if they don't come. That would be like
> concert heaven for me. (Second only to if I had been able to attend the
> Crowded House Farewell to the World show in Australia.) But anyway, are
Something I regret is not going to that last Crowded House concert. My
friends were all too *busy* or had *better* things to do on that day, so I
ended up not going. A mear train ride away and I miss something like that.
Actually, I don't even know why I'm telling the world this. Maybe it's coz
I'm STILL angry about the whole thing. Would have been the ultimate with
all them people there.
Bye
Ad.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Ad %
%Yeah and stuff%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 1997 18:18:36 +1000
From: Very Fruity Indeed <ad@healey.com.au>
Subject: Ironside
Hey there people,
This is mainly to those people who were/are in the Tape chain that
included Australia and Japan...
I was wondering if any of you can remember what song by 'Ironside' I put
on the tape. Maybe you taped the tape. Maybe you have my tape now!!! But,
whatever the case, I'm pretty desperate to find out what song I put on
there, coz I'm currently sending and receiving letters from the lead guy
type dude type singer guy. Yeah, he wanted to know what song I put on.
Thanks!!! Btw, Azusa, your next tape will be with you in about a week and
the one after, about week after that.
Bye
Ad.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% Ad %
%Yeah and stuff%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 02:31:55 -0500 (EST)
From: PeteDrags@aol.com
Subject: Help with trades
I'm hoping somebody can help me. I'm relatively new to trading and have no
bff but I really feel like I need some, after all they're one of my top five
favorite bands. Anyway I do have some stuff to trade see below and would be
willing to trade 2:1. If somebody can please help me out it would be greatly
appreciated. Thanks.
[Since this is nearly off-topic, I've clipped Pete's list of trade
material. Please e-mail Pete directly if you're interested in trading -fjm]
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 05 Mar 1997 10:09:12 +0000
From: Nick VINCENT <N.Vincent@cs.ucl.ac.uk>
Subject: MP3 for rare tracks?
Hi,
Just thought it might be an idea, given all this MP3 compression going
round, if everyone made an effort to do all of the B-sides and rare tracks (UK
B-Sides, Japanese & Soundtrack versions of Song For The Dumped, Bad Idea,
Album version of Tom & Mary).
Maybe someone has an ftp server we could use? It's a bit dodgy putting
MP3s up on my Uni account.
Gig's only 2 days away :)
Nick
==============================================================================
Date: Wed, 5 Mar 1997 10:23:02 +0000
From: Lava Boy <JOA95JWA@sheffield.ac.uk>
Subject: How to look real gormless
THE SECRETS OF GORMLESSNESS
If you want to look gormless, let your eyes drift out of focus, then
make a choice...happy gormless or apathetic gormless. If you want
happy gormless, open your mouth, dribble a bit, and make the kind of
gummy smile a baby might. For apathetic gormless, just open your
mouth and dribble. "Gormless" just means dopey. I have seen Darren
in the flesh, up close, and this is not his usual facial pose ('cept
in photos).
John Allison
The Lava Lamp Kid
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