Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 02:00:36 -0400 Subject: SOMMS Digest - 10 Jun 1997 to 11 Jun 1997 There are 22 messages totalling 673 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Another SG moment (2) 2. CD book vs. New Metal Crown 3. Art Influence (3) 4. In your womb I might swim in... 5. Double pedal kick 6. lyrics 7. Re[2]: More mixed up lyrics 8. Soundgarden (remember them)? 9. NMC (3) 10. Lyrics (2) 11. New Metal Crown (2) 12. ARE YOU LOOKIN FOR THE SOMMS SET? 13. State of the List and Hater release: 14. waiting for you to tell me what went wrong... 15. Blowup..... To UNSUBSCRIBE from SOMMS, send email to LISTSERV@MITVMA.MIT.EDU with the following in the body of your message: SIGNOFF SOMMS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 10:11:11 -0500 From: Kelly Conforti Subject: Another SG moment A cool thing happened to me, you all might appreciate. I was in the pharmacy of a large hospital, waiting for the pharmacist to mix up a prescription lotion for me. There were a lot of people there and everyone was tense, waiting in line. Just then..as I watched the pharmacist begin to mix up my cream..out of the silence he began to sing "just a burden in my hand...just an anchor on my heart.." I was beaming. I told him, "Yeah, mix some SG in there as well; that's sure to heal me!" I felt blessed as if the cream had been officially anointed. Later, kc ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 13:13:35 -0400 From: "Carol C." Subject: CD book vs. New Metal Crown In a message dated 97-06-10 03:42:43 EDT, you write: << Subj: Soundgarden (remember them)? Date: 97-06-10 03:42:43 EDT From: java4u@SOS.NET (Rachel Thompson) Reply-to: java4u@SOS.NET To: SOMMS@MITVMA.MIT.EDU I just got a book the other day called, New Metal Crown-Soundgarden. By Chris Nickson. I was wondering if any of you have read this book, and if so, what you thought of it. I'll give you all a review, when I'm finished. >> Hiya, I have the book and have read it. Actually thats where my pre-Somms basic Soundgarden knowledge came from. I will tell you this. That book left me feeling kinda sad and made me think that Soundgarden hated their fans and shit. Thats kinda how the author made me feel. Did you know that he wasnt even supposed to write that book and I guess stole the material from the other book, the CD book? The CD book, in my opinion has just as much info, and is a way better book with killer pictures, and doesnt leave you with the feeling that they hate you. I would suggest getting it if you dont have it already. New Metal Crown is not authorized by the band, so that tell me they dont agree with what the author says which made me feel better. Hell, we couldnt all be a part of the Deep six crowd now could we? What did you guys think of the two books? Did NMC leave you feeling sad like it did me? Have you all already gone over this 100 times? I hope not. Love and Light, Carol ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 12:45:27 -0500 From: Mayor McCheese Subject: Art Influence Has anyone here made a Soundgarden influenced sculpture? I've done about 3 different graphical things (one of which is up on the site). I just finished a sculpture of a dream-catcher. It's really weird using a bike gear cog, guitar strings and knives . . . it's pretty strange but the bike cog makes it look so . . . badmoterfinger . . . :) Anyone else? ************************************************************************* *********************** Mayor McCheese ********************************** ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 14:27:09 -0700 From: Fetal Bliss Subject: In your womb I might swim in... > Yes, the guitar magazine is the one with Stevie Ray Vaughn on the > cover, and on the very last page it has some > excerpts of posts from people who posted to the official page's sg BB. > listed quite a few times is our very own > Fetal Bliss. = ) > so it wasn't somms, but it was from the official site's BB's instead. Uh, oh. C/Would anyone quote the quote? Uh... jeez... Well now... Heh heh... ^_^;; Scott Eyes to sun, she lays in peace Eyes bear complacence Brown, the meadow grows tall to the sun Seasons have come, they have gone ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 16:52:52 -0500 From: "Viray, Rachelle" Subject: Double pedal kick >>I believe that one of his floor toms is tuned exactly the same as his bass drum, so he can do really fast rolls and fills that sound like he is using a double pedal.<< Thanks, Scott. I knew Matt prided himself on his single-pedalness, but even for a floor tom/kick combo, he's pretty damn clean. And he's not even weird, like Terry Bozzio. PS: Okay, since we're not really on the subject of mistaken lyrics, I just have to say that for a while, I thought it was Matt sticking out of the sand at the end of the BIMH video......do I need a new TV? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 17:45:51 -0400 From: Jason Smith Subject: lyrics Although almost everyone misheard spoonman,I havent heard anyone say that it sounds like "C'mon and work it out" I always thought that was what it was. Also in tighter and tighter when he says "Feel I'm slowing down.", i thought it was "Feel I'm going now!" And in BIMH i thought "just an anchor on my heart" was "Just the maker of my heart." JASON ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 08:38:00 EST From: Saskia Becher Subject: Re[2]: More mixed up lyrics Chris Mackenzie wrote: > > For the Canadians... At first I thought it was "Degrassi's always > greener where the dogs are shitting". > > A friend of mine thought CC was singing "Thanx for the show" instead of > "Face Pollution". > >I thought he was saying "thanks for the show" also. After reading what >everyone thought he was saying in songs, I realized that I also misheard >almost all the same lines at one time. I thought he was singing 'Faith Love and Trust" hee hee... stupid I guess... ;) Sassy ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 19:24:20 -0400 From: Sarah Bucolic Subject: Re: Soundgarden (remember them)? In a message dated 97-06-10 03:42:43 EDT java4u@SOS.NET wrote: << I just got a book the other day called, New Metal Crown-Soundgarden by Chris << Nickson. I was wondering if any of you read this book, and if so, what you << thought of it. I got that Soundgarden book a couple months ago and it is a pretty good book. It's basically the facts about their lives and includes some pictures of the, not only the most recent members but other members such as Everman and Yamamoto. The photos are black and white. I got it for $10.95. The book also contains discography including the band's side projects. It has some info about Hater, Mudhoney, and others. I suggest that everyone reads it. Peace, love, and SG. Sarah ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 19:54:45 -0500 From: Richard E Horner Subject: NMC When was this New Metal Crown book written/released? Rich ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 21:43:17 -0400 From: Julia Rosselli Subject: Lyrics I always thought that "...Just an anchor on my heart" from BIMH was actually "...Just a snake around my heart". I mean it made sense since he has to meet the quota for the # of times to mention the word "snake" in his songs. But hey, we love him anyway! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:04:24 -0400 From: Leslie Campbell Subject: Re: New Metal Crown I thought that the Chris Nickson book was very poorly written for at least the first few chapters. I wanted to tell the guy, "Get a fuckin thesaurus!" But it's chock-full of facts, all of which you could find on Seth's site. It's worth having just because it's an SG book, but you're not gonna find anything surprising in it. Leslie ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:21:30 -0700 From: McMahon Potvin Subject: ARE YOU LOOKIN FOR THE SOMMS SET? hey sommsters...... if any of you are lookin for the somms cd..... just make a research on usenet, cause some guy is selling it for 20$!!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?? this is too good to be true.... i paid mine 60$.......major screw huh?.... the usenet is a very cool place.... see y'all later..... Marc ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 09:50:27 -0700 From: Chris Dumond Subject: State of the List and Hater release: Wow! Just what do you say about our little community here? This may not be soundgarden related, but it is list related. We are a community of sorts, and as a community I think we've got problems we need to deal with. I agree with many of you who have posted on the decline of the list recently... but why it has declined is everyone's problem. Seth is a real person, not some Hal computer, he's got a life and I don't think it's maintaining this list forever. We've got to band together and decide how we're gonna deal with this crap the next time it happens. We also need to set some moderation on our responses to some stupid, but innocent questions. I'm tired of retarded posts, and I'm tired of reading Caryn biting people's heads off. It's bullshit all the way and we just need to grow up and realize that there are human beings at the beginning and end of every message. Stop treating people like crap, have SOME tolerance and deal with morons in a private and effective manner. Email privately, Email providers, Email interesting, relevant info to the list! Things to keep in mind: 1) When posting, remember that you're intelligent; no one wants to read the post of a slobbering idiot. 2) When reacting/responding to a post, remember that we're not all perfect... chances are you've done something stupid before too 3) and did someone finally say it? The LIST IS NOT RELATED TO THE SITE! **** You mean that someone could access the list and not know about the FAQ, Seth's Page, or didn't change Chris Cornell's diapers???!!!*** So stop biting peoples' heads off when they ask questions, that's why the damn list is here! Thank you, Chris Dumond PS Anyone know anything about the delayed release of the supposed Hater Album? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 19:54:33 -0700 From: Rachel Thompson Subject: Re: Art Influence I'm very influenced by the band Soundgarden, and have written about them in many songs, poems, and such. I'm also a huge fan of art also, and have done several sculptures. Though art and music, I found a way to express my love for them. A while ago I made a spoon sculpture. Using different sorts of "junk" as people may describe the pieces. But altogether it works out well. I used broken guitar strings, coat hanger, differents types of spoons, bottle caps and such. It's hard to explain, but maybe I should take a picture of it, and someone could put it up on their site if they wanted. I don't know...whatever.... Quite recently I made a charcoal drawing of Chris, from a black and white photo. Anyone else?............ Peace Love Empathy Rachel ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:53:18 -0400 From: Sarah Bucolic Subject: Re: NMC Oops. I forgot to add that I didn't see the New Metal Crown book in bookstores til December 1996. Sorry. Peace, love, and SG. Sarah ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 20:20:08 -0700 From: Michael Roberson Subject: Re: Another SG moment Your pharmacist?! That's kinda creepy! Around when Superunknown came out, I was getting a prescription and the pharmacists were talking about the "new Soundgarden album." Just thought I'd share. Mike Roberson ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 13:26:08 -0500 From: WYN Subject: Re: Art Influence Well I can't say that I really make sculptures but my brother does have a thing for making 3d computer images that are soundgarden related and are on the Unoffical site. Although they really aren't that abstract. I think it's strange considering he really isn't that big of a fan. bronwyn Bronwyn wyn@powerup.com.au & WYN ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 14:18:20 +1000 From: justin nicholls Subject: waiting for you to tell me what went wrong... here's the song of the week sommsters, number five or so. sorry it's heinously late. expect future installments to be just as tardy, unless I consider missing my exams ;) if I were to ask you six years ago what you first thought of when I said the word "soundgarden", what would you have said? what would have flashed through your mind? admittedly for some it would have been fevered imaginings of long tresses and tight butts, but I'm talking about the music here, folks. what would have sprung to mind? I'll bet that large amounts of volume and energy would have topped most lists. I'm also sure that droning guitars, pummeling drums and shrieking vocals would have received a number of votes, too. it was these things that soundgarden was most often credited for throughout their long life, right or wrong. 'overfloater', however, is none of these. so please sit back, get comfortable and let me reacquaint you (or even introduce you to) track fourteen of soundgarden's last record, _down on the upside_. written by chris cornell, 'overfloater' lacks nothing, musically or lyrically. I would probably rank it as one of my three favourite soundgarden songs, in terms of both performance and composition. for me, it possesses everything that I could ever want from a piece of music. matt describes the song 'applebite', another song from _dotu_, as "a study in dynamics", but I tend to think that 'overfloater' is just as much a work of dynamics as that song. while the bulk of chris' compositions seem to move in only one direction, 'overfloater' has a number of mini-movements that serve to complement and contrast each other rather nicely. hmmm...that deserves a little more explanation, doesn't it? the song's structure is relatively simple, but the parts that make up the whole all seem to have a life of their own, even though there is definitely a common thread between each. the shift from tranquil verse to harsh chorus isn't overly obvious, as opposed to perhaps the same aspect of 'outshined' or 'burden in my hand'. the various parts seem independent yet tied, free yet still coherent, which ultimately makes for a heady mixture. when I hear the song, I float alongside. but I guess that was the idea all along. so how does the band create the dreamy haze of 'overfloater', you ask. like most soundgarden songs, it is a blend of many things, a certain fusion of musical elements that probably only these four men could create so perfectly. 'overfloater' begins subtly, kim lightly coaxing the song's central melody out of his almost reluctant speaker cabinet. it isn't long, however, before the rest of the band joins him in this musical serenity. man I love this song. I admire it so much that sometimes the song gives me goosebumps. the warmth is magnetic, the purely blissful tone almost transcendent. whether it is the song or me, I don't know. but the music strikes such a chord in me that it is sometimes as close as I come to a spiritual experience. when I hear this, I hear the music of the gods. okay, it is safe to come back to your computer now. my gush mode is off for the moment, if only to concentrate on analysis. I won't, however, promise that it might switch back on from time to time through no fault of my own. I will start with kim, as it was his own guitar that defined most of soundgarden's work and his own guitar sound that defines much of this song (albeit quietly). if you are listening for him, you'll find almost all of his guitar parts, lead or otherwise, in the left speaker. during the verses he is as smooth as silk, you could almost drink this riff. but at the same time his performance is decidedly unassuming, flair definitely takes a backseat to tone and depth. he just wends his way across the mix, snaking through the harmonic halls of his musical brothers, seeming content to do so for an eternity. until the chorus, that is. then there is a little more urgency to his playing, a little more overdrive. but other than that, I'm really impressed by what kim played for 'overfloater'. understated and emotive. and then in contrast to all this you have the totally cool lead break running from 3:57-4:27. I think this is the only part where kim takes control of both speakers, but I could be wrong. in the left you have a standard (ie. excellent) solo, but in the right he plays this loopy backwards thing that is really quite beautiful. "beautiful" also pretty much sums up ben's contribution to 'overfloater'. most times I'm not entirely aware of what ben is playing, but I'm proud to report that here his performance is nothing but short of remarkable. it's weird. when I hear the song, I can hear the notes being played, but I can also hear the *spaces* between the notes. there is this huge expanse, easily enough room for the song to be comfortable, and right in the middle of it all is ben, twisting and turning like some magical waterfall. his basslines seem to coil around matt's snare and chris' throat with equal assurance; after focusing on his performance and the variation it showcases, I am just in awe of the agility. better than hiro? you can bet your house on that one. I really believe that I'm unlikely to hear many more melodic or inspired performances on the bass guitar. his wide-open approach, almost like he's improvising right there in the studio is indicative of the song's grand freedom, and my respect for ben has increased immeasurably since first taking notes for this review. I urge you to listen to what he has to say on 'overfloater' again. you won't be disappointed. matt is, yet again, full to bursting with faultless timing and immaculate balance. mixed in stereo like all other soundgarden releases, matt's drums always pause and surge at exactly the right moment, always set to give just what the song needs most. the clean and natural production is also a highlight; his drums sound just like drums should sound, warm and inviting. maybe I should face facts - I'm in love with his snare and bassdrum, his hihat and ride cymbal. I imagine that it is every apprentice drummer's dream to sound even remotely like this. cool parts abound; the grace note on the tom at 3:11, the trademark rolls that end on a heavy snare beat. but at 3:42 is something especially cool, something that has intrigued me since the record was released. during the shift from verse to what I call the quasi-chorus ("wanna make it right..."), there is this absolutely cool little rim click. very small, I know, but it makes me happy. I'm not sure how it got in there, but it's there and it sounds great. you can't hear it in the left channel (where the beat is a regular tom strike), or really pick it out in stereo unless you are listening for it, but it stands tall in the right. the roll goes from snare to snare to tom/click to snare to cymbal. I've wondered why it only shows up in the right channel, it could have something to do with the panning of the microphones, but I don't think that would be it. any input on this eighth wonder of the soundgarden world would be appreciated. as the writer of the song, it is only appropriate that chris plays a large part in the atmospheric performance of 'overfloater'. but rather than just stand out on one instrument (commonly his voice), chris moves around a little more. for the first he plays a guitar track, moving to an acoustic guitar during the quasi-chorus, the pluck at the end of each progression being particularly cool. he also shows his prowess on a rhodes piano during the second and third verses, dropping his guitar entirely and increasing the dream-like quality of the song tenfold. while his guitar and piano tracks are mixed through the right speaker, I noted earlier that it is probably kim playing the backwards guitar part during the solo section, if only because it was kim playing backwards on 'my wave' and it sounds similar to my ear. I'm sure chris could play it with some success, but I think he moves aside here so kim can get some footing. and generally this is the case in terms of guitars. kim might play safe, but chris hardly plays at all. which turns out to be an entirely agreeable experience within the confines of this song. his vocal performance is an altogether different kettle of fish. this is where the song's dynamic lies. chris starts out soft, but grows more and more insistent as the song progresses. I would rate this as easily one of the best vocal performances on the record; the dips, curves and pure emotion make it difficult to ignore. and like most late-era soundgarden, chris' vocals are altered in various amounts here on 'overfloater' too. the verses are left relatively clean, with only a hint of reverb. the quasi-chorus (is pre-chorus the real term?) is altered slightly, the first time there are two vocal tracks, super-panned left and right with nothing in the middle. the second and third are made up of three separate tracks, this time with one in the middle, and this time with a degree of urgency that leads directly into either the chorus proper or the lead break. the chorus itself is doubled, one track dominating the other, with the "alone alone alone alone" refrain altered so that chris sounds as though he is on the other end of a bad phone line. this is probably the high end of the song's dynamic, where the chorus has peaked musically, but chris' voice sounds almost detached, kind of like he is just floating away ;) so here are the lyrics, somewhat modified from the liner version. apologies to digesters or anyone else who hates when I post the entire lyrics. let me know if it bugs you. -overfloater- come on in and take me on an override been stuck inside and up all night at dave's now trouble's far away and mother's in her cage and nothing's gonna pinch this nerve of mine I wanna make it right close the door and pull the shades and climb the walls feel medicine heal the lines of age I'm here and now I'm gone there and far beyond and nothing's gonna pinch this nerve of mine I wanna make it right I'm on the wire over and higher over the pretense over the spire why on and connected I'm overfloating now I'm overfloating alone breathe and take it in and gently blow it out drink it down and swallow ? hold the potion up tear your shadow down remember to forget and then rename your shame I wanna make it right I'm on the wire over and higher over the pretense over the spire why on and connected I'm overfloating now I'm overfloating alone what's the song about? good question. taken at face value you would say it is about escaping the pressures of life, breaking restraints and finding freedom. chris describes the lyrics as "totally self-affirming", I guess that he is referring to the optimistic, almost determined, tone of the song ("nothing's gonna pinch this nerve of mine"). so maybe it is about fleeing the rigid structures of life and moving into a more unencumbered existence, at least for a short time. the song also appears to deal with the manner in which people might find this escape.. the final verse is probably the best evidence of this, where chris sings of drinking it down and swallowing. I wouldn't argue that this is necessarily about drugs, but could be about anything that helps you to escape the doldrums or inflexibilities of life. there is also the element of sharing this escape with someone else, but in the end you have to face the escape all alone. just a couple of smaller lyrical points. sometimes I'm almost sure that chris is singing "won't make it right" where the liner has him singing "wanna make it right". but as much as that sounds right to me, it would change the entire tone of the piece and contradict chris' own comments, so it is probably just a case of the vocals being difficult to hear properly rather than a difference in what is written and what is actually sung. the same thing probably goes for the line "tear your shadow down", where I hear "stare you shadow down". in essence, one of the best songs I've heard from soundgarden. dizzying at it's best and awesome at it's worst, 'overfloater' floors me every time. a whirlpool that just gets stronger and stronger each time I swim through it, I wish they had played it live for me. but I guess you can't have everything... ----------------------------------------------- in your real life, treat it like it's special in your real life, try to be more kind in your real life, think of those that love you in this real life, try to be less blind words by vernon reid ---------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 23:59:46 -0500 From: Richard E Horner Subject: Blowup..... Does anyone have the tab for the lead guitar on Blowup the Outside World. I already have the chords. P.S. If you do, don't send me the file because my mail can't receive files, so just paste the tab to the bottom of the mail. I really appreciate it! Rich ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:51:25 -0400 From: Sarah Bucolic Subject: Re: NMC > When was this New Metal Crown book written/released? The book was copyrighted in November 1995. I didn't find it in book stores til around December when I bought it. I was looking for SG books everywhere and barely found this one. Peace, love, and SG. Sarah ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 22:12:41 -0700 From: Tiffany Saint Subject: Re: Lyrics On Tue, 10 Jun 1997, Julia Rosselli wrote: > I always thought that "...Just an anchor on my heart" from BIMH was actually > "...Just a snake around my heart". I thought it was "Just an ache around my heart" at first. Tiffany /\/\^^/\/\ VC ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 00:52:21 -0500 From: Ben Timberlake Subject: New Metal Crown Okay, since everyone is talking about New Metal Crown again... I offered to pick up the copy that was at a local bookstore for someone a few months ago. I bought it, but they ended up finding it in their town before I sent it. So, now I've got two copies. If anyone wants the extra, it's $10.95 and I'll even take care of S&H. Please let me know if you'd like to take it off my hands. -- Ben Ben Timberlake This is the way the world ends Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~bft718 btimlake@nwu.edu -30- HAMM: [Soft.] What'll I do? [Pause. In a scream.] WHAT'LL I DO? -- Beckett, "Endgame" ------------------------------ End of SOMMS Digest - 10 Jun 1997 to 11 Jun 1997 ************************************************