Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 02:00:49 -0400 Subject: SOMMS Digest - 15 Sep 1997 to 16 Sep 1997 There are 18 messages totalling 1043 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Winner of Greg's SOMMS CD 2. Hey Sassy 3. the shirt! 4. greatest hits... 5. Hello kiddies... :) (2) 6. Auction (SOMMS + More) 7. Wellwater Conspiracy 8. lyric sim-il-air-it-ies (3) 9. Soundgarden's Greatest Hits 10. Alive in the Jive 11. soundgarden (2) 12. Hello, SOMMSters!! 13. puck's not that bad of a guy.... 14. HOLY FREAKING SHIT! To UNSUBSCRIBE from SOMMS, send email to LISTSERV@MITVMA.MIT.EDU with the following in the body of your message: SIGNOFF SOMMS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 09:00:48 EDT From: seth Subject: Winner of Greg's SOMMS CD From Greg, the guy who was selling to SOMMS CD: ------- Forwarded Message Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 07:00:19 -0700 To: saperl@MIT.EDU From: Greg Bensimon Subject: Winner of the SOMMS CD Seth, The winner of the SOMMS drawing was Karen Lane. I've already let her know, but I'd like to let eveyone else know so no one's left hanging. Thanks. Greg ------- End of Forwarded Message ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 10:31:02 -0500 From: "Viray, Rachelle" Subject: Hey Sassy Hey List: sorry to interrupt again. Sassy: got your mail--thanks! Server on your side rejecting my replies. Will keep trying. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 13:16:08 -0400 From: Rachel Potter Subject: the shirt! I wore my somms shirt to disney on saturday and this guy came up and tapped me on the shoulder and said "posting with my good eye closed... i thought it was searching with my good eye closed, or something like that"... he was wearing a nirvana shirt and we talked for an hour (hey, we were in line for splash mt.) about good bands. The somms shirt stricks again! Rachel ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 13:17:05 -0400 From: Rachel Potter Subject: greatest hits... SG Greatest Hits on CD or tape: _____Yes______. SG Greatest Hits on coloured vinyl: ______No______. SG Greatest Video Hits: _____Yes______. does anyone know if it will be a double or triple cd pack? -Rachel ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 16:08:14 -0400 From: Shroom Girl Subject: Hello kiddies... :) I'll probably get yelled at for forwarding the whole thing, but I haven't posted to the list in forever. Following this message is a news bit about the A&M Christmas album. An excerpt: " -- The most surprising cover comes from Chris Cornell and Eleven, who sings Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" in Old English rather than the traditional Latin. "They felt very strongly about wanting to do a traditional song, a classical piece, something that might turn young people onto classical music," Feder says." Seth's an idiot for arguing that Chris was free to write whatever music he wanted. Hey, don't yell at me for calling him names... he specifically requested it, and I complied because I'm a nice person. :) Actually, I'm sure that A&M would have been *extremely* overjoyed by a Cornell-penned Christmas tune... but can you really picture Chris sitting down & writing some kind of holiday jingle? Meaningful or joyful... I don't see THAT happening, ever. (Just like I don't see Susan mailing me any of those naked pictures that we all know she has of Chris. C'mon Susan... share the wealth, woman!) Just kidding. Or am I? ;-) Loves to all of my old SOMMS-homeys & my CCHB. No, I don't read the list much anymore (at all)... but my memories of the last 2 years are very special. We should all meet up in #somms again soon & fight for a while... just like the good old days. :) Shroomy --------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: A Very Special Christmas 3' Date: 97-09-15 15:08:19 EDT From: AOL News LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A&M Records will mark the tenth anniversary of the landmark "Very Special Christmas" albums with the release of "A Very Special Christmas 3," a Superstar holiday compilation that boasts rocking Christmas covers and original songs by an extraordinary array of pop, rock, rap and alternative music stars. Release date is October 7. As before, "A Very Special Christmas 3" boasts a spectacular line-up of contemporary artists, all of whom have recorded songs (many of them original) exclusively for this project. Artists appearing on the record are: Mary J. Blige/ "Christmas in the City" (working title), Blues Traveler/ "Christmas", Tracy Chapman/ "O Holy Night", Chris Cornell with 11/ "Ave Maria", Sheryl Crow/ "Blue Christmas", Dave Matthews Band/ "Christmas Song", Enya/ "Oiche Chiun" ("Silent Night" in Gaelic), Hootie and the Blowfish/ "The Christmas Song", Jonny Lang/ "Santa Claus is Back in Town", Natalie Merchant/ "Children Go Where I Send Thee", No Doubt/ "Oi to the World", Reverend Run & the Christmas All Stars (Mase, Puff Daddy, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Salt n Pepa, Onyx, Keith Murray)/ "Santa Baby", The Smashing Pumpkins/ "Christmastime", Patti Smith/ "We Three Kings", Sting/ "I Saw Three Ships", Steve Winwood/ "Christmas is Now Drawing Near at Hand." Reverend Run speaks about the track he recorded, "This is a record about giving, telling Santa to come to neighborhoods where sometimes kids don't get things." He continues, "Ron Perlman, chief of Revlon plays the drums on this track. We believe in giving, and who better to give than one of the richest men on the planet." All proceeds from the record benefit Special Olympics, an organization which provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities to children and adults with mental retardation in more than 140 countries. "A Very Special Christmas 3" is the third in a series of all-star Christmas recordings that have enjoyed immense critical and commercial success. Two albums have raised over $40 million for the Special Olympics cause. The new album was executive produced by Bobby Shriver, Al Cafaro and Linda Feder. "We set out to put together a powerful list of artists for this record," says Al Cafaro, who is Chairman and CEO of A&M Records. "The artists who participated took it upon themselves to provide their own unique visions about the holidays. What you'll hear covers a very broad sensibility, from true covers of Christmas classics, such as 'A Christmas Song' by Hootie, to the amazing rendition of 'We Three Kings' by Patti Smith." Since A&M launched this project in 1987, the label's enthusiasm and commitment to the "Very Special Christmas" series has remained strong. "I wanted to continue the tradition of 'A Very Special Christmas' on behalf of everyone at A&M today and everyone in the world of Polygram." Cafaro says, "I wanted to complete the trilogy." Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968 to give mentally handicapped athletes a chance to train and compete athletically. The organization has chapters in all 50 states, as well as 140 countries around the world. 8,000 Special Olympics athletes from more than 100 nations will compete at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. "A Very Special Christmas 3" The ever expanding soundtrack to Christmas is about to get rocked with the release of "A Very Special Christmas 3," a superstar benefit compilation of holiday covers and original songs by an extraordinary array of pop, rock, rap and alternative music stars. All the money raised by the record will go to Special Olympics, an organization which provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities to children and adults with mental retardation in more than 140 countries. The album was executive produced by Bobby Shriver, Linda Feder and Al Cafaro. Christmas is the season of surprises, and this record is full of them -- from Patti Smith's moody cover of "We Three Kings," to Chris Cornell and Eleven's heartfelt version of "Ave Maria," to The Smashing Pumpkin's original "Christmastime," an unexpectedly tender song about the magic of Christmas from a fathers point-of-view. "I think this is an artists' record," says Al Cafaro, Chairman and CEO of A&M Records. "The artists took it upon themselves to provide unique visions of Christmas and the holidays." Artists have been making those visions for A&M since 1987, when the label kicked-off its "Very Special Christmas" series. The first two releases have been phenomenally successful, raising over $38 million for the Special Olympics cause, the most ever raised by a benefit series. This year's tenth anniversary release promises to do just as well. "I hope it rocks your Christmas season," says Bobby Shriver. "I know that your Christmas party will be better if you buy and play this record. And you'll be making a donation to a very worthy cause." "This is not an ordinary Christmas album," adds Linda Feder. "It's an amazing artistic statement from a group of extremely creative people, artists who wanted to make a personal statement about how they feel about Christmas." The album provides a sonic collage of contemporary stars doing holiday tunes, many of them originals written specifically for this occasion. Artists who donated tracks to the record, in alphabetical order are: -- Mary J. Blige, one of the first artists A&M asked to contribute to the album, who responded by co-writing (with Malik Pendleton and Angie Martinez), "Christmas in the City," an affectionate Manhattan's-eye-view of the holidays that makes the rounds from Rockefeller Center to a Spanish Harlem street corner where carolers sing "Feliz Navidad." -- Blues Traveler, who also came up with an original tune and a multi- cultural salute, bringing Hanukkah and Kwanza into the mix with Santa in a tune titled simply, "Christmas." -- Tracy Chapman listened to countless Christmas tapes before deciding to record a moving cover of "O Holy Night" which she produced, arranged and cut in a single day. -- The most surprising cover comes from Chris Cornell and Eleven, who sings Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" in Old English rather than the traditional Latin. "They felt very strongly about wanting to do a traditional song, a classical piece, something that might turn young people onto classical music," Feder says. -- Sheryl Crow decided to cover a classic of a different kind, "Blue Christmas," Elvis Presley's signature holiday song, which she recorded while touring in Japan. -- Dave Matthews also brought an original song to the project, "Christmas Song," which he has performed a number of times in concert, but never made available on record. Producer Steve Lillywhite went through all the live tapes and remixed the best. -- Enya chose to cover a challenging classic, "Oiche Chiun" which is "Silent Night" in Gaelic. -- Hootie and the Blowfish picked another daunting standard, Mel Torme's oft-recorded "The Christmas Song," which Nat King Cole made famous in the 1950s and Luther Vandross covered on "A Very Special Christmas 2." "In some ways that was the hardest song to do, since it has been done so often and so well," notes Shriver. "Darius Rucker of Hootie has great admiration for Nat King Cole and Luther Vandross, and even though he's a rock 'n roll guy, he has a great feeling for that kind of singing." -- Jonny Lang provides the only blues break on "A Very Special Christmas 3 -- a bruising R&B cover of Leiber and Stoller's "Santa Claus is Back in Town." -- Natalie Merchant dug up an old gospel hymn for the album, "Children, Go Where I Send Thee," which she recorded with help from the Metropolitan New Testament Missionary Baptist Church Choir from Albany, New York. -- One of the oddball surprises of the record comes by the way of No Doubt, who took a day off from touring in Nashville to record "Oi to the World," a manic seasonal homage written by Orange County rockers the Vandals. -- Reverend Run & the Christmas All-Stars (Mase, Puff Daddy, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Salt 'n Pepa, Onyx, Keith Murray), put some fresh raps around the coy Christmas classic "Santa Baby" (which Madonna recorded for the first "A Very Special Christmas" album). Reverend Run's brother, Russell Simmons, pulled together this crew, which featured Run's wife, Justine Simmons, making her recording debut on the sugary "Santa Baby" chorus. -- The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan wrote the surprisingly tender "Christmastime" which was arranged and produced with a 30 piece string section by legendary pop R&B maestro Arif Mardin. -- Patti Smith doesn't usually come to mind when one thinks of Christmas songs, but the legendary punk priestess made a striking contribution to "A Very Special Christmas 3" with a beautifully ominous cover of "We Three Kings." "It's like John Coltrane meets the bible," comments Smith. -- Sting is one of just two alumni from the first two "A Very Special Christmas" albums (the other is Reverend Run). This time around, he chose to cover "I Saw Three Ships," an old Celtic song previously recorded by Marianne Faithful and the Chieftains. -- Steve Winwood picked an obscure but lovely 16th century Gypsy song, "Christmas is Now Drawing Near at Hand," a song sung by beggars in the West Midlands of England and in Winwood's native village of Gloucester. He originally recorded the song a cappella, a version that may be released on a projected "A Very Special CD-ROM." "It's most rewarding when artists enthusiastically come to a project," Cafaro says. "These artists were very giving and generous, and we have a great record because of it." Producer Jimmy Iovine first came up with the idea for "A Very Special Christmas" in 1987 as a way of memorializing his father, who had died during the holiday season the year before. Iovine's wife, Vicki suggested that the record benefit Special Olympics, for whom she was working as a volunteer. Jerry Moss and Herb Albert made the first album possible, with an advance and a commitment to handle the record pro bono, without taking any royalties. The first "A Very Special Christmas" record was a spectacular success, selling over a million copies the first year and generating $38 million which was distributed in grants for the Special Olympics that year. "My mother, who is a very sober woman, nearly keeled over when she saw the check," recalls Shriver, whose mom Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded Special Olympics in 1968. "She could not believe that this happened. She thought she was dreaming" The identity and success of the "A Very Special Christmas" series owes a great deal to the project logo and album art -- a simple, but evocative mother-with-child -- donated by the late artist Keith Haring. "The first time I saw it I cried," Shriver recalls. "A woman and a baby, not religious or denominational, but communicating a sense of holiness. And it was playful. It got across every vibe that we felt about the music itself." "A Very Special Christmas 2" was released five years later, in 1992, and also enjoyed enormous critical and commercial success. The $38 million raised by the "Very Special Christmas" series has been distributed in grants to Special Olympics programs in all 50 states as well as 140 countries around the world. The money has been used to buy everything from sporting equipment to swimming pool insurance and has helped create inner city training programs in Los Angeles, New York and eight other urban centers around the world. After a four-year break, Cafaro approached Shriver last year and asked him if he was ready to do a third "A Very Special Christmas" album, to complete the trilogy. Shriver replied, "I'll spend a year on it, if you will." Cafaro agreed, and a year later, the record is ready, a record that should raise millions more for Special Olympic athletes, and join its forebears as a holiday evergreen. "This record has been musically and artistically-driven," Feder says. "The artists came together for all the right reasons -- because they have something to say and because it will benefit a great cause." CO: A&M Records ST: California IN: ENT SU: PDT To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles. For all of today's news, go to keyword News. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 14:24:33 -0700 From: DAVID DEBOLT Subject: Auction (SOMMS + More) Hello- I am having an auction of some SG stuff, make a bid if you are interested. -------------------------------------------------------------- AUCTION: SOUNDGARDEN- SOMMS (Badmotorfinger + SOMMS CD)-minimum bid $15 Lousdest Love (Japanese Import Very Rare)-min $15 Black Hole Sun (Australian import single-part 2)- min $5 Spoonman (UK import single)- min $5 AIC- Heaven Beside You (UK import single)- min $5 ----------------------------------------------------------- RULES: 1. Bids must be increased in 50 cent increments 2. Cash or postal money order only-no checks accepted 3. If you can't pay, don't bid 4. Updates will be sent to all bidders daily 5. If you don't want to bid, but want the updates, let me know. You can always bid at a later time 6. Updates will be sent to list, but not everyday 7. Auction ends Saturday Sept 27 8. The first person to send me a high bid has priority on that days closing bid 9. All prices include shipping in the US. $1 will be added for overseas orders under $10 -------->I might extend the auction a few days so the digest people have another chance to bid. I will see how things go. I have never done an auction before, so i hope these "rules" make sense. If you have any suggestion, let me know. -------------------------------------------------------------- All CD's are in excellent condition, and are guaranteed to work. Songs- Somms-Badmotorfinger + Into the Void, Girl U Want, Stray Cat Blues, She's a Polititian, Slaves & Bulldozers (live) Loudest Love-Loud Love, Hands All Over, Get on the Sanke, Heretic, Come Together, Fresh Deadly Roses, Big Dumb Sex (new version). Includes the Japanese linear notes and foil SG Sticker. Black Hole Sun-BHS, Jesus Christ Pose (live), Beyond the Wheel (live) Spoonman-Spoonman, Fresh Tendrils, Cold Bitch, Exit Stonehenge Heaven Beside You-HBY, Would? (live), Rooster (live), Junkhead (live) -------------------------------------------------------------- Please contact me privately. Do not go through the mailing list. If you have any questions, please ask. Thanks-David ddebolt@sfsu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 14:34:20 PDT From: ANDRI NADZRI Subject: Wellwater Conspiracy Hello everyone..it seems that i haven posted anything for centuries noww..in my senior yr now..gotta put my future ahead of me... anywayy..i was wondering...is the new WWC album their first album? is Ben singing in it?any of u have got a copy?and where can i get one? Suggestion:SOMMFEST CHICAGO annivesary ..:))i dunno somewhere...in CHicago perhaps..Nov9-10..maybe..jsut maybe i'll get to meet the ppl that missed seeing on that day....and just maybe i'll wallow to the fact that i never got to meeet Chris & CO...just becuz some dumb security officer..*sob* anyway..peace ppl Andri SG playlistofthemoment:Blaring "Mailman"on the speakers for my dear postal officer...:)) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 18:25:35 -0400 From: Mike Smith Subject: lyric sim-il-air-it-ies over the past year, ive noticed some other artist that have similar lyrics to sg in there songs... i know what your saying "no shit". but im not talking about wrighting style, im talking about weird co-ink-e-dinks. lets take for example the word "outshined" if we herd a word like that used by another artist, we'd cry plagerism or something. anyway, my point being. ive found at least 2 examples as of late that use sg sounding lyrics in songs...... and this weeks song is by RUSH. sg using---- (just like suicide) "safe outside my GUILDED CAGE with an ounce of pain, i weild a ton of rage" rush using----(Limelight) Living on a lighted stage Approaches the unreal, For those who think and feel, In touch with some reality Beyond the GUILDED CAGE. mabey im un-edumakated, but i dont know what the hell a "guilded cage" is, thats why this struck me as weird. stay tuned for next postings exciting episode of {lyric sim-il-air-it-ies} "if no one tells me this is lame, im gonna keep doing it." mike. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 19:45:53 -0400 From: Elric&Dagny Subject: Re: lyric sim-il-air-it-ies Mike Smith wrote: > > sg using---- (just like suicide) "safe outside my GUILDED CAGE with an ounce > of pain, i weild a ton of rage" > > rush using----(Limelight) > > Living on a lighted stage > Approaches the unreal, > For those who think and feel, > In touch with some reality > Beyond the GUILDED CAGE. > > mabey im un-edumakated, but i dont know what the hell a "guilded cage" is, > thats why this struck me as weird. I'm not trying to be a smart-ass, but here goes: I think the correct term is gilded cage. This is a common term, and I think an effective metaphor in both songs. A gilded cage is what you would put a pampered bird in. Gilded means covered with gold. The idea in both songs is someone who is out of touch with the real world because they are pampered or caught up in their own little conceit. IMO, there's no need to cry plagiarism on this one. Just 2 cool songwriters thinking along the same lines. Life Rules! Dagny ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 20:00:06 -0500 From: MICHAEL APPLE Subject: Re: Soundgarden's Greatest Hits Date sent: 15-SEP-1997 19:47:01 Hi, all, I thought I'd put in my two cents about the concept of the Soundgarden's Greatest Hits compilation A&M is putting together. First of all, greatest hits compilations are for bands whose best songs are their hits. In this group are ZZ Top, Queen, Led Zepplin, and the like. We all know that SG's best songs were the ones that sat quietly on their albums, just waiting to ambush you when you bought it for "Black Hole Sun." Secondly, Soundgarden's albums are like 12-16 track symphonies. Each song is like a movement in a larger work, and together they form a beautiful tapestry whose threads are woven from each note, drum beat, and vocal scream. Taking individual tracks out of all the albums and sticking them together willy-nilly weakens the music unfairly. Lastly, all this material has been produced only a short time before the compilation will be released. This means that the iron is cold, so to speak, because fans have just bought the ORIGINAL albums the songs appeared on. If fans wanted, they could just dub the tracks onto a blank tape for themselves. It makes more sense to make a "greatest hits" album for bands who broke up a longer time ago, and whose albums are much more difficult to find. (Such as Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Who, etc.) It would be a poor move if A&M goes ahead with Soundgarden's Greatest Hits. I don't care if Jonathan Poneman writes the liner notes. I won't buy the album. It's an insult to Soundgarden and to Soundgarden's fans. (Rant mode off. :) Later, Mike Apple ******************************************************************** If music were literature... Pop = A greeting card Rap = A pulp novel Metal = A scientific treatise on the evolution of Swahilian termites Grunge = T.S. Eliot, Blake, Shakespeare... ******************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 17:12:37 -0700 From: James Bartlett Subject: Alive in the Jive Go here and chek out the Soundgarden jive http://www.rocktoons.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 12:51:55 +1000 From: Timothy Mcalary Subject: soundgarden I only subscribed today so if this is considered JUNK MAIL then i'm sorry. But i just got one thing to say: "soundgarden will never die, they will be immortalised and will gain deserved recognition for being what they are- ONE OF THE GREATEST ROCK BANDS THAT THE WORLD HAS SEEN " Fuck yeeah ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 23:18:16 -0400 From: Mike Smith Subject: Re: soundgarden In a message dated 97-09-15 23:09:21 EDT, tm22@UOW.EDU.AU writes: << I only subscribed today so if this is considered JUNK MAIL then i'm sorry. But i just got one thing to say: "soundgarden will never die, they will be immortalised and will gain deserved recognition for being what they are- ONE OF THE GREATEST ROCK BANDS THAT THE WORLD HAS SEEN " Fuck yeeah >> CAN I GET AN AMEN FOR THE NEW SOMMSTER PREACH ON BROTHER !!!!!! mike. "trying though i know its wrong." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 22:20:01 -0500 From: Bill Flanders Subject: Re: Hello kiddies... :) At 04:08 PM 9/15/97 -0400, Shroom Girl wrote: >I'll probably get yelled at for forwarding the whole thing, but I haven't >posted to the list in forever. Following this message is a news bit about >the A&M Christmas album. An excerpt: > >" -- The most surprising cover comes from Chris Cornell and Eleven, who >sings Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" in Old English rather than the traditional >Latin. "They felt very strongly about wanting to do a traditional song, a >classical piece, something that might turn young people onto classical >music," >Feder says." > >Seth's an idiot for arguing that Chris was free to write whatever music he >wanted. Hey, don't yell at me for calling him names... he specifically >requested it, and I complied because I'm a nice person. :) How do we know he didn't have that freedom and just chose to waive it? Seth acknowledged that Chris might repeat another's version. No one had enough information to go by. >Actually, I'm sure that A&M would have been *extremely* overjoyed by a >Cornell-penned Christmas tune... but can you really picture Chris sitting >down & writing some kind of holiday jingle? Meaningful or joyful... I don't >see THAT happening, ever. (Just like I don't see Susan mailing me any of >those naked pictures that we all know she has of Chris. C'mon Susan... share >the wealth, woman!) Just kidding. Or am I? ;-) Ave Maria is NOT a holiday "jingle." I'll send you an mp3 sometime. It is pure classical. And in old english, there is no chance you could decode it as a "christmas song". If Chris is interested in classical music, of course we will see him write some. He wouldn't be able to help himself. I have three letters for you A O L Bill >Loves to all of my old SOMMS-homeys & my CCHB. No, I don't read the list >much anymore (at all)... but my memories of the last 2 years are very >special. We should all meet up in #somms again soon & fight for a while... >just like the good old days. :) > > Shroomy >--------------------- >Forwarded message: >Subj: A Very Special Christmas 3' >Date: 97-09-15 15:08:19 EDT >From: AOL News > > LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A&M Records will mark the tenth >anniversary of the landmark "Very Special Christmas" albums with the release >of "A Very Special Christmas 3," a Superstar holiday compilation that boasts >rocking Christmas covers and original songs by an extraordinary array of pop, >rock, rap and alternative music stars. Release date is October 7. > As before, "A Very Special Christmas 3" boasts a spectacular >line-up of >contemporary artists, all of whom have recorded songs (many of them original) >exclusively for this project. Artists appearing on the record are: Mary J. >Blige/ "Christmas in the City" (working title), Blues Traveler/ "Christmas", >Tracy Chapman/ "O Holy Night", Chris Cornell with 11/ "Ave Maria", Sheryl >Crow/ "Blue Christmas", Dave Matthews Band/ "Christmas Song", Enya/ "Oiche >Chiun" ("Silent Night" in Gaelic), Hootie and the Blowfish/ "The Christmas >Song", Jonny Lang/ "Santa Claus is Back in Town", Natalie Merchant/ "Children >Go Where I Send Thee", No Doubt/ "Oi to the World", Reverend Run & the >Christmas All Stars (Mase, Puff Daddy, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Salt n Pepa, Onyx, >Keith Murray)/ "Santa Baby", The Smashing Pumpkins/ "Christmastime", Patti >Smith/ "We Three Kings", Sting/ "I Saw Three Ships", Steve Winwood/ >"Christmas >is Now Drawing Near at Hand." > Reverend Run speaks about the track he recorded, "This is a record >about >giving, telling Santa to come to neighborhoods where sometimes kids don't get >things." He continues, "Ron Perlman, chief of Revlon plays the drums on this >track. We believe in giving, and who better to give than one of the richest >men on the planet." > All proceeds from the record benefit Special Olympics, an >organization >which provides year-round sports training and competition opportunities to >children and adults with mental retardation in more than 140 countries. > "A Very Special Christmas 3" is the third in a series of all-star >Christmas recordings that have enjoyed immense critical and commercial >success. Two albums have raised over $40 million for the Special Olympics >cause. The new album was executive produced by Bobby Shriver, Al Cafaro and >Linda Feder. > "We set out to put together a powerful list of artists for this >record," >says Al Cafaro, who is Chairman and CEO of A&M Records. "The artists who >participated took it upon themselves to provide their own unique visions >about >the holidays. What you'll hear covers a very broad sensibility, from true >covers of Christmas classics, such as 'A Christmas Song' by Hootie, to the >amazing rendition of 'We Three Kings' by Patti Smith." > Since A&M launched this project in 1987, the label's enthusiasm and >commitment to the "Very Special Christmas" series has remained strong. "I >wanted to continue the tradition of 'A Very Special Christmas' on behalf of >everyone at A&M today and everyone in the world of Polygram." Cafaro says, "I >wanted to complete the trilogy." > Special Olympics was founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968 to >give >mentally handicapped athletes a chance to train and compete athletically. > The >organization has chapters in all 50 states, as well as 140 countries around >the world. 8,000 Special Olympics athletes from more than 100 nations will >compete at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Raleigh-Durham, >North Carolina. > "A Very Special Christmas 3" > The ever expanding soundtrack to Christmas is about to get rocked >with the >release of "A Very Special Christmas 3," a superstar benefit compilation of >holiday covers and original songs by an extraordinary array of pop, rock, rap >and alternative music stars. > All the money raised by the record will go to Special Olympics, an >organization which provides year-round sports training and competition >opportunities to children and adults with mental retardation in more than 140 >countries. The album was executive produced by Bobby Shriver, Linda Feder >and >Al Cafaro. > Christmas is the season of surprises, and this record is full of >them -- >from Patti Smith's moody cover of "We Three Kings," to Chris Cornell and >Eleven's heartfelt version of "Ave Maria," to The Smashing Pumpkin's original >"Christmastime," an unexpectedly tender song about the magic of Christmas >from >a fathers point-of-view. > "I think this is an artists' record," says Al Cafaro, Chairman and >CEO of >A&M Records. "The artists took it upon themselves to provide unique visions >of Christmas and the holidays." > Artists have been making those visions for A&M since 1987, when the >label >kicked-off its "Very Special Christmas" series. The first two releases have >been phenomenally successful, raising over $38 million for the Special >Olympics cause, the most ever raised by a benefit series. > This year's tenth anniversary release promises to do just as well. > "I hope it rocks your Christmas season," says Bobby Shriver. "I >know that >your Christmas party will be better if you buy and play this record. And >you'll be making a donation to a very worthy cause." > "This is not an ordinary Christmas album," adds Linda Feder. "It's >an >amazing artistic statement from a group of extremely creative people, artists >who wanted to make a personal statement about how they feel about Christmas." > The album provides a sonic collage of contemporary stars doing >holiday >tunes, many of them originals written specifically for this occasion. > Artists >who donated tracks to the record, in alphabetical order are: > -- Mary J. Blige, one of the first artists A&M asked to contribute to the >album, who responded by co-writing (with Malik Pendleton and Angie Martinez), >"Christmas in the City," an affectionate Manhattan's-eye-view of the holidays >that makes the rounds from Rockefeller Center to a Spanish Harlem street >corner where carolers sing "Feliz Navidad." > -- Blues Traveler, who also came up with an original tune and a >multi- >cultural salute, bringing Hanukkah and Kwanza into the mix with Santa in a >tune titled simply, "Christmas." > -- Tracy Chapman listened to countless Christmas tapes before >deciding to >record a moving cover of "O Holy Night" which she produced, arranged and cut >in a single day. > -- The most surprising cover comes from Chris Cornell and Eleven, >who >sings Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" in Old English rather than the traditional >Latin. "They felt very strongly about wanting to do a traditional song, a >classical piece, something that might turn young people onto classical >music," >Feder says. > -- Sheryl Crow decided to cover a classic of a different kind, >"Blue >Christmas," Elvis Presley's signature holiday song, which she recorded while >touring in Japan. > -- Dave Matthews also brought an original song to the project, >"Christmas >Song," which he has performed a number of times in concert, but never made >available on record. Producer Steve Lillywhite went through all the live >tapes and remixed the best. > -- Enya chose to cover a challenging classic, "Oiche Chiun" which >is >"Silent Night" in Gaelic. > -- Hootie and the Blowfish picked another daunting standard, Mel >Torme's >oft-recorded "The Christmas Song," which Nat King Cole made famous in the >1950s and Luther Vandross covered on "A Very Special Christmas 2." "In some >ways that was the hardest song to do, since it has been done so often and so >well," notes Shriver. "Darius Rucker of Hootie has great admiration for Nat >King Cole and Luther Vandross, and even though he's a rock 'n roll guy, he >has >a great feeling for that kind of singing." > -- Jonny Lang provides the only blues break on "A Very Special >Christmas 3 >-- a bruising R&B cover of Leiber and Stoller's "Santa Claus is Back in >Town." > -- Natalie Merchant dug up an old gospel hymn for the album, >"Children, Go >Where I Send Thee," which she recorded with help from the Metropolitan New >Testament Missionary Baptist Church Choir from Albany, New York. > -- One of the oddball surprises of the record comes by the way of >No >Doubt, who took a day off from touring in Nashville to record "Oi to the >World," a manic seasonal homage written by Orange County rockers the Vandals. > -- Reverend Run & the Christmas All-Stars (Mase, Puff Daddy, Snoop >Doggy >Dogg, Salt 'n Pepa, Onyx, Keith Murray), put some fresh raps around the coy >Christmas classic "Santa Baby" (which Madonna recorded for the first "A Very >Special Christmas" album). Reverend Run's brother, Russell Simmons, pulled >together this crew, which featured Run's wife, Justine Simmons, making her >recording debut on the sugary "Santa Baby" chorus. > -- The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan wrote the surprisingly >tender >"Christmastime" which was arranged and produced with a 30 piece string >section >by legendary pop R&B maestro Arif Mardin. > -- Patti Smith doesn't usually come to mind when one thinks of >Christmas >songs, but the legendary punk priestess made a striking contribution to "A >Very Special Christmas 3" with a beautifully ominous cover of "We Three >Kings." "It's like John Coltrane meets the bible," comments Smith. > -- Sting is one of just two alumni from the first two "A Very >Special >Christmas" albums (the other is Reverend Run). This time around, he chose to >cover "I Saw Three Ships," an old Celtic song previously recorded by Marianne >Faithful and the Chieftains. > -- Steve Winwood picked an obscure but lovely 16th century Gypsy >song, >"Christmas is Now Drawing Near at Hand," a song sung by beggars in the West >Midlands of England and in Winwood's native village of Gloucester. He >originally recorded the song a cappella, a version that may be released on a >projected "A Very Special CD-ROM." > "It's most rewarding when artists enthusiastically come to a >project," >Cafaro says. "These artists were very giving and generous, and we have a >great record because of it." > Producer Jimmy Iovine first came up with the idea for "A Very >Special >Christmas" in 1987 as a way of memorializing his father, who had died during >the holiday season the year before. Iovine's wife, Vicki suggested that the >record benefit Special Olympics, for whom she was working as a volunteer. > Jerry Moss and Herb Albert made the first album possible, with an >advance >and a commitment to handle the record pro bono, without taking any royalties. >The first "A Very Special Christmas" record was a spectacular success, >selling >over a million copies the first year and generating $38 million which was >distributed in grants for the Special Olympics that year. > "My mother, who is a very sober woman, nearly keeled over when she >saw the >check," recalls Shriver, whose mom Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founded Special >Olympics in 1968. "She could not believe that this happened. She thought >she >was dreaming" > The identity and success of the "A Very Special Christmas" series >owes a >great deal to the project logo and album art -- a simple, but evocative >mother-with-child -- donated by the late artist Keith Haring. > "The first time I saw it I cried," Shriver recalls. "A woman and a >baby, >not religious or denominational, but communicating a sense of holiness. And >it was playful. It got across every vibe that we felt about the music >itself." > "A Very Special Christmas 2" was released five years later, in >1992, and >also enjoyed enormous critical and commercial success. > The $38 million raised by the "Very Special Christmas" series has >been >distributed in grants to Special Olympics programs in all 50 states as well >as >140 countries around the world. The money has been used to buy everything >from sporting equipment to swimming pool insurance and has helped create >inner >city training programs in Los Angeles, New York and eight other urban centers >around the world. > After a four-year break, Cafaro approached Shriver last year and >asked him >if he was ready to do a third "A Very Special Christmas" album, to complete >the trilogy. Shriver replied, "I'll spend a year on it, if you will." > Cafaro agreed, and a year later, the record is ready, a record that >should >raise millions more for Special Olympic athletes, and join its forebears as a >holiday evergreen. > "This record has been musically and artistically-driven," Feder >says. >"The artists came together for all the right reasons -- because they have >something to say and because it will benefit a great cause." > CO: A&M Records > ST: California > IN: ENT > SU: PDT > >To edit your profile, go to keyword NewsProfiles. >For all of today's news, go to keyword News. > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 20:14:56 -0700 From: Tiffany Saint Subject: Re: lyric sim-il-air-it-ies On Mon, 15 Sep 1997, Mike Smith wrote: > Beyond the GUILDED CAGE. > > i dont know what the hell a "guilded cage" is, Gilded means painted gold or covered in gold. There are many reference to "gilded cages" in literature and poetry. It could even be considered a cliche. Anyway, the common meaning of this phrase is that any cage, no matter how pretty and comfortable it may be, is still a prison. Since the song "Like Suicide" was written about a bird, the phrase operates symbolically within the song rather than just metaphorically. > "if no one tells me this is lame, im gonna keep doing it." > > mike. > I, for one, am interested in seeing further posts of this sort. I don't think it's lame. /\/\^^/\/\ Vampyre Cat ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 00:57:14 PDT From: Laura Pacifico Subject: Hello, SOMMSters!! I finally found the way to subscribe myself to the list, and I'm so excit= ed!!! I'm so glad, I cannot beleive that there are TONS of Soundgarden fans out= there! (I don't know anyone here in Uruguay) I would appreciate any "personal info" about CHRIS... CHRIS...and Chris = (I love him) If any of you have this kind of information, email me person= ally, cause I don't wanna bother the list. BTW: ANY SOMMSTERS FROM SOUTH AMERICA? Well, enough for now. THANKS MARIA FOR YOUR HELP Laura ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 00:43:54 -0400 From: Catherine Veit Subject: puck's not that bad of a guy.... hey do you guys remember the REAL WORLD in san francisco, w/ the infamous puck and pedro fueds, and cory w/ her constant whining fits about how white she is..... i know what you're thinking right now, "why the hell did i not put that blank maxell in the VCR" well stop crying and listen up. i overheard some sg references straight from the horses mouth and they are as follows: puck on the marriage of pedro and that hot guy "they're gonna share some LOUD LOVE" puck on why he hates pedro " i don't care if he's chris cornell either, if he's being an asshole i'm gonna tell him" there's a couple others too, maybe they'll come to me in the night. -CATS4KIM ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 01:37:49 -0400 From: Alissa Corsi Subject: HOLY FREAKING SHIT! sorry, maybe this isn't worth getting excited for but, I think it's pretty damn exciting!! The narrator for Searching With My Good Eye Closed IMed me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at he proved it was him! I mean, I'm as hypocritical as the next person, but jesus... he proved it multiple times!! couldn't believe it... lol!! he was really cool too! Damon Stewart..... sheesh... I knew I was expecting another birthday present!! OH!! by the way... hello again... haven't posted in awhile... heheheh... and yesterday was my bday (9/15). I got my first tattoo.... =) =) =) and it was a full moon........ and then this guy IM's me..... what a day, what a day, what a day.... "Remember I love you, love you" love, lissa =) ------------------------------ End of SOMMS Digest - 15 Sep 1997 to 16 Sep 1997 ************************************************