From: Kevin J. Bonham, sleepycat@eudoramail.com
Subject: AENT
Date: 2/8/2002 7:22:10 PM
To: seance@lists.no-fi.com


The reaction on this list to AENT has been amazing.  HOB most people were positive but nowhere near this enthusiastic and I remember more people not liking it or at least being more vocal about it.

Some more comments about some songs:

'After Everything' - this song still affects me a lot although not as severely as when I first heard it.  The strange thing is I can't pick what it is - it tends to get me in quieter parts where there seems not to be a lot going on.  Seems to be the guitar more than the lyrics too although the lyrics are still very poignant.  What is this all about? Seems to be Steve envisaging himself as somehow cut off by everyone in his life - hopefully just a surreal vision.  At first I thought it was a vision of his death, but "they would sever the ties" doesn't make sense in that context.  Hard to miss the "brothers and daughters" line - Steve only has brothers and daughters, no sisters (that I'm aware of) or sons.  

'The Awful Ache' - people have described this as a song about a damaged girl, but it's also a song about an even more damaged guy - if I've read it right he kills himself over her ... know the type ... one of my longest-known friends is addicted to "damaged girls" and gets more and more depressed with each one, keep expecting to find his name in the obituaries one morning.  I actually tried to find out if this song might be inspired by a short story, but I couldn't find anything - I did however find this:

"I've made that old mistake/
Know the awful ache/
Of a heart that's double crossed" - Billie Holliday

'Song for the Asking' - is that "I am a sailor on the water" stuff at the start a quote from something? I thought it might be biblical but I can't find it.  I like the way he even turns the song's own sarcasm and questioning against itself ("Song full of nothing/song for the royalty"), reminds me of the same trick in 'Pharoah'. I also like "I don't guess you can't wait to undress".  Hard to see any connection between this and the Paul Simon song of the same name - almost seems to be sending it up.

'Night Friends' - I can imagine how this would be better live as some have said.  It's an excellent song but I think the production does not quite do it justice.

Also, I had a bit of a stuff-up ordering Previews and Rarities so I won't get it until next week, but I'm impressed to hear that 'Bossa' is based on a recurring nightmare - makes it a better song knowing that.

Cheers, Kevin.


---
Self-Appointed President, Oxydental Fan Club




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