THE HIGH FIDELITY DISCUSSION HOUR
Broadcast II: What I Listen to (Roots and Assorted Derivatives) - 28 September 2001

The theme for the evening was establishing my musical roots and the listener was taken on an interesting journey where the board plays the various hits separated by time, geography and genres. So here are the songs that were broadcasted:

Introduction: APHEX TWIN - Goon Gumpas - Richard D. James Album

THE A-LIST HODGEPODGE:
This is something new that I'm bringing to the show. An "A-list" song is a song that we radio DJs play at WCWM almost ad nauseam (espeically this album) in the hopes that these albums will top the charts. I don't have play these because I'm doing a variety show but I would like to contribute my share of the radio to these songs too. So here are your A-list songs played for you tonight:
LATERNA - B minor - Elm Street
ATOM BOMB POCKET KNIFE - Like a Laser - God Save the ABPK
YESTERDAY'S NEW QUINTET - Papa - Angles Without Edges
SCANNER V. DJ SPOOKY - Guanxi - Sulphur Compound [compilation disc]

(22:15-22:30): An Introduction Proper

PINK FLOYD - Arnold Layne - The First Three Singles
PINK FLOYD - See Emily Play - The First Three Singles
PINK FLOYD - Astronomy Domine - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
PINK FLOYD - Apples and Oranges - The First Three Singles
I got into Pink Floyd through the vinyl collection. At the ripe age of six, I heard nearly everything from Meddle to A Momentary Lapse of Reason (newly released at the time too). Dark Side of the Moon continues to be the album that I will carry with me to a desert island. However what I played was all early Pink Floyd when Syd Barrett was a part of the group and he was the one making the band great (not that Roger Waters made it worse or anything :) ). The first two were their first two singles (the former one about a transvestite stealing lingerie from the clothesline and the latter was a dream that Syd had... possibly while high). The third one was a live concert favorite in their early days when they played long psychedelic numbers using a light projector as well (one of the earliest bands to use it... at least in Britain). The last one was the final single that Syd Barrett wrote.
Information about The First Three Singles * Information about Piper at the Gates of Dawn

VANGELIS - La Petite Fille de la Mer - L'Apocalypse des Animaux
VANGELIS - Elsewhere - Direct
VANGELIS - Come to Me - Voices
No matter how hard I try, Vangelis will be only known for his soundtracks. Not only did I discover him through the trusty ol' vinyl but also the TV series Cosmos. I loved what Vangelis could do with technology and his sounds were able to take me to worlds of wonder and imagination. Again, to give the listener a general idea (with the limited number of CDs I brought), I played chronologically and gave him/her a sampling of each major decade. The 70s was represented with a track used in a Frederic Rossif nature documentary. The 80s saw Vangelis changing from the symphonic grandeur of his soundtracks and developing his "sequencer" equipment that would allow him to create more symphonic works in the 90s.
Information about L'Apocalypse des Animaux * Information about Direct * Information about Voices

BLUR - She's So High - Leisure
BLUR - For Tomorrow - Modern Life is Rubbish
BLUR - Girls and Boys - Parklife
BLUR - Beetlebum - Blur
Blur is probably at this moment the most misunderstood band in Great Britain. Now some may say that I shouldn't be talking because I got into them through "Song 2." However I got more into the collection and even acquired the singles boxset and their official biography. They are typically viewed as a Britpop group and it's because that's where their greatness arised from. But Britpop was a monster of their own making. This is why I have great respect for them. Starting out with "shoe-gazing" music, they made Britpop has a creative reaction to the "American invasion" of grunge and alternative rock. But soon they left it behind and persued their own musical vision combining spiritual, world music and indie rock. Blur may be Britpop but Britpop is not Blur. All songs were premier singles from the following albums listed below.
Information about Leisure * Information about Modern Life is Rubbish * Information about Parklife * Information about Blur

ENIGMA - Principles of Lust: Sadeness - MCMXC a.D.
ENIGMA - Return to Innocence - The Cross of Changes
ENIGMA - Beyond the Invisible - Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!
I discovered Enigma through the Pure Moods compilation that I gave to my father. I loved "Sadeness" and wanted to get more. Enigma is the creation of Michael Cretu, originally a German pop producer now based in Ibiza, Spain. The original idea with Enigma (and still is to some extent) is to have a musical project that engages the entire being no matter where the being dwells. He also wanted something that was above the norms and conventions of pop (which is why he is often compared to Pink Floyd even though he doesn't like the group much). It began in 1990 with "Sadeness" released as a single where club beats meets Gregorian chant. Then in 1993, "Return to Innocence" really made the international scene, even becoming a song for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. In 1996, he continues to find his voice (even some would argue that he shouldn't be using it...) in the third release. Later in October, a best of and a remix album will be released.
Information about MCMXC a.D. * Information about The Cross of Changes * Information about Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!

NINE INCH NAILS - Sin - Pretty Hate Machine (Halo 2)
NINE INCH NAILS - Happiness in Slavery - Broken (Halo 5)
Nine Inch Nails - the one man band of Trent Reznor - is a difficult group to play on the radio. The songs are either too long or too profane to play (at least the good stuff... with the exception of Halo 2). Prior to 1999, I've heard of NIN but haven't really gotten into it. When I saw the video for "We're In This Together," the first video for The Fragile (Halo 14), I loved it both visually and musically. I went up to the computer and read everything about NIN and the new album. A week later, I bought it declaring that it's the closest to buying a new Pink Floyd album. I couldn't have been ever more right. Reznor will be known because he took an underground genre and made it so that anybody can listen to it. He will also be known because he is one of the few commercial producers that really and truly cares about the artist. Apologies for the short NIN block. I didn't bring Halo 14 with me to the station.
Information about Pretty Hate Machine (Halo 2) * Information about Broken (Halo 5)

SMASHING PUMPKINS - Cherub Rock - Siamese Dream
SMASHING PUMPKINS - Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadeness
SMASHING PUMPKINS - I of the Mourning - MACHINA/the machines of God
Although I consciously knew how they were, I didn't get into them until the release of MACHINA. At that point, they have already decided to end the group after eleven years of playing. Thankfully I did get into them when it probably mattered. Smashing Pumpkins - consisting of course (traditionally) Billy Corgan, James Iha, D'arcy and Jimmy Chamberlin - is a Chicago alternative group that you either love or hate. Their early career is considered by many fans to be their best with Butch Vig co-producing their debut Gish (around the time as another album that was made that defined a generation and a decade... I'll leave it at that :) ) and Siamese Dream. But some can argue that from then on, Corgan was either too prolific or too ambitious and probably both (this isn't me). Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadeness was the peak of their commercial success, making it one of the most successful double albums of the 90s. Then with Adore and MACHINA, the "changing rock" idea didn't quite sit although both were really good albums. In 2000, they ended with an Internet-only release MACHINA II and their last concert was a three-hour catharsis at the Metro... right where they began.
Information about Siamese Dream * Information about Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadeness * Information about MACHINA/the machines of God

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