Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 00:00:04 -0400 From: "<David Gionfriddo>" <DscribeDC@AOL.COM> Subject: RHP/Another Useless Opinion There has been an awful lot of talk on the list about the Red House Painters, particularly in the wake of their new disc, so I just thought I'd jump in and say a couple of things. One weird thing I've noticed about RHP is that they, more than anyone on 4AD, seem to define the term "acquired taste." I can't tell you how many times I've recommended them to friends only to be told how awful they were, and this from people who have no difficulty accepting and appreciating Muses, Belly, Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, DCD, etc. Personally, I've always dug the Painters, although I think their positive urges to deconstruct and generally fuck with their material sometimes lead them astray. I speak of RHP III, and its terrible remake of the wonderful "New Jersey," as well as the lackluster country remake of "Lord Kill The Pain" on the "Floundering" soundtrack (Caroline, CAR-1775-2; not recommended). The idea of covering "I am a Rock" and "The Star Spangled Banner" may have seemed like a good one over seven or eight pints in some bar in the Mission, but the results were, well, not worthwhile. Despite these self-defeating tendencies, the guys have put out some tremendous material, including most of the "Rollercoaster" LP and all of "Ocean Beach," esp. "San Geronimo," "Brockwell Park," etc. As Lisa Germano, another wonderful artist, is also due to find out, the attention span of the alt rock audience is very short and folks tend to have a pretty low tolerance for the kind of relentlessly introspective and melancholy music they play. "SG" shows signs that Mark may be expanding his emotional range a little bit and introducing some sunnier tunes to the RHP set. The recent boot-in-the-arse CD review of "Ocean Beach" in Melody Maker, once one of their biggest UK supporters, shows that even "in the know" completist types may demand a little more diversity (sorry...I know, I hate that word, too). I still think these guys are great, and that the new CD is a big step forward. I can't wait for the next RHP tour. Last time they played DC, they were at the Birchmere -- intimate, but a little remote and inaccessible to the car-less. Has anyone seen these guys live? Can anyone describe the experience...? DscribeDC@aol.com (Dave G.) Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 22:15:53 -0700 From: Micah Newman <mnewman@MAIL.WESTMONT.EDU> Subject: Re: RHP/Another Useless Opinion On Mon, 10 Apr 1995, <DscribeDC@AOL.COM> wrote: > One weird thing I've noticed about RHP is that they, more than anyone on 4AD, > seem to define the term "acquired taste." I can't tell you how many times > I've recommended them to friends only to be told how awful they were, and > this from people who have no difficulty accepting and appreciating Muses, > Belly, Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, DCD, etc. I think "acquired taste" describes the selectivity of RHP's audience, but I don't believe the taste can be acquired. I've heard in several places that "You can't turn someone on to Red House Painters. Either their music resonates to your very soul, or it doesn't." I would take this point of view. Their music certainly resonates to MY very soul, but I think a lot of it has to do with being able to relate to Kozelek's moods, and the fragile, delicate isolation expressed in the music. If someone doesn't understand the emotions being conveyed, I don't imagine they'd be very interested. > Personally, I've always dug the Painters, although I think their positive > urges to deconstruct and generally fuck with their material sometimes lead > them astray. I speak of RHP III, and its terrible remake of the wonderful > "New Jersey," as well as the lackluster country remake of "Lord Kill The > Pain" on the "Floundering" soundtrack (Caroline, CAR-1775-2; not > recommended). The idea of covering "I am a Rock" and "The Star Spangled > Banner" may have seemed like a good one over seven or eight pints in some bar > in the Mission, but the results were, well, not worthwhile. I'll have to disagree here. Not only do I not think it is "terrible", but I personally prefer the bridge-LP version of "New Jersey" to the rollercoaster-LP one. I also adore their "I Am A Rock" and "Star Spangled Banner", although the dearth of original songs on the bridge-LP (RHP III) is noticeable. I know what you mean, though, about the "deconstructing" tendencies of the band, but I don't think it necessarily leads them astray. > I still think these guys are great, and that the new CD is a big step > forward. I can't wait for the next RHP tour. I heard that Vessel, Mack, and Koutsos left due to session-player wages or something like that, and that the continued existence of RHP is somewhat in the air at the moment, and Mark is looking for new band members. Does anyone know anything about this?