Vertimus

Regarding "other endeavors," she mentioned that she's writing a theatrical piece--presumably a musical--and contributing songs to a new version of the famous 'Alice' books by Lewis Carroll. And she's got the new poetry book/album coming out, and the American Standards album, and she's probably started working on the follow-up to BB. Lord knows what else she's gotten into since those announcements.

Very well said. We should think of ourselves and everyone else as free. Free to think what we want and act as we want. Obviously, others will think and act in accordance with their own inner dictates and desires; that's their business. Some may think they have the high moral ground, but no one wants to hear about it, so it's best to keep it to yourself; if you actually do have it, there's no need to shout it out to the heavens. There's so much cheap moralizing around today.

I am certainly not criticizing COCC. It’s one of my 3 favorites of her albums. I’m talking about the critical reaction and the lack of ripples it made in the culture.

The Metacritic score is 81/100, which isn't bad, of course, but is like, what--a B - or a C +? After LFL and NFR!, I didn't see the massive amount of reviews, good or bad or in the middle, for COCC that those albums received.

I'd like to see that too, but I have a feeling that's not what we're going to get. I also have a feeling the critics wil more or less ignore it as they did COCC. There seems to be a general sense that she's gone 'low dynamic,' and as much as I like 'Arcadia,' I think it supports that.

Full agree.

I am still one.

‘Arcadia’ is beautiful. Clumsy lyrics, but I like what she’s expressing. I love how it ends lyrically. I like ‘Arcadia’ much more than BB. It and ‘Dealer’ are a good start, along with the 3 singles. A lot will depend on the completely new tracks. Why the date delay?

I created an album in iTunes called 'I Hear The Birds On The Summer Wind' where I keep all of Lana's unreleased tracks--regardless of how they got out into the world. There's about 80 songs on it at present. So I do actually, physically have 'Living Legend,' 'Cherry Blossom,' etc. But I'm looking forward to what the songs will sound like on BB. Even if they're identical, I'll be happy. 'Living Legend' is one of my all-time favorites of her catalog.

I wouldn't mind a little fine tuning and clarity.

I think if you have a track in your iTunes account and on your phone, you really do have it. You have a physical file on your Mac or PC.

Sweet Caroline and Sweet Carolina are different songs.

We've been told there's some big surprises coming tomorrow or shortly--could it be that one is that the Barre-James collaboration is new or recent? Is it possible he's back in her life in some capacity? He wouldn't necessarily have to have left Glasgow; they could have written it by phone and Mac. If he responded to 'California,' no one could be surprised. And Lord knows his career is diving. His 'new' album is terrible, amatuerish in the worst way.

I recall that just after UV's release, she said she was thinking of "rereleasing it with different songs," which I thought pretty peculiar--why do that and confuse everyone when you could just release another album with another title? So maybe 'Living Legend,' 'I Talk To Jesus,' 'Wait For Life,' 'Fine China,' 'Color Blue,' etc. were those songs she wanted to place on the UV rerelease. Could it be that there will be a Part II to BB, and that's why we were told 'it doesn't end' and Ben did the () thing?

Remember she said it was just her "screaming her head off," and an insider said the lyrics were not much, so 'Dealer' could be anything at all, from execellent and unprecedented to a mess. Maybe a fun mess.

We know she loves

After the public non-reception COCC received in the press, no matter what she has written for BB, few may care. They loved her for NFR!, and with that, their interest in her may have peaked. We'll see how they respond to BB. The three singles didn't get much of a critical ripple either.

After hearing the snippets of both 'Happiness Is A Butterfly' and 'Blue Banisters,' the songs went off in directions I personally didn't care for, so I'm not too excited about 'Arcadia' right now, but I am hoping for the best with it. It's an exciting time, I hope we get the pre-release on Wednesday, and if there's even 1-2 completely new songs that I really love, that will be enough for me. Anything else will be the proverbial 'gravy.' If 'Thunder' has been reworked in a manner I like less than the leaked version, I'll just switch the versions in iTunes.

Barrie needs the money.

I have seen very few of her live performances (live with audience, that is, in a concert) that would justify being released on a live album, even if culled from many different performances. Personally, I think that, like Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks, Lana really doesn't sound very good live in concert, unlike, say, Tori Amos, Brandi Caryle, or Fiona Apple, or from generations earlier, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt or Ann Wilson. Men tend to sing in a lower voice (Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Barrie James), but even those who use(d) falsetto a lot, like Jeff Buckley and Tyler Joseph, are often crystal clear, with Buckley being the male standout when it comes to falsetto. On the LFL tour, it seemed like 9/10ths of the concert was the audience singing every song at Lana's encouragement.

What about the musical she said she had been working on for a long time? And what about the songs she said she was contributing to a new version of Alice in Wonderland?

I think the reason she’s so casual about promotion, etc. now is at least partially because she’s a millionaire many times over at this point and thus can literally afford not to have huge worldwide sales. Joni Mitchell had the same attitude in in the 70s, though she was not nearly as wealthy then as Lana is now. But Mitchell could still afford to care about her music first and foremost, and turn her back on fame, fortune and celebrity. Lane seems to have the same attitude now. It’s about her art and music almost exclusively, and perhaps what her legacy will be.

Thank you. I love 'Thunder' too, but already have it downloaded and have listened to it hundreds of times--it's one of my favorites of all her thus-unreleased tracks. I have two versions of 'Cherry Blossom' too, which I also love. I have never liked all the songs on any of her albums--COCC had the highest 'like' or 'love' quotient for me, unlike most here--so if there's one or two entirely new songs that I like or love, I'll be content.