=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= B E T W E E N T H E L I N E S Issue # 5 - May 31, 1989 DDDDD D D D D GGGG D D G DDDDD G GGG G G GGGG A Debbie Gibson Discussion Forum =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONTENTS * Administrative Notes (IMPORTANT!) * Debbie's Loves and Hates * News from the UK * 12" Single Discography * Dance Party * New Debbie Related Products * Honors to Debbie * Infocom Contest * Tape Ideas * Random Thoughts * Questions & Answers =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Administrative Notes Hello, my name is Michael Scheele and I am the new moderator for this forum. I would like to thank Kathyrn Ericson for the wonderful job she has done running this forum. I have been trying to reach everyone by e-mail, but not everyone has been confirmed as being reachable. I will post to the Rec.music.misc and Alt.rock-n-roll newsgroups on USENET about the mailing of this issue. Hopefully, I will soon have a working address for everyone. The forum will retain its current format if no one has any objections. I would like to thank all those who sent in articles! Hope everyone has an "Electric" summer! -- Michael A. Scheele pershing@athena.mit.edu (ARPANET/Internet) ...!bloom-beacon!mit-eddie!mit-athena!pershing (UUCP) site-dependent (BITNET) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Debbie's Loves and Hates From: Philmon S Baylon Date: Thu, 11 May 89 00:11:16 EDT Yo Debbie Fans, I got this from an issue of TEEN DREAM. It is a short list of Debbie's Loves and Hates and So if you guys out there plan to meet her someday, you better read this list!! So here we go... Debbie's Loves and Hates: Debbie's loves - --------------- 1. Eating ice cream on a hot summer day in New York City. 2. Visiting the publicity department at Atlantic Records. 3. Hats with flowers on them. 4. Dancing 5. Having hit records 6. Rollercoasters 7. Flea markets on Long Island and in Manhattan 8. Working in her home recording studio 9. Eating pasta 10. Watching MTV 11. Her family 12. Her friends 13. George Michael 14. Billy Joel 15. Going on tour 16. Shopping all over the place 17. England and France 18. The people who believed in her early on 19. Acting (she hopes to get a feature film role in the coming year) 20. The Hard Rock Cafe (preferably the one in New York City) Debbie's Hates - -------------- 1. People who say she's a flash-in-the-pan despite two multi-platinum albums and eight successful singles. 2. People who hate New York, especially ones who say it's dirty and that the people are rude. 3. Press people who always try to "fix her up" with guys in their articles ("I just don't have time for a boyfriend right now!" she confesses.) 4. Traffic getting into the city 5. Having her clothes ruined by a bad dry cleaner 6. Having equipment stolen on tour 7. Guys who only ask her out 'cause she's famous 8. Being tired from working so hard 9. Not getting to see her relatives as often as she'd like to 10. Having to give up her drama lessons 11. Deciding what to wear 12. People who think she's stuck-up just because she's a star 13. Her skinny legs (although everyone else thinks they're really cute) 14. Sweaters with lint on them 15. The cold winters of New York 16. Taking out the garbage 17. Almost losing her album tapes in a studio fire 18. Forgetting to water her plants 19. Never getting to drive [ not anymore - Steve ] 20. Being nervous before she goes on stage ---- Steve Baylon =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= News from the UK From: Sandy Matthews Date: Tue, 16 May 89 09:26:53 BST Hi folks! Just a wee note to keep you all informed about what's happening in the UK. First, the good news. Debs' latest single is currently at #14 in our UK top 40, and at #9 in the Scottish charts (but we scots always had more taste). She was over here promoting it a few weeks ago, and did a few interviews ALL OF WHICH I MISSED! Sorry folks! Now, news. I read an interview with Debbie in a mag this week, and it was quite informative. Does anyone know anything about this film she's going to be in? She says it's a cross between "Dirty Dancing" and something else I can't remember, so I dread to think what it'll be like! She also talks about an incident with the bass player (I think) from Metallica (or is it Megadeth? I can never tell the difference!). Well, apparently, he was walking past Debs' house one day when she was clearing out some old stuff, and throwing it out. He was later quoted as saying on the radio "I passed Debbie Gibson's house the other day, and she was throwing furniture out of the window! I thought only bands like us did that!" (well, I thought it was funny) Now, I received a HORRIBLE piece of information at the weekend. While watching the video for EY on a music program, a caption came up saying that Debs was rumoured to be involved in a romantic way with Matt Goss, singer with Bros, and that Bros might be supporting her in America! Have you heard of Bros over there?? They are, without doubt, the WORST band in Britain, all production and hype and no talent. If they are supporting DG over there, then you have my utmost sympathy! As for the romance, well I hope Debbie has more taste. I checked up this week on all the formats of the EY single. Here's the ones I've found: 7" single 12" single 12" picture disc 3" cd single 5" picture cd single 7" collector's pack cassette single All apart from the 7"'s have the House mix of EY, 7" mix and Campfire mix of We Could Be Together, and the 7"'s just don't have the house mix. However, I'm sure I heard a different house mix at the weekend - it started off "Once upon a time there was a little house...." and is different from the normal house mix (at least the one on the cassette single). Anyone got any information about that?? Well that's about it from here. I'll keep you posted if anything else happens in the next few weeks - then I'm off for the summer!!! Lots of love, Sandy [Editor's Note: My thanks to Sandy and all of the forum's members in foreign countries! Without you, we would be blind to the international music scene. -- Michael] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 12" Single Discography From: S Lee Date: Thu 18 May 89 22:43:57-PDT I promised in the 2nd issue to do a 12" single discography of Debbie's songs...so here it is. I have tried to be objective in my comments. My recommendations are a bit biased at times, so the best thing to do if something sounds interesting to you is to buy it and listen for yourself. If you want to know anything specific, leave me e-mail. ONLY IN MY DREAMS (Atlantic 0-86744) Side A - Extended Club Mix/Vocal (6:34) - Percapella/Vocal (3:29) Side B - Dreamix (4:18) - Bonus Beats (4:14) Comments: This is the record that started it all for Debbie; because of it's success, Atlantic decided to offer her a recording contract. The club mix is a standard dance track with lots of percussion added in and numerous repetitions of Debbie's voice, i.e. "It was only in my, It was only in my, It was only in my...DREAMS!" There is even some piano improvisation. The percapella is interesting to listen to since it emphasizes Debbie's voice (there is hardly any accompaniment). The dreamix is a neat instrumental with bits and pieces of Debbie's vocals thrown in. Sandy's Recommendation: I highly recommend this 12" single, but it is unfortunately out of print. Atlantic re-released a version of it recently, but it only has Side A (the other side has some different singer on it: Chic - Dance Dance). SHAKE YOUR LOVE (Atlantic 0-86651) Side A - Vocal/Club Mix (5:56) - Bonus Beats (6:33) - Vocal/LP Version (3:46) Side B - Bad Dubb Version (5:03) - Vocal/Bass Apella (3:35) - Shake the House Version (5:48) Comments: The club mix is done similarly to the ones found in her other 12" singles (mega percussion, repetition, etc.). However, the real gem in this record is the bass apella; it is a very strong vocal piece with all of those distracting instruments removed. The rest of the mixes contain mostly improvisation (Debbie's voice is hardly present). Sandy's Recommendation: You might say, "Wow! This record has SIX mixes...what a DEAL!" However, only the 2 mixes that I mentioned are worth your while. You (probably) already have the LP version. Unless you are crazy about drum/bell improvisation (I'm not), the other mixes probably won't appeal to you. I don't know about you, but I buy Debbie's records for DEBBIE'S VOICE, not for some guy having fun on a drum machine. Conclusion: think twice before you buy this. OUT OF THE BLUE (Atlantic 0-86621) Side A - 12" Club Mix (5:50) - Bonus Beats (4:20) Side B - Drumpella (4:05) - Dub Version (3:54) Comments: They really went wild with the repetition in the 12" club mix; just listening to the first 30 seconds or so gives you the idea: "Out of the Blue..Out of the Blue..Out of the Bluuuue..like.. ..like..like..like...like a dream come TRUE!". In my opinion, "Out of the Blue" has one of the best melodies of all the songs in Debbie's debut album, and they did a nice job preserving most of the energy in this mix. The Drumpella is another "less instruments, more Debbie" mix. The Dub Version is a neat edit where Debbie's voice fades in and out of the song's beautiful melody. Sandy's Recommendation: You've got to hear these mixes. BUY IT! FOOLISH BEAT (Atlantic 0-86556) Side A - Vocal/Extended Mix (6:46) - Instrumental (4:28) Side B - "Only in My Dreams" Dream House Mix (10:03) - Medley: Debbie Gibson Mega Mix (7:13) Comments: The extended mix features a WONDERFUL instrumental introduction and pleasant (for a change) use of the added percussion. The instrumental has a saxophone replacing Debbie's voice (not bad!). Have you ever wondered how "Only in My Dreams" would sound with a keyboard/synth accompaniment? That's in the dream house mix. The medley features the best parts of "Out of the Blue", "Shake Your Love", and "Only in My Dreams". Sandy's Recommendation: Look at all this variety. I wish more of her 12" singles were like this. Instead of including worthless tracks like "Bonus Beats", neat mixes of her other songs are included. This is a great buy...GET IT! STAYING TOGETHER (Atlantic 0-86533) Side A - Remix (6:01) Side B - Dub Version (5:56) - Bonus Beats (1:35) Comments: The remix was done from the LP version of the song, not the yucky (in my opinion!) single that was released on radio. It is has a very heavy beat, and the higher frequencies of the song are emphasized...when I first played it, I thought my stereo would blow up! Side B is all improvisation (sigh). Sandy's Recommendation: Get this only if you really like the song. The remix is pretty good; I can't say much about the rest. You will also noticed that the pictures on the record jacket are flipped (Atlantic goofed). ELECTRIC YOUTH (Atlantic 0-86427) Side A - Deep House Mix (7:35) - Shep's House Dub (5:51) - 7" Version (4:55) Side B - The Electro Mix (6:37) - The Electric Dub Gone Haywire (6:31) - "We Could Be Together"* (5:33) Comments: Most of the mixes sound similar (The electro mix is my personal favorite). However, the heavy percussion used in the mixes seems to drown out Debbie's voice (she is very faint at times). Also, they put an unpleasant, deep voice in the mixes that says: "Go dance! This is the HOUSE...". I hate that! To make matters worse, Atlantic goofed again. It says that the campfire mix of "We Could Be Together" is on side B, but it is really the LP version. [Editor's Note: the unpleasant phrase in question is "Can go dancing?!? This is the HOUSE" sounds like Big Brother as DJ. :-) -- Michael] Sandy's Recommendation: Based on what I've said above, you can tell that I'm not too crazy about this 12" single. It is also available on a CD-maxi single, so you might want to try that instead (I've been told that it still has the wrong version of "We Could Be Together" though). [Editor's Note: The CD-maxi single (a CD-5) has the LP version of "We Could Be Together" on it just like its vinyl equivalent. -- Michael] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Dance Party From: Sandy Lee Date: Sun 21 May 89 15:48:53-PDT Hi Debbie Gibson fans! How would you like to see one of Debbie's concerts FREE of charge and at the convenience of your HOME? Sounds too good to be true? Read on... Last year, USA Cable network broadcast a show of "Dance Party USA" that featured Debbie performing a special concert at Mandan High School in North Dakota. Unfortunately, I (and every other fan that I have talked to) missed the concert. BUT, I figure if each of us writes a letter to USA Cable, they might rebroadcast it. All it takes is 5 minutes of your time and a 25 cents stamp. Even if you don't have USA Cable, many of us will try to tape it and we will try to work out a way to get you a copy. You can write to: Robin Bennett, Consumer Relations USA Network 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 Mention my name and the "Debbie Gibson Fan Club of Southern California" in your letter! Ms. Bennett is already familiar with our group and is willing to help if they get enough requests. For those of you who think "they probably won't listen to our requests anyway", I have news for you. Earlier this year, USA broadcast an episode of "Cover Story" featuring a 30 minute interview with Debbie. I missed it, wrote them a letter, and got a positive response. They have since repeated the episode TWO times! So take the initiative and send in those letters! Remember, its the "Dance Party USA" episode from 1988 featuring Debbie Gibson at Mandan High School in North Dakota. [Editor's Note: Everyone, go for it! -- Michael] =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= New Debbie Related Products From: ccs013@castor.ucdavis.edu (Matthew Jung) Date: Mon, 22 May 89 12:41:24 PDT NEW PRODUCTS Winterland Productions is marketing two new posters as well as a new T-shirt. The T-shirt is black with decals in front and back. The front decal includes an image of Deborah's face (not decal-photo!) and the back has a decal of "Electric Youth 1989." One of the new posters is a closeup shot similar to the one printed on the back of her "Electric Youth" album. Unlike previous posters, this one is not as grainy. It is available at Sam Goody or Musicland stores. The second poster is a full-length shot of Debs; it is her first door-sized poster. Deborah has made history by giving Atlantic records incentive to release a full-sized CD-single. Right after the "Electric Youth" release, Elektra records released two CD-singles in the full-sized format. If the trend continues, we will see the 3-inch CD-single phased out in the United States. The "Electric Youth" CD-single is now available at Tower Records. Revlon's Natural Wonder line should be adding Deborah's "Electric Youth" perfume this fall. Originally, it was intended to be marketed in record stores. Since this is obviously inappropriate, we will probably see it marketed with other Natural Wonder products. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Honors to Debbie From: Edmund Fong Date: Mon, 22 May 89 12:38:16 PDT HONORING DEBBIE Hello Debbie Gibson fans. On May 15, 1989 in Beverly Hills, California ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) honored pop musicians in an awards show. Debbie was on-hand and captured five awards including "Songwriter of the Year" which she shared the honor with Bruce Springsteen. Last month, she was at the 4th Annual New York Music Awards. She performed "Electric Youth" and walked away with four awards including "Best Female Vocalist" and "New York Artist of the Year." I am sure we are all very proud of her and agree she deserves more. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Infocom Contest From: pershing@athena.mit.edu (Michael A. Scheele) Hello Fellow Debbie Gibson Fans, Matthew Jung, one of the members of this forum, sent me some e-mail during late April informing me about an Infocom contest (Infocom is famous for the Zork Trilogy of text adventure games). The address for this contest: DEBBIE GIBSON'S ARMY c/o Infocom 125 Cambridge Park Drive Cambridge, MA 02140 The contest was to come up with a jingle for Infocom products. The winner would be part of an "in-house" video for Infocom. Debbie Gibson had nothing to do with the contest. Why the first line in the address? It turns out that many of the people at Infocom's PR department are fans of Debbie. It was an inside joke with in the company as the PR people were sometimes referred to Debbie Gibson's Army. This information was provided courtesy of the PR/Contests department of Infocom. According to the person I spoke with, GPI (Gibson Productions Inc.) was not aware of this contest. As far as I know, GPI is not too concerned over the matter. I hope everyone found this amusing. I certainly did since the lady with whom I spoke at Infocom sounded rather nervous. Maybe she thought I was a lawyer. :-) Michael Scheele =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Tape Ideas From: Michael Scheele I would like to conduct a survey: What songs by Debbie would you record on one 60 minute tape? The order of the songs and time constraints are important also. You may use any of the songs off of _Out of the Blue_ and _Electric Youth_ plus the assorted remixes (from the EY CD or 12" singles). Send your list of songs to me and I will assemble the results for "Between the Lines" #7 (two issues from now). The cutoff date will be May 31. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Random Thoughts I want to start a poll about which songs the readers of this forum believe (or wish) will be released as singles next from _Electric Youth_. "No More Rhyme" and "Should've Been the One" like the labels say on the albums? I know that Darren Kumasawa (kumasawa@cory.berkeley.edu) has already called for this poll. Send your results to him or me, it does not matter. Darren, could you mail me the votes you have gotten? The cutoff date will be May 31. The results will be published in issue #7 of "Between the Lines." =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Questions & Answers Q: Raymond Michiels Can anybody fill in the missing syllable (*) in the last line of Electric Youth? ("The next generation, inflation, *ation, relaxation, electric generation. An electric youth".) A: As far as I can tell, the closing lines of "Electric Youth" are: "The next generation, inflation, imitation, relaxation, elation, generation... Oh, an electric youth." Q: Sandy Matthews Is Debs romantically involved with Matt Goss, singer with Bros? [paraphrase of Sandy's question] A: From what I have heard, the answer is: No. She is too busy to have steady relationships. Probably just a press rumor. Anyone else have any information? Q: Sandy Matthews Is Bros going to support Debs in the US on her world tour? [paraphrase of Sandy's question] A: Your guess is as good as mine (my guess: no). Anybody out there have information? Q: Michael Scheele Does anybody have a video tape copy of Deborah singing the national anthem during the first game of last year's World Series? I have been looking for a copy for a long time. I realize that Major League Baseball has a stake in this, but I just want to see it, not use it for commercial purposes. [disclaimers can't hurt :-)] Q: Michael Scheele Does anyone have a copy of a television program aired earlier this year, called "Hot Rocks?" The episode was entitled, "The Debbie Gibson Story." Also, does anyone have the episode from the same program entitled, "The Debbie Gibson/Tiffany Story?" It was aired about a year ago. A friend of mine has been searching for them for a while. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=