15 replies to this topic

[cubanmiamiboy]

We've lost one of the TRULY GRAND DAMES of Pop. RIP Miss Houston, and let's hope for some awarness...

[leonid]

We've lost one of the TRULY GRAND DAMES of Pop. RIP Miss Houston, and let's hope for some awarness...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONAob=ave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?=3WH1Ma50QUk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxYw0XPEoKEob=av2e
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QaI-MsxW4

I never go to the cinema and I never listen to popular music.

I have however watched "Bodyguard" twice on television and the reason for doing so was, "I will always love you."

I am saddened to see Miss Houston as a victim of success, may she Rest in Peace.

Thank you for posting Christian.

[Helene]

From The New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.c...es.html?_r=1

Rest in peace, Ms. Houston.

[dirac]

I was surprised by how saddened I was by this news, which was not exactly unexpected, alas. A deplorable end for a beautiful woman with an awesome vocal instrument -- indeed an inescapable voice in discos and on the radio if you're of a certain age. RIP.

[Jayne]

as a friend of mine wrote on facebook: Her descent into drugs was like taking a Stradivarius and smashing it to bits.

I feel so badly for her daughter.

[miliosr]

If it is possible to be shocked and not shocked at the same, then that was my reaction upon hearing the news last night. The drug abuse had long since ravaged that pristine vocal instrument of hers but I had hoped (against all reason) that she would pull herself together and forge a second career -- in the manner of Marianne Faithfull -- with her ravaged voice. Alas, that will not come to pass.

[kfw]

I feel so badly for her daughter.

Yes, and her mother Cissy, who had a marvelous voice herself, is still alive.

[dirac]

If it is possible to be shocked and not shocked at the same, then that was my reaction upon hearing the news last night. The drug abuse had long since ravaged that pristine vocal instrument of hers but I had hoped (against all reason) that she would pull herself together and forge a second career -- in the manner of Marianne Faithfull -- with her ravaged voice. Alas, that will not come to pass.

I don't think such a thing would have been possible for Houston. Faithfull had/has no such vocal credentials and limited talents in all departments unless you count the flowerlike beauty of her youth, so there wasn't much to waste or indeed to come back from. A more apt comparison might be Callas' attempted comeback tour with DiStefano. There was simply nothing left.

[miliosr]

If it is possible to be shocked and not shocked at the same, then that was my reaction upon hearing the news last night. The drug abuse had long since ravaged that pristine vocal instrument of hers but I had hoped (against all reason) that she would pull herself together and forge a second career -- in the manner of Marianne Faithfull -- with her ravaged voice. Alas, that will not come to pass.

I don't think such a thing would have been possible for Houston. Faithfull had/has no such vocal credentials and limited talents in all departments unless you count the flowerlike beauty of her youth, so there wasn't much to waste or indeed to come back from. A more apt comparison might be Callas' attempted comeback tour with DiStefano. There was simply nothing left.

The point of my comparison was that both singers started with "pure" voices and ravaged those voices due to drug abuse. Faithfull forged a new voice and a new persona out of her drug abuse, and from that marriage of voice and persona produced Broken English -- which was definitely worth coming back to.

Now, if you're arguing that Houston's fans would never have accepted her as an Etta James-style chanteuse, then that I'm sympathetic to. Faithfull's success in the 60s was only a sliver of what Houston enjoyed in the 80s and 90s so she [Faithfull] had more freedom to maneuver in later years and recreate herself as Punk's answer to Marlene Dietrich or Lotte Lenya.

[dirac]

I do understand the general principle and certainly I take your point, but it seems to me that in practice the talent gap between a Houston and a Faithfull does make a difference in addition to the fame and fan base gap you mention. Whitney simply had ascended too high, and her voice had declined too profoundly, for a comeback of that type to work.

I know Broken English well although I haven't listened to it for years -- still have my old vinyl copy around the house somewhere -- and my reaction at the time was: good material, too bad it lacked a singer who could really do justice to it. I did like it enough to buy her follow up album, which name now escapes me, and it didn't work, not for this listener in any case.

[cubanmiamiboy]

Houston simply had set her standards too high in people's minds to be able to pull out an acceptable material with her damaged chords. Her fans had been mourning her lost for a while now...

[Birdsall]

Houston simply had set her standards too high in people's minds to be able to pull out an acceptable material with her damaged chords. Her fans had been mourning her lost for a while now...

Agree totally that her fans have been mourning her vocal loss for a while. Her last recording and tour was really sad from what I saw on tv. She would have the audience sing the famous choruses or rely on back up singers to sing much of the song and do very little actual singing herself during televised performances. It was sad. What's worse is it came off as tricking the audience.

I do find it refreshing that ballet talk allows non-ballet topics. On opera sites it seems to be a huge no-no. You get in major trouble with moderators if you post topics that don't pertain to opera.

[dirac]

Thanks, Bart B. You'd get into some trouble here too, if you wander too far off the reservation in our ballet-only forums , but we have Modern and Other Dance, Other Arts, and General Reading and Literature for other subjects.

[miliosr]

I do understand the general principle and certainly I take your point, but it seems to me that in practice the talent gap between a Houston and a Faithfull does make a difference in addition to the fame and fan base gap you mention. Whitney simply had ascended too high, and her voice had declined too profoundly, for a comeback of that type to work.

It's fine. In any event, we'll never know now. I guess I just disliked the prospect of her fading into a twilight world of show biz obsolescence.

I know Broken English well although I haven't listened to it for years -- still have my old vinyl copy around the house somewhere -- and my reaction at the time was: good material, too bad it lacked a singer who could really do justice to it.

Strangely enough, if Broken English had been sung by someone with real vocal chops, then I would have considered it badly sung.

Finally, a little something (from hopefully happier times) to remember Whitney Houston by. (You'll want to click on the isolated vocals of "How Will I Now".):

http://jakefogelnest...Whitney-Houston

(Recorded when she was just 21.)

[dirac]

Well, I wouldn't want to hear Ronstadt singing that material, and a good croak was certainly effective with "Why'd Ya Do It?" On some of the other numbers, not so much for this listener.

I guess I just disliked the prospect of her fading into a twilight world of show biz obsolescence.

Agreed. I wouldn't have minded if she was still healthy and happy otherwise, but as it was she was strung out and apparently broke. I fear the phrase "good career move" that circulated when Elvis died did cross my mind when I heard the news.