4/1/09

Innuendo or Anachronism?

Strange things happen in this brief review of Sony/BMG’s re-release of Terry Riley’s premiere recording of In C (1968).

First, here’s an odd turn of phrase:

Terry Riley's In C (1964), the Magna Carta of Minimalism...

I’m not sure how to read this. In C demands the removal of all fishing weirs in England, except on the coast?

And, yet, an odder turn of phrase with an exclamation point:

A seminal release and a fun listen rolled into one!

Seminal (Oxford American Dictionaries):

1. adj. (of a work, moment, event, figure) strongly influencing later developments.
2. adj. of, relating to, or denoting semen.

Seminal in the first sense: anachronistic. Fun listen: probably not.

In C!
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5 comments:

Matthew said...

It's a floor cleaner and a dessert topping!

Empiricus said...

Don't forget hair gel.

Aaron said...

I'd disagree that it's anachronistic, or even archaic. I see it used in that sense pretty frequently.

The construction "seminal release" is funny but probably inappropriate. I kind of have to admire the chutzpah of the guy who wrote it, and/or that of the guy who edited it and decided that "seminal release" was an apt turn of phrase.

Empiricus said...

Well, it's very minor, but the review is about the RE-release. While the original release was seminal, I don't see how the NEW version can be. Has it already exerted its influence on later developments?

That's my point.

buy term papers, essays said...

I think the Salt Lake Electric Ensemble’s recording of in C deserves the work’s underlying momentum with changes in color and varying rhythmic backdrops in the acoustic percussion parts, which for most of the piece sound like rock drum beats