Chalkhills Digest Archive A
Date: Tuesday, 18 April 1989
Chalkhills Archives, Part A Tuesday, 18 April 1989 Today's Topics: Welcome, everybody. rare tracks Re: rare tracks rare tracks Re: rare tracks Re: XTC mailing list Pre-XTC Re: Pre-XTC Pre-XTC rare stuff? Re: rare stuff? dates of recording (tours too ?) chronology of XTC Re: XTC mailing list Musician Magazine Article XTC mailing list Re: Musician Magazine Article Re: XTC mailing list XTC Interview XTC preferences What I want, NOW.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1989 10:34:28 PDT From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com> Subject: Welcome, everybody. Well, I know you're already tired of this, but Welcome to Chalkhills! So my first question is, what are the background singers singing near the end of "The Loving" from _Oranges and Lemons_? Also, does anybody have lyrics to any or all of the following songs? Pulsing Pulsing Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down Strange Tales, Strange Tails Officer Blue Take This Town Blame the Weather Tissue Tigers (The Arguers) Looking for Footprints Punch and Judy Heaven is Paved With Broken Glass Terrorism Let's Make a Den Find the Fox The Troubles Living in a Haunted Heart The Good Things I have transcribed lyrics for a few other B-sides, and am in the process of submitting them to the Lyrics Server (Lyrics@umass.bitnet). In fact, most lyrics from XTC are available from the server currently. I would appreciate any help with transcription of the lyrics to these songs. I also have transcribed most of the lyrics to "Obscene Procession", >From _Jules Verne's Sketchbook", but there are a lot of blanks. If anybody would like to help, I can forward a copy of what I have figured out. -- John -- "If we don't start learning well, we're all going to wind up scarecrow people too!" -- XTC
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Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 11:00:38 PDT
From: duane@ebay.sun.com (Duane Day, I.R. - Applications Development)
Subject: rare tracks
YOW! An XTC Mailing List. Hot Damn.
Those of you Chalkhillers that are also Love-Hounds are probably pretty
familiar with "The Cathy Demos" project currently going on there. Anyone
care to be enough of a Saint to organize a similar distribution of copies
of truly unavailable (through legal channels) XTC recordings? I'm thinking
of the flexi-discs, Andy and Colin's solo records, and live recordings
only briefly available on some continent which many of us do not inhabit.
I'm not talking about readily available tracks such as "Ella Guru" (on
the "Mayor of Simpleton" CD-3 and 12" single) or the "Homo Safari Series",
so flames about piracy are respectfully directed to /dev/null.
Shoot, I'd even be glad to fire off a check, er, cheque for a few quid to
Andy, Colin, and Dave (mailing addresses also humbly requested):-) upon
receipt of such a compilation tape.
************************ |UUCP: {hplabs,decwrl,<others>}!sun!thismoment!duane
..but one of the choices | COM: duane%thismoment@sun.com
turns existence into art |ARPA: duane@sun.arpa
************************ |USPS: 2550 Garcia Ave. M/S M3-76, Mtn. View CA 94042
"That's right, the Mascara Snake, Fast'n Bulbous, tight also." - D. Van Vliet
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 11:22:48 PDT From: batman@ebay.sun.com (Karl MacRae - The Surreal World of Customer Service) Subject: Re: rare tracks >Shoot, I'd even be glad to fire off a check, er, cheque for a few quid to >Andy, Colin, and Dave (mailing addresses also humbly requested):-) I *can* get andy's father's addresse... (This is a great 'Fan' story!); When I was in england last September, I went through Swindon on a tour of the Cotswolds and Stonehenge, etc (We also saw the 'White Horse of Uffington, which is on the cover of English settelment; more of that later!). Our guide, it turned out, is pals woth Andy's dad, and knows Andy and Dave... We (My wife and I) asked him to tell Andy's dad the 'His son is a Pop God' =B^) So, if we want to have that paper and iron forwarded..... =B^) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Karl MacRae UUCP: sun!batman ARPA:batman@sun.COM Sun Microsystems, Milpitas, Ca. (The armpit of Silicon Valley) "This is Your life, and you'll do what you want to do- just don't hurt nobody... 'Less of course they ask you to... In the Garden of Earthly Delights!" 'Garden of Earthly Delights' XTC -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: sco!stewarte@ucscc.ucsc.edu Subject: rare tracks Date: Mon Apr 17 11:43:47 1989 Another question to get discussion rolling: does anyone have a complete XTC discography? If not, perhaps we could put one together collaboratively. I'd like to know what I'm missing, apart from "Thanks for Christmas"... Stewart (stewarte@sco.com)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1989 13:36:29 PDT From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com> Subject: Re: rare tracks Stewart (stewarte@sco.com) sez: > >Another question to get discussion rolling: does anyone have a complete >XTC discography? If not, perhaps we could put one together collaboratively. >I'd like to know what I'm missing, apart from "Thanks for Christmas"... I've probably got the most complete XTC discography around (of "official" and titled releases), and I've been using the collective method of putting it together. I've been refraining from posting it to any wide-spread mailing lists because it's 800+ lines. If you would like to receive a copy personally, let me know. ALL contributions are welcome, please. As far as "unofficial" or "bootleg" releases, yeah, there are lots of radio program appearences, television appearences, and demo tapes floating around, but I'd rather not try to catalog all of those. Yet. I don't really have that much time or that big of a collection (or budget). So, for a discography, send me a message (relph@presto.ig.com). Please refrain from sending discography requests to Chalkhills. -- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: dkletter@adobe.com (Dan Kletter) Subject: Re: XTC mailing list Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 14:05:49 PDT This is a reply to Chalkhills. I am interested in XTC because when I bought Oranges and Lemmons it was a whole crate full of fun and more than I had expected! I am curious about what other XTC fans feel about their albums and which are their favourites as I intend to get some more. I also would like to find some of their older albums like Drums and Wires on cd and maybe people in this group might know how to accomplish that since the stoners at Tower never owned the game Clue- ever! Thanks again.--D
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 16:08:31 PDT From: richw@sun.com (Rich Wyckoff - Marketing Communications) Subject: Pre-XTC Perhaps this is too simple a question for this forum, but I thought I'd try one XTC trivium: What did Andy and Colin call their band before they named it XTC?
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1989 16:24:20 PDT From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com> Subject: Re: Pre-XTC Rich Wyckoff (richw@sun.com) sez: > >What did Andy and Colin call their band before >they named it XTC? Well, there's the Helium Kids (or Kidz, I'm not sure), and they almost called themselves The Dukes of Stratosphear Lawns. I'll have to look in a couple of interviews to see if there are any more. -- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: sco!stewarte@ucscc.ucsc.edu Subject: Pre-XTC Date: Mon Apr 17 16:41:20 1989 >From: ucscc!sun.com!richw (Rich Wyckoff - Marketing Communications) >What did Andy and Colin call their band before >they named it XTC? Well, I've heard at least three names: Helium Kidz, Star Park and Skyscraper.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 20:41:59 EDT From: JDTURN@umass.bitnet Subject: rare stuff? Does anyone know where copies of the "Wake Up!" 12" may be found? I'd like to get it as it has both "Take This Town" and "Mantis on Parole" on it... Pre-XTC: It's spelled "Helium Kidz", indeed. There is a bootleg version of the song "Neon Shuffle" done in '75 by the Helium Kidz that's floating about... it's different, all right... Starting point: Of all the XTC songs there is, the only one I still fail to not understand is "Senses Working Overtime". That is, I can get the meaning of the choruses (wow, the world is just too mind blowing, I can't take it all in fast enough, etc) but the verses just leave me in a dither! Any ideas? I'm in the limelight, /Joe
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Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1989 21:19:31 PDT
From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: rare stuff?
>Does anyone know where copies of the "Wake Up!" 12" may be found?
I see _Wake Up_ in used bins every once in a while. It's not overly rare,
just takes a bit o' looking. Of course, if all else fails, you can try
Bleecker Bob's in NY, and get ripped off.
>There is a bootleg version of the song "Neon Shuffle"
I think there's actually about 45 minutes worth of Helium Kidz demos out
there, but I haven't heard more than a couple of songs from it. Most
seem to be songs of _White Music_.
"Senses Working Overtime" seems to be talking about class distinctions,
about the difference between those who are poor but blameless, and those
in power and who carry the weight of their crimes. The first verse
shows that the "innocents" are "fodder for the cannons" of those in
power. In general, class struggle seems to be at the root of most of
the strife in English society, but the narrator, while decrying the
injustices, demonstrates his love for his country all the same:
"Bullies might give you black eyes...
but to me it's very very beautiful (England's glory)."
That's my two-minute eggshell analysis.
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 17 Apr 89 22:21:21 EDT From: colm@mathcs.emory.edu (Colm Mulcahy) Subject: dates of recording (tours too ?) Subject: chronology of XTC as a chronology fetishist, i'd like to like to rearrange the discographies of XTC that have been posted to the net (there have been two) so as to reflect the order of events as they happened. this is clearly easy enough, but time consuming, if release dates are what counts. what about RECORDINg dates ? does anyone know the months the various LPs were recorded ? what about the singles ? presumably up till a least 81 or so they made separate trips to the studios to cut singles etc. is ay of this informtion available ? thanks ! colm (what about tour dates ? there were few enough toura anyway ....)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 09:26:22 EDT From: "Elizabeth H. Bonesteel" <eboneste@ccm.bbn.com> Subject: Re: XTC mailing list >I am curious about what other XTC fans feel about >their albums and which are their favourites as I intend to get some >more. Ah, yes...the age-old question. For me, it varies. This week it's "Black Sea" (and by the way, if anybody knows where I can find it on CD, I would be eternally grateful), but last week it was "Mummer" and sometimes it's "Skylarking." And I do have my occasional "Drums and Wires" days. The only albums (as far as I know) I'm missing are "Go 2" and "White Music", so I can't vouch for those. But as far as the rest are concerned, I think it's hard to go wrong. If you really loved "Oranges and Lemons" you might try "Mummer" next; I believe it came out right before "Skylarking" (correct me, folks, if I'm wrong!). Oh, and get it on CD - there are some interesting extra tracks. And now MY question: Last weekend I picked up Andy Partridge's odd little solo thing. I like it, I must admit; it's certainly DIFFERENT. The cover says something about the album having bits and pieces of XTC songs in it. Does anybody know anything about the background of this album? (Or why, at this late date anyway, Virgin doesn't print the song titles on the label?) Thanx, Liz
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 10:20:47 EDT From: warsaw@cme.nbs.gov (Barry A. Warsaw) Subject: Musician Magazine Article How many of you caught the article on XTC in Musician Magazine (No. 127, May '89)? It has Miles Davis on the cover. I don't know how much of the info is news to you xtc-philes but I did find it very interesting, especially as they talked about the "whole Todd experience" from Skylarking and some of the developements for songs >From OaL. They also give a summary of equipment that they used on the album. One interesting thing about Colin. The article says that he used 3 basses on the album, predominately a Wal (which is cool because my other current fave bassist, Geddy Lee, also uses a Wal; wish I could find one to try out), but also a Fender Precision and an Epiphone Newport for that "`poun" sound on _Pink Thing_. Interestingly enough, the video for _Mayor of Simpleton_ has Colin playing a Rickenbacker. I guess the Rick just looks cooler. BTW, I've been really digging Colin's bass work on this album, especially the lines on _Mayor_ and _Garden of Eartly Delights_. Those are the two that hit me straight off. I could post excerpts from the article if people are interested. -Barry
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Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 10:32:33 EDT
From: warsaw@cme.nbs.gov (Barry A. Warsaw)
Subject: XTC mailing list
> The only albums (as far as I know) I'm missing are "Go 2" and "White
> Music", so I can't vouch for those. But as far as the rest are
> Liz
I've got Go 2 and while I love the cover art, and the inside sleeve,
the music, alas, is not my favorite. There are some noteworthy songs
on the album ("Red"), but all in all, of their older albums, I prefer
their more melodic, harder-edged stuff, especially English Sttlement
and Mummer. "No Thugs" is, IMHO, the quintessential XTC song. Hard
and driving with a catchy melody that refuses to leave your head.
Speaking of my head, a question popped to mind as I was re-listening
to Go 2 the other day: what's the scoop on Barry Andrew's leaving the
band. Also, I heard that Andy's sister (Sarah?) sang backups with
Shreikback. Just how close are Andy and Barry? Did they part ways
amicably (I would think so if Andy's sister is singing with
Shreikback) and have the two bands (or their members) done any work
together since the split? Any info on the XTC/Shreikback connection
would be appreciated.
-Barry
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 11:14:58 EDT From: Mike Godfrey <migod@csri.toronto.edu> > "No Thugs" is, IMHO, the quintessential XTC song. Hard > and driving with a catchy melody that refuses to leave your head. You're telling me. That song wouldn't leave my head over the weekend and it's not the first time that it's happened with "Thugs". Now a Skylarking question: The Virgin Canada CD release (which I own) contains "Dear God" as well as "Mermaid Smiled". Accroding to John Relph's discography the Virgin UK CD lackded "Dear God" while the US Geffen CD lacked "Mermaid". Is this correct? Is the Virgin Canada CD the only one to contain *both* songs? Mike Godfrey migod@csri.toronto.edu
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 11:14:58 EDT From: Mike Godfrey <migod@csri.toronto.edu> > "No Thugs" is, IMHO, the quintessential XTC song. Hard > and driving with a catchy melody that refuses to leave your head. You're telling me. That song wouldn't leave my head over the weekend and it's not the first time that it's happened with "Thugs". Now a Skylarking question: The Virgin Canada CD release (which I own) contains "Dear God" as well as "Mermaid Smiled". Accroding to John Relph's discography the Virgin UK CD lackded "Dear God" while the US Geffen CD lacked "Mermaid". Is this correct? Is the Virgin Canada CD the only one to contain *both* songs? Mike Godfrey migod@csri.toronto.edu
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 11:35:50 EDT From: "Elizabeth H. Bonesteel" <eboneste@ccm.bbn.com> >Now a Skylarking question: The Virgin Canada CD release (which I own) >contains "Dear God" as well as "Mermaid Smiled". Accroding to John Relph's >discography the Virgin UK CD lackded "Dear God" while the US Geffen CD >lacked "Mermaid". Is this correct? Is the Virgin Canada CD the only one >to contain *both* songs? Well, I have the Geffen CD, and it does indeed lack "Mermaid Smiled" (a song I have never heard). However, I understand that when "Skylarking" was originally released in the US, "Dear God" was not on the album. (I don't know if "Mermaid" was.) I remember overhearing two women discussing the album in a record store. One was recommending the album when she observed "That's funny. "Dear God" isn't on MY copy of "Skylarking"." Anybody have the TRUE scoop? Liz
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Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1989 8:48:03 PDT
From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Musician Magazine Article
Barry asks:
>How many of you caught the article on XTC in Musician Magazine (No.
>127, May '89)?
There are also stories and reviews in the following:
_Rolling Stone_, No. 548, 23-Mar-89
_Spin_, Vol. 5, No. 1, April 89
_Rolling Stone_, No. 550, 20-Apr-89
_Cash Box_, Vol. LII, No. 39, 8-Apr-89 (cover story)
_Tower Records' Pulse!_, April 89 (cover story)
_Sounds_, I don't remember which one
_Jet Leg_, don't remember, and the article is short
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1989 8:59:08 PDT From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com> Subject: Re: XTC mailing list Liz sez: > The only albums (as far as I know) I'm missing are "Go 2" and "White > Music", so I can't vouch for those. Then Barry sez: >I've got Go 2 and while I love the cover art, and the inside sleeve, >the music, alas, is not my favorite. But yes, the cover art and inside sleeve are interesting, especially for the map of Swindon, and where relevant (?) things happened there. >Speaking of my head, a question popped to mind as I was re-listening >to Go 2 the other day: what's the scoop on Barry Andrew's leaving the >band. I don't know much about why Andrews left the band, but the recent interview in _Pulse!_ has the following: ...Andrews was unhappy that the band wasn't recording more of his songs. "We got on great with Barry, 'cause he's pretty intellectual and a great arguer," says Partridge. "But he'd do things to annoy, like turn up at the beginning of an English tour with a sax instead of his keyboards. It was like dealing with a madman." Andrews left, did a couple of singles, and worked with The League of Gentlemen. One of the singles says "Thanks to Colin for his" Mustang or something, I don't remember offhand (and I don't have it). But I don't think Colin was actually on the rekkid. -- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: dkletter@adobe.com (Dan Kletter) Subject: XTC Interview Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 08:32:41 PDT Hi all. I've been hearing a lot of stuff about info. and I guess I should add that Tower's PULSE mag. has a four or five (maybe more?) page interview with Andy and Colin and I found it to be very informative and interesting. A lot of questions such as discographies and what names did the band go by before XTC get answered. The one tidbit that I didn't know was that the guy who started Shriekback used to be the keyboardist for XTC (forgot his name momentarily)! I highly reccommend you check this out.--D
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1989 9:06:55 PDT From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com> Subject: XTC preferences >> "No Thugs" is, IMHO, the quintessential XTC song. Hard >> and driving with a catchy melody that refuses to leave your head. > >You're telling me. That song wouldn't leave my head over the weekend >and it's not the first time that it's happened with "Thugs". And the single has great cover art. But I think my favourite slightly-mellower XTC song is "Desert Island", which can be found on the _Mummer_ CD (and the "Love On a Farmboy's Wages" 7" single). Great lyrics with plenty of double meanings, and music to match. And I find there are few people who think _The Big Express_ is XTC's best LP, as I do. I think I played that album for more than six months straight before I got tired of it. It's still my favourite. And "Wake Up" begs to be played really loud. Definitely my favourite XTC track. I always play it first when I move in to a new place, before there's furniture. -- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 18 Apr 89 12:11:13 EST From: bc@ems.media.mit.edu (bill coderre) Subject: What I want, NOW. There are a lot of copies of "Lure of Salvage"/"Take Away" floating around Boston right now. (I regret that I am not there, although this machine is, so I cannot fill orders.) This is of course the second collection of Andy Partridge "reconstructions" of XTC tunes -- basic motifs and tracks from the sessions are remixed with new material to make new songs, usually sounding like those extended disco dub tracks. (Yes, this record does pre-date the fad, although it bears no copyright information, so I don't offhand know exactly when it was released, recorded, etc.) ANYWAY, the FIRST of these experiments comprised a freebie EP packed in with "Go 2", called "Go +". I WANT a vinyl copy of Go + for my collection, either with or without Go 2. Anybody out there foolish enough to part with it for some fairly serious moolah? More about Take Away: The record is deisgned to look like a bootleg, so the cover is cheap shoddy grey cardboard, with a color picture of what looks like women synchronized swimming on both sides, and the titles (one per side) "rubberstamped" on the covers and record label (which is otherwise blank white). The reverse has many of the women crossed out with "magic marker", a short informative paragraph, and the track listing. With a little skilled listening, one can identify the source songs for the remixes. What is billed as "The Rotary" came almost entirely from "Helicopter" (from Drums and Wires) -- same structure and much the same drum tracks -- with a lyric rant on the lines of "ROTARY! RO TA RY! R-O-T-A-R-Y! Yes indeed! ROTARY!" The best of the lot is clearly "Cairo": Let me tell you about my girlie She goes by the name of Sleepy Shirley She's become a real live wire-o Since she learned how to do the Cairo REFRAIN: And she goes Up Up! Down Down! Up Up! Down! The music is similar enough to the Residents' skronk as to make one stop and think for a moment. Naaahh. Anyway, the cat is giving birth now, so
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Go back to Volume 1.
26 April 1989 / Feedback