Chalkhills, Number 157

                   Friday, 10 May 1991
Today's Topics:
         Notice for Silicon Valley Chalkhillians
                "Earn Enough for Us" Drums
                      replies to 156
                Live and unreleased songs
                 Bags Of Fun With Buster
                      Fireball XL-5
                       recent stuff
                 sequitur or no sequitur
                   Re: Chalkhills #156
                      Re: Pink Thang
                      Some questions
                      New US CD News

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Date: Wed, 8 May 91 15:03:35 PDT
From: Duane.Day@ebay.sun.com (Duane Day)
Subject: Notice for Silicon Valley Chalkhillians

Compact Disc Warehouse in Sunnyvale has a few copies of _Rag and Bone Buffet_
on sale for $13.99. (!)

If you don't have it, it's well worth having, especially at that low price.

CD Warehouse is on El Camino Real between Sunnyvale and Fair Oaks.

Disclaimer: no affiliation with CDW except as a satisfied customer, etc.

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Date: Wed, 8 May 91 17:34:47 PDT
From: james@nrc.com (James McGowan)
Subject: "Earn Enough for Us" Drums

In Chalkhills #156, his eminence Jon Drukman decrees:

> Again, the rather 'clanky' drum sound on Earn Enough For Us doesn't
> immediately put me in mind of Rundgren as much as those synths on
> Supergirl do.

I've always thought the drums on that song were a dead ringo for the
Fab Four drum sound.  The snare drum has that "toonk" sound, ya know?
Note also how the song ends in 3/4, just like "We Can Work It Out."
Clever lad, that Todd, Faithful as ever.

- Jim
James McGowan				Internet: james@nrc.com
Network Research Corporation		Phone: (805) 485-2700
2380 North Rose Avenue			FAX:   (805) 485-8204
Oxnard CA 93030

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From: Dances With Voles <jondr@sco.com>
Subject: replies to 156
Organization: Mangled Bloody Carcass Of Sound Productions
Date: Wed, 8 May 91 15:58:59 PDT

-------
mrp@polari (Mad Rabbit Productions):

>A few years back I heard a song on a comedy program (Dr. Demento in the US)
>by "Jester & the Jesticles" (or something similar) about (as you might guess)
>testicles.  It sounded an awful lot like Andy Partridge.  Does anyone have
>any information on what it was and where I might get a copy?  Thanks.

It's Johnny Japes And His Jesticles.  It was a song about Viz comic
character Buster Gonad (and his unfeasibly large testicles).  In fact, it
was Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory, with John Otway on vocals.  I don't
know how you could get a copy now, as it was sadly left off of Rag And Bone
Buffet.
-------
Jones Rutledge <76516.430@compuserve.com>:

>Big Express was one of my first disappointments
>for some reason although most songs are excellent, there were some that wore on
>me more quickly than others, ie soul coal,this world over,smalltown reign of
>blows.

Geez, of those four songs, three are my absolute favorites.  Go figure.

>Anybody who bought The Big Express to get "Senses Working
>Overtime, bought the wrong album, though I can see how people could get the
>cover artwork confused.

A train car wheel against a black background is easily confused with a
chalk drawing against a green background?  I think your visual acuity might
need a little improvement.
-------
dhgpa!adkoning@hvlpb.att.com:

>No. I'm not saying that Dolby's production is modest. I was (obscured by the
>fact that English is not my first language) trying to say that Prefab Sprout
>sounds so MUCH produced that all sharp edges in the music are smoothed. That
>their albums are indeed "drowning in production". Because of this, your
>attention isn't drawn to the music (however interesting the music is).
>That's what I ment with "modest", just as if it says "no offense please".

Oh, well, um...  I agree that there are no sharp edges in Prefab Sprout
music, but it's SUPPOSED to be that way... it's not something that was
there originally but taken out by an overzealous producer.  It's polite,
but deceptively so, or so I find.  Anyway, enough Sprout discussion on the
XTC list.  Mail me if you want to continue this thread.
------
John Relph:

>Andy sings about a world where radiation and pollution causes
>increasing numbers of multiple births and visible deformities.
>And, since we (the people of the Earth) brought this calamity upon
>ourselves, aren't we going to sing and be happy and proud of it?

Sure?  I think of it more as a sort of misplaced patriotism thing, how most
of the 'patriotic' songs glorify war, and so on.  I can see your angle
though.

--
jon drukman                 jondr@sco.com       always note the sequencer:
sco docland wage slave      uunet!sco!jondr     this will never let us down

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Date:         Wed, 08 May 91 23:55:59 EDT
From: Ben Zimmer <ZIMBENG@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu>
Subject:      Live and unreleased songs

Could someone give a list of songs only found on XTC concert bootlegs -- songs
that never got recorded legitimately but that they have played live?  I heard
a "White Music"-era bootleg a while ago, and it had all sorts of things I had
never heard before.
                                                           Ben Zimmer

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Date: Thu, 9 May 91 00:31:44 -0400
From: Mark.C.Kirk@physics.umass.edu
Subject: Bags Of Fun With Buster

That song "Bags of Fun With Buster" was by XTC under the alias
Jester Japes and his Jesticles.  It was dedicated to the cartoon
"Buster Gonads" in the British comic mag Viz magazine.  It is about
a guy with great big...tracks of land.  I can't recall if it was for
the BBC or not but it was a 7" with the "Scrotal Scratch" mix on the b-side.

/mk/

"...you're not bring'n them on MY bus..."

** END OF MESSAGE **

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Date: Wed, 8 May 91 18:42:27 PDT
From: barb@velvet.com  (Barbara Petersen)
Subject: Fireball XL-5

In Chalkhills #156, John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com> writes:

> In an interview with SFX Magazine (see the Discography) Andy talks
> about how he loved comic books and TV shows like _FireBall XL-5_,
> and in fact Andy wrote a song about that show.

Ooooh!  Which song is that, pray tell?  That was my favorite TV show
when I was about five....

--
Barbara Petersen                                            barb@velvet.com
         "Be braver -- you can't cross a chasm in two small jumps."

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Date: Thu, 9 May 91 14:01:44 CDT
From: rhb9805@usl.edu (Bird Rendell H)
Subject: recent stuff

Chalkhillians--

As a few of you may remember I am a rather opinionated person. Therefore
here are my opinions (on topic which have surfaced of late):

_Skylarking_ sound quality  -- sounds pitiful in headphones, easily
the worst sounding CD in my XTC catalog. Sonics are over-bright, bass
is non-existant.

_Big Express_ --  I have to agree with 'Jones Rutledge', not one
of the better XTC CDs. Quite a few of the songs wear thin easily.
It is strange to note that "Train Running Low on Soul Coal"
is one of my favortie XTC songs of all time (...maybe because I, too,
am nearing 30, and 'doing what I'm told'...)

"Bailey" from UCLA says:
Did ever a debate rage over the song "pink thing;" is it AP's baby or his
[policy, piece of pork, wife's best friend, dong; choose one]?

It never occurred to me that Andy *wasn't* talking about his [male genitalia].
Even if it isn't about *that*, I doubt if it is about a baby.

Has anybody else ever heard of [male genitalia] refered to as "policy"?
This is the first time I have ever heard the phrase. It brings new
realms of meaning to Depeche Mode's "Policy of Truth".

One last note:

I was at the CD shop the other day (looking for the new Elvis Costello --
which won't be released until May 14th) and I got a look at the upcoming
releases list. XTC _Rag and Bone Buffet_ was on the list for mid June
release by a company with the acronym "UNI".   I was astounded.
Has anybody else heard anything?

Rendell

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From: Bailey@polisci.sscnet.ucla.edu
Subject: sequitur or no sequitur
Date: Thu, 09 May 91 14:34:00 PDT

>Dances With Voles writes, "Was there a sequitur here?"

No, frankly I wasn't aware I needed one; after all I'm over
twenty-one.

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Date: 09 May 91 19:31:45 EDT
From: Jones Rutledge <76516.430@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #156

To: Bailey@@polisci.sscnet.ucla.edu and everybody

PINK THING. I never heard anyone argue that there was any particular
translation of what a pink thing was. On the contrary, I think most people like
the song BECAUSE of its ambiguity. It could be about his child, or any double
entendre of your choosing, adding to its cleverness. Truly a multidimensional
song.

To: anybody

Re: List of potential producers of American Hits. Boy! It sure would be
interesting to see one of those lists, just to see exactly how smart (or dumb)
a record company is in their suggestions, and how slavish the rec execs were to
current charted hit makers. (trying to imagine Jam and Lewis production) Has
any of the alternate choices ever come to light in any interviews?

RE: AND THE PRODUCER IS...! Next album Producers. From the sound of things so
far, I bet its a diverse hands production. Two or three different producers.
Padgham and Lillywhite will proably find time to cut some of the tracks. Any
bets on who will be in the producers chair the most? Or will the production
schedule be delayed to allow the full attention of one or two producers? It all
depends on how much the band is being pushed to deliver an album...

Jones Rutledge 76516.430@@compuserve.com

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Date: Thu, 9 May 91 17:00:51 PDT
From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Pink Thang

Liz <Bailey@polisci.sscnet.ucla.edu> sez:

>Did ever a debate rage over the song "pink thing;" is it AP's baby or his
>[policy, piece of pork, wife's best friend, dong; choose one]?

Actually, it's about both.  But mostly about his John Thomas.  And
I've even heard it on the radio.

	-- John

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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 12:26:25 EDT
From: lsgsa Robert R Reall <rrrst7@icarus.lis.pitt.edu>
Subject: Some questions

I would greatly appreciate if anyone could give me some
answers to the following questions.

1.  I just bought the Geffen CD's for White Music, Drums and
Wires, Black Sea and Mummer.  The CD booklets have pictures in
them that are not on the sleeves of the albums I have.   My
vinyl copy of White Music is in just a plain white sleeve.  My
question is:  where did these pictures come from?  Were they
on singles or something?

2.  Why is the CD for Drums and Wires not like the ones for
White Music, Black Sea and Mummer, i.e. why should it be
yellow and purple when the other ones are black and white?

3.  Are the booklets for the UK CD's the same as for the
American versions, specifically, are the covers cropped?

4. Does anyone know of anywhere in the Pittsburgh, PA area
where I can find a copy of Rag and Bone Buffet?

I had some other questions but I can't remember them now.
Thanks for any help you can give me

           -- Ron Reall

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Date: Fri, 10 May 91 9:33:43 PDT
From: John M. Relph <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Subject: New US CD News
Organisation: Chalkhills Anonymous

I just glanced over the newest issue of the _ICE_ newsletter and noticed
two XTC items.  The CD _Lyrics by Ernest Noyes Brookings Vol. II_ should
be released in the US on 4 June, on ESD.  At least Andy and maybe Colin
and Dave contributed to this album.  Also, Geffen US is releasing _Rag &
Bone Buffet_, possibly on 25 June.  I guess the CD has been selling well
enough for Geffen to want to get in on the game.

	-- John

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