Chalkhills, Number 164

                   Friday, 14 June 1991
Today's Topics:
                   Re: Chalkhills #162
                      New Album News
               New Issue of Little Express
                        cheap love
                   Re: Chalkhills #163

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From: relph@presto.ig.com (John M. Relph)
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 91 18:05:45 PDT
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #162

Timothy M. Schreyer <schrey@prc.unisys.com> writes:

>  Has XTC ever stated their opinion on mass popularity?

Andy has said frequently that they would rather just make loads of
cash than be famous.  Here's a quote from the _Acoustic Radio Tour_
tape:

    I just want to write songs and play my guitar and be left
    alone.  I don't want any Danes stood with their rucksacks
    peering over my hedge, thank you. . .  You know, I'm not
    into fame and recognition.  Forget it!  As long as I've
    got enough cash to buy the kids some new shows and be able
    to crank up the guitar and enjoy meself, that's what it's
    about.

>  Their choice (is it really?) of singles seems bizarre most often.

Yeah, it makes me wonder about Virgin Records.

>  (Is it that XTC are really
>  popular elsewhere, but have just not made the blitz on the US
>  market?)

I don't think so.  I think they have some popularity in Japan, but the
U.S. is where the most XTC buyers live.

>  _I Bought Myself a Liarbird_ is obviously about band managers and
>  how you'd better be careful ("He turned into a cuckoo and expanded
>  filling up with all I gave").  Is this a portion of XTC history?

I believe that XTC did have some problems with their manager, but I
don't know the details.

	-- John

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From: Ross MacKay <ross@ray.grdl.noaa.gov>
Subject: New Album News
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 91 7:06:34 EDT

New Album News from Little Express Spring/Fall '91

Dave says:
"We've had nothing but problems with this record, it's eighteen months late
 and we're just fed up of being pissed around by people who don't really care.
 ... One of the Disadvantages of all this messing about is the fact we've got
 so many songs now, about 30, and we've had to chuck 7 or 8 out... Andy wants
 to record everything... It may be a CD only release in which case there's a
 good chance that all the songs will go on and we'll have a big 75 minute CD.."

Colin's songs: Bungalow; Didn't Hurt a Bit; My Bird Performs; Smartest Monkeys;
 War Dance; Where Did The Ordinary People Go; Car Out of Control.

Andy's songs: Always Winter, Never Chistmas; The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead;
 Books are Burning; Crocodile; Dear Madam Barnham; Goodbye Humanasaurus; Goosey
 Goosey; Holly Upon Poppy; Humble Daisy; The Man Who Murdered Love; Omnibus;
 Rip VAn Reuban; Rock; Thataway; Underneath; Wrapped in Grey; Wonder Annual.

Working Title: BALLOON  (Wonder Annual "... has been suggested")

Producer?  Padgham-Lillywhite are OUT! (trouble with Padgham management's
unacceptable 'set of conditions').  Then almost had Chris Hughes lined up,
but NO.  Now maybe Gus Dudgeon, when he's finished working on the latest
Beach Boys album.

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From: Dances With Voles <jondr@sco.com>
Subject: New Issue of Little Express
Organization: Mangled Bloody Carcass Of Sound Productions
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 91 14:15:38 PDT

Subject line pretty much says it all.  There's a new issue of TLE out, and,
as usual, I'm not going to tell you much of what they say because I think
they're doing a cracker job and deserve to get your money.  I don't know
how much new subscriptions are (my renewal was $9 or $10, so send 'em $15
to be on the safe side), but the address is on the back of Skylarking, so
you have no excuse.

Briefly: they are having LOTS of problems getting it together to record a
new album.  Padgham/Lillywhite were going to be doing it, but other
projects interfered.  Then it was going to be Chris Hughes (whose name is
familiar, but I can't quite recall what he's done...), but he also cheesed
out on them.  Dave says the record company is more interested in bands
whose records sell in the mega quantities, so they keep getting shafted.  :(

They have about *THIRTY* songs written, and Virgin are considering dropping
vinyl formats.  If that is the case, the band would like to put out a 75
minute CD, which would be heaven for us!

Chalkhills gets a mention in a letter written by John Relph, and John also
has an ad in the Classified section.  (Is it just me, or does anyone else
get sick to the teeth of seeing "WANTED: UK Flexi 7" on chartreuse
cellophane of _This Is Pop_ mistakenly labeled _I Should be So Lucky_ by
Kylie Minogue, will trade my baby's toenail clippings and 8,000 shekels."

Anyway, the current working title for the album is...

	BALLOON

But don't let that get you down; the titles change with alacrity once
pressing time gets near.  Oranges And Lemons was at one point going to be
Frown Turned Upside Down...

Jon Drukman (edited for television)          uunet!sco!jondr      jondr@sco.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always note the sequencer - this will never let us down.

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Date: Thu, 13 Jun 91 13:39:45 EDT
From: glickman@hustat.harvard.edu (Mark Glickman)
Subject: cheap love

> From: "WES WILSON, PKO3-2/T12, 223-4891" <wilson@psylo.enet.dec.com>
> Subject: Love on a Farmboy's Wages

> First, I'm playing it with the usual e-a-d-g-b-e tuning and a capo
> on the fourth fret. I know Andy uses a capo because I heard him
> say so in the Acoustic Radio Tour WBCN segment.

I'm pretty sure that Andy used the capo (on the 3rd fret) on
"King for a Day", not on "Love...".  It seems to me that
this song can be played on open strings (the giveaway is the
pedal open b-string at the very beginning when the guitar
plays the notes love-on-a-farm-boy's---wa-ges).

         - Mark Glickman

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Date: Fri, 14 Jun 91 17:02:08 PDT
From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #163

Toby Howard <toby@computer-science.manchester.ac.uk> writes:

>1. AP Skylarkling interview disc is on sale her for #25 ($50?). Is it worth
>it?

That depends on your point of view.  It's a pretty good interview,
describing each song on the album, and it includes a segment with Todd
Rundgren on "Dear God".  But #25UK is still a lot of money.

>2. Making plans for andy CD -- what's on it and is it worth it?

There are two versions of this CD.  The original is on Wax Work
Records, and contains a BBC concert from 1978 and a 1982 show at the
Amsterdam Paradiso.  Both of these tapes are readily available from
collectors.  Also, the disc contains "Looking for Footprints" (from
flexi), "Traffic Light Rock" (from the rare Record Mirror single), and
the two tracks from the single by The Spys, long rumoured to be XTC in
disguise.  Although the rumour is not true, some people still believe it.

The second version of this CD is on Living Legend Records (Italy) and
contains only the two live show recordings.

Are they worth it?  That depends on the quoted price and your desire.

	-- John

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A belated welcome to new subscribers Damian Foulger, Peter
Petto, Tom Glaab, Steve Williams, and Kevin Xhiscock!

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withdrawal from the list, fan club addresses, discography
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---

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