Chalkhills, Number 169

                 Wednesday, 31 July 1991
Today's Topics:
                 andy partridge interview
               Earlier B-Sides on Waxworks
             _Rag & Bone_ review in the Post
                      Terry Chambers
                  navvies, lion, unicorn
                         XTC Book

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Date: Fri, 26 Jul 91 20:14:11 EDT
From: woj@remus.rutgers.edu (woj)
Organization: fegmaniax anonymous, inc.
Subject: andy partridge interview

jim price, a dj at wfmu, recently conducted an interview with andy
partridge at the request of geffen records via phone (i believe the
date was 29 june).

the big news is that a producer has been selected for the next album
and things are beginning to happen. the producer is going to be gus
dudgin (spelling?), who has been responsible for such things as the
zombies' "time of the season" and david bowie's "space oddity" and
many a recording with the bonzo dog band.

dave mattocks, the drummer for fairport convention, will be playing
on this album, which has the working title of _balloon_ (or possibly
_wonder annual_).

sometime soon (tm), i will transcribe this sucker for the list, but
it's a bit long (45+ minutes) and i don't have any free time until
later next week. if anyone wants a copy of the interview (audio),
let me know and i'll send thee a tape.

(not sure how much of the above is "old news" - i was unsubbed from
chalkhills for a few weeks due to a machine crash and a change o'ad-
dress).

oh - there is a demo of one of the new songs included on this tape:
"rook" is the song (this is one of the songs that i believe was played
on 'fmu a few months ago).

woj

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Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1991 19:03:36 CDT
From: akolman@mnsmc1.mnsmc.edu
Subject: Earlier B-Sides on Waxworks

>what i found interesting is the number of b-sides from
>english settlement trachs.  does waxwords cover the earlier
>albums better, or are there no singles from white music on?

Interesting question, considering that White Music was their first album..
:)
If you buy the CD of White Music, you will get all (I think) the b-sides from
that album.  I don't usually bring my albums to work here, but I'm pretty sure
that most of the b-sides from White Music are on Waxworks.

I always thought it interesting that they didn't include the Homo Safari
series with the Waxworks&Beeswax double-album set.  Doesn't the compilation
go up through Mummer?
Al Kolman
    (or...)
BLx - The x is silent, the u is non-existent

USnail:					Internet:
Saint Mary's College #789		akolman@mnsmc1.mnsmc.edu
700 Terrace Heights
Winona, MN  55987-1399			WARNING:  STUPID TAILER!
fax: (507)457-1633			 \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/

	  //////I'm also a member of  these fine organizations:\\\\\\
	  !Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia - the Professional Music Fraternity!
	  <AGE!/Anarchy Gnus Elite!	KSMR-FM	 The Lords of Winona>
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	  !GDPA	ITK	AMA		ASM		  SPA Alumni!
	   \_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_/

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Subject: _Rag & Bone_ review in the Post
Date: Mon, 29 Jul 91 8:11:56 EDT
From: J Ross MacKay <ross@ray.grdl.noaa.gov>

That most holy vessel of knowledge, The Sunday Washington Post (7-28-91),
has a brief review of _Rag & Bone Buffet_.  With lines like "The self-
indulgent junk includes ...", I wouldn't call this a sensitive article
(Hacktooey Geoffrey Himes, I fart in your general direction).  But it
does end on an upbeat "These tracks capture the playful imagination and
Beatlesque lushness that make XTC's real albums worth searching out".
And has a press release quote from Andy:
     "Frankly, this album has some of the best work we've done - and
      some of the worst.  But it's like setting up a museum; if we
      didn't throw it all in, the songs would disappear."
You can call the Post's Sound Bite line at 202-334-9000 and press 8143
to hear the first verse of 'Ten Feet Tall'.
--
                                   Internet:  ross@ray.grdl.noaa.gov

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Date: Tue, 30 Jul 1991 11:43 EST
From: DDCRIDDLE@miavx1.acs.muohio.edu
Subject: Terry Chambers

Maybe I missed something, but what ever happened to Terry Chambers?  I
thought the stuff he did on all the early albums was really cool.  Did he
quit or was he kicked out?  What is he doing now.  He was a simple player
but really made the early albums.

						Dave Criddle
						Miami University

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Date: 31 Jul 91 03:13:01
From: John.J.Pinto@dartmouth.edu
Subject: navvies, lion, unicorn

The Random House Dictionary defines "navvy" as an informal British word for a
manual labourer employed in excavating for or building railroads, roads,
canals, etc.  It derives from the same root as "navigator". Perhaps describing
one who works in wet weather.
Partridge uses the word in the plaintive alliteration "never never navvies".
Towers of London is without question one of Andy's finest lyrics.
Interestingly the video made for the single (if I remember correctly) does not
make any attempt to capture the the spirit of "the men who fell" so
beautifully honoured in the song.
Gordon Lightfoot has also used the word "navvies". It's found in his "Canadian
Railroad Trilogy".

Lion and Unicorn are in fact references to "England", more correctly The
United Kingdom. The Lion and Unicorn appear rampant on the Royal Arms. J.C.
Cooper in his "Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols" states that
when the Lion and the Unicorn appear together they represent  the "solar and
lunar power and the pairs of opposites". The Unicorn being the lunar feminine
principle, the Lion the male fiery principle.

Paper and Iron is quite plainly and poetically bills and coins. The
illusionary rewards we think we work for and fittingly debased in Partridge's
lyric.

John Pinto
johnpinto@dartmouth.edu

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Date: Wed, 31 Jul 91 20:07:03 PDT
From: "John M. Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: XTC Book

Kevin Carhart <oscar@darkside.com> writes:

>Oh yeah... what was the name of the guy some issues ago who was writing
>a book on XTC and wanted chalkhillians to write to him?  Was it
>Paul Wilde again?

In Chalkhills #146 Toby Howard wrote:

	- Paul Wilde and Chris Toomey (freelance rock journalist) have
	  contract with Omnibus Books write book on XTC! For the latter,
	  Paul wants as much help he get get from Chalkhillians. Why not
	  write to him:

		Paul Wilde
		47 Wycombe Close
		Manchester M31 2WD
		United Kingdom

	  with any ideas, anecdotes, facts -- ANYTHING to help with his
	  book.  Everyone will be acknowledged.

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Please welcome the latest members of the Chalkhills
family, Jan J. Schiffman and Dan Weir!

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---

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