Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 223
Date: Monday, 1 June 1992
Chalkhills, Number 223
Monday, 1 June 1992
Today's Topics:
Chalkhills #222
Radio Promo CD's
Re: Chalkhills #222
to Jon Drukman (finely honed machine)
Re: Chalkhills #219
Re: Japanese "NONSVCH" CD
Nonsuch and more
Andy Interview
Alice, Peter Pumpkinhead, etc.
new single - Peter Pumpkinhead
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin UK CD single
Virgin Japan XTC CD
Great New STUFF
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: Chalkhills #222 From: Desi The Three-Armed Wonder Comic <jondr@sco.com> Date: Fri, 22 May 92 9:48:58 PDT Jan Schiffman <SCHIFFMAN@wmgt-mail.wharton.upenn.edu> writes: >To the Finley Honed Tablesaw, > Last night I bought an old copy of Skylarking to check >your claim of poor fidelity (I checked it against The Big Express). My >apologies, it was way compressed and the fidelity suffered as a >result. uh... i think you've got the wrong piece of equipment. i think that skylarking sounds Just Peachy, whereas everybody else in the world seems to think that it's a horrible over-compressed piece of shite. >I did find one little bonus in the record cover (it was a >radio promo copy), the original two-page Geffen press release for the >album with a paragraph of commentary on all of their preceeding >albums. Pretty Nifty. type it in!! "John M. Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com> inquires: >cutter@silver.lcs.mit.edu (she returns to sand) blathers: > >>The only Linn drum songs on TBE are "All You Pretty Girls", "Seagulls >>Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her", and "This World Over". > >Listen again! How about the drum fills on "Train Running Low On Soul >Coal"? not even close, man! that's a real live human doing an amazing five-tom roll. cutter@silver.lcs.mit.edu (i'll set myself on fire) spazzes: >No, please, I insist. What do you define as "live room"? Listen to >the drums on any of the songs I mentioned. Does it or does it not >feel like you are in this big rehearsal room and you are right in >front of the kit and you can hear all the reflections and the space >that you're in? Plus the fact that the drum sound is definately a >real wood-and-metal trap kit? No drum machines there. yeah. where are the reflections? the drums on TBE are so heavily gated that as soon as the level drops below a certain threshold, the noises are cut off. it sounds about as un-live as you can get. >Which brings up a second point -- why aren't there any Gregory-written >songs? he has said repeatedly (in The Little Express) that he's just not interested. he likes just being a guitar player, and he can't understand why everybody thinks it's so weird. >WHAT is he talking about? WHAT autograph sessions in American >stores??? WHEN?!?!?!?!?!?!? where were you during O&L? they were in PLENTY of stores signing records then. mostly on the west coast though. gee, i hope they come out for nonsuch! (it's only a six hour drive to LA...) and in other news, big fluffy thanks to stewarte and joe turner for defending me to that scurrilous Rendell dude. Jon Drukman (finely honed machine) uunet!sco!jondr jondr@sco.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Denounce all others as venereal ashes of the superfluous.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Fri, 22 May 92 22:26:04 -0700
From: will kreth <kreth@well.sf.ca.us>
Subject: Radio Promo CD's
The Relph-man asked me to share info about a few Geffen promo CD's. Happy to
oblige:
Geffen:
PRO-CD-4398 XTC N*A*C Sampler (Nonsvch Adult Contemporary)
-My Bird Performs
-Wrapped In Grey
-Rook
-Books Are Burning
(all album versions)
PRO-CD-4397 Radios in Motion....A History of XTC
-Pumpkinhead (radio edit)
-Mayor 'o' Simpleton
-King For A Day
-Dear God
-Grass
-Love On A Farmboy's Wages
-Senses Working Overtime
-Making Plans For Nigel
(all album versions, save the radio edit - in this order of sequence)
I've also seen the promo CD that was mentioned here quite a while back
(ie: "This is NOT the new album"). I don't know the Geffen # or song
selection on that one.
Regarding Andy's quote to the Chicago Trib. reporter - about making
instrumental albums: go back and listen to the Dukes (esp. "25 O'Clock").
There are some amazing jams going on there. Gregsy is like some genius kid
kept in a closet - only brought out to answer guitar riff trivia questions.
I, for one, do not believe Andy's assertion that Dave never finishes the
songs he writes. Any others who agree out there?
Krethead
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #222
Date: Fri, 22 May 92 21:36:00 -0700
From: bmacdona@bonnie.ics.uci.edu
> Is there anything on the CD _The Compact XTC_ that I won't get if
> I buy the US releases of all the album CDs?
>
> peace
> edward
I believe "Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down" is the only non-album-CD
track on _The_Compact_XTC_.
Also, if you're REALLY picky, one can say that _The_Compact_XTC_
contains the pure clean version of "This World Over" -- that is without
the transition of the previous song's ending overlapping into it.
"This is Pop" here is quite different than _White_Music_'s and IMHO
a lot more fun than the album version.
Though there is the mini-minor drawback of having a measure cut from
the end of "Generals and Majors". Remember, these are all single versions.
I find _The_Compact_XTC_'s greatest advantage being that it IS a compact
comp. of XTC, which is convenient if you don't want to lug around 10 XTC
CD's to get all those great songs -- that is, if their singles are your
favorites.
I think I have overdone the comparisons but I hope this helps.
K!z!K
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 MAY 92 15:26:17 BST From: BAILEYE@vax.lse.ac.uk Subject: to Jon Drukman (finely honed machine) hope I haf spelt yer name correktly. Does yer remark about songs b/w 120-140 bpm indicate wot Spalding Gray calls "a 30 mile-an-hour consciousness?" meaning, one that does not register on the retinas anything travelling below that speed--from stroller to roller skates to skateboard to car to wheelchair; the four (revised) stages of humankind. Aurally, of course. A rhetorical question, natch. --Liz me of the famous Oz resident, Jack of-the-same-surname, who has to keep replacing his head (which in his case really is a pumpkin) whenever it rots. Boom-shanka.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 23 May 92 14:15:22 EDT From: Jones Rutledge <76516.430@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: Chalkhills #219 Runaways IS one of Colins better songs, not a mistake, if he indeed did write it (not having looked at writing credits since its release, facts and memories are ghosts I can't channel or trust) I'm surprised at the amount of people who were thrown by the symbolism of the Rook (carrion crows, The Raven, etc... its quite a popular symbol of forboding, death etc... plus their used to be a Crow on the back of family card game called rook, for those who could think of nothing but chess pieces). Probably the same folk who could only read "pink thing" one way. I'll probably be lynched, but at the moment I consider Nonsuch a second tier XTC album at best (top tier being Drums and Wires, Black Sea, English Settlement, Skylarking) and not as good and Oranges and Lemons. Sourly and snidely, Jones Rutledge 76516,430@@compuserve.com "Big Express is not by default the best album ever, however good it may be"
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 May 92 10:12:30 PDT From: John M. Relph <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> Subject: Re: Japanese "NONSVCH" CD Organisation: Chalkhills Anonymous Wes <wilson@psylo.enet.dec.com> informs us: >I have in front of me the Japanese CD of NONSVCH. > >Catalogue no. - VJCP-28100 Thanks for the information! -- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 22 May 92 13:17:07 -0700 From: Michael Newman <jstraw@well.sf.ca.us> Subject: Nonsuch and more Thank you for chalkhills. I saw XTC live in '81 in Lawrence, KS (neener neener NEEner). Nonsuch stinks (sorry, Is that *allowed*?), very disapointed. Colin eats Andy's lunch this time out. Someone mentioned Billy Bragg, I saw 'is very *first* U.S. performance but that's another tale. -ta Michael Newman jstraw@well.sf.ca.us
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 May 92 19:42:20 -0400 From: lt503_424960@emunix.emich.edu (Void where prohibited by law.) Subject: Andy Interview I was listening to the local alternative music station yesterday (Memorial Day. I was hoping to win tickets to Lalapalooza II) and they had this program called "Modern Rock Live" or "Modern Rock Line" or something. They had Tom Tom Club in their studio and a toll-free number for people to call in questions for the band. I was only half-listening but toward the end the DJ announced that next week they would be talking to, "Andy Partridge of XTC." Got my attention! :-) He repeated the announcement a little later so I definitely heard right. Now I just have to go out and buy a blank tape . . . Stewart Tame (lt503_424960@emunix.emich.edu) **************************************************************************** "Nothing requires more courage than to applaud the destruction of values we still cherish. If a work of art or new style disturbs you, it is probably good work. If you hate it, it is probably great." -- Leo Steinberg
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: jtl@sbcoc.com (Joe Lynn) Subject: Alice, Peter Pumpkinhead, etc. Date: Tue, 26 May 92 16:47:05 CDT I had the opportunity to meet another Chalkhillian a few days ago, when Mike Godfrey and his wife came to Chicago. I showed Mike a few of the better downtown record stores and gave him pointers on how to spend the weekend here in the Windy City. Too bad the temperature dropped into the 50s all weekend... Hope you had a nice time anyway, Mike. The first stop we made was Rose Records on Wabash. And what was the first thing we saw when we walked in? A HUGE poster for _Nonsuch_ hung right by the door. (_Nonsuch_ is one of Rose's featured "alternative music" selections for this month.) While perusing the international CDs and tapes, I ran across a cassette copy of Alice's _Il Sole Nella Pioggia_, on which our own Mr. Dave Gregory plays guitar (on four out of the ten tracks). The music is sort of "new-age-smooth-jazz" type stuff; it's definitely worth a listen if you can find it: my copy is on EMI Italia, catalog no. 66 7925204. Oh yeah, and Dave sounds great. (Dave wrote a little blurb about working on this record in a 1989 issue of _The Little Express_.) This past Sunday morning, I was flipping channels and I ran across the video for "Peter Pumpkinhead." I missed the first minute or so, but fortunately it was being played on our local "video jukebox" station, so I was able to call up and request it right after it finished. (For those of you unfamiliar with The Video Jukebox, it's a TV channel-- cable and/or Low Power Broadcast TV-- that shows a scrolling "menu" of videos, each with a three-letter code. You call a 900 number, punch in the code number of the video you want to see, and the station plays it. You get charged $2.50 per video-- not bad, considering you get to choose what gets played. The only problem is that there are a lot of kids in my area who love to see 2 Live Crew's "Pop That Cootchie" 100 times a day.) I really liked the "PP" video, and I've been watching the tape to see if I can figure out some of the symbolism. The JFK/Marilyn Monroe imagery is pretty obvious, but what about the letters on the "exhibits" in the last scene? Are they significant of anything? Also, the "performance" part of the video sure looks a lot like "Senses Working Overtime"-- at least in the fact that Andy is wearing the same hat. (Also, does MTV show this video, and if so, do they show the whole thing? There's one bit where the actress portraying Marilyn Monroe unzips her dress and there's--ahem--a bit of skin showing. I can't see MTV showing this part.) A lot of people have already given their opinions of _Nonsuch_, but true to form with me and a lot of XTC product, I will have to keep listening to it before I can reach a verdict. So far, I really like it. (It took the birth of my daughter last winter for me to really start appreciating _Oranges and Lemons_: and now she really likes "Garden of Earthly Delights!") That's all for now... Joe Lynn
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 27 May 92 14:04:40 BST From: Toby Howard <toby@computer-science.manchester.ac.uk> Subject: new single - Peter Pumpkinhead I picked up the new single today. It is Peter Pumpkinhead. 7" single has PP + Wardance, cassette has same repeated on both sides, and CD has PP + Wardance + demo of CM tune "Down a peg" + demo of PP. (For the discog CD is 665 418 PM 515) Toby
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Subject: The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin UK CD single
Date: Sat, 30 May 92 13:33:39 -0700
From: bmacdona@bonnie.ics.uci.edu
Yet another new venture for us XTC completists.
The new XTC single "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin" in the UK (on CD) contains
the following:
1.The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin
2.Wardance
3.Down A Peg (demo)
4.The Ballad of Peter Pumpkin (demo)
#1 and #2 are right off the album (except #1 deletes the guitar amp
fusing intro)
#3 is a decent little Moulding demo.
#4 is an interesting pre-cursor to the single.
I would have preferred "Rip Van Reuben" over "Down A Peg".
Ah well, still waiting for the demos on the upcoming "Wrapped in Grey"
single......
K!z!K
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 1 Jun 92 12:01:11 EST From: graeme@duane.research.canon.oz.au (Graeme Wong See) Subject: Virgin Japan XTC CD Hello XTCers, I just got hold of the Virgin Japan CD of Beeswax and there is an insert detailing what is on sale. From a good Japanese friend of mine he says there is one CD that I haven't heard of before which he says is called Anthology. The number is VJCP-23142. Has anyone heard of this before and know what is on it? Graeme [ Yes, that's "Chips from the Chocolate Fireball: An Anthology" by the Dukes of Stratosphear. -- John ]
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
Date: Mon, 1 Jun 92 9:10:02 PDT
From: "John M. Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Great New STUFF
In need of retail therapy I did a little shopping yesterday. I ended up with
a handful of new XTC stuff, including the following:
The new Peter Pumpkinhead CD single
Geffen promo CD single for Peter Pumpkin, with two edits and the LP version.
The Peter Pumpkin video
Ye Olde Card Game NONSVCH: Contains a deck of cards with the drawings for
the songs on Nonsuvh and is meant to be played as "Concentration". The
card with the rules has this to say:
NB: the game is greatly enhanced if all players dress
up in medieval costume whilst playing and call out
"Zounds! A matching pair forsooth!" each time a matching
pair is found. . .
"That which no equal has in art or fame
Britons deservedly do Nonsvch name."
The above couplet is printed on the side of the box.
And last (but not least) I was able to get my mitts on the UK CD of Nonsvch.
And wouldn't you know? The pictures in the inside of the booklet ARE in
colour, whereas the pictures in the Geffen CD booklet are in black and
white. Cheapskates.
By the way, the video is pretty good! And was released on May 7, 1992.
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Welcome to new subscribers Chris Greacen, Sunil Gupta, Scott Wincklhofer, daniel r. smith, Martin Parker, and Roy Cutler! For all administrative issues, such as change of address, withdrawal from the list, fan club addresses, discography requests (last update 1 June), back issues, etc., send a message to the following address: <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> The Chalkhills archives are available at "http://chalkhills.org/". All views expressed in Chalkhills are those of the individual contributors only. Zounds! A partridge forsooth!
Go back to Volume 1.
1 June 1992 / Feedback