Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 413
Date: Monday, 27 February 1995
Chalkhills Digest, Number 413
Monday, 27 February 1995
Today's Topics:
Re: fretless?...Don't fret!
CD Shopping, Part Deux
Help me obtain my Master's Degree
How Many English Settlements?
Just wanted to say...
Re: Chalkhills Digest #412
Re: Chalkhills Digest #412
XTC Surf Wear/Too Much Bass Talk!
Book 'em
My favorite XTC songs
[Not] Love at First Sight
Back in Your Cage, Sherwood
Re: XTC on Muzak!
Re: Chalkhills Digest #412
stuff up for grabs
What mojo? and Buggles
New Member: Introduction
This and that and other nonsuch
Another Andyism
Re: Van Dyke Parks and stuff
Hello / Martin Newell / Brotherhood of Lizards
Chalkhills 412
Explode Together
(none)
Russian Flexis
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from Chalkhills, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Chalkhills Archives not available using FTP.
World Wide Web: "http://chalkhills.org/"
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
I say, why on earth do you revolve around me?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 9:48:19 PST
From: John Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: fretless?...Don't fret!
Joe (IERANO_J@DD.PALMER.EDU) writes:
>
>Years ago I saw a whole night of clips up to "...Simpleton", including
>an animated short depicting the bands history, on a Music Video show
>back in Aus. It was great.
And you didn't tape it?!?! For shame!
Par (nilsson@etek.chalmers.se) writes:
>
>BassPlyrJo@aol.com wrote:
>> To my knowledge and thru my
>> research...Colin has never used a fretless bass...
>
>Er, there's plenty of fretless bass on ENGLISH SETTLEMENT, isn't there?
Well, folks, I think we successfully scared off BassPlyrJo. After
everybody wrote in to say that Colin played doodooloads (thanks,
Patty) of Fretless Bass, Mr. BassPlyrJo wrote in to UNSUBSCRIBE and to
say that we're all a bunch of fanatics with a lot of time on our
hands. I plead guilty (to at least half of the above).
-- John
------------------------------ Date: 22 Feb 1995 13:16:13 -0500 From: "Wesley Wilson" <Wesley_Wilson@iegate.mitre.org> Subject: CD Shopping, Part Deux Hi, Just returned from Tower Records in Burlington, MA. I'm not sure this sale is going on nationwide, but you can buy three CDs (priced $11.99 or lower, so this includes most XTC CDs), for $25.00. Not a bad deal. This makes them $8.33 apiece (pretax). A friend of mine bought two and I bought one - The Buggles "Age of Plastic." The song titles remind me of old Helium Kidz' titles: "I Love You (Miss Robot)," "Astroboy (and the Proles on Parade)," etc. I saw Shriekback's "Big Night Music" - would have included it as a second choice but wanted to ask around in here first before buying. By the way, Tower's PULSE! magazine rates "Martinis and Bikinis" one of the best albums of 1994. See you in the fast food line, Wes
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 13:30:25 EST
From: patty@gdb.org (Patty Haley)
Subject: Help me obtain my Master's Degree
Hi all:
Well, Ethan beat me to the latest survey. I was compiling this list
in my computer and getting ready to post, and whaddya know? So, I'd
like to ask you some questions he hasn't. The purpose of this survey
is twofold: 1. To share more information with each other about who
we are 2. I'm working on a Master's Degree (out in September, thanks)
in Writing, and this semester it's a research course. My semester
project involves a survey, so I figured I'd do it on something I really
care about: music. So, if you're willing to respond to my questions
(email *me* at patty@gdb.org, not the list please) you'll not only let
me pick your brain, but you'll also help me with my semester project,
as well as have my extreme gratitude. (Dare I say I'll be in, erm, ecstacy?)
20 Questions:
1. What was the first song by XTC that got you into the band?
2. What was the first XTC record you bought?
3. Approximately how much money (rounded to the nearest $10) have you
spent on XTC, including recordings, magazines you've bought simply
because one of the Swindon lads was in it, any kind of XTC-related
stuff?
4. What is your favorite XTC album?
5. What is your *least* favorite XTC album?
6. Approximate when (month, year) we'll see the next XTC album.
7. Who's the person you'd most like to see producing the next album?
8. Name your 3 *least* favorite XTC songs.
9. If you had to turn on a person who had no idea who XTC were, what
*one* song would you turn them on with?
10. If you had to turn on that same person with an album, what album
would you turn them on with?
11. Your age, please:
12. Your sex, please: (Please, no snide remarks here! :-))
13. Do you think the band will ever play live on stage again, even a one-
off gig?
14. Do you think the band will ever tour again? Why/why not?
15. What do you think the band will be doing in 5 years' time?
16. What do you think the band will be doing in 10 years' time?
17. Guess the record label they'll appear on for the next album
in the U.S.
18. *On the whole*, who's your favorite songwriter, Colin or Andy?
19. Who would you most like to see drumming on the next album?
The next question is an essay question, yet it is as equally important to me
as the survey questions above. I am asking simply because I have a theory
and am interested in seeing if others agree. *Please* send intelligent,
well-thought comments only--I am using this list to conduct my survey because
everyone *thinks* on this list--please don't disprove my theory that we're
all the Net elite. :-) I don't need paragraphs unless you care to write them,
just a thoughtful reply.
20. Why do you think there are so few women posting to musical mailing lists?
I will post my answers as soon as I pump them through the Stats program at
school. I will also post some of the most interesting comments unless asked
to do otherwise. The answers to #1-16 may be published before #17 as it'll
take a bit longer to compile your insights.
I'm very interested in reading all your comments. Thanks so much for your
input, and in helping me make a course that would normally make me tear my
hair out and scream into something enjoyable!
Please, once again respond to *me*, patty@gdb.org, not the list!!!!!!
-Patty
"People will always be tempted to wipe their feet/On anything with
welcome written on it" -Sir Andrew of Partridge
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 14:51:27 -0400 From: jmanack@sewickley-acad.pvt.k12.pa.us (Jessica Pumpkinhead) Subject: How Many English Settlements? In Chalkhills #411 a buncha people kept saying that English Settlement had all these kool extensive liner notes w/lyrics and other stuph. I was wondering if there is more than one version of that album, or if they were talking about the LP, because I have the CD and all that's there are the names of all the songs and who wrote them. Can anyone explain this? jessica, jessica, bo bessica banana fana fo fessica mi my mo messica JESSICA jmanack@sewickley-acad.pvt.k12.pa.us "I used to be indecisive, but now I'm not sure." --from an Artpost postcard "The pen is mightier than the sword, but why should I have to choose? I have two hands, so I carry BOTH." --Jim Goad, ANSWER Me! "I had no message and the message was, we're all Jesus, Buddha, and the Wizard of Oz!" --Andy Partridge
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 15:04:42 -0600
From: gill@io.com (Spike Barnett)
Subject: Just wanted to say...
I love the digest and have been reading it for a few months since I've
had my computer. I want somebody to tell me why XTC has never recieved any
kind of Grammy or some other kind of award besides praise from music lovers.
I also would appreciate anyone who would give me song by song the
differences between Drums and Wireless and the originals. Thanks
gill@io.com
Spike Barnett
gill@io.com
------------------------------ From: Tim Szeliga <tim@snow.nohrsc.nws.gov> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #412 Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 15:11:00 CST Re: the current Eno/Cale thread I gotta chime in too. I've been following Eno and Cale since, well, "June 6, 1974" (their quasi-legendary live album with Nico and Kevin Ayres). After "Before And After Science" came out I kept waiting and waiting for another pop/rock/vocal album, but Eno had moved on to other things. (Ambient music, U2, etc) I had grown used to the idea that Eno was, like Captain Beefheart, an ex-pop star who had drifted toward "real art", and he was never going to sing again. I repected his later work a whole lot more than I enjoyed it. Imagine my surprise when I first heard "Spinning Away" ON THE RADIO! My five-year-old son calls this "The Sunset Song" (as opposed to "The Cannon's Thunder", Stan Ridgeway's cover from Brecht/Weill's Threepenny Opera. God, am I warping his taste!) The lyrics depict someone sitting on a hill, trying to sketch a sunset, and noting that, in the time it takes to draw a feature, the color has changed. "One by one, all the stars appear"... "A silent silver plane, it draws a golden chain". Gorgeous lyrics, opulent production, so many layers. And the harmonies! He builds six, eight, maybe ten layers in those two chords "its the stars". Does anyone have a clue as to what they are? Augmented A minor with thirteenths, ninths and fifteenths? And yet the song, with its hooks, synthetic high-hat and African guitar (similar to Dolby's "Screen Kiss" or XTC's "Hold Me My Daddy" (obligatory XTC reference)), is simple enough to play on the radio station without immediately causing listeners to switch off. As if to say, "Alright, here! I can still write pop! Now can I get back to my real work?" PS Cale's Cordoba is also beautiful and haunting, but his best recent work was "Songs for 'Drella" with Lou Reed. Has anyone heard his collaboration with Bob Nieuwirth (one of the "New Dylans" of the sixties)?
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 13:13:33 -0800 From: Bill.Wisner@efi.com (Bill Wisner) Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #412 > Fellow enthusiasts: Have you ever had an XTC song that you absolutely hated, > suddenly do a 180' turn and become your favorite? Sacrificial Bonfire. Across This Antheap. Much of English Settlement. w. (stars are laughing at us)
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 21:36:55 +0000
From: bt18@cityscape.co.uk (Allan Toombs)
Subject: XTC Surf Wear/Too Much Bass Talk!
First off on items that use the 'XTC' tag there's a surf shop down in Bude,
Cornwall that does a whole range of boards, sweats and t-shirts. I bought a
T last summer and they have a discrete XTC on the front in the pocket
position, but a monstrous grafitti psychedelic back print of a board and the
XTC letters radical surf style.
Having said how great the shirt is I don't expect to see branches springing
up around the World like Hot Tuna or Stussi, this is a real hundred
percenters place and is closed odd hours, I assume to correspond with
surfing tides, and you feel a bit out of place buying their gear because
you're into the band.
Aaaagh! Has the whole World gone bass crazy? My other mailing list
Dumb Angel is knee deep in a debate about the Beach Boys's use of thumb
plucks, barres etc. and over here it's fretless city! Having said that you
might like to know that Don Was has produced Brian Wilson's next solo album
due out soon. Also if you spotted 'Pale and Precious' as a tribute to the
Smile Era you may be interested to hear that a 3 CD set of material from the
great lost album is proposed for later in the year.
Anyway my most embarrassing XTC related moment was when I worked in
a record shop and filed the Dukes Of the Stratosphear LP in the Psychedelic
section not knowing who it really was! The shame...
------------------------------ From: s.reule@genie.geis.com Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 20:50:00 UTC Subject: Book 'em John - Thanks for the plug again. My store (Obsessed With Music) does indeed have a copy of the book (Chalkhills And Children) for sale. The even better news is that it's an autographed copy, signed by Andy, Colin, and Dave. It's a remnant from the last XTC convention. Don't worry, I got a copy signed by the boys and a copy signed by Chris Twomey for myself but I also nabbed a couple signed copies for the store. Only the one mentioned in the previous paragraph is left but if anyone is interested in it write for further info: STEVEN.REULE@24STEX.COM or S.REULE@GENIE.GEIS.COM Also, is there any news at all on any UPCOMING XTC convention(s)? Steven Reule, Owner Obsessed With Music 4219 Arden Way Sacramento, CA 95864
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 16:15:41 -0600 From: mheibel@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us (Micah Heibel) Subject: My favorite XTC songs In response to one of the survey questions: My three favorite XTC songs: 1) Making plans for Nigel - It was the first XTC song I heard and a friend of mine had a cool MPFN button (in 1980) 2) Great Fire - It pushes you away and then pulls you back. 3) Mayor of Simpleton - I just love "The Avengers" and therefore loved the video. my least favorite album is English Settlement. I've just never liked it, no matter how hard I tried. Especially the 1 record domestic version. Micah Heibel Math teacher Lincoln High School "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer!" Leonard "Bones" McCoy
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Feb 95 17:16:50 EST From: "Gene (Sp00n) Yoon" <ST004422@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU> Subject: [Not] Love at First Sight In response to Jimmy Dugan's last post, XTC is most definitely a group whose music just grows and grows and grows on you, spreading like a slow cancer. Some songs are Instant Tunes, so to speak, immediately likeable. Others take a while to seep into your consciousness. Off the top of my head, I can think of these songs which went from lead to gold for my ears: Science Friction Scissor Man Real by Reel Respectable Street Don't Lose Your Temper* Train Running Low on Soul Coal* Seagulls Screaming Sacrificial Bonfire (beautiful orchestral arrangement, tympany + bassoon) King for a Day Omnibus* * enjoyable on certain days only Just adding my bit, Gene
------------------------------ Date: 22 Feb 1995 17:57:48 -0500 From: "Sherwood, Harrison" <hsherwood@btg.com> Subject: Back in Your Cage, Sherwood Bob Sherwood (my younger but not smarter brother) wrote: >> Now to set the matter straight on "Pink Thing"- it's not about Andy's >> weenie or his kid. It's about the strife and upheaval in Northern Ireland. Oh dear. Oh dearie dear. My poor poor brother--at it again. Embarrassment to the family, as usual. Sorry, everybody. Pay no attention. We're having him neutered next week. Even the most cursory listen to "Pink Thing" will reveal that it is manifestly _not_ a song about Northern Ireland. But I have it on excellent authority that it's not about Andy Partridge's tallywhacker, either; it's about _Colin's_. Listen to it with this in mind, and the whole thing becomes quite a lot more, er, _vivid_. Lines like, "I want to take you out and show you to the girls" take on a whole new dimension. Like to see the video on that one. Colin plays _acoustic_ bass throughout "Oranges and Lemons." The bass is pictured on the front cover. (And that, Bob, is what they mean by a "troll.") Re. Jeff Rosedale and the Straight Dope on "Mayor of Simpleton" being used as auditory tear-gas to flush out Noriega: God, I love the U.S. Military! I'm sorry to any of our Brave Boys and Girls in Uniform who might be reading this, but sometimes you kids have the brains of a fruit bat. Remember the night the Monster Bombing of Baghdad began a few years ago? I was catching the whole thing on the tube (hey, didn't we all?), watching the planes as they took off from the USS Enterprise, on their way to drop a few Hot-n-Heavies on Saddam, and what do I hear blaring out of the loudspeakers on deck, _Apocalypse Now_-style? Why, "Rockin' the Casbah" by the Clash! Of course! All along, I'd thought that Joe Strummer was being _ironic_! Gosh, how wrong can you _be_! Of course, you know what happened, right? Some general (or major!) who fancied himself forward-thinking and PR-minded had decided he needed some kind of Hip Theme Song to rile up the troops, assigned some 20-year-old slick-sleeve to search his CD collection for something even faintly relevant, and "Rockin' the Casbah" was as good as he could do. And I'm sure that's exactly what happened with "Mayor" and Noriega. General Major sez, "Go find me a bunch of songs about stupid people that might insult Noriega enough to make him surrender," lieutenant salutes, sez "Yes, SIR!" and comes back with "Mayor of Simpleton." Yeesh. (Meanwhile, I picture Manny, holed up in the Papal Nuncio's crash pad, stripped down to his red underwear, frugging madly, going "Check out that _bass!_ You reckon that's a fretless? '...Make up a ton of all the Nobel Prizes...' WOOO! Hey you Americano peegs! Now I wanna send out 'President Kill' to George Boosh!) "[Hey Colin!] Don't you think it's time you met some _female_ pink thing?"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 19:57:20 -0500 (EST)
From: Derek Miner <ind00163@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>
Subject: Re: XTC on Muzak!
On Fri, 17 Feb 1995 ChgoPix@aol.com wrote:
>
> My day, 16 February 1995 begins much like any other day, except that I have
> enough time to stop at the East LA *Food 4 Less* to get something semi edible
> to eat before heading into work. It's 7:44 and I am standing in the breakfast
> food aisle with the vague knowledge that Eric Carmen's loathsome "Hungry
> Eyes" is drilling it's way into my subconcions via the store's Muzak system.
> Eric thankfully fades out and a familiar plinky sound fills my head. I am
> lifted out of my haze and my brain retrieves the information that I am
> hearing "King for a Day"!! In a really crappy East LA grocery store!!!! At
> 7:45 in the morning!!!!! Oh, it's really a remarkable planet, isn't it?
> Cheers! Carole
It has been my experience that XTC has the fortune (?) to be
played more often in public places than on the good ol' radio. Some
examples: I have heard "Mayor Of Simpleton" and "Dear Madam Barnum" on
the Muzak of my hometown mall (not a big hometown either!). And this past
Christmas, a friend gainfully employed by County Seat told me that both
"Thanks For Christmas" and "Countdown to Christmas Party Time" were on a
corporate tape that ALL stores got to play over and over through the day.
Derek
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 15:04:35 +1300 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #412 BarryR7704@aol.com wrote: >Final bit of hero worship: don't you think James Dignan is the revelation of >this mailing list (as they say about new riders in the Tour de France)? How >about a "Dig James Dignan" internet site where we just throw out our kids' >homework questions to him? And I didn't even have to pay him! Well, shucks (blush) :> James
------------------------------ From: mallard@uclink.berkeley.edu (Chong Hyun Byun) Subject: stuff up for grabs Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 19:07:51 -0800 (PST) Hello all, I'm advertising some CDs and vinyl for sale or trade, preferably trade. Things I'd like to get are: Vinyl singles namely Sgt. Rock with the poster sleeve Towers of London (double set, with the "masonry" plastic outersleeve) The single off of Big Express (I think. And I can't remember which songs they are) that has the postcards enclosed. And anything else nice. CDs of concerts/whatever. Maybe some video, I'd like to get the puppet show or the XTC at the Manor tape. And just anything that a collector might want. What I have up for grabs: Tiny Circus of Life CD Go+ No Thugs in Our House vinyl single with the open-up theatre sleeve Oranges and Lemons--the 3 tiny CDs in a little box. Urgh! A Music War double LP, with a live version of "Respectable Street" "Mayor of Simpleton" 12 inch single, with "Ella Guru", "Living in a Haunted Heart", and a couple other songs. Plus, I have the Pooh Sticks "Great White Wonder" CD, if anyone's interested. Please send inquiries to mallard@uclink.berkeley.edu or if it bounces, to: cbyun@ocf.berkeley.edu Thanks, all. Christie Byun
------------------------------ From: PTomek@aol.com Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 23:36:34 -0500 Subject: What mojo? and Buggles In Chalkhills #412, DFerg@aol.com quoted: >"My mojo is in an operable condition but its efficacy has yet to be >demonstrated upon you." - >Blues With A Feeling: Steve Hackett My jaw dropped when I read this. Because I wrote it originally, on the wall of a nightclub dressing room in Germany. Let me explain-- In the winter of '88 (I think), the Rainmakers were in the middle of a European tour. If I remember right, we were in Bochum, though I don't remember the name of the club--I do remember the walls were white and there wasn't a lot of graffiti. Some blues guy had written all this stuff on the wall, like "(whatever his name was) is LOVE," and stuff about his mojo. We figured we had to make fun of that, so each of us wrote something on the wall--I remember Rich wrote something about his own "black cat bone." And I decided to be whiter than white and wrote the above words. Really. Word for word; our guitar player jokes about it now and then and he never gets it quite right. Don't get the wrong idea--I'm just glad someone thought it was funny enough to use in a song (and I'll try to find the album; I'd like to hear it). Besides, what am I going to do, try to copyright graffiti? But it was quite a shock to read those words! Also, Steve Levenstein wrote about Buggles: >Their follow-up album, "I Am a Camera" (I think), must be very rare, >I haven't seen it for years & years. CFNY used to play the title track >and "Vermillion Sands" a fair bit The title is "Adventures in Modern Recording;" catalog number ARZ37928, on Perfect/Carrere Records, distributed by CBS. I just have an LP, dated 1981, so I don't know if this would help you locate it. I always liked this album a lot, and agree with Steve that if you like "Age of Plastic," you'd enjoy this one, too. You might also find the Bruce Woolley & The Camera Club album interesting, if you can find it. It's from 1979, with an earlier version of "Video Killed the Radio Star," and includes Thomas Dolby on keys and Matthew Seligman on bass. Sorry about the lack of XTC content in this post. Pat
------------------------------ From: rchami@nando.net Date: Thu, 23 Feb 95 12:02:56 PST Subject: New Member: Introduction Having just joined Chalkhills, I was (as you know) asked to introduce myself to the group. Given that these intros can easily become tiresome, I'll keep mine short and end with a little story that might amuse you. I learned of XTC through a friend some years ago and, as is suggested in the FAQ, proceeded to buy all their recordings. Well, almost all the US releases anyway. I learned of Chalkhills through a search of the Lycos catalog of the WWW. I'm a technical writer by trade, gotta coupla English degrees and a keen interest in the Internet. Enough of this. About that story, of which I was reminded when I read the FAQ on XTC being covered by other bands. A friend in Seattle, Washington, (the same one who turned me on to XTC) went to a concert by Robin (Robyn?) Hitchcock and the Egyptians about a year ago. Prior to their appearance on stage, "Summers Cauldron" began to play on the PA system, followed by the rest of the entire Skylarking album. When RH&E came out, Robin's first order of business was to tell the audience the name of the band and the album and then to admonish everyone to check out XTC's music. Looking forward to participating in the list. For my next posting, I'm thinking of sharing a possible 17th century source or influence for "Pink Thing." Later, Randal Hamilton
------------------------------
From: XTCAthens@aol.com
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 17:37:02 -0500
Subject: This and that and other nonsuch
Hello to all out there who think that Athens Music must have jangle and must
be performed by obscene little men with shaved heads. I'm here to tell you
that there is a group of boys in Athens, Ga who call themselves Helium Kidz
(comprised of members of various other working bands here in town, most
notably the Dashboard Saviors) who have played two very well received gigs in
town. Their set list for the latest show (supposedly their last ever, but I
think it's in their blood now) was as follows:
Respectable Street
Knuckle Down
Vanishing Girl
Jason & The Argonauts
Towers Of London
Mayor Of Simpleton
This is Pop!
Living Through Another Cuba (complete with Andy's prepared speech about
England being in the middle of WW3 just like on the single)
Don't Loose Your Temper
Battery Brides
Making Plans For Nigel
Ball & Chain
Real By Reel
Life Begins At The Hop
I doubt that they're booking outside of the Athens area, so unless you live
close by, I would imagine that you're out of luck. However, if you're
interested in a cool party band, and can afford the travel expenses, I can
get you in touch with them.
I'm new to posting on this particular list, so please forgive me if I'm
repeating some of the stuff that has been said before. I'm only up to
absorbing Chalkhills #410, so I'm bound to be answering some stuff that has
already been answered.
First of all, someone once mentioned that Colin never played fretless. Check
the credits for English Settlement, because he's actually LISTED as playing
fretless bass all over that album. I don't think he ever used one in
concert, but that doesn't mean that he didn't in the studio. The bass line
for "Millions" is fretless, I'm pretty sure.
I would love to thrown out these names for producers for XTC: Dennis
Herring, who did a few minor miracles with Camper Van Beethoven; Geoff
Emerick, who was the engineer for all those wonderful Beatles records, and
who produced Elvis Costello's brilliant Imperial Bedroom; Nick Lowe, who
also did wonders with Costello; and believe it or not, Robert Fripp could
take them into an interesting direction like he did with The Roches and Daryl
Hall.
Anyway I'm sure that I'll have more to say when I have had a chance to weed
my way through #411 and #412 and.....
Jerry
------------------------------ Date: 23 Feb 1995 18:44:01 U From: "Steve Krause" <steve_krause@qm.sri.com> Subject: Another Andyism Patty Haley's description of Andy on MTV made me remember one of his comments on the radio, a portion of which I heard at random a few years ago. He was on the local modern-rock station, San Francisco's Live 105, taking calls from listeners. He gets a call from a young woman, who identifies herself as being from San Mateo, to which Andy replies (in the tone of a concerned psychoanalyst), "San Mateo, goodness...sounds like a bad sherry." [This may or may not be a transcendental revelation for Bay Area residents.] ________________________________________________________________________ Steve Krause | Have your been VALS-typed via the Internet? SRI International | http://future.sri.com/vals/valshome.html
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Feb 95 14:03:13 PST
From: John Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Van Dyke Parks and stuff
DFerg@aol.com writes:
>
>I am somewhat disappointed (don't congregate at my house) with the Hello
>disc. It is shorter than some of the discs (Check out the Jickets) a repeat
>of Snowing Angels, (I shouldn't complain but I did so there) , and althogh I
>like Prince of Orange the sobbing at the end gets old fast. Not to mention
>the cost. yipes.
$5. My oh my. That's quite expensive! Okay, if you bought the
entire series for ONE CD, then yes, it was a $45 CD. But you got 10
CDs, that's less than $5 per CD.
Yes, the Partridge CD is shorter than the Jickets. But I would rather
have a few minutes of bliss than any length of The Jickets. Yuck.
-- John
------------------------------ From: LongPlay22@aol.com Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 01:30:57 -0500 Subject: Hello / Martin Newell / Brotherhood of Lizards Hello Chalkhillians - I'm new to Chalkhills and was drawn in by the gobs of wonderful e-mail I have received from Chalkhills people about the Brotherhood Of Lizards CD that we just put out. I want to say "thank you" for all of your interest and support! The _Lizardland_ CD is off to a good start, with Alternative Press, CD Review, Huh, Goldmine and others already enthusiastic about it. If there are any music papers, radio stations or cool record stores in your town that you think we ought to know about, please e-mail me - every bit of info helps, as we are very much an underfunded, grass roots operation. Here's some Martin Newell news for you... There is a new EP out in Japan called _Let's Kiosk_ which features the track "The Jangling Man" off of _The Greatest Living Englishman_ CD, plus three new songs. _Let's Kiosk_ is supposed to come out in England in March, but there are no plans for a US release at this point. Martin is also close to finishing a new record, tentatively titled _The Off White Album_, which features Dave Gregory all over it. Thought Chalkhills readers would like to be the first to know! Oh, and if you are all antsy-pantsy about me writing about a non-XTC musician here, don't worry. I don't plan on clogging up Chalkhills with bunches of Martin Newell info, its just that I wanted y'all to know I'm here and that I know what he's doing. Many XTC fans are also Matin Newell fans, but he's not well-known enough to have his own digest or newsgroup... yet! :-) If you are interested in writing to Martin, I will gladly forward your mail unopened to him. If you don't know who he is, WAKE UP! If you are a music lover that is into XTC enough to subscribe to Chalkhills, you will love Martin Newell - guaranteed! yer pal, Steve Pilon / Long Play Records LongPlay22@aol.com POB 55233, Atlanta GA 30308
------------------------------ From: JohnL16506@aol.com Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 01:54:30 -0500 Subject: Chalkhills 412 In Chalkhills 412, keeks@maroon.tc.umn.edu (Tom Keekley) wrote: >Who is Dolbytalk????? Is this HIM? I love Dolby. Yes, that was Thomas Dolby, doing an online interview on America Online. There really wasn't very much in the way of interesting information on it, since it happens in real time (takes a while for all the people to type in questions, and then some bonehead gets to pick the ones he thinks are relevant). I have a copy of it lying around somewhere, if you're interested. What you saw was the only XTC content, for all of you out there, that would be interested. By the way, I think that he is great, too. John
------------------------------ From: d.zemel@genie.geis.com Date: Sat, 25 Feb 95 17:38:00 UTC Subject: Explode Together For issue after issue, I just read and enjoy but, over time, I get some stuff inside of me and just have to post my reactions and responses. I don't agree that Crash Test Dummies is a lame band, nor is their cover of Peter Pumpkinhead lame. I've enjoyed both CTD CDs and think that they offer a slightly fresh approach to some good music. As for the PP cover, true it's very faithful to the original but why try to improve on perfection? Also, from what I understand, CTD loves XTC and why not use their popularity and the popularity of the soundtrack to spread the word about XTC? If they did a remarkably different version of PP, it might not interest those who would otherwise like what XTC does, or if someone checks out XTC based upon this different cover, they might be disappointed with the real thing. My guess is that CTD wanted to do what they could to turn people onto XTC. The bottom line: I couldn't disagree with Jimmy Dugan more on this issue. And Oranges & Lemons being "unlistenable"? To each their own, I guess. I've said this before and I'll say it again---to my ears there is absolutely no song or album by XTC that I don't enjoy on some level. Sure, I enjoy some more than others but I find something interesting and/or enjoyable in each and every song they do. I can't understand the merit of dissing Colin's contributions to the band. To me, he's every bit as valuable to the sum of the musical output (if not the personality) of the band as is Andy and Dave, for that matter. After the disappointment after disappointment of the Hello discs, Andy's disc makes the whole year's price worth it to me. Sure, on that basis, it's an expensive disc (especially $ per song), but at least we have it (although I agree that the sobbing at the end of Prince of Orange does get old fast)! For interesting covers of "I Am The Walrus", catch the latest by Boingo. I know we've discussed this before too and it seems that that band (formerly Oingo Boingo) isn't a particular favorite of many here, I will unequivocally state that the latest by Boingo is an unqualified masterpiece, IMHO. It's largely a dark piece but lyrically and musically, it's almost perfect. (I love the line in the unbelievably tense first song entitled Insanity: "a million years of evolution and we get Danny Quayle"!) Well, that's it for this month. Keep on keepin' on...
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 23:35:28 -0500 (EST) From: Reifel Edward M <3emr1@qlink.queensu.ca> Hello, my name is Ed Reifel and I am a new Chalkhill member...thank God! It's so great to have someone else to talk to about this wonder band. I'm from Kingston Ontario, Canada and I must say, there aren't many people I've found that are fanatics like I am. I came across XTC kind of by accident when I was in grade 8 in 1986. My sister had an Elvis Costello mix made for her and the other side was drums and wires. I remember that the initial attraction was the title: 'making plans for nigel'. What an unusual title, i thought. Anyway, I've been listening to them ever since and i can honestly say there is nothing that they have ever released (that i've heard) that i didn't like. During my years of collecting their albums, there were some that took getting used to. I have found, however, that the ones that don't strike me right off the bat are the ones i like the most. I don't think any of their music is bad though. Anyway, for those still reading this banter, i am excited about this newsgroup and am looking forward to hearing more info... i'm also getting too sentimental. If anyone could suggest some rarity items, i would appreciate it. I have some, i think, but ican always use more strange tales. thanks. i need protection.
------------------------------ From: Joe_Jarrett@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Joe Jarrett) Subject: Russian Flexis Date: 26 Feb 1995 11:33:23 GMT Organization: North York Board of Education Has anyone seen the XTC Russian flexis? Their choice of tracks to release is really strange. I have nine different titles: Generals and Major, All Along the Watchtower, Clap Clap Clap, Don't Lose Your Temper, Dance Band, Do What You Do, Dance With Me Germany, Steam Fist Futurist and Shore Leave Ornithology!! Each flexi contains only one track, comes on a square piece of 5 &3/4" coloured vinyl and have a black and white picture sleeve. Anyone have any info on when they came out and any other pertinent info?
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #413 *****************************
Go back to Volume 1.
27 February 1995 / Feedback