Chalkhills, Number 43

                   Monday, 17 July 1989
Today's Topics:
                   more live vs. studio
                         Dukes CD

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Date: Mon, 17 Jul 89 10:25:04 EDT
From: glickman%hustat@harvard.harvard.edu (Mark Glickman)
Subject: more live vs. studio

jsd@umass writes:

>Anyways, to me there is just no way that any of the songs post English
>Settlement can be done sufficient justice to in the live setting.  It
>seems to me that the band agrees with me, as Andy has stated about a zillion
>times in interviews that one of the prime reasons he doesn't want to
>perform live anymore if because the songs just wouldn't translate very
>well.

You've been listening to Andy with plugs in your ears.  He says there
are precisely two (2) reasons for discontinuing performing live:

	1) Performing live was very exhausting and difficult work that
	   had "too many negative connotations."
	2) Andy developed stage-fright.

By the way, Jon, did you see XTC live on Late Night with David Letterman?
King for a Day sounded exactly as it does on O & L.

>It is obvious to all but the most severely retarted persons that
>the arrangements and instrumentation of their albums has been getting
>steadily more convoluted and lush.

... As is true for virtually every other artist on the face of the earth.
Sounds to me like you better stay away from rock concerts, or else
you'll be severely disappointed.

>Mark Glickman, on the other hand, shows some signs of intelligence when
>he mentions Joe Jackson, a man who knows how to make a song _work_ in
>the live setting.

Thank you.

>On the other hand, Mr. Glickman also says that _Scarecrow
>People_ live is a good thing.  For shame!  It's not a good arrangement,
>or an adventurous one, or anything.  You can see clearly how it works in the
>video: Colin plays the low bass notes on an acoustic guitar, creating a
>very stupid sound because low strings on acoustic guitar don't sound
>like electric bass very much.  Andy strums rhythm.  Dave plays the same
>lead lines virtually note for note and they don't sound as good because
>he doesn't get the same sustain out of them.  And I really honestly truly
>think that Andy did nothing for the song vocally, except wreck it.

Watch the video again.  If you decide to, you'll notice that while
much of the time Colin plays the bass notes, he also does strum during
chorus.  But this is irrelevant to my main argument.  They do try
to approximate the song as it was recorded, but account for the fact
that the arrangement is for 3 acoustic guitars.  Agreed, they do not
make the effort Joe Jackson might've if he were performing, but they
inherently admit to wanting to keep the same feel of the song when
performing it live.  You're entitled to your wrong opinion that Andy's
vocals ruined the song - I felt that he did justice to the song.  It's
clear that you can't take pop performances too seriously, or else
you might be crying when Andy forgot (and subsequently covered up)
the line "you're the smartest animals on earth...," but WHO CARES?

If I were told I had a choice only between hearing a recorded version
of an XTC song and a live version, and never allowed to hear the song
again, obviously I would choose the recorded version.  In a way, Jon,
this is almost the argument you're using.  But in real life, I do
get to hear the song again.  So it doesn't really matter if there are
mistakes.  The overall feel for the piece and the nuances are what
make live performances.

I think XTC has been commenting on the poor quality of their performances.
But I know as a performer (of both rock and classical music) that
one tends to judge oneself on the painfully obvious note mistakes one
tends to make, not paying attention to dynamics, subtleties, etc.

Damian@umass.bitnet writes:

>Face it guys, XTC sucks live....give up on the old XTC and except the new

Seems to me that *you're* going to have to give up on the old XTC
and accept the new, with the rate XTC's been performing live!

Why not accept both the studio and live music?

            - Mark

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From: ihlpf!rar84@att.att.com
Date: Mon, 17 Jul 89 16:19 CDT
Subject: Dukes CD

In the latest "Noteworthy Music" CD Catalog, there is a CD under
Dukes of Stratosphear titled: "Chips from the Chocolate Fireball"
Is this the same as "Psonic Psunspot (or however they spell it)"?

Thanks
Rick Rockershousen

	[ _Chips_ is actually all of _25 O'Clock_ AND _Psonic
	  Psunspot_ on one CD.  Buy or Die.	-- John ]

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