Chalkhills, Number 49

                  Monday, 7 August 1989
Today's Topics:
                   Re:  Chalkhills #48
     Re: Senses Working Overtime - Why Two Versions?
                  Re: Why Two Versions?

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Date: Sat, 5 Aug 89 21:43:12 edt
From: phw@neptune.graphics.cornell.edu (Paul H. Wanuga)
Subject: Re:  Chalkhills #48

Subject: Senses Working Overtime - Why Two Versions

The original version on the album was considered too long
by the *smart* record company executives.  So, they cut
out a couple of parts in the song.  I hate listening
to the bridge (part with them busses) of the single.
The abridged version ruins the song for me.

             Paul Wanuga
cornell.graphics.edu

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Date: Sun, 6 Aug 1989 12:05:10 PDT
From: John M. Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Senses Working Overtime - Why Two Versions?

wilson@psyche.enet.dec.com sez:

>I happened to be listening to a local radio station that was playing "Senses
>Working Overtime," and heard a different version of the song from the one I
>have on my CD, "Compact XTC: The Singles, 1978-1985."
>
>The version I heard had the line "And busses might skid on black ice" and
>also extended the music a bit in the section just before the last "And all
>the world is football shaped..." What gives? Why would anyone edit out
>the part about the busses?

Right.  That's the original album version (as Paul says).  It's
available on _English Settlement_ and the _Senses_ 12" single and
CD-3.  Many of XTC's 7" singles contain edited versions for radio
play, since the originals were "too long".  In fact, out of the 18
songs on _The Compact XTC_, almost half of them are edited or
otherwise differ from the album versions (if they appear on an album
at all).

>Another question regarding "The Big Express" song (is it?) "Shake You
>Donkey Up": "She really shake you donkey up!" Did Andy coin this expression?

He must have.

>Question on books about XTC. Any in print yet? Titles?

Not as far as I know.  There is apparently one book of "sheet music",
called _Eleven Different Animals_ but I've never seen it.

Andy says, "I've looked, and for every ten books, we're only mentioned
in one.  The rest of them just straight from Link Wray to Neil Young or
somebody.  That means" -- and here his voice begins to rise in parody of
righteous indignation -- "that out of every hundred books, we _don't
even exist_ according to ninety of them."  He lowers his voice back to
its subdued, proper British tone.  "That used to annoy me."
[from _Rolling Stone_ 20 April 1989]

	-- John

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Date: Mon, 7 Aug 89 10:55:21 CDT
From: oconnor!keaton!jtl@oddjob.uchicago.edu (Joe Lynn)
Subject: Re: Why Two Versions?

XTC (and a number of other bands- OMD comes to mind) released a bunch
of singles that don't match up with their LP counterparts;  a trip
through _Waxworks_ (or _The Compact XTC_) will surprise anyone who
has never heard the 'single' versions of some songs.  Why they did it?
Who knows?  Radio in the early 80s was an odd place to be (at least I know
it was in Chicago...).   A few examples:

	"This Is Pop" - The single version (on _WW_/_TCX_) is entirely
		different from the version that appears on _White Music_;
		I think the single version kicks butt over the LP

	"Towers of London" - the single leaves out a repeat of the middle
		portion: "I've seen it in a painting..."

	"Generals and Majors" - there are an extra few bars at the end before
		the 'close-out' singing starts

One of my favorite examples is how they changed "Respectable Street" from
its original form to its video (and I'm assuming, 45) form:  references to
'abortion' change to 'absorption', 'contraception' changes to
'child prevention',  and 'Saturday night saw him retching' turns into
'Saturday night saw him stretching'...  Had the boys bent to the demands of
pop radio??

				--Joe Lynn

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