Chalkhills Digest, Volume 19, Number 8

                 Friday, 15 November 2013

Topics:

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future
                      Paradigm Shift
                      XTC - Nonsuch
                Interview with Pete Phipps
                     It Arrived Today

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I was a little dazzled.

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Date: Sun, 13 Oct 2013 14:47:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ryan Anthony <hamsterranch@yahoo.com>
Subject: Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future
Message-ID: <1381700827.41676.YahooMailBasic@web121004.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Becki DiGregorio has asked us to send her clean digital samples of
ticking timepieces for possible inclusion in her forthcoming
album. The method she prescribes involves social media and is beyond
me, but I look forward to hearing the result, and I hope it outdoes
"Time" by Pink Floyd.

Becki, just for laughs, I hope you include tiny (non-actionable)
samples of famous recorded ticks from, for example, Leroy Anderson's
"Syncopated Clock" and the Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today,"
as well as the aforementioned "Time."

Don't go overboard, though, or you'll have to dedicate the album to
John Harrison.

Ryan Anthony
An independent Internet content provider and shadetree horologist

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Date: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 15:01:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jon Rosenberger <wile1coyote@yahoo.com>
Subject: Paradigm Shift
Message-ID: <1382047268.31556.YahooMailNeo@web125606.mail.ne1.yahoo.com>

Allo Chalkians

Just spent a wonderful rainy fall afternoon reading the latest in Todd
Burntarse's Interviews with all things Swindonian. (April? Really? WTF!)
Pete Phipps by name, decidedly not Swindonian by origin but a fantastic read
none the less as it certainly gives us an under the covers view of some of
the goings on back in the mid eighties when the children Mummer and TBE were
born. Couple of things I noticed.

 A.) It has been a tremendous time since I have had a paradigm shift it my
perceived XTC realities. My fellow uber-fans tend to rattle and prattle
about this song or that album being the best, yada yada... I tend to let
these things in one eyeball and out the other, my feelings about the band
and the things they did are fairly well established now, I am comfortable
with XTC like an old pair of slippers or a natty old desk chair sweater, I
can slide in and out of them and they remain unchanged as are my feelings
about them. The interview with PP changed that. I have long understood that
the reason Mummer differs so much from everything that came before was
Andy's changing emotional state, his need to push boundaries in a way that
live performance left him no room for, thus stop touring equals room to
grow, to mature, to expand, to spread rot and filth and disease into
heretofore unknown areas expanding ones own musicality like a flu bug going
from airport to airport. But after reading TB's article I am left wondering
how much Messr. Phipps stick work breathed life into XTC in ways that were
formally limited by Terry's excellent but limited stickwork. Beating of
Hearts while an incredible song is not that far removed from ES era tunes,
Wonderland as well. Terry dropped the beats on those two. Deliver us from
the elements, Ladybird, Human Alchemy, Love on a Freakin Farmboys wages, In
Loving memo...Decidedly NOT ES in execution, not that they are that far
removed from the themes and ideas Andy was having in the ES era, Human
Alchemy is not lyrically that far removed from Melt the Guns both socially
conscious songs that have a point to make, However the musicality of HA is
miles past Melt the Guns, The non Terry songs seem to blossom with a
PANAVSION pallet (palate?) of musical possibilities. So did the lads seek
out a drummer that could paint the visions they saw or did they tap a player
they had run across and thought they could afford and then open themselves a
Christmas morning of musical possibilities they were unaware they had gifted
themselves. Probably somewhere in the middle I suspect is where the truth
usually ends up.  Never the less the point I am so glibly throwing metaphors
and superfluous text about is that its pretty cool to look at things you
think you know from a different angle and maybe learn something new or to
see them differently and thus I recommend that you read Todd's interview
sooner rather than later, Hot Cocoa recommended, mini marshmallows
optional. And Thank You Todd.

B.) Cos of the above I spun Mummer for the first time in ages, Damn its
good! Even the crikey B sides are kinda memorable if one can excuse some of
the crazier experimentation. Farmboys I think is the most unintentionally
romantic song they ever did, for me anyway. Aspiring songwriters would due
well to study its amazing use of imagery to set both the scene and the tone.

K Back into my burrow.

Cheers All

Mole

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 18:46:33 +0100
From: "Burning Shed Support" <support@burningshed.com>
Subject: XTC - Nonsuch
Message-ID: <50729948-36DE-44B7-A655-973E876011A2@burningshed.com>

Hi,

Many thanks for ordering the deluxe edition of XTC's Nonsuch from Burning
Shed.

Unfortunately, we've been informed that due to manufacturing issues, this
release has been delayed by a week.

We will ship the album as soon as we have it in stock and will keep you
informed of any more changes to the release date in the unlikely event that
it's altered again.

We apologise for any inconvenience this delay may have caused.

Kind regards

Lisa Quattromini
support@burningshed.co.uk

Sign up for our e-newsletter here:
https://www.burningshed.com/

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http://twitter.com/burningshednews

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:12:01 -0700 (PDT)
From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com>
Subject: Interview with Pete Phipps
Message-ID: <1382555521.30763.YahooMailNeo@web141605.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

Hi, all:

Wanted to let the assembled fans here know that I've written up an
extensive interview with Pete Phipps (drummer extraordinaire on Mummer
and The Big Express, among many other fine albums), and John has been
so kind as to post it here:

http://chalkhills.org/articles/XTCFans20131013.html

Just a reminder that you can find all of the Andyviews (and other
flavors) that used to be on the XTCfans MySpace site here:

http://chalkhills.org/articles/XTCFans.html

All hail Chalkhills, and long live its founder. And, of course, the
band who inspired it all.

-Todd

"Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions
and make them great." ~Orison Swett Marden

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 23:19:05 -0800
From: "John W. James" <jjames@jameshillfarm.com>
Subject: It Arrived Today
Message-ID: <5285CAE9.5030900@jameshillfarm.com>

It performs.

It's cool.

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End of Chalkhills Digest #19-8
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Go back to Volume 19.

16 November 2013 / Feedback