Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 140
Date: Friday, 26 July 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 140
Friday, 26 July 1996
Today's Topics:
Why you, I aught'ta ...
Swindon lives in "Kingdom Come"
FF over this
Fossil Froom, Carmen Battery, & Other Nonsense
SPOT???
Re: Thank You Chalkhills
Explode Together, etc.
Amusing AP, Yazbek tidbit
T-Shirt Update
Copper Chordal Organ
Dazzling (My wit don't stink) Dave!
RE: Attacking the poor guy with the monkey.
Wanna grow up to be a debaser
Producer schmoducer
the 80's??
Llamanos (we're running dry)
English Settlement
And all the cars go "Brum! Brum!"...
producers;drummers,and pass tour.
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-139
Yazbek in CT & PA
(1) VIDEO PETITION UPDATE (2) Dreams sometimes do come true!
ORANGES AND LEMONS
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Imagination gone packing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Chris Spillios <cspillio@env.gov.ab.ca> Subject: Why you, I aught'ta ... Message-ID: <SIMEON.9607231718.B@oxp102.env.gov.ab.ca> Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 17:01:18 -0600 () Hey kids, David Gershman (Re: Rush): >Well, one major difference is that XTC has a sense of humor. But in any I've kept my mouth shut about Rush but now you've gone TOO far. Anyone who opens their shows with the theme music from The Three Stooges is not without humor. >great songwriters! So PLEASE please PLEASE, I implore you, let's not >mention them anymore. It was an accident...if I had known what I was Oops! Too late. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk! Chris Spillios - DNRC King of the Popes, HPK
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 18:32:59 -0500 Message-Id: <v02110101ae1ac77447f8@[144.92.180.131]> From: aosterma@students.wisc.edu (Adam J. Ostermann) Subject: Swindon lives in "Kingdom Come" If you are, by any means, not a comic book fan, you have my complete permission to fast-forward through this somewhat lengthy post. Now, for the rest of you: If you follow comics at all, you should know about DC's MASSIVE mini-series "Kingdom Come," an apocolyptic 'what-if' tale of what our heroes do when they become too powerful. The series is coming to an end, and so far it's been great stuff. One of the coolest things about the series is artist Alex Ross' flair for sticking stuff in there that make people look twice. The Beatles, Fat Albert and his Gang (as street hoodlums!) and various characters from Marvel comics, DC Comics' rival, have made appearances. And there is an item or two of interest of Chalkhillians, too: In Issue 1, page 10 panel 3, if you look at the flyer at the telephone it says "XTC"! It must truly be an alternate universe if Andy and the boys are playing live! In that same issue, you can see a flyer for Bjork as well... But here's the coolest part... One of the supporting characters is a green-skinned female with the ability to fly. She is said to be the daughter of Supergirl and the 30th century Brainiac 5. Her name? XTC. Which, of course, should make sense, considering Partridge compositions like "Brainiac's Daughter" and "That's Really Super, Supergirl!" She appears throughout the series as well as being on the cover of #2 on the third row. I got all this info from a spectacular panel-by-panel analysis of the book - and, yes, a comic of this magnatude needs one! I can't find a webpage at the moment, but the guy who put the page together's e-mail is kalkin@sunspot.tiac.net. Oh, BTW, David Goldfrab, Thomas Howard and Bill Jennings, if you are here in Chalkhillland, thank you very much for pointing the XTC relations out to the ^KC^ analysis... That's it for now... Adam Ostermann aosterma@students.wisc.edu
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 18:40:59 -0500 (CDT) Message-Id: <199607232340.SAA01946@sky.net> From: Scott Taylor <staylor@sky.net> Subject: FF over this >[It] is an EXCELLENT album. I urge ALL Chalkhillians to >check out Sam Phillips. She has 3 albums to her credit (with a 3rd, >"Omnipop" due in August) and they are all three wonderful. She is one of >the finest songwriters out there. Why hasn't anyone suggested HER for a producer? The pre-transsexual stuff she did with Elvis (the American one) still holds up 40 years later... Hey, can Wendy Carlos play drums? RE: XTC LIVE >a signal for the audience to point their index fingers into the sky and >shout " Woohoo!! " at the crucial juncture ( you know where ) - BUT at this >gig, some bloke got too close to Andy and poked him right in the groin !! And some people will still ask why Andy chooses not to tour anymore. >And while I'm rambling, how did XTC get away with such a blatant sexual >metaphor in *Cherry in Your Tree* on an album for children? And could Are you referring to the title itself or the "making/baking love" line? I'm certainly no prude, but I was surprised that this line showed up on an album that is ostensibly directed at the kiddie market. Fred Penner it ain't.
------------------------------ From: myke <jerk@earth.execpc.com> Message-Id: <199607240043.TAA25787@earth.execpc.com> Subject: Fossil Froom, Carmen Battery, & Other Nonsense Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 19:43:52 -0500 (CDT) > From: gondola@deltanet.com (E.B.) > Subject: Re: Frooom You forgot Ron Sexsmith. Best album of the last 30 years. > he persists in polluting nearly all his projects with. Now, it did work > well recently with the Cibo Matto debut, a record appropriately based in > rhythm and percussion, unlike Thompson, AMC, Vega, etc. He didn't use it on Cibo Matto's album because the drums were all samples and rhythm loops constructed by the band. I've been analyzing just what was left for the boys to actually -produce- and I think it comes down to vocals, effects, and little add-ons (like the finger-snaps in "Beef Jerky"). > From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl> > Subject: Re: Fossil Fools > Do you really rate Statue Of Liberty or Science Friction higher than > the fabulous Wait Till Your Boat? I honestly do. In fact, it annoys the pants off of me. > From: "Daniel Prendiville" <modjp@indigo.ie> > Subject: bludgeon? > what's wrong with Mr. Dudgeon's production of NONSUCH? I really do hate to make a list and submit it to Chalkhills (don't ream me!) but I must react. "The Disappointed": Didn't someone point out the resemblance to Tears For Fears at one point? "Crocodile": "That "boink-boink-boink" guitar noise and the awful cowbell idea. "That Wave": Dreadful multitracked octave vocals at the beginning -still- remind me of an awful The The B-side. Some of the song segues don't work. (Why are people always compelled to make songs fade into each other on XTC albums? It isn't necessary, folks!!) > ...turning Japanese, I really think so... ...Orgasm addict, you're always at it... > From: jims@inlink.com (Jim S) > Subject: Correcting myself... > Oops. Obviously, I meant her 4th album. She already has 3 out. Am I mistaken, or didn't she have some quasi-religious material before her "first" album for Virgin? > From: David.Criddle@cinsycfs.rcc.org (David Criddle) > Subject: John Leckie > I might have missed this somewhere. Did John Leckie produce Go2? His > name is spelled Lackie on my copy Notice that also "Battery Brides" is listed "Battery Bridges". For the record, my copy says Leckie, but your copy seems to have an absurd sense of humor. > really read someone saying they'd just been listening to the *production* > of the Martin Newell LP? Is this really what people do?). Well, other musicians certainly do, yes. Sometimes I listen to the production more than the songs. > Does this mean that none of us has been able to fork out cash for > such a terrible band? I have made the error. Do not stoop so low. "Beyooonnnd the Payulllll-uh!" > someone tell me what exactly Carmen Sandiego is and how it comes to have > such a groovy soundtrack? It was a computer game-cum-kids TV show, a mystery-type thing wherein kids (or adults, let's be fair) have to go from city to city based on specific geographical clues and try to hunt down Carmen, who has for some odd reason gone missing and is wanted by many many many people. There were a series of games "Where in the world is..", "Where in the USA is..", "Where in Swindon is..." (no, but there should have been...) > To fend off the boredom we devise games and make inane discusions. Who > will be our next mechanic, what will be the name of our next gasstation, > How many licence plates have the word *monkey* in it. And then there are people who waste digest space to complain about it without making a single useful comment at all.
------------------------------ From: Aaron Pastula <apastula@pepperdine.edu> Message-Id: <199607240122.AA27652@pepvax.pepperdine.edu> Subject: SPOT??? Date: Tue, 23 Jul 96 18:22:00 PDT > Anyone ever like or hear of Spot? They sound sort of like a cross > between Nirvana and XTC. Interesting to listen to while waiting > (seemingly forever) for the next drop of previously-unheard XTC... There is a band here in L.A. called Spot...is THIS that band you're referring to? I saw them play at the Roxy a few times, only because one of my friends was an acquaintance of someone in the band...I don't know, I wouldn't relate them to XTC by any means. Please say if we're speaking of the same Spot. Aaron.
------------------------------ From: Blwoll@aol.com Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 22:57:19 -0400 Message-ID: <960723225718_162797374@emout17.mail.aol.com> Subject: Re: Thank You Chalkhills As an incredibly fervent XTC fan, the highlight of exploring the internet throughout the past year was my discovery of a group of people who thought as highly of their music as I do. I am a 22 year old who, instead of listening to the groans of Nirvana or the party sounds of the Spins Doctors, chills to Ladybird and gets rollicking drunk to Meccanick Dancing. I have always loved music, but before discovering XTC I had found pop to be, with a few exceptions (Beatles, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd) rather artless. XTC's greatest strength is that they do not apologize for their intelligence and talent. Some might prefer Silverchair, or the Toadies, or another dime a dozen band out there, but damnit, you just can't eat and breathe that fluff... I like that analogy, that you can eat XTC...Ballet For a Rainy day is a light salad, Peter Pumpkinhead a barbeque, Prince of Orange an exotic Indian dish. Deliver Us From the Elements and Human Alchemy are brussel sprouts - might not be immediately tasty, but you need that kind of thing to stay healthy... Anyway, I am moving to the woods of Maine, and will not have access to email, so I just wanted to thank Chalkhills for many a good read. Thanks to John Relph. Thanks for including information on other great artists - Yazbek, Nelson, Hitchcock, Costello, etc. And let us hope that some new XTC will find its way into our greedy little hands soon. And one more thing: Smartest Monkeys, Wait Till' Your Boat Goes Down, and especially Bungalow are great tunes. The only songs I consistently skip through are Travels in Nihilon, Down In The Cockpit, Little Lighthouse, Big Day, President Kill, The Loving, and War Dance. Still, they are brilliant, aren't they??? Cheers, Ben
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 23:32:55 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <199607240332.XAA25944@cyber1.servtech.com>
From: Joshua Hall-Bachner <particle@servtech.com>
Subject: Explode Together, etc.
Hideho!
It's nice to know that my sixth sense is working properly. :) Today,
I was passing a used CD store, when I felt a desire to go in and take a look
around. And, wouldn't you know it, I found a used copy of Explode Together
for $8! (Considering that it'd probably be $24 new, being an import, I was
extremely happy!) I'm listening to it right now. The Go+ tracks are strange,
not anything like what I expected. The LoS tracks are closer, in that they
actually took bits of the old song and turned it into a new song, instead of
just screwing with the old song. I haven't gotten to listen to it very much,
so I don't have much of an opinion of it yet, other than that it's strange. :)
Also:
> Mitch Friedman "XTSea" Medley
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What is this? I've looked over the discography, and I'm pretty sure I've
never heard of this. :) I assume it's a medley of songs from Black Sea, but
which songs? Please educate me. :)
And more still:
>And while I'm rambling, how did XTC get away with such a blatant sexual
>metaphor in *Cherry in Your Tree* on an album for children? And could
>someone tell me what exactly Carmen Sandiego is and how it comes to have
>such a groovy soundtrack?
Mainly because you're not actually hearing what Andy's trying to say. :) I
believe the lyric in question is "baking love", which you'll discover if you
listen carefully. (To tell you the truth, I wondered the same thing you did,
when I first heard it...) The story: Andy had a side project all ready,
where there would be one small record company where all the bands were
actually the same person (namely, him). He had all the songs written, too.
But it didn't look like it was going to happen, so when asked for a song for
CS, he grabbed CiyT and changed a letter so it would be more appropriate. :)
/----------------------------Joshua Hall-Bachner----------------------------\
| particle@servtech.com http://www.servtech.com/public/particle/ |
| "Life is like a jigsaw. You get the straight bits, but there's something |
\------missing in the middle."--XTC, "All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)"------/
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 21:41 -0600 (MDT) From: Miles or Gigi Coleman <coleman@cougarnet.byu.edu> Subject: Amusing AP, Yazbek tidbit Message-id: <0DV13KZ0A003TK@ACS2.BYU.EDU> Chalkfriends, Don't know if anyone has seen this article: http://www.earthnet.net/~altnews/050996/ears.html >From it came this amusing quote from Andy about Mr. Yazbek. "Andy Partridge, who faxed some comments from his home in Swindon, England, agrees:"A success-seeking missile is homing in on his butt. If I could write songs like he does, step into his shoes and his world for a day ... boy, would that confuse his wife."" Miles and Gigi Coleman Provo, Utah http://www.byu.edu/~coleman Family Home Page http://www.mission.net Index for Alumni of LDS Missions
------------------------------ Message-Id: <m0uiwTZ-000QenC@mis01.micron.net> Date: Tue, 23 Jul 96 23:27 MDT From: philco@micron.net (Phil Corless) Subject: T-Shirt Update As of Tuesday, July 23, I have received t-shirt orders from: Bill Campbell Claudia Cauchon Paul Curd Robert Dassie Becki diGregorio Mark Donati (2) David Donati Bob Estus Jon Eva (2) David Ferguson David Gershman Gregory Gillette Robert Glazer Adam Greenberg Lore Guilmartin Laura Gutierrez-Ross Joshua Hall-Bachner DeWitt Henderson Naoyuki Isogai Natalie Jacobs Tim Kendrick Matt Knuppel Andy Kreyche Will Masters Stuart McDow Mitch McGlothlin John Monteiro Tobin Munsat Matt Naranjo (2) Par Nilsson Soren Nilsson (2) Erik Pages Randy Posynick Melissa Reaves Michael Rybicki Steve Schiavo (2) Chris Van Valen (2) Jan Weller Yasushi Yamashita (2) If you have already mailed a check to me, please let me know ASAP so I can watch for it! If you haven't mailed anything..... It's too late... Sorry... The orders will go in to the shop this Friday or next Monday, depending on when those overseas letters arrive. * -------------------------------- Phil Corless Boise, Idaho philco@micron.net * -------------------------------- http://netnow.micron.net/~philco/
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 22:38:43 -0700
From: relph (John Relph)
Message-Id: <199607240538.WAA06855@mando.engr.sgi.com>
Subject: Copper Chordal Organ
The inestimable Kevin Brunkhorst, he of <KB305@aol.com>, has
contributed chord charts for eleven -- count 'em, eleven -- XTC songs!
Check out the "Charts" or "What's New" page in the Chalkhills Archive
(URL to be found at the top of this issue of Chalkhills).
Here's the full list of songs:
All of a Sudden (It's Too Late)
Books Are Burning
Jason and the Argonauts
Merely a Man
The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead
Poor Skeleton Steps Out
Here Comes President Kill Again
Senses Working Overtime
Summer's Cauldron
That's Really Super, Supergirl
Wrapped in Grey
(Maybe I should have sent this message with the subject "Kevin's
Working Overtime"...)
Your Humble Archivist,
-- John
------------------------------ From: TikaMasala@aol.com Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 03:45:16 -0400 Message-ID: <960724034516_369066618@emout15.mail.aol.com> Subject: Dazzling (My wit don't stink) Dave! >From Dave Gershman: <<<If you think that spelling it "stoopud" and bringing up your Kiss poster is wit, I'll show you a million monkeys with typewriters who could write a funnier posting than that, and they could make it funny without intentional, stupid misspellings.>>> Gee, Dave, need a little counseling or something? It was a joke. A simple little joke. And you killed it dead -- just like my little monkey. Are you happy now, oh mighty Lenny Bruce of webland?
------------------------------ From: Garbarek@aol.com Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 03:53:39 -0400 Message-ID: <960724035338_244418153@emout19.mail.aol.com> Subject: RE: Attacking the poor guy with the monkey. To whoever it was that jumped all over the guy with the monkey joke -- why don't you take a chill-pill, man. The last couple of days, every time I'm sitting in traffic and I think of a monkey flying out of my ass and logging onto Chalkhills-- well, I get a big ole grin on my face. Thanks for lightening up the tedium monkey boy.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 10:32:20 +0100 Message-Id: <199607240932.AA02107@felix.dircon.co.uk> From: nonsuch@dircon.co.uk (Simon Sleightholm) Subject: Wanna grow up to be a debaser From: "Jeffrey with 2 f's Jeffrey" <jenor@csd.uwm.edu> >Someone (whose name I've forgotten) suggested Steve Albini as producer >for XTC: please god no. That was me (though I think Dave Gersham did too). >Sorry - about the worst suggestion for producer I've heard here. That was the whole point actually. It was a wee spoof. Who the fuck am I to "suggest" a producer? There may be a few deluded souls who've made "suggestions" with the hope that - in true B-movie style - Andy will be browsing Chalkhills, see a name and snap his fingers - "That's it!" Cue album and subsequent interviews, "Well this album would never have been made if we hadn't seen Elmo Knucklepie's name suggested by our very good friend Trumpton McWhirter in the Chalkhills list.", but I'm not one of them. And yes, I AM trying to start a fight! :-) My main reason for mentioning Albini was to see if anyone was actually reading all these unutterably tedious producer posts or, like me, just skipping them entirely. BTW, if you don't think Albini could handle XTC, check out "Fortunately Gone" on the Breeders' Pod CD; very neatly done. His work with Pixies was stunning. From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher) >Uuuurgh! The producer thread it driving me to distraction already (did I >really read someone saying they'd just been listening to the *production* >of the Martin Newell LP? Is this really what people do?). But now >engineers? It's getting pretty grim isn't it? Surely we should be working the other way on, and looking not at the mincing machine, but at the meat that goes into it - the songs. IMHO, good production should go unnoticed - on a well produced track all you hear is the song. >On the subject of producers, no one ever replied to my request about >whether it was worth buying a Mission record just to hear an AP-produced >track. Does this mean that none of us has been able to fork out cash for >such a terrible band? Pretty overblown - I'm told they are cod-Led Zep but I don't know much Led Zep so I have to take that as a given. "Tower Of Strength" from the Children album is a good track but once you've heard that you've basically heard their whole canon. I believe they went all "baggy" about three years after the event, but no, I haven't girded myself sufficiently to actually buy the stuff Andy worked on. >And while I'm rambling, how did XTC get away with such a blatant sexual >metaphor in *Cherry in Your Tree* on an album for children? And could >someone tell me what exactly Carmen Sandiego is and how it comes to have >such a groovy soundtrack? Carmen Sandiego - as far as I know - is a character used in a variety of educational media; most well known (to me at least) is a series of educational software. The one I have heard most about is "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego" where the kids have to solve a variety of clues and puzzles to determine the whereabouts of arch criminal Sandiego. I do agree that "Cherry In Your Tree" might not be providing quite the sort of education the compilers had in mind. Another Chalkie (Yo! Nat!) once told me that a friend advised her that "Candymine" was the sort of bouncy sing-along song you could sing to your kids - the mind boggles. Substantially aloof, Simon * --------------------------------------------------- http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bungalow.htm * --------------------------------------------------- No Thugs In Our House, only XTC.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <9509D72F01291300@ametsoc.org> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 96 09:07:00 -0500 From: dgershmn <dgershmn@ametsoc.org> Organization: AMS Subject: Producer schmoducer Mark Fisher grumbled: >Uuuurgh! The producer thread it driving me to distraction already (did I >really read someone saying they'd just been listening to the *production* >of the Martin Newell LP? Is this really what people do?). Yeah, that was me saying that...but I'd like to clarify: I wasn't "listening to the production"...I was listening to the SONGS and *noticing* the production. There's a difference. It's literally impossible for a song to be recorded without a certain "sound" to it; I actually do have better things to do than sit around intentionally listening for what sort of "sound" albums have, but one usually can't help noticing it, I'm afraid. XTC-ly yours, Dave Gershman
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 96 09:13 EST
From: Jeffrey Langr <0005392548@mcimail.com>
Subject: the 80's??
Message-Id: <15960724141351/0005392548ND4EM@MCIMAIL.COM>
>From The 80s Gang:
>Regarding your web page, CHALKHILLS - the XTC Home Page...
>
>Greetings and saluations! We here at The 80s Server would like you to know
>that we've chosen your site as our Totally Awesome! site of the day. It
>will be displayed all day at http://www.80s.com/Entertainment/Awesome
>
>Congrats and thank you for your time!
Congratulations as well Mr. Relph, it is indeed a fine page.
Unfortunately, I'm kind of bummed -- text from the 80's page:
"we salute those individuals aiming to keep some portion of The
Great Decade alive."
Some kind of bad joke, I guess.
Personally I find it a bit depressing to realize that XTC is now viewed
as an 80's band but I suppose they really haven't released enough in the
90's to count...
Jeff L.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v02130500ae1c230b6f26@[128.148.109.71]> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 14:04:14 -0500 From: Gene_Yoon@Brown.edu (Gene) Subject: Llamanos (we're running dry) In a fit of boredom and a desperate act of procrastination I decided how useful it would be to compile some of the different names we've referred to ourselves as followers of XTC and members of this list: Chalkers Chalkheads Chalkhillbillies Chalkhillians Chalkholios Chalkies Chalksters Children The Disappointed The Ecstatic Ecstaticians Ex-Tee-See-ers Skylarkers Toys XTCers XTCmen and women and the ever-popular, XTC fans Did I miss any? We can't seem to agree on anything. Those Deadheads had it so easy... Gene
------------------------------ From: Vettiver@aol.com Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 17:02:27 -0400 Message-ID: <960724170224_441102367@emout16.mail.aol.com> Subject: English Settlement I have been reading Chalkhills for about a year and a half. There have been some recent comments concerning how great the vinyl version of ES is (double album, that is). This has confirmed a longtime suspicion of mine; ES is by far and away my favorite XTC recording and is arguably the best album I have yet to hear. Refined Sugar. So...how do I obtain one of these masterpieces?
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 22:00:41 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <199607250200.WAA20419@cyber1.servtech.com> From: Joshua Hall-Bachner <particle@servtech.com> Subject: And all the cars go "Brum! Brum!"... Someone wrote: >We are all sitting in the back seat of a large Ford station wagon. >Andy Partridge is at the wheels. Colin is next to him with a triple A map. >David is repairing the speedometer. Oh well. At least, if the driver decides to have a singalong, we won't have to complain. :) >To fend off the boredom we devise games and make inane discusions. Who >will be our next mechanic, what will be the name of our next gasstation, >How many licence plates have the word *monkey* in it. How all those Red cars look alike. Are tires from the UK really better that US tires? Whether that other car over there with "RUSH" on it's plates is less pretentious than our car. Which parts of the road we should go fast forward over. Who designed the car's latest paint job. Am I babbling yet? /----------------------------Joshua Hall-Bachner----------------------------\ | particle@servtech.com http://www.servtech.com/public/particle/ | | "Life is like a jigsaw. You get the straight bits, but there's something | \------missing in the middle."--XTC, "All Of A Sudden (It's Too Late)"------/
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 08:11:09 -0400 (EDT) From: Patte Zumbrun <pzumbrun@goucher.edu> Subject: producers;drummers,and pass tour. Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960725075821.3048A-100000@rwd.goucher.edu> I must agree with some previous postees that George Martin would still do a fine job as producer. IMHO he made the difference between the Beatles and just another great band. Remember Beethoven was doing his musical best without the aid of sound. I believe Martin has that ability. Also, for percussion, as I mentioned before, I'd incorporate Ginger Baker for some or all tracks as well as Ringo for the same. Their work requires no justification and would compliment the boys. Lastly, I saw XTC in Baltimore Maryland, USA when Black Sea came out. The warm up group was Urban Verbs from Washington DC. It was at Painters Mills, which has since burned down. Was anyone who subscribes there and does anyone know when their last tour date was?
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 15:13:40 -0400 (EDT) From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <ccoolidg@moose.uvm.edu> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-139 Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.960725145917.11504D-100000@moose.uvm.edu> I second the rejection of Steve Albini as producer of XTC material. One listen to Nirvana's In Utero would back it up. As much as I love that album, his production style would be completely inappropriate for XTC at this time. I know some of us hanker for the raucous clanging of Black Sea and The Big Express, but the boys have mellowed and gotten older, and it ain't going to happen. I, personally, am in full support of what XTC wants to do with their future direction. They could put out an album of plainsong Gregorian chants for all I care, and they'd probably do a brilliant job of it too. (Come to think of it, "Rook" was pretty damn close to a Gregorian chant) So far, Mitchell Froom sounds like the most realistic choice. I know he's notorious for overly quirky rhythms and sounds, but a listen to Richard Thompson's most recent album You?Me?Us? shows a more straightforward side of him; on the electric CD of the 2 CD album he goes for a spontaneous retro-60's live-in-the-studio feel with very little production at all; he just sets the levels and little else. Same thing with the acoustic CD; he presses record and lets RT play and sing his songs. That approach sounds tailor-made for XTC's apparent direction for the projected next album. In fact, when they were doing demos for the album last year, I seem to recall someone on this list saying they'd gotten a verbal agreement from Froom to produce the album if and when they got untangled from Virgin.
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 20:14:26 -0400 From: nmcgrath@world.std.com (Nancy McGrath) Message-Id: <199607260014.AA13595@world.std.com> Subject: Yazbek in CT & PA In Chalkhills #2-139, Scott Anderson <scandcar@dpc.net> said: > I have an extra copy of the fine Yazbek cd that is oft talked about > on this list.... Those of you in the northeast U.S., don't settle for *just* the recorded music! Yazbek will be appearing at the Northstar Bar on 27th and Poplar in Philadelphia on Thursday, August 1. For information about prices and times, call 215/235-7826. He'll also be at the Second Annual Modern Folk Festival in Danbury, CT this Sunday, July 28. For info and directions, check out the folk festival's web site at http://www.cris.com/~cjmacs/folkfest1.html, send email to cjmacs@cris.com or call 203/744-0388. Nancy McGrath nmcgrath@world.std.com
------------------------------ Date: 26 JUL 96 09:43:09 EST From: PCulnane@dca.gov.au Subject: (1) VIDEO PETITION UPDATE (2) Dreams sometimes do come true! Message-ID: <0000uoyqycqk.0000txvrpfpt@dca.gov.au> Hi Chalkies from Paul in Australia (1) VIDEO PETITION UPDATE Thanx everybody who responded to the petition to lobby Virgin to release a video clip counterpart to the forthcoming "Fossil Fuels" CD collection. I've received 55 submissions, and am thrilled with that level of response. I'll be dashing off a (hopefully well-composed and persuasive) letter to Virgin on the weekend and will report back on progress to you all here in the 'Hills. Particular special thanx must again go to Lee Beddows from Staffordshire who has been a great help and ally in this endeavour. Lee's own investigations reveal that a video release is "90% likely", and that our petition may just swing the scales in our favour. Fingers crossed. (2) DREAMS SOMETIMES DO COME TRUE This year on my birthday (30th July), I've got a choice of two visiting international bands to see in my home town: Presidents of the USA or Fear Factory. And fair enough too, for this rock-deprived capital city of Australia. But way back in '79, I received the best birthday present anyone could hope for - XTC played here on 30/7/79 (or 7/30/79 for US readers). I caught them a week earlier in Sydney. They were supported by Flowers, who were soon to transmogrify into Icehouse. Just before XTC took the stage, the intro music was "Rock And Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" by AC/DC. I braced myself for the onslaught, and was rewarded with a sit-down concert of exemplary music. It was magical. Then, back in Canberra, it was announced that XTC would perform at the refectory of the Australian National University. Aghast, I realised that this would be THE REAL THING. The ANU Ref is one of the legendary "beer barns" in which many Oz bands honed their acts in preparation for world domination (INXS, Midnight Oil, et al). XTC were to play here, and on my birthday!!! This venue was a 2-minute walk from my place and, already well-primed, my mates Steve and Ralph joined me to set out with great expectations. We were not disappointed! Unfortunately, the actual list of what they played is lost in the debris of time, but I recall vividly and fondly such highlights as Terry's huge drum sound, Colin's svelte bass-playing, and the seemingly shy Dave giving his all to songs previously arranged for the now-absent keyboards of the recently-departed Barry Andrews. And Andy....Andy just popped his eyes out and behaved like a possessed dervish. Our eyes (and ears) popped in response. The band ripped through well-chosen selections from 'White Music', 'Go2' and the freshly-released 'Drums & Wires'. I, like most of the audience, was awestruck. We'd recently witnessed the likes of EC &the Attractions, Graham Parker &the Rumour, The Pretenders, Rockpile and Ian Dury &the Blockheads. Great acts all, but XTC simply, deftly, consummately and with great abandon, blew all of them (and us) away! As if that concert wasn't enough, afterwards I had the great and rare pleasure of actually meeting the guys. At the time I was contributing occasionally to the local uni radio station. They gave me a cassette machine and said "go on, interview 'em". So, with some guile and gall, I approached somebody who looked "in charge" and requested entry to the inner sanctum. Entry duly gained, I headed in and met all four Swindonians, just like that! I can't remember much at this point (I was a major mess by this time; after all, it was my b'day). But the guys were all sweet and receptive. Andy & I chatted at length about (aarrgh - I can't remember!) - he was so friendly and easy to approach - a really witty guy. Colin seemed preoccupied and a little surly - still nice though. I didn't get a chance to chat with Dave, other than to say "hi". But I particularly remember my encounter with Terry Chambers. When I drunkenly said "I'm here to interview you", he replied with words to this effect: "fuck that for a lark, mate, suck more piss!" I readily complied to his invitation and we went on to discuss kangaroos, koalas and the infamous drum sounds on D&W. And sucked piss copiously. Then they left, with a distressing lack of groupies in tow, for their hotel. I went home and kept pinchin' m'self. Remembering this hazy but beautiful experience, as I do every year around this time, I still feel as young and spritely as the madcap TC who faced me on that ill-advised interview couch. What a birthday memory for me! That's all. Paul-of-Oz
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Date: Fri, 26 Jul 1996 10:38:34 +0800 (SST)
Message-Id: <199607260238.KAA24284@mailh1a.cyberway.com.sg>
From: Kevin M Mathews <mathews@cyberway.com.sg>
Subject: ORANGES AND LEMONS
Reading the Chalkhills Digest week in and week out,
it's certainly cool that XTC still manage to retain such loyalty despite not
having any albums out for the last four years. My own perspective being such
as it is, I hope this enforced hiatus will mean a fresh outlook and a hunger
to produce the best album since Oranges and Lemons. O&L was for me the album
that epitomised the best that XTC can be. It's strong, psychedelic and
ultimately even handed. Unlike Nonsuch which had some uneven patches ( eg.
Omnibus, Smartest Monkeys, Wardance, Bungalow etc ), O&L was perfect, maybe
my ALBUM OF THE 80s! Maybe it has got to do with the fact that of all the
producers, Partridge got on with Paul Fox best - because he was in awe of
Partridge and let Andy call the shots. No surprise that Robyn Hiotchcock's
brilliant Perspex Island was similarly produced by Fox.
What I'm trying to get at is that maybe the boys
should self-produce the next album - having being in the biz as long as they
have - I'm sure they are in the best position to decide how their songs
should sound. Then the crucial person would be the engineer.
And yes, this whole producer thang has ... um ...
produced a lively discussion about the merits of certain 'name' producers
but some thots: Mitchell Froom - yes, he butchered the best bits of AMC, but
this IS the man who produced Don't Dream It's Over, one of pop's finest
moments and the Attractions fine comeback album Brutal Youth. And yes, I
would concede that Brendon O'Brien did a fair job with Matthew Sweet and
Neil's Mirror Ball. I just saw that remark as a opportunity ti 'wind up' the
so-called grunge community.
Whatever it is, the bottom line is that having
waited all this time for a new XTC album, every true-blue fan wants the guys
to get it right.
Cheers, Kevin.
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #2-140 *******************************
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