Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 3
Date: Friday, 22 September 1995
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 3
Friday, 22 September 1995
Today's Topics:
4 sale: Drums and Wireless
New XTC album
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-1
Andy pissed
PLEASE verify this new album rumor
Terry & The Lovemen *not* XTC?
Babe there's something missing...
FYI-Drums and Wireless
Other Influences
Chocolate Fireball addiction
Terry And The Love Men
Demo Tracks-Japanese CD
The laugh's on me
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-2
carry-on musician luggage? (live vs. studio)
XTC Party, Mail Screwups, etc.
Adventures and Reflex
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And she's sorry, he's sorry, she's sorry, oh...
---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mark Colan <Mark_Colan.LOTUS@crd.lotus.com> Date: 20 Sep 95 8:21:17 EDT Subject: 4 sale: Drums and Wireless I bought two copies of this album (the BBC Radio Sessions 77-89) when it came out, one as a gift for a friend. He already had it! Though I like the album, two copies is one more than I need. I therefore offer one copy for sale for the original cost ($17.99) plus postage (about $2) to anyone in the US. The disk is not shrink-wrapped, nor was it when I received it, but it has never been opened. Satisfaction guaranteed. Reply via email to mcolan@crd.lotus.com. ==mtc==
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 13:45:46 -0500
From: kimw@rice.edu (Kim E. Williams)
Subject: New XTC album
I was wondering, where did you read XTC was going to release their
next album on Virgin records? And when was this? The last I heard in
Little Express is that XTC had a MAJOR parting of the ways with Virgin and
EMI. Which meant to get out of their contracts, they had to give up all
rights to prior songs.
LE also said they probably won't be without a record label for
long, coz they had companies lining up to sign them. Colin said since most
of their albums have sold so well in the States, he wants to go with an
American label, but there are a few labels in England under consideration.
Granted, my information could be old news, but if they've made up
with Virgin after everything I was reading, I'd like to know.
May I bring you up to date, we are living in the 20th century not in the 18th.
....May I bring YOU up to date, sir, we are not alive at all!
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 15:26:30 -0400 (EDT) From: "Christopher R. Coolidge" <ccoolidg@moose.uvm.edu> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-1 Speaking of "Travels In Nihilon," my old college friend Nina Weinberg-Smith (the one responsible for turning me onto XTC for good)once referred to Black Sea as being like eating a rich, varied and sumptuous ten-course meal then stabbing yourself in the mouth with the toothpick. The toothpick being TIN, of course. I think it was a compliment; this is the same Nina who nearly mur- dered the doorman at the Paradise in Boston who wouldn't let her in to see XTC(didn't like her New York ID!); that is, if words could kill...That turned out to be their last tour, too.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 95 15:13 EST From: Jeffrey Langr <0005392548@mcimail.com> Subject: Andy pissed Welcome back Chalkhills! Here's hoping Andy is truly miserable and pissed from his personal deals; maybe XTC'll put out something with a bit more bite and a bit less sweetener this time. (I do have a bit of pity for the fat farting comic collector, though...) Can't wait to hear Testimonial Dinner -- my sources have the release date as 17 Oct 1995 on Thirsty Ear records (Chaos/Sony). Jeff L.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 15:45:12 -0500 From: jims@inlink.com (Jim S.) Subject: PLEASE verify this new album rumor >Ahum, well, I found the new Chalkhills site and whilst browsing around >(gosh, I can now use netscape instead of lynx) I saw a 'new XTC album' >planned (or is that rumoured?) to be released IN 1995 ON the Virgin >label! 21 tracks! IS THIS TRUE??? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! thank you. Also, since I have lurked so long and just begun to post, I'd like to give a little background on my love affair with XTC, if I may: The first album I got was Skylarking, based on a review which said it was very Beatlesque (please don't start that old thread again). I loved it. I rushed out and bought an import of Mummer. Didn't like it. It seemed so odd. I didn't buy another XTC album until I read a review in Rolling Stone for Oranges and Lemons. It said "If Skylarking was their Sgt.Pepper, then O&L is their White Album." So I picked it up. LOVED it. Relistened to Mummer. LOVED IT. What a great, different XTC album that is. So I got all the rest, mostly on import. I never got into White Music or Go2 until recently, during this hiatus between albums. Now I enjoy them. My favorite XTC album is Oranges and Lemons. I, for one, love the production of this album, and the songs are IMO the finest set of any album. O&L is my favorite album by ANYONE, of all time. BUT, it is closely followed by Black Sea, Skylarking and English Settlement. Oh, what the hell, I love 'em all. Among my favorite songs that I rarely see mentioned are Ladybird (just a delightful song), Paper and Iron (Notes and Coins), Scarecrow People, Season Cycle, Ballet for a Rainy Day and Wrapped in Grey. There are tons of others, of course...I just don't see these mentioned much. Does anyone else love these? So to sum up, I went from being a complete Beatles fanatic (who thought NO ONE could ever replace them as my faves) to an avid XTC lover. So see, you Beatles knockers, they ain't all bad; without them I would never have been turned on to XTC. Thanks for the listen. Great to have Chalkhill back. Anxiously awaiting the new album, and the tribute album, Jim S. <jims@inlink.com> "Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie? Or are you gonna bite?" - Mr. Blonde, Reservoir Dogs
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 17:03:26 -0400 (EDT) From: Andrew Notarian <apn@UDel.Edu> Subject: Terry & The Lovemen *not* XTC? Forgive me if this gets posted by more than one person, but I just found the following on AOL, allegedly posted by Thirsty Ear Records (US distributor of the tribute album I believe?): >A lot of you have been asking whether Terry & the Lovemen are really XTC >playing under an assumed name. We asked Andy Partridge the same >question. These are his exact words. No joke. > >--tom @ thirsty ear The post goes on, with what seems to be a quote by Andy Partridge, explaining that Terry et al are really an XTC-inspired group from Swindon/Liverpool. The intermittent greater than signs lead me to believe it might have been an e-mail message. Andy has e-mail, maybe? -- drew
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 17:13:59 -0500 From: Gene_Yoon@Brown.edu (Gene Yoon) Subject: Babe there's something missing... Hey Mr. Relph! Where was the requisite XTC lyric that appears at the end of Anministrivia? It's only issue 2, and you're already forgetting. Or was it an instrumental you quoted? :))
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 16:41:23 -0500 From: kimw@rice.edu (Kim E. Williams) Subject: FYI-Drums and Wireless Did anyone realize the man who introduces himself as John Peel in the Opening Speech on Drums & Wireless is really Andy Partridge? I was fooled the first time I heard it until I actually listened to the voice. There's no mistaking it then. Kim May I bring you up to date, we are living in the 20th century not in the 18th. ....May I bring YOU up to date, sir, we are not alive at all!
------------------------------ Date: 20 Sep 1995 13:57:41 -0500 From: "Ken Salaets" <ksalaets@itic.nw.dc.us> Subject: Other Influences The Beatles...There, got that out of the way. Actually, while introducing my kids to the many spendid pleasures on "English Settlement" (their new favorite, toppling "Oranges and Lemons"), it struck me how similar it was to Gabriel-led early Genesis, in particular, "Nursery Crimes" and the album before that. Or was I listening to Genesis, and thinking how much they sounded like XTC? Re Andy's new material, it is a shame that he appears to have chosen to diffuse his wedded piss in such a public way. But alas, I'm sure he will do it skillfully. Ken
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 18:47:30 +1000
From: pgm2@cornell.edu (Peter Mullin)
Subject: Chocolate Fireball addiction
Good to have Chalkhills back. I seem to be having a problem getting my
copy of the 'Chips from the Chocolate Fireball' out of the CD player. This
has been going on for several months now, and I'm beginning to get worried:
is this a problem others have faced and succeeded in defeating? On rare
occasions, through extreme force of will, I can force myself to actually
press the "eject" button, but within moments I find I'm humming "She's a
Little Lighthouse" or "You're My Drug", and back in the disc goes. I've
tried substituting 'O&L', 'Black Sea', and 'Nonsvch', but to no avail.
'Drums and Wires' helped for a while, but...
...seriously, though: the sound achieved by the Dukes is both familiar and
unique. Would other Dukes fans care to compile a "listener's list" of
period (and modern) recordings that approximate the Chocolate Fireball
sensation? For starters, I can think of:
Beatles: 'Revolver', 'Sgt. Pepper'
Beach Boys: 'Smiley Smile', 'Pet Sounds'
Yardbirds: "Happenings Ten Years Time Ago", "The Hot House of
Omargarashid", and similar tunes
Pink Floyd: 'Relics', 'Ummagumma'; "Arnold Layne", "See Emily Play"
Any other ideas?
"Do you remember when this life was in perspective?"
------------------------------ From: ZITTEL@aol.com Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 19:03:02 -0400 Subject: Terry And The Love Men Thirsty Ear just posted this to America On Line about the rumor that Terry And The Love Men is XTC. I do not believe them, but here it is: A lot of you have been asking whether Terry & the Lovemen are really XTC playing under an assumed name. We asked Andy Partridge the same question. These are his exact words. No joke. --tom @ thirsty ear >Re: "Terry and the Lovemen" ? > >Are a group of fellows from Wiltshire and one from Liverpool, who are >besotted with XTC. They just seem to take the band's career as a >template to live by, (sounds unhealthy to me!) You've got to admit >they do a pretty good job on the 'sounds alike' scale. Their singer >does a passable Colin and even manages to sound not unlike Dave and >Andy in other places (weird). With dedication to duty like this, how >could David Yazbek have refused them a place on the album. I hear >they took their name from an ad in Japan for our album "Black Sea." >(The Japanese) jumped the gun and advertised it under the name of one >of our 'in' jokes at the time, which was calling the record "Terry and >the Lovemen." > >--Andy Partridge Also, I don't know if many people have heard Dave Yazbek's CD The Laughing Man, but Andy plays on two tracks and produces one of them (MIssippi Honeymoon). There has been another Dave Yazbek song floating around on an Andy demo tape called Go Go Years. I e-mailed Dave Yazbek this and one other question and here were the answers I got: >1. Have any singles been released anywhere from the CD? No-- and though my American label (W.A.R.) will probably promote "Welcome To My World" to radio, there most likely never will be an actual single that you can buy. >2. On an Andy Partridge demo tape I have had for a couple of years, >Andy included a copy of Mississippi Honeymoon and Go Go Years. What >became of Go Go Years? I assume this song is by you? Any details would >be appreciated. The song is indeed by me. Neither Andy nor I, in retrospect, liked the version of the song he produced that much, but it is available on the Japanese version of "The Laughing Man" as a bonus track. My original demo had a gentler rhythmic feel that exploded into a Nirvana-ish chorus instead of the rollicking gum-boot feel that Andy imparted with his drum-machine. Thanks for listening to the record. Yazbek
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 15:06:47 -0700 From: richard.pedrettiallen@octel.com (Richard Pedretti-Allen) Subject: Demo Tracks-Japanese CD Welcome back to all! My nephew sent me a Japanese-issued (c)1992 demo CD called "XTC Demo Tracks" on Virgin Records. I've never seen or heard it before. The tracks are: The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead* (I find the drum machine track kind of distracting/annoying but I still find myself tapping my foot and singing along.) The Smartest Monkeys** (With all of the vocals processed through a chorusing device and reverb, it starts to sound rather submarine.) Down a Peg** (The premise might be a bit shallow ...basic self-realization stuff... but I'm sure with a full-blown production would probably be a real charmer.) My Bird Performs** (Other than "My food never healed my head, Cookbook propped my table leg" lines instead of the lines about Shakespeare's sonnets and highbrow prose, this version is not much different than the final production. It is missing the whistling synth and the coronet, though. The drum machine gets tiring.) Always Winter Never Christmas* (Another song with a Christmas reference! That season must certainly represent a pensive time for AP.) * Written by AP ** Written by CM As a recording producer (voice, not music), it is often a joy to hear the sketch pad and being able to compare it against the final artwork. The package states "These songs were recorded on the respective composers multi-track cassette machines. Normally, these recordings would not be heard by anyone other than the three members of XTC and a record company A & R Director." Chalkhills, it is good to be home again. Richard
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 22:01:33 -0500 From: Gene_Yoon@Brown.edu (Gene Yoon) Subject: The laugh's on me >From: "Bernhardt, Todd" <tbernhardt@aga.com> > >You mentioned "Acoustic Tales" -- is this a > compilation of the acoustic O&L tour, and if so, how can I get a > copy?!? I need that, too. I agree with you about Colin and Andy's > voices blending together; that's one of the principal pleasures of > Drums and Wireless for me. I've always liked "Meeting Place"; I think > it's one of the most successful -- and best produced -- of the songs on > Skylarking, PROVING that Todd liked Colin better than Andy! =:-o Acoustic Tales is just one live performance on the O&L radio tour, at KROQ, L.A., CA. I got it from Tom's Tracks in Providence, who has a directory of bootlegs and other rare/live recordings of many bands and musicians. If you give them a blank tape, they will give you a copy of your choice for $5, or $7 with cassette included. But beware--the sound quality is on Acoustic Tales is rather muddled. Their number is (401) 274-0820. Call them for a request and I'm sure they'll comply. Their address is 281 Thayer St, Providence, RI 02907. Very cool place, and they have lots of XTC vinyl, some very rare (like This World Over 45 with postcards). NOTE: The previous was an unsolicited plug. I have no ties with Tom's other than as a frequent patron. After some careful listenings Meeting Place, I'm beginning to get a picture of what it's about. It's very obvious now, and I don't know why it didn't occur to me before: two lovers having an affair and/or who don't want others to know about their romance, thus they have to sneak around. A woman, apparently a smoker, is off from work and takes a seemingly innocent walk down the lane. At the secret place, she listens for the whistle from her beau. They scuff around in the dirt, lay a coat on the ground, joke and flirt some, and then make out (or have sex, or what have you). All the while some construction or factory noises provide a convenient rhythm. Still, someone might hear, so they try to keep quiet. Afterwards, in each other's arms, they lie in the bracken wood and stare at the smokestacks from the local factories, but from their perspective, the chimneys are upside down. They'll be late going home. "Hmmmmmmmmmmm," sounds very raunchy to me. Hee hee, this is too fun. (About as much fun I can have with XTC these days, or at least until Testimonial comes out. Wouldn't it be GREAT if Terry and the Lovemen actually had Terry Chambers playing drums??? Any word?) Gene
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 22:29:36 -0500 (CDT) From: "LaShawn M. Taylor" <shonniet@interaccess.com> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-2 Yayyyyyyyyyy!! Chalkhills is back!! And it looks as if a lot of changes happened while it was gone. . . I thought TMBG were going to do The Man Who sailed Around His Soul. Was there a change in the setup? And what's this about Andy's new demos? Does anyone have a copy to spare to l'il ole me? :-> LaShawn M. Taylor (formally of LTaylor279@aol.com, but got so fed up with the service, beat the address to death with a stick and switched to UNIX--where things grew even hairer. . .)
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 8 Aug 1995 00:39:30 -0500 (CDT) From: "Jeffrey with 2 f's Jeffrey" <jenor@csd.uwm.edu> Subject: carry-on musician luggage? (live vs. studio) On or about Mon, 7 Aug 1995 at 18:02:18 -0600 (MDT), Big Earl Sellar <splitred@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca> responded to a thread already in progress thusly: "unlike, let's say, the B******s, those studio gimmicks XTC uses are primarily run-of-the-mill synth and electric effects units. Live, they'd need a keyboard player and a drummer, but that's it. Plus, if you look at bands like Pink Floyd or the Stones, they've always toured with extra musicians and no one complains...." I beg to differ on both points. Orchestras, multiply overdubbed guitar parts, etc. are not "primarily run-of-the-mill synth and electric effects units." As to no one complaining about Floyd & the Stones touring with extra musicians--in every case I can think of, you start touring with hordes of hired studio guns so you can "reproduce" the record live and it's the kiss of death. I'm sure someone will disagree, but Floyd and the Stones haven't produced truly gut-wrenchingly relevant music for at least a decade. Anyway, who says the point of a live show is to reproduce the album? To me, it seems that the two (live & studio) are entirely different animals: in the studio, you can layer on effects, multiple parts, make sure everything is just so--make this finely crafted sculpture in moving air in other words. Live, you strip all that down, see what you can do to make that frozen beast, that is the studio track, grow legs, wings, whatever, and *move*. I'll grant you, it's a touch tricky, one very few bands pull off equally well on both fronts--but I really hate it when you're seeing four folks on stage, and some roadie offstage triggers the sequencer to play that *really essential* synth part--if it's so fonkin' essential, *don't* play something else, and play it! Sorry I'm in the stone age here where Milli Vanilli aren't musicians but entertainers...and I've always thought of XTC as musicians first. Of course this is all academic--I don't think we're going to be seeing XTC touring anytime soon (or ever, probably). Hey, maybe Liz Phair can open? ;) --Jeff Jeffrey Norman "Can you write underwater University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on liquid paper?" Dept. of English & Comp. Lit. e-mail: jenor@csd.uwm.edu --Zippy the Pinhead In my CD changer: Love Battery _Straight Freak Ticket_ Public Enemy _Muse Sick in Hour Mess-Age_ or whatever G. Love and Special Sauce Portishead _Dummy_ Magnapop _Hot Boxing_
------------------------------ From: Christie Byun <cbyun@ocf.Berkeley.EDU> Subject: XTC Party, Mail Screwups, etc. Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 16:27:30 -0700 (PDT) Yay, Chalkhills is back!! Now that I got that out of my system... Okay, a few public service messages before I retire... Well, unfortunately, the XTC party that I planned to host didn't quite make it off the ground this time. Most people had prior commitments and so forth. A lot of people did write in and tell me they lived in the Bay Area and nearby parts of Northern California, which was nice. I meet a lot of interesting people and had some cool conversations about music. Anyway, I'm not going to be a Bay Area Chalkhillian for much longer since I'm moving down to Sunny Southern California But I hope to come back here sometime because I really liked living in this area. Also: the system my account is on was down for about 3 weeks at the end of August/beginning of September. And now that it's back up, I'm starting to get a backlog of old mail. So if anyone did write in to me and hasn't gotten a response yet, I'm very very sorry and I will eventually get back to you this decade. I promise. Cheers, Christie
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 14:18:24 -0700
From: relph (John Relph)
Subject: Adventures and Reflex
WILL <N0T0P40@aol.com> writes:
>
>I don't know if anyone else is familiar with this particular CD, but I have
>a copy of a CD called "The Adventure Club Sessions" that contains XTC
>performing "Blue Beret." And, yes, you're right, it IS a fine song!
The Adventure Club Sessions
acoustic sessions from 94.5 the Edge, Dallas, Texas, includes
XTC: Blue Beret (acoustic 3'10). limited edition of 4,000.
+ CD, Adventure Club USA, ACS001, 1993.
I believe this CD is still available:
From: REELGEORGE@aol.com
Subject: XTC New Rare Bit
Greetings XTC Fans! George Gimarc here (Punk Diary '70-'79)
letting you in on a real cool deal. I've got a box of "Adventure
Club" CDs left. That's the acoustic sessions CD I did here in
Dallas that has XTC doing Blue Beret. Yep! Also on the CD are
unique songs from Lilac Time, Cranberries, Suede, Frank Black, His
Name Is Alive, Jellyfish and many others. Cool art too. Here's
the best bit- It's only $10 postpaid! Send money orders to Reel
George Productions, PO Box 280173, Dallas, Texas 75228 I'm on AOL
at this adress: REELGEORGE@AOL.COM
Richard Aaron Manfredi <manfredi@scf.usc.edu>
>
>1) I've seen "Wonder Almanac" before, as a free giveaway with "Reflex"
>magazine when the did a cover story on XTC after "Nonesuch". I believe that
>"Always Winter Never Christmas" was the other song.
I thought XTC had a split flexi with They Might Be Giants, and that
the song was "Rip Van Ruben". Here's the entry from the discography:
Reflex Magazine
compilation single includes XTC: Rip Van Ruben (demo). included
with issues of Reflex magazine for subscribers only.
+ 7", Reflex USA, Issue 24, April 1992. flexi-disc.
Does anybody know about the existence of the flexi that Richard
mentions above? If you have it, or have any details (or can disprove
its existence), please send in now!
-- John
--
Deliver the nursery and curse the teachers.
Speed nourishes a criminal in this age.
--
D.A.R.E. to Keep Kids Off TELEVISION!
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #2-3 *****************************
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