Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 72
Date: Sunday, 18 February 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 72
Sunday, 18 February 1996
Today's Topics:
Overproduced and Overplayed
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-71
(none)
We must be swift!
Oh dirty Maggie May
Tribute tape
Q magazine's "Testimonial Dinner" review
The *Sad* One continues...
Me and the Wind - A Cosmetilogic Manifesto
zut alors!
D.I.D. update
Stephen Duffy
Senses W/Overtime and the lyric remover thingy
"Wrapped in..." what?
Meccanik Dancing?
Chalkhills & Children Book
T O T A L R A R I T I E S
Madam Barnum, Continuity, Tribute Tape, reviews
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-71
Interactive XTC!!
New Directions for Swindon's Finest
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Benjamin Woll <bwoll@abacus.bates.edu> Subject: Overproduced and Overplayed Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 01:55:39 -0500 (EST) Well, Anthony, I hate being negative about my favorite band (XTC, of course) but let me explain why I believe Deliver Us From The Elements, Human Alchemy, and Peter Pumpkinhead are just not up to standard. 1. Yup, Deliver...is pretentious, but that doesn't bother me so much - anytime a pop band gets ambitious and writes lyrics having to do with something other than teenage love you are going to get that. It just seems to have been written on a lick that wasen't a lick. Only XTC could have recorded it, but this is one of the very few examples of studio trickery getting the best of them. It reminds me of the overproduction of O & L. 2. Interesting, I never thought of Human Alchemy being a Drums and Wires type song, only thicker. It does remind me a bit of Millions, without the charm. 3. I hate Peter Pumpkinhead. Sorry, but it's lyrics are unimaginative, Andy's singing just does not measure up, and when my friends ask about XTC, and the only song they know by them is PP, they just laugh and ask how anyone can listen to that schlok. I'll admit it, it's personal with Peter. Hate to end on a bad note, so I'll end listing some great bands aside from XTC I enjoy. The Beatles, Steely Dan, The Replacements, Pete Himmelman, Teenage Fanclub, The Smiths...yes, I know, Morrissey is annoying, Shed Seven - AWESOME!, Primus, The Jayhawks...listen around, listen alot. Cheers, Ben Tip of the day - have sex with your honey to Don't Lose Your Temper! Makes ya' laugh and have fun.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 00:42:33 -0800 (PST) From: Anthony Ciarochi <ciarochi@pe.net> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-71 Sean Robison wrote: (concerning "I Resign As Clown" and Margaret Thatcher...) *-------------------------------------------------------- >>However, I know she wasn't exactly the most popular person amongst the creative community (check out Elvis Costello's "Tramp The Dirt Down") at that time. And XTC's lyrics do seem to be making pointed jabs at a joke of a leader. And, in my opinion, Andy is putting himself in the place of "england"... aka "we refuse to put up with your foolish orders". "I resign as clown" = "I'm not going to go along with your ridiculous decisions". *-------------------------------------------------------- I think the clincher is the set of lines: "If I'm not the sole fool to pull his trousers down Then Dear Madame Barnum I resign as Clown." It's obvious (to me) that this is a very clever metaphore for a guy who's leaving aldulterous lover, nothing more, nothing less. Trying to read anything more into it may be amusing for a minute, but let's not get overly analytical. (Did you notice that 'sole fool' is Loofelos spelled backwards? You know, Loofelos, the evil dwarves from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The song is obviously about the English government's suppression of recent evidence that chocolate cures male pattern balding. ...and by the way, if you listen to 'Rook' backwards, you can hear Princess Diana telling a naughty joke about the Prince's willy...) -- Anthony
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 11:49:45 +0000 From: jde@abingdon.geoquest.slb.com (Jon Eva) Dear All, Large Earl Sellar asked: > INTERESTING! I knew that Andy had done some work with John (a single or > something) but *this* is new? Info please - which 2/3? Johnny Japes & His Jesticles was Andy Partridge, Dave Gregory and John Otway. (John Otway used to 'play' with Wild Willy. And I'm the one whose supposed to be pre-occupied). He also suggested that: > 1/4 Joni + 1/8 Curt - 5/16 (Liz Phair x Bryan Adams) = Alanis Human biology was never one of my strongest subjects, and I didn't do very well in the exams (please refrain from making jokes about failing the oral), so I don't know whether this means you think Alanis is good or bad. I heard a bit of her album the other day and it sounded ok. I was amazed to see that Mayor Of Simpleton is now the official favourite song of subscribers to this list (and by a huge margin). I guess there must be a lot more newish fans than oldish ones. Or maybe the older fans haven't got fed up with replying to polls yet. Anyway I disregard any poll which doesn't have Senses Working Overtime at #1, so there.
------------------------------ From: "Burgess, Christopher (msx)" <BURGESSC@linelnt1.light.ge.com> Subject: We must be swift! Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 09:14:33 -0500 Hey, I have a good idea. Even though the boys have apparently resolved their differences with Geffen, it may be a while before we see "product." Why don't we (quickly) compile a new "Testimonial Dinner" CD of XTC fans doing renditions of the stuff from the "Hello" CD? That way, it'll be out BEFORE the Swindon lads! I suspect this would be a first. Bye!
------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 1996 10:00:22 -0500 From: "Ken Salaets" <ksalaets@itic.nw.dc.us> Subject: Oh dirty Maggie May From: "Sean Robison" Subject: Re: Dear Madam Barnum >> Okay, but isn't "Dear Madam Barnum" just a veiled reference to Margaret Thatcher? ...However, I know she wasn't exactly the most popular person amongst the creative community... Perhaps, but they sure liked her tax policies! 'Spect many more of them stayed put in Merry Olde England, as compared to when the Labour Party was in power in the '60s and '70s.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 10:41:28 -0500 (EST) From: Natalie Jane Jacobs <gnat@umich.edu> Subject: Tribute tape As a fellow frustrated SKYLACKING contributor, I wholeheartedly endorse John Christensen's suggestion that we put together a Chalkhills tribute tape. I have the feeling that something like this has been done before, but with the amount of XTC material out there, and the collective creativity of Chalkhillians, it isn't like we're going to put out a carbon copy of the last effort (if there is one). Is anyone else interested in this? It sounds like a lot of fun. Natalie Jacobs ************** "Are we not proof that the universe is a drooling idiot with no fashion sense?" - Mr. Nobody
------------------------------ From: vertigo@well.com (Giancarlo Cairella) Subject: Q magazine's "Testimonial Dinner" review Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 18:17:33 GMT Organization: L'Agora' S.r.l., Milano The March 1996 issue of Q, a very popular (and usually very good) British music magazine, includes a negative review of "Testimonial Dinner". Reviewer Sam Taylor gives the album only one star out of five (the worst possible ranking). Here's the full text of the review. "Tribute albums - don't you just hate'em? This effort would have made some sense had the contributors include more famous XTC-devotees such as Blur, but the followings of Space Hog and The Verve Pipe are unlikely to add much to Andy Partridge's bank account. The bands certainly haven't added anything to his artistic reputation: half these songs are grunge-lite, with the quirky, intelligent Englishness of the originals almost entirely estinguished. The only tracks of any note are Sarah McLachlan's melodramatic Tori-telling of Dear God and Ruben Blades's execrable version of The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul, which sounds like a cross between John Coltrane and Barry Manilow. Oh, and a crystal-clear, harmony-drenched recording of an old B-side, The Good Things, by someone called Terry & The Lovemen. It's XTC in (thin) disguise and it's the only possible reason for wanting to buy this." There, I just saved you $6.75 :-) Ciao! -- Giancarlo Cairella - Internet Movie Database Team <http://www.cs.cf.ac.uk/Movies/>
------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 96 14:22:10 EST From: Simon Sleightholm <101477.1611@compuserve.com> Subject: The *Sad* One continues... Slap my thighs! I forgot to include some items in my recommendations;- The Triffids - The Black Swan (as inspired a collection of songs as any I've heard. The styles range from Antmusic to manic folk-rap and Latin torch-song) The Fall - Noise-merchants supreme. Check out 458589 for a cross section of prime avant-garde bile. Black Grape - It's Great When You're Straight...Yeah! Heads down and boogie. "Can you feel the spirit of the lord?" Are there any Chalkhiller's out there who are also fans of Bill Best's legendary pastoral space-rockers Taunton? I know he's been lying low after the Live Aid incident but I've caught a few snatches of him on the radio recently. If there ARE any "Taunters" out there, I have a mint copy of the "cosy" Bill Best set, "Live At The Pig And Shovel", which I will exchange for any pre Iron Elf material (I have Space Tractor, Satan Is King and Crazy Rice but I NEED The Leg Of Time, on sheep-shaped vinyl if possible). If anyone is interested about the request that I made for information leading to the discovery of a *sadder* XTC fan than myself, I would just like it to be known that I have received just such notification and that there is someone out there with *far* more free time than is commonly considered to be healthy. The identity of that person shall remain a secret UNLESS funds to a certain value are transferred into my bank account. You know who you are. <G> Regards to one and all, Simon.
------------------------------ From: Ewalther@eworld.com Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 11:34:04 -0800 Subject: Me and the Wind - A Cosmetilogic Manifesto Any in depth analysis of the above titled song will lead to an obvious correlation to the cosmetics industry and Andy's disdain for those deemed it's victims. I won't dissect the song line by line, but the general tenor seems to indicate that the singer has finally shucked the artificial constraints of cosmetics and is celebrating the natural look so prevalent in the early 1980's. This theme is even more obvious in 'Funk Pop A Roll-on'. The reference to 'fixing you rabbits up' is a reflection on the dubious testing methods of the major cosmetics companies. Notice also the reference to 'opium', a major fragrance line. 'Big money selling you stuff that you really do not need' - once again we see the yearning back to the 'natural' look. 'Music by the Yard' - is this a not-so-veiled reference to the Yardley company? Using the music industry as a metaphor for the cosmetic industry is classic P; knowing full-well the legal powers of Big Cosmetics, Andy had to couch his anger , choosing music as a generic enemy. I hope we've cleared this subject up once and for all. It's all so patently obvious when you take the time to seriously listen to the lyrics without letting all that music get in the way. <please don't listen to me...>
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 13:15:03 -0400 (EDT) From: "John E. Daley" <John_E.._Daley.ZIFF-DAVIS@mail.zd.com> Subject: zut alors! hi keeds, just thought I would weigh in with my tuppence as I overlook the Pacific Ocean as I type... A semi-recurring theme as of late has been, Person X will say that 'Song1' is their favourite XTC tune, and then Person Y feels compelled to state to reply that 'Song1' is rubbish. I know there is a lot of us out there, but do you all think there could be _one_ XTC song, that we could all pretty much agree, "yeah, that's a really good song"? Not that I am trying to get anyone to conform, Jonny is just curious as to what that song might be. I offer these three choices: "mayor of simpleton" "life at the hop" "sacificial bonfire" which, of course, are Jonny's 3 all-time faves. what say you, o my sistahs and brothas?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 16:56:41 -0500
From: vanvalnc@is2.nyu.edu (Chris Van Valen)
Subject: D.I.D. update
Hi all
Just a reminder that you have 2 weeks left for selecting your three
"must have" D.I.D.s. e-mail me on or before 2/29 to be included in the
results.
Cheers,
CV
If you have an unpleasant nature and dislike people
this is no obstacle to work.
--J.G. Bennett
Help us save "Forever Knight"!
http://members.aol.com/CuznJamiMR/SaveForeverKnight.html
------------------------------ Date: 16 Feb 96 19:40:00 EST From: "will heyniger" <WHEYNIGER@cqalert.com> Subject: Stephen Duffy I'm another lover of The Lilac Time, the now-defunct band that produced four excellent albums, including the import-only "Astronauts," their last record. (Chalkhills fans take note: Andy Partridge produced the vaguely psychedelic TLC album "...And Love for All.") Duffy is indeed alive and well and recording. He's released several solo singles in the UK under the name Duffy; an English friend of mine has sent me the sublime "Sugar High" and the pretty good "London Girls." these are precursors to a solo album that may have been released already in the UK and probably will get released in the States as well, if the U.S. labels have any brains at all. In between The Lilac Time and his solo work, Duffy worked with some U.S. bands, writing songs and playing with first Velvet Crush (his song "Faster Days" is one of several excellent tunes on "Teenage Symphonies to God") and Canada's Barenaked Ladies (he co-wrote "Jane" and "Alternative Girlfriend" on 'Maybe You Should Drive.') He stays busy! cheers, Will p.s. whoops I made a mistake up there -- I type 'TLC' album when I meant TLT. Duffy has nothing to do with TLC. sorry...
------------------------------ From: box@nemesis.com.au Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 12:39:48 -0500 Subject: Senses W/Overtime and the lyric remover thingy I remember someone a while back talking about a device which cuts the vocals out of songs, and that a magazine used Senses Working Overtime to test it. I think the article said the device cut all the vocals out except for 'A striking beauty!'. The reason is this: These devices subtract one channel from the other, effectively removing any sounds that appear in both channels at the same time. As most vocal tracks are recorded in the exact centre of the soundstage, the vocals can be matched up and removed, leaving only the music. Now... the entire vocal track for Senses Working Overtime is set in the centre of the soundstage, _except_ for 'A striking beauty!', which only appears in the right channel. This is why it's the only lyric that can be heard when the vocals are cut out. How do I know this? I've got a vocal fader. It's called a 'Karaoke vocal fader' on my system, and it's possibly the most fantastic thing I own. If Alanis Morrisette's vocals get up your nose, you only need press one button and they're gone. :) If anyone doesn't understand what I mean above, email me and I'll go into more detail, in simpler terms. Just a couple more things... I bought a vinyl copy of Skylarking last week. The company mustn't have paid much attention, because it's called 'Skylark' on the record label. Has anyone else seen/got this? Oh, and I bought King Crimson's 'THRAK' last week as well. I know this has nothing to do with XTC [apart from the Pat Mastelotto connection], but it's an incredible album. Highly recommended for fans of their '80s stuff. Proof that vintage rockers can pull it off with style... also proof that XTC will never die. Inconclusive proof, I know, but we can only hope. :) Adam
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 00:33:06 -0600 (CST) From: "Jeffrey with 2 f's Jeffrey" <jenor@csd.uwm.edu> Subject: "Wrapped in..." what? Mark Fisher <fisher@easynet.co.uk> challenged someone to prove that "Wrapped in Grey is really about interior decoration." Well, never being one to refuse to take up a seemingly absurd challenge... First, the song *is* about interior decoration--if you take "interior" to mean the singer's "heart" (emotions). My guess is, this is why Mark thought of "interior decoration" in connection w/this song. But that's too commonsensical--let's be absurd. First of all, the song is far darker than Mark imagines: it's not just any interior decorator singing the song, but a serial killer interior decorator...I refer you to the chorus. The "dreamers/ Adrift in [their] beds" are clearly his victims, and there's something disturbingly Dahmer-esque about "decorate the inside of your heads".... Sorry--I guess I was listening to Bowie's _Outside_ too much recently.... --Jeff Jeffrey Norman "Watson! Something's afoot... University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and it's on the end of my leg." Dept. of English & Comp. Lit. --Sherlock Holmes, in some e-mail: jenor@csd.uwm.edu Firesign Theatre skit, I think... In my CD changer: The Smiths _Rank_ The La's [s/t] Soul Coughing _Ruby Vroom_
------------------------------ Date: 17 Feb 96 11:10:58 EST From: Simon Sleightholm <101477.1611@compuserve.com> Subject: Meccanik Dancing? Just a quick note; There is a new PC sound card from Spea Media called the XTC. It's a plug-and-play device with wavetable synthesis and all that stuff. I don't know why it's called the XTC; maybe it's a subconcious link on the basis of consistently high quality sound output, or maybe it's got a wonky wavetable chip that makes everything sound like Work Away Tokyo Day. Simon.
------------------------------ Date: 17 Feb 96 11:39:04 EST From: "Eddie O'Hare" <102527.174@compuserve.com> Subject: Chalkhills & Children Book >From: Dave K Gold <70673.317@compuserve.com> >I'm still seeking to obtain a copy of XTC: Chalkihills and Children. Does >anyone have a copy they can loan or sell to me, and/or know where to get it? As a new subscriber to the list and ravenous fan, I was on the phone immediately to track down a copy of the book myself, once I read about it. Found that it is still in print from Omnibus Press, and I was able to order it through Encore Books' Hard to Find Order Desk 800/795-5049 for about $25 plus S&H. Have ready for them; Title, Author: Chris Twomey, and the ISBN Number: 0.7119.2758.8. Good Luck, Eddie O'Hare
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 12:23:22 -0600 From: jh3@cencom.net (JH3) Subject: T O T A L R A R I T I E S Hello one and all... Sorry in advance about the length of this posting... Thanks to everyone who responded to my question about XTC comic book appearances. This has got me to thinking I should just draw my own comic book, sort of like a "Comic History of XTC", only with the lads dressed up in cheesy superhero outfits. And why hasn't anybody ever done a "Scissor Man" comic book? Or maybe a "Pink Thing" series, in which the villains are dispatched by a giant... But (ahem) let's not dwell on that. I'd much rather converse about rare demos and b-sides, since some of you have been talking about tape trees and such, and since there probably won't be a new album for several months at least. Basically I've been collecting XTC stuff religiously for 17 years, and though I still don't have everything, I ask myself: Should I share this material with others, knowing that by doing so I lower the intrinsic value of the rarities in question? Or do I have a responsibility to do so in the interest of improving world culture for future generations? Recently (and admittedly with the help of those Demos CD's) I finally reached the 90-minute mark -- I can now fill up a 90-minute cassette with stuff that I consider to be reasonably "rare." Some of these are demos that are so rough they can barely be considered more than sketches. There is room for some pruning; some of the stuff isn't THAT rare... Maybe a 60-minute version would be better. Below you'll find the lyrics to two songs that haven't been posted before (one of which seems to have made its way onto a Cleaners From Venus LP). There are others. So if anyone's interested in a little rarities trading, and/or maybe even helping to "seed" a future tape tree, e-mail me, and I'll send you a list. I'm looking for tapes of: "Refrigeration Blues" "Nicely Nicely Jane" "Susan Revolving" Geffen Holiday Promo w/ "The Merry Christmas Song" "Moonbeam" "Some Sort of Magnetism" ...And of course the Rock Over London 92/16 radio show --John H. Hedges (jh3@cencom.net) ----------------------------- PEARL (Recorded by Andy Partridge, live, by himself, on a cheap cassette recorder) (Imagine a sort of shuffling reggae ballad here) Pearl, oh, Pearl Don't cloister yourself away Everybody loves a pretty girl The world's your oyster, come out to play And you know that you shouldn't wear Dark clothes anymore Your heart should be an open book And not a locked and shuttered store Pearl, oh Pearl Don't cloister yourself away Everybody loves a pretty girl The world's your oyster come out to play And you know that should't cry Those tears anymore You could wash your love away And send it sailing out the door Pearl, oh Pearl Don't cloister yourself away Everybody loves a pretty girl The world's your oyster come out to play Oh Pearl... (There's a nice middle bit here...) (Repeat first verse/chorus) --------------------------- MONKEYS IN HUMAN-SKIN SUITS (Same recording technique; more of a rocker) Monkeys in human-skin suits Climbing to the top of our institute Monkeys in human skin suits Sitting in the finest trees, eating all the best fruit See them praying people In the House of Lords All that fancy play-talk Sticks in the throat like cocktail swords Monkeys in human-skin suits Climbing to the top of our institute Monkeys in human skin suits Sitting in the pine trees, picking all the best fruit (I'm afraid Andy runs out of lyrics here) Naah na naah naah na naah It's not my idea Of that party at all, they're... Monkeys in human-skin suits...
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 13:36 -0700 (MST) From: Miles or Gigi Coleman <coleman@cougarnet.byu.edu> Subject: Madam Barnum, Continuity, Tribute Tape, reviews >Okay, but isn't "Dear Madam Barnum" just a veiled reference >to Margaret Thatcher? I must disagree and also with Chuck's religious interpretation. IMHO, this song pretty much describes a relationship where the woman is out with her men and poor Andy is the stable fool in her life, the "safety net." He's now fed up with her infidelity, the "circus parade," and he's hitting the road. I don't really think you can realistically read much more into it. Anyone else? >There is no connection between the actual songs that I can see, >unless perhaps it's: "Oh boy, more songs about girls and the weather!" >(To mis-quote Andy yet again :-) ) > Anthony Ciarochi I think that the "concept" or connection of the songs is quite obvious and certainly ingenious. First there is the more obvious seasonal relationship described in songs like "Summer's Cauldron," "Ballet for a Rainy Day," "Season Cycle," "Sacrificial Bonfire." But more interesting to me is the human cycle that is illustrated with all of its ups and downs. Young love and sometimes foolish love in "Grass," and it continues even while caught in the mundane working world of "The Meeting Place." From there we move to the hurt experienced in love's relationships, i.e. "That's Really Super..." & "1000 Umbrellas." >From here we fall out of the "traditional" way of doing things. In the past we see marriage and then children. Is the reversal here a more modern interpretation? Children are the issue in "Season Cycle" with marriage following in "Big Day." "Earn enough..." is a universal truth whether married or not. Believe me, I *know* that for a fact! (BTW, wouldn't have it any other way.) "Another Satellite" could either be and old flame he wants to get rid of or the marital relationship falling apart. Mid life Crisis in "The Man Who Sailed..." and the questions of life are asked in "Dear God." "Dying," I hope, is clear and with "Sacrificial Bonfire" the whole process starts over again. This of course is all IMHO, but it makes for me a special piece of work with which I can identify. Hence, _Skylarking_ is my favorite album. (With _Black Sea_ right behind.) Any comments? >1. A fan tribute tape. It has been a real "community" effort; involving many >people with different skills and talent levels. A great idea! >2. Album reviews. Volunteers were solicited from the list to write album >reviews for the Costello web page. This will allow newbies to scan through >the discography and get a feel for which album to start with. Could be >useful and fun for the Chalkhills page as well. > >Anyone agree? >Jasper I second the motion! Miles
------------------------------ From: Xtcherrman@aol.com Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 19:28:53 -0500 Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-71 Lilac Time were a great band.One of my favorites.SDuffy has started a new band called Duffy.Great stuff,similiar to Lilac Time.Can only get them on import though.
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 06:19:32 -0800 From: rimshot3@ix.netcom.com (ERIC ROSEN) Subject: Interactive XTC!! Fellow Chalkhillians!! Yours truly has designed and authored an interactive discography of Swindon's finest!! There are a few finishing touches that I'd like to include and YOU can help... I have a screen where the user can click on various boxes (i.e. the boxes are XTC albums) and go to a new screen that features music, video and lyrics from that album. I would like to have images of the actual album covers to click on instead of the labeled boxes I have now. I understand that the Nonsuch CD (I've got the cassette) came with a booklet in which **small, equal sized** thumbnails of each album appear. I would buy it myself but I'm told that new issues of Nonsuch are hard to come by and no longer contain this booklet. Perhaps, a kind soul in Chalkhillsland could: i. post a scan of this to Chalkhills, ii. e-mail one to me as an attachment, or iii. point me to somewhere on the net where this can be found. I'd be glad to issue a personal thanks on the album-menu page of the discography. Ecstatically yours, ELR
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 06:38:30 -0800 From: rimshot3@ix.netcom.com (ERIC ROSEN) Subject: New Directions for Swindon's Finest One great thing about Chalkhills is that it allows us a forum for the free exhange of ideas (XTC and otherwise but XTC especially :>). Now that four years have passed between recordings, I thought it a good idea to speculate about what we as XTC afficionados would like to see (i.e. hear ;>) in future recordings. I only speak for myself here and welcome anyone else's thoughts as well. I've been fortunate enough to hear some of the "orchestral" material that is likely to find its way onto a future release (thanks, Ben G!!) and find most of it to be pretty solid. More like Skylarking with occasional Nonsuch trappings if one were to unjustly pidgeonhole it. One thing I find disturbing is perhaps not XTC's fault so much as it is an inherent insolubility (is that a word?) of orchestral music and the pop song format. It seems as if the pop song format does not allow one to do justice to orchestral music which often requires more time to stretch out and develop. Also, some orchestral music works better with less repetition than pop songs usually have. BTST, orchestral ambitions can often leave pop songs devoid of the charm that they have as "just" pop songs. This is not to say that it shouldn't be attempted but rather that when it is attempted, we often wind up with ELO rather than the Beatles (save the flames re: Free as a Bird). Still, the overall feel of the recordings is mellow and very much in the same pop vein that JR (not John Relph) railed against (justifiably so IMHO). The songs are still excellent and do **new** things but **within this pop framework** that has become almost routine. BTW, AP's home demo quality has risen a thousandfold so hopefully that too will translate into the studio. With this in mind, I thought about what things XTC can do to stay fresh and exciting. As I stated in a previous post, now that this "pop resurrection" has failed to ignite XTC's sales levels, there's no opportunity cost to going back and experimenting. Since there has been so much mellowness lately, I'd like to see/hear something that is noisy. They could always say, "we've been there, done that" so how about using non-instruments? Saws, garbage cans, washing machines, running water... anything can be sampled and looped nowadays. I'm sure they could make this sound musical in ways NIN could only dream of. This is an area that Tom Waits has explored to great effect lately. Another possibility is to leave drums out of the orchestral stuff they put out. The record companies might view this as commercial suicide (again the pop song format pretty much demands drums of the usual trap kit setup). At least, justice might be done to the orchestral ambitions. In the spirit of noise and things orchestral, how about an album of acoustic instruments only? Not just acoustic guitars like every unplugged show from here to eternity but rather, unconventional instruments like kalimbas (African thumb piano), gongs, stringed instruments made with gourds!! True, there would be a learning curve here but surely, musicians of their caliber would be up to the task. Then again, I'd be happy with more genre hopping (one of the things I like most about XTC is their willingness to try their hand at any style). There's plenty of things they haven't tried yet using conventional instruments. I would love to see Colin go hog wild on FUNK -- tear the roof off the sucka, tear the roof on duh mudafuk-ah. Other areas that they have ventured into but only superficially could be explored further. For example, African rhythm and guitar styles were touched upon in It's Nearly Africa, Egyptian Solution and Hold Me My Daddy yet there's an unlimited world of African music that could be a source of inspiration. Now that multi-part harmonies figure so prominently in their toolbox, how about some Gregorian chant material that goes beyond what was done in Human Alchemy? The one idol that XTC has never smashed yet is the pop song format itself. This is what I'd like to see them do most. Stretch out a little. Do an album with even more continuity than Skylarking. Perhaps, a theme in addition to sonic continuity. A sense of spontaneity would be welcome as well. The problem with so much of today's so-called modern/alternative rock is that it's all so well crafted yet without boogie. Bereft of improvisation. So, thank you all for reading this long and do throw out some ideas. Maybe some of them will make their way to Swindon... Sincerely, ELR
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #2-72 ******************************
Go back to Volume 2.
18 February 1996 / Feedback