Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 83
Date: Monday, 11 March 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 83
Monday, 11 March 1996
Today's Topics:
vaguely related notes
Re: Top Ten LP's
Laughing Prisoner, childhood nostalgia, &c.
Andy, meet Steerpike
Videos -- don't be fooled
Sony may rule the world afterall!
We Demand Our Videos!!!
top-ten albums
XTC guitars
Partrige /Beach Boys
Welcome and English Settlement Lyrics
Chris Twomey's Chalkhills Bio
Weird Coincidences..
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-82
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-80
The Laughing prisoner
P&P vs. Back in the USSR vs. B-Boys
My Weapon
Back in the land of the living
Rook Redux...
The Laughing Prisoner
Gormenghast
Beached Boy
TMBG/XTC
Animal and Panicking
"Loving" lyrics
Re: Skylarking Gold CD
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 8 Mar 1996 12:54:25 -0600 Message-Id: <1412d0a0@burntas1.bvc.frco.com> From: chrikas@burntas1.frco.com (Christopher Kasic) Subject: vaguely related notes Back in Chalkhills 2-80, Gene Yoon said: >On a vaguely related note, Combustible Edison just released their latest >long play, "Schizophonic!" Related because only a few of their songs >have vocals, but all their song titles evoke the mood of the song very >well."Checkered Flag" does indeed put the listener into a 60's road >rally, like Monte Carlo, with all the glamour and fast cars. On a scarcely related note to that vaguely related note, I add: For the 60's road rally theme, also check out Yello's "Flag" from 1988. I submit it has absolutely nothing in common with XTC, and almost nothing in common with Combustible Edison either, but don't we occasionally need a break from comparing Colin's shirts on album covers? ;) cheers, chris
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 04:02:19 -0500 (EST) From: Mike <koorism@gusun.acc.georgetown.edu> Subject: Re: Top Ten LP's Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960309034817.23474A-100000@gusun> This is my first time posting, but it is late and I am bored and though I am sure none of you will agree ( I am a cynic too), here are my top ten LP's of all time (also in no order...) 1. XTC-Skylarking (I think that Todd Rundgren did a FINE job) 2. The Cure- Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 3. The Beatles-Srgt. Pepper's... 4. XTC-Black Sea 5. The Smiths-Strangeways, Here We Come 6. The Police-Regatta De Blanc 7. The Beatles-The White Album 8. Depeche Mode-Black Celebration 9. Robyn Hitchcock-Fegmania 10. Squeeze-Frank I know that I probably didn't win too many fans, and in all honesty, there are quite a few other albums that could be interchanged for some of these, but it gives a decent idea of my tastes...different albums are on for various reasons(some certainly are more "artistic" than others), but someone asked, as thus you all had to pay the price...
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 12:21:23 +0000 (GMT) From: William HamBevan <whambeva@jesus.ox.ac.uk> Subject: Laughing Prisoner, childhood nostalgia, &c. Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960309111121.18448B-100000@jesus> - On the subject of the 'Laughing Prisoner': the performance given by XTC was of 'The Man who Sailed Around his Soul'. It took place in the gardens of Portmeirion - the set of 'The Prisoner' - in a sort of Italianesque Summer house. All the band members were wearing the black blazers with white piping that Patrick McGoohan wore in the series. Andy was waving a furled umbrella about for much of the 'performance' (not live, predictably) and a fourth person was present behind the drumkit - I thought that it was Ian Gregory. If all had gone well, I would have a video tape of this programme. However... I was in an hotel just outside Gatwick Airport when the repeat screening was made, in '93. I had the presence of mind to phone a friend at home, and ask him to tape the programme for me. Unfortunately, I didn't allow for the fact that I receive the Welsh fourth channel at home, which screens programmes to a different schedule from the English Channel Four. Consequently, I ended up with a tape of some other rubbish, but did manage to watch the programme from the hotel. I vaguely remembered the programme from the first time around, which I suppose must have been '85/'86: it was a special of the rock show 'The Tube' (a brilliant, brilliant show, and much missed). What is puzzling me, though, is that I remember another performance of the band on The Tube, and I'm not sure whether it was in the original edit of the 'Laughing Prisoner' episode - and cut out of the repeat - or in another one near the same time. It was a performance of 'The Meeting Place', with the band playing in a railway siding, as I remember. This was the first time I heard XTC, and (..as the cliche goes..) I was totally blown away by it. I think I had just bought 10cc's 'Sheet Music', and the two sounded quite similar to my 11-year old ears. Characteristically, though, I didn't remember the name of the band correctly, and spent a fruitless afternoon looking in record shops for 'UXB'. If anyone can give me any more information about this other performance on The Tube, I'd be very grateful. Interestingly, Stanley Unwin was on 'Laughing Prisoner', he who provided the deranged and spooneristic links on that great British psych-out, The Small Faces' Ogden's Nut Gone Flake. The spoken passages on Psonic Psunspot, I think, owe quite a lot to Unwin's surrealistic babble. (ACHTUNG: those uninterested in lit-crit shit may, to their benefit, now skip to the next message) One totally unrelated point, in connexion with Natalie Jacobs & lit. criticism. It is possible to take the intentional fallacy too far, which (I think) is why so much crit theory is parasitic. My belief is that any sort of criticism that does not attempt to reconstruct the intention of the author is of very marginal use - except in providing jobs on trendy campuses. One doesn't view a piece of literature as a shopping list, nor a song as the incidental recording of background noise with snatches of conversation. Any interpretation must start with the assumption that the author wanted to _communicate_ something, consciously or otherwise, and then attempted to do so with some degree of success. Every act of art is an act of communication, and must be treated as such. Nevertheless, this is probably picking hairs - I think I'd agree with just about everything Ms Jacobs has brought up recently. I'm just a bit of a conservative on these matters. Reading over that last paragraph, I can see that I'm turning into the sort of person I love to hate. Time to jack the volume up 10dBs and get a life... TYSM William Ham Bevan Jesus College, Oxford
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 10:53:52 -0500 (EST) From: Natalie Jane Jacobs <gnat@umich.edu> Subject: Andy, meet Steerpike Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960309105016.29783A-100000@centipede.rs.itd.umich.edu> I've also heard the rumor that Andy was doing music for something based on the Gormenghast books. If this is true - hell, if a Gormenghast movie is being made at all - I will truly believe in some sort of Deity. The teaming up of Martin Philipps and Daves Mattacks and Gregory had led me to suspect such a thing; this would clinch it. Natalie Jacobs ************** "Are we not proof that the universe is a drooling idiot with no fashion sense?" - Mr. Nobody
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 13:32:07 -0600 Message-Id: <199603091932.NAA28742@river.city.saskatoon.sk.ca> From: Erik Anderson <Erik.Anderson@city.saskatoon.sk.ca> Subject: Videos -- don't be fooled Date: Thu, 07 Mar 1996 22:48:30 -0500 From: "Brian T. Marchese" <btmarche@student.umass.edu> Subject: VIDEOS I'm a bit bummed that my Little Express hasn't come yet, but I'm wondering if in the latest, a guy named Brian Steffen from San Diego advirtises in the back (he has in the past) that he has XTC videos for sale or trade. If he does, it's definitely worthwhile. He's got like 20 hours of EVERYTHING (tv appearences, interviews, Paris 1982, complete concerts, and videos, 1977-92). I suggest writing to him (he doesn't get Chalkhills) if vids are what you want! He asked me to inform y'all last time I sent for a video. OK, bye. *** This guy charges WAY TOO MUCH for copies of his collection!!! I recently ran a video tree and asked people for $12 U.S. or $15 Canadian which covered all costs (basically tapes and first class postage). He's asking $20 U.S. for copies of his collection and each tape only has one or, at best, two hours of footage on it. Total rip-off! Because he's obviously making money off his collection I advise everyone to boycott his "service." It simply doesn't fit in with the spirit of trading. Personally, I find the whole thing repugnant, not to mention insulting. BE WARNED! EA
------------------------------
Message-Id: <v02130500ad678de20764@[206.104.207.202]>
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 14:44:37 -0500
From: produce@magicnet.net (Arthur James Virgin)
Subject: Sony may rule the world afterall!
Just a quick little calculation here.....If XTC signs with Columbia
(sub of Sony)...Then Sony will have:
1) XTC
2) Ben Folds Five
3) Crowded House (who have split with Capitol and are
almost signed to the "big s")
All these years Sony wanted everyone to believe they owned the
world...hmmm..maybe they do!
(Now if they can only get Prefab Sprout [who are on CBS UK..which is
different from CBS US] then all my favorite living songwriters will be
represented by Sony: Andy P, Colin M, Neil Finn and Paddy McAloon)
Just a thought... :)
AJ
The Quality Music Page --->
http://www.magicnet.net/~produce/
(ultra-enhanced...Netscape 2.0 or later ONLY)
"Skylarking is like a summer's day
baked into one cake" - Andy Partridge
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 12:59:59 -0800 From: becki diGregorio <ziglain@cruzio.com> Subject: We Demand Our Videos!!! Message-ID: <9603091259.aa16721@bbs.cruzio.com> >From: PCulnane@dca.gov.au > >(B) What about a video compilation of promo clips? We've only ever had "Look >Look" (now deleted and very hard to find) which only goes up to "English >Settlement". Please can we have a vid with all the promo clips? And how >about digging out some other material such as appearances on "Old Grey Whistle >Test", as well as docos "At The Manor", "Play At Home" and "The Laughing >Prisoner" - if they're still intact? > >Is there a demand among other collectors for such material to be commercially >released? Any suggestions from other Chalkhillians on this subject? Dear Paul, YES!!! A splendid idea to get these video collections out into the world for us XTC enthusiasts. Too often these videos get compiled onto someone's homemade tape, then dubbed over and over again until the quality is so bad it isn't pleasurable to watch (pretty bad, considering it is of the gods of pop). How can us small band of fans somehow convey the necessity of releasing these gems?? If only Virgin could realize the number of buyers of such a video, they might just get the hint that they could make a small fortune, and more importantly give the lads most of the take (since they deserve it so much more). And in response to "sunhouse @best.com" about the new demos--- way to stand up for our boys!!! so good to see a posting from you, john... "And the screaming sky won't let me sleep." --becki
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 13:23:45 -0800
From: becki diGregorio <ziglain@cruzio.com>
Subject: top-ten albums
Message-ID: <9603091323.aa21491@bbs.cruzio.com>
in response to:
>From: Benjamin Woll <bwoll@abacus.bates.edu>
>Subject: A Dumb Ten Best List
>
> I have not written to Chalkhills for a few issues because I have
>been so busy writing my thesis so I can search the world for someone who
>wants to hire a BA in Religion. Don't worry though, I'm not about to bomb
>a radio station in Florida.
>
> One of the aspects of this list that I like best is that it tunes
>me into music that I otherwise would not have listened to. So, in the
>name of encouraging the expansion of that which gives us listening
>pleasure, I think a bunch of us should list their ten favorite LPs of all
>time. One rule - no more than three selections from any single band - and
>yes, that includes XTC.
hey benjamin,
i, too, am a comparative religions major (double w/ psych), will be
graduating in may. if you let me know of any jobs out there w/ such a
degree, lemme' know?
other than bombing radio stations, that is...(!)
your suggestion of a top-ten list of all-time favourite albums is a great
idea, and i humbly submit my contribution (not in any order):
1. xtc -- english settlement
2. xtc -- black sea
3. the dukes of stratosphere -- chips from the chocolate fireball
4. jefferson airplane -- blows against the empire
5. led zeppelin -- untitled ("#4")
6. the beatles -- revolver
7. genesis -- the lamb lies down on broadway
8. yes -- going for the one
9. jefferson airplane -- surrealistic pillow
10. led zeppelin -- physical grafitti (only for "kashmir" really).
maybe someone would like to compile such a list for future generations???
"sometimes we are attached to our bodies for very good reasons."
--william s. burroughs
becki
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 22:53:13 -0500 Message-Id: <9603100353.AA22486@acunix.wheatonma.edu> From: kanderso@wheatonma.edu (Kirk Anderson) Subject: XTC guitars Has anyone ever seen A.P. play a Rickenbacker? Has anyone ever seen a photo of A.P. with a Rickenbacker? Has anyone ever read where A.P. says he used one? "Senses Working Overtime" is a prime suspect. But not all 12-string electrics are Rickenbackers. Trivial? not to me! (Working on a tape "Rickenbackers through the Ages".) Thanks for helping... kirk
------------------------------ Message-Id: <314262CB.1265@tir.com> Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 00:04:11 -0500 From: Bill Godby <wgodby@sun.tir.com> Organization: University of Michigan Subject: Partrige /Beach Boys Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm not crazy. It was great to hear that I'm not alone in hearing all those Beach Boyzz melodies oozing out of the Partridge vocal apparatus. I still don't completely understand the connection. The Black Sea program lists his fav album as Satanic Majesties Request and his a few of his fav records as Trout Mask Replica (Fast and Bulbous Baby), and Philip Glass's The Laughing Policeman. Where's the BB's? Maybe he was just afraid to mention them, since they don't quite fit his dossier. Has anyone see anything in print that admits the truth? -- Bill Godby wgodby@tir.com
------------------------------ From: DrBeat1@aol.com Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 02:44:18 -0500 Message-ID: <960310024418_164858888@emout08.mail.aol.com> Subject: Welcome and English Settlement Lyrics Chalkhillians, I've been lurking for awhile, it's great to have such an active and informative gathering of fans. I am a late arriver to XTC so I have the pleasure of discovering their music as "new". Briefly, I remember seeing "Senses Working Overtime" on MTV when it came out and being knocked out by it. I never picked bought any of their music until Mayor of Simpleton, then I bought O&L. Soon followed Nonesuch, then I worked my way backwards through the catalog. I'm through Black Sea and have found that I can adapt to all the band's musical phases and still love them! I am desperately hoping for a new disc, I hope the guys are serious about re-negotiating the contract with Virgin and that they haven't decided to retire the band. Anyhoo, I've been wearing out my English Settlement CD and it occurs to me, does anyone know if a CD version exists that has the lyrics? I'd love to get a copy! I don't mind shelling out for an import if I need to. -dr.beat
------------------------------ From: DrBeat1@aol.com Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 02:44:26 -0500 Message-ID: <960310024425_164858903@emout10.mail.aol.com> Subject: Chris Twomey's Chalkhills Bio Folks, I just finished reading Chris Twomey's XTC bio. I searched for this book for months and had nearly given up on finding it when it occurred to me: my girlfriend was a research assistant at Harvard and a big-time book-a-holic! I gave her the title and, bingo! She had a number for me in twenty minutes. You can order it from: Rock Read P.O. Box 572 Chester, NY 10918 1 800-GET MUSIC I am glad for this book, but is it me or was it rather lacking? Specifically, I would have loved to have had more information on the development and recording of the band's music. Aside from telling us when Colin wrote a song, there isn't much detail. Also, aside from the detailed overview of Skylarking, the latter albums are given a total "rush treatment". Hardly any ink is given to The Big Express, Oranges & Lemons, and particularly Nonesuch. (Like it or not, Nonesuch was not exactly "thrown together"! Surely, the artists would have lots to tell about the development of these songs.) What are your impressions? -Greg Beecher aka drbeat@apple.com
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 01:07:07 -0800 (PST) From: Laura Parent <laura@geosun1.sjsu.edu> Subject: Weird Coincidences.. Message-Id: <Pine.3.89.9603100010.A1068-0100000@geosun1.sjsu.edu> >I'm sure I read in Melody Maker or NME last year that Andy was working on >music for a film project based on the Gormenghast novels of Mervyn >Peake. I love it when something pops up on both Chalkhills and Tongue in the Mail (the Crowded House list). Especially something as completely obscure as this... It turns out that these books are favorites of Neil Finn's. So, since I'm always looking for good books to read, and an endorsement >from N. F. seemed as good as any, I checked them out of the library and read them. I wish I could say I loved the books, but since the author found it expedient to kill off my favorite character...I'd have to only say that I liked them very much. A weird mix of Dickens, Kafka and Edward Gorey. Dostoevsky to Tolkien's Tolstoy (honk if you get THAT one). The only person who could possible direct this film is Terry Gilliam! Also odd to see mention of Toy Matinee on the list. I thought I was one of only two people on earth who knew of them. Although sometimes they are (were?) a little too Toto-ish for me, their songs stuck in my head something fierce! Anyone know the history of this band?
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199603101929.LAA23153@pe.net>
From: "Anthony Ciarochi" <ciarochi@pe.net>
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 11:04:28 +0000
Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-82
>>Ailiens Ate My Buick : The one major glitch in an otherwise glittering
>>career.
Unfortunately, Aliens Ate My Buick was just the first of an ongoing
string of glitches in Thomas Dolby's career. "The Golden Age Of
Wireless" and "The Flat Earth" were glorious, "Aliens..." was fun
but mostly mediocre, and everything since has been total yawn-ville.
I don't think he ever recovered from the Howard the Duck
soundtrack...
Anthony F. Ciarochi
* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
ciarochi@pe.net On-line Administrator -- PE.net
http://pe.net/~ciarochi CS Major, Univ. of CA, Riverside
'Spend at least 15 minutes every day
listening to something you hate...'
* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199603102013.MAA24518@pe.net>
From: "Anthony Ciarochi" <ciarochi@pe.net>
Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 11:48:20 +0000
Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-80
John Christensen wrote:
>>Anthony, though I assume your analogy is intended to amuse (rather
>>than draw a credible comparison), I must respond.
>>Interpreting lyrics is not like spray painting now is it? If I
>>somehow got the "Senses Working Overtime" masters and replaced
>>Colin's bassline track with me tooting away on kazoo -- now that
>>would be like spray painting over the Mona Lisa. But that's not what
>>we're talking about here.
I agree that interpreting lyrics is not like spray painting over the
Mona Lisa, but treating the interpretation as a creative work in
itself, and attempting to defend it on those grounds, IS. This is
what I was trying to express.
XTC's lyrics are not of the same mould as, say, "She Came In Through
The Bathroom Window". In that song, every line points in a different
direction, and you're left feeling as though you've just woken from a
great dream: impressed by the beauty of it, but not really able to say
what it's about. For a song like this, you can come up with an
interpretation like the following: "It's a song about Paul
McCartney's massive brain damage following the car crash depicted on
the "Sgt Pepper" cover, and now they've got him hidden on an island in
the Aegean, protected by a giant force field which only allows access
to the island by submarine (preferably yellow)." That would be as
valid as any other interpretation, assuming you still believe that
Billy Shears was the leader of Wings. (This is somebody's actual
interpretation, by the way -- I didn't make this one up!).
Partridge's lyrics in particular, may appear to be pointing in many
different directions at first. As the song unravels, however, you
start to realize that each line is really pointing FROM a different
place TO a single inescapable conlusion. That's the beauty of an
extended metaphor.
Saying that "I Resign As Clown" is about Margaret Thatcher because
some of the lyrics kind of point that way (if you cross your eyes and
short out a few brain cells), is MORE ridiculous that believing the
above interpretation about "...BathroomWindow". If you believe this
interpretation, then you must believe it's just an unhappy coincidence
that every single line in the song points directly to a man leaving an
adulterous relationship. It's all just an accident, or perhaps is
just my view because of my unique life experiences. I can hear Andy
now: "OOPS! Damn, I wish I'd thought of that!".
BTW, I feel the same way about some (not all) music videos. They
often are the interpretation of some film director, NOT the artist who
wrote the song. But unfortunately, after seeing the video, that is
frequently the vision that pops into your head.
Anthony F. Ciarochi
* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
ciarochi@pe.net On-line Administrator -- PE.net
http://pe.net/~ciarochi CS Major, Univ. of CA, Riverside
'Spend at least 15 minutes every day
listening to something you hate...'
* ------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 96 12:54:57 GMT Message-Id: <9603101254.AA002la@prime.demon.co.uk> From: stephen dawe <deckard@prime.demon.co.uk> Subject: The Laughing prisoner Much interest expressed in the above documentary recently-if I recall,XTC performed "the man who sailed around his soul" .The band were dressed as extras from the prisoner with Andy sporting a No.6 badge.The band were accompanied by a couple of jazz dancers who performed a routine on the giant chess board whilst the band performed in the background,Andy performing some nifty twirling of a golf umbrella! Anyway,whilst I'm here-my top 3 XTC tracks at present (depending on mood!) 1.Across this Antheap 2.Language in our lungs 3.Complicated game Happy listening?Once summer is here it's time to dig out English Settlement,followed by Mummer for Autumn-very seasonal band! Does anyone out there know if there are any XTC tribute bands doing the rounds in the UK?Friends and myself tried starting one once but the chords got in the way and severe lack of funds! I would have made this instrumental-but the words got in the way. * -------------------------------------------------------------------------. !Email deckard@prime.demon.co.uk !Mail Sent Via Demon Internet Services ! !Full Internet Conection For 10/Month Fixed. Tel: 0181 371 1234 ! `-------------------------------------------------------------------------'
------------------------------ Message-Id: <m0tvnp9-0000X6C@stimpy.PCC.COM> From: troy@pcc.com (Troy Peters) Subject: P&P vs. Back in the USSR vs. B-Boys Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 11:18:23 -0500 (EST) In the last Chalkhills, Martin Monkman wrote: >Now some people are going to tell you to listen to "Pale and Precious" >from the Dukes of the Stratosphear album "Psonic Psunspot" (on cd, >look for "Chips From The Chocolate Fireball") as Andy's Beach Boy >homage. Pah, I say ... "Pale and Precious" is, like most of the rest >of the Dukes songs, just another Beatle thing (cf. the middle section >of "Back In The USSR", the part that begins with "those Ukraine girls >really knock me out"). Okay, but since "Back in the USSR" seems to be an ironic response to the Beach Boys' "Surfin' in the USA" (which, BTW, has its origins in Chuck Berry's "Back in the USA" - similar title, huh?), the issue gets rather muddled. And I hear alot more of "Pet Sounds"/"Smile" era Beach Boys than Liverpudlians in "Pale & Precious". So Chuck Berry begat the Beach Boys begat the Beatles begat XTC. This may be one of those many threadlets lately where nobody can convince the other guy, but I think with "P&P" and "Back in the USSR", we find two great bands showing off Beach Boys influence/parody. I will also second an earlier plug for "Pet Sounds". I always thought of the Beach Boys as a dumb surf band until I got my hands on this one. Capital Gee Great. See ya, chalkheads, Troy Peters
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 23:52:40 +0100 From: sellheim@zfn.uni-bremen.de (Erich Sellheim) Message-Id: <9603102252.AA25878@alf.zfn.uni-bremen.de> Subject: My Weapon Hello everyone, can anyone help me with the following problem: In "My Weapon", the lyric sheet quotes the last line as "My stinking weapon", which doesn't make too much sense to me. I tend to understand "My Sinclair weapon", but I don't know if this means anything. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, Erich
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01510100ad6911c639df@[194.128.83.69]> Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 23:39:11 +0000 From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher) Subject: Back in the land of the living "Back In The USSR" is a homage to (or parody of) the Beach Boys. How can Martin Monkman tell that the Dukes were referring to a reference (ie the Beatles) and not to the original article (the Beach Boys)? What does an imitation of an imitation sound like? Mark Fisher (fisher@easynet.co,uk)
------------------------------ From: DrBeat1@aol.com Date: Sun, 10 Mar 1996 21:31:52 -0500 Message-ID: <960310213152_165385859@emout04.mail.aol.com> Subject: Rook Redux... Chalkhillians, Thanks to Ben for posting the changes to Rook. It inspired me to learn this tune, it truly is one of my favorite songs. WARNING - this is for the musically inclined, please ignore if this is not your cup o' tea! My ears tell me that the chord voicings Ben posted are *close*, but not quite right. Here is what I get: (1) (2) (3) (4) Bb F Bb C G C D A D E B E D E A A B E B C F A D G (9) D A D DEG DEG DEG DEG DEG DEG DEG DEG (together) Notice the "E" in the first chord (BbM7#5), this gives the chord it's character. Try out these voicings and see for yourself. Also notice that the little triads at (9) are three notes, not two. They get their sound >from the clash of the D and E played together. I need help with the bridge. Ben posted the changes as Bb-A-Ab-G...but I don't think it's quite this straightforward. Unfortunately, I can't grok how to play what I think they're doing. It sounds like two chords are being played, one in each hand, in alternating sixteenth notes. Any piano players, PLEASE tell us how to do this!! It seems to me that the chords are all a whole step apart, something like: C/Bb - Bb/Ab - E/D - D/C but I'm not sure on the last two. Anyhoo, let's figure this out together fellow MusicHeads! -Greg Beecher aka drbeat@apple.com BTW: I don't mean to slam Ben at all by this! Indeed I appreciate his efforts. I think it would be cool if we worked out some of this stuff together and put it up on Chalkhills for all. For me, figuring out these tunes is a blast, I've done a lot of it for folks on the Steely Fan Digest. :o)
------------------------------ Message-ID: <C055742F01690800@devon-cc.gov.uk> Date: Mon, 11 Mar 96 08:49:00 +0000 From: Dean Skilton <dskilton@environ.devon-cc.gov.uk> Organization: Devon County Council Subject: The Laughing Prisoner XTC's contribution to "The Laughing Prisoner", which I have on tape, was a mimed performance of "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul". Short clips of McGoohan walking alone around the village were intercut. The band stood on The Gloriette, by the lawn, while two dancers performed in front of them. I also have "Play At Home" on tape. Dean Skilton dskilton@environ.devon-cc.gov.uk
------------------------------ From: Martin_Monkman@fincc04.fin.gov.bc.ca Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 08:02:34 -0800 (PST) Subject: Gormenghast Message-id: <9602118265.AA826560365@FINSMTP1.FIN.GOV.BC.CA> Simon Sleightholm writes: >I'm sure I read in Melody Maker or NME last year that Andy was working on >music for a film project based on the Gormenghast novels of Mervyn >Peake. Has anybody got any info on this? Or was it all a dream? The last I heard about Gormenghast being turned into a film was, oh, ten years ago. At that point it was reported that Gordon Sumner (a.k.a. Sting) had purchased the film rights ... back then I imagined Sting as Steerpike, but now with a little makeup he'd probably cast himself as Flay. Alas, I have no more information. Martin
------------------------------ From: mtross@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 11:26:06 -0600 (CST) Subject: Beached Boy Message-ID: <Pine.A32.3.91.960311111952.116382D-100000@red.weeg.uiowa.edu> Did I ever mention how cool this list is? Particularly the sane discussion of "related artists". I consider this to be as important as the subject itself. All lists should be this rational. Since Brian Wilson has come up, I'll add 1.5 cents: I also believe that Andy has been influenced by his music (like most musicians around today). For anyone who has heard material from the Smile sessions, I would recommend Van Dyke Parks' 1968 failure SONG CYCLE. Parks wrote the lyrics for Brian on that album and then released this solo effort, receiving "best of the year" accolades. It's an odd one. (He also worked on Sam Phillips' MARTINIS & BIKINIS and has recently recorded another song cycle, this time sung by Wilson. If anyone has heard this, I would be interested to hear if it turned out.)
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 13:42:25 -0500 From: "Brian T. Marchese" <btmarche@student.umass.edu> Subject: TMBG/XTC Message-id: <01I27Q9AKAKM94EKW3@oitvms.oit.umass.edu> Hey, I was just reading an otherwise uninspiring review of a recent They Might Be Giants show in Northampton (MA) and the writer mentioned that they played a new tune called "XTC versus Adam Ant" (!) No description or anything, so the mind boggles.
------------------------------ Date: 11 Mar 96 13:18:40 EST From: Simon Sleightholm <101477.1611@compuserve.com> Subject: Animal and Panicking Message-ID: <960311181840_101477.1611_EHU96-1@CompuServe.COM> Mark Fisher wrote: >I forgot to mention the other day that my own favourite suggestion for an >XTC-related band name was Animal and Panicking (I can't remember which of >you Chalkies suggested it, but wouldn't you just love to hear what a band >with that name sounded like?) I *think* that was me, although I don't have the digest to hand. I'm pretty sure I suggested it because when I recorded some of my own songs on a mate's 4 track in 1987 that was the name I gave my "band", and it has always struck me an intriguing combination - though I rather suspect my tone-deaf hammerings failed to live up to it's promise. I am willing to be pulled up on this, though, if I am jumping anyone else's toes. (But I really do think it was me...old age is a funny thing...) Simon
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 1996 18:14:49 -0500 (EST) From: kathryn lynne burda <klburda@umich.edu> Subject: "Loving" lyrics Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960311181319.24192B-100000@gorf.rs.itd.umich.edu> Another interpretation to add to the bunch...I always thought the words were "straight through". Makes sense to me.
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 11 Mar 96 09:13:38 PST From: "Sean Robison" <sean_robison@studio.disney.com> Message-Id: <9602118265.AA826586652@ccmsmtp2.wds.disney.com> Subject: Re: Skylarking Gold CD >From: vanvalnc@is2.nyu.edu (Chris Van Valen) >Subject: I guess there's 3 "Skylarking" CDs > >Concerning the audio differences between the gold "Skylarking" CD versus >the original version Just thought i'd toss in my two cents on the gold cd. since i'm an avid collector of the MoFi stuff, i have to say the gold cd pressing of "skylarking" is decent. the most noteable improvement in my opinion is the increased strength in the percussion. it's much fuller and seems to give the songs a bit more energy, helping it rise above rundgren's generally flat and compressed sounding mastering techniques. what would have made it better though, would have been the inclusion if "mermaid smiled" as a bonus track. i'm curious to see if MoFi attempts some more gold pressings of other xtc discs. i'd love to see an audiophile treatment of 'drums and wires'. sean
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