Chalkhills Digest Volume 2, Issue 88
Date: Monday, 18 March 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 2, Number 88
Monday, 18 March 1996
Today's Topics:
Don't think you're going ga-ga
Easter Egg
the Jungle
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-87
Tribute ideas
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-87
RE: Gizmotron/Andy @ Dave's Guitars
Try this one out
Re: various bits
Dave Matthews Band...
Garden of Earthly Delights / The Loving
To Interpret (Feel) or Not
Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-87
Misheard lyrics and other stuff
Andy's Birthday
New Member/Kudos from Toad
chalkhills #2-85
Myths and secrets
A Theory, by Ann Elk (eeeee-heeem!!!)
divers alarums
greatest sounding englishman,...
Tribute Tape name.
[Steer Me] Clear
Re: xtc, Barrett and the Beachboys
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-Id: <v02110100ad6f96c8f6c8@[144.92.181.166]> Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 17:04:15 -0500 From: aosterma@students.wisc.edu (Adam J. Ostermann) Subject: Don't think you're going ga-ga >Subject: Think I'm going ga-ga > >Have I had a humour bypass? Dunno. Do you find Adam Sandler humorous? ;-) > First everyone keeps saying that "Dave and >Colin and the Infinite Andy" is a very funny title - why? what does it >refer to? what does it mean? Since I'm the pitiful guy who came up with the title, I'll explain. It's a reference to the Smashing Pumpkins' last album called ^Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.^ Someone said XTC were making a double album with one side guitar and the other orchestral, which is somewhat how the Pumpkins' double LP was originally pitched, and I took the similarity forward. (BTW I'm NOT a Smashing Pumpkins fan...I mean, they're OK....) BTW the infinate Andy thing was NOT a rip on Mr. Partridge's girth; rather, he was the only name left. Dave and Colin has the same number of syllables as "Melancholy" and sounds kinda close, due to the "Collie"/"Colin". Needed a two-syllable word in place of sadness - who's the member I hadn't mentioned? Voila!! > - then I miss the fact that the posting about >the Dukes ripping off Back in the USSR not the Beach Boys was meant to be >ironic. That actually went over my head, too. Except maybe that the Dukes' albums were solely meant to BE ripoffs, though tasty ones. >Could it be that there's a special kind of XTC fan humour that I just don't >get? Are there any manuals, joke books or web sites that could help me out? >Or am I a lost cause? No, some humor just goes over people's heads. Speaking of, what do U.S. XTCers think of the Presidents of the U.S.A.? I see some similaries, mainly that their songs are so DAMN hard to get out of your head.....(I'd ask U.K. and international fans, but I'm sure if they're popular outside the States. >[By the way, I second the suggestion of Chalkhill's Children for the title >of the tape tribute] I still like ^Living Through Another Tribute.^ But to each his or her own, as they say. >Mark Fisher (fisher@easynet.co,uk) **************************************************************** Adam J. Ostermann (aosterma@students.wisc.edu) UW-Madison Journalism major Entertainment Co-Editor of ^The Badger Herald^, which you can witness by contacting //www.badgerherald.com ****************************************************************
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 17:34:34 -0500 (EST) From: Drew! <apn@UDel.Edu> Subject: Easter Egg Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960315173316.17999A-100000@copland.udel.edu> There is an 'undocumented feature' in Windows NT, where you can get a list of the design team's favorite bands in a screen saver, and XTC is one of them.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 15:31:44 -0800 (PST) From: Anthony Ciarochi <ciarochi@pe.net> Subject: the Jungle Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960315152914.6538A-100000@nfs1> >>Sorry to point this out, Anthony, but that was Sinclair Lewis in "The >>Jungle," not George Orwell. Great book, though. AARGH!! I thought I had got away with nobody noticing! I realized my error at about 5 a.m. the morning after posting it. That's what I get for trying to get through the chalkhills digest after 36 hours and no sleep!
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 15:44:03 -0800 (PST) From: Anthony Ciarochi <ciarochi@pe.net> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-87 Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960315154306.6538B-100000@nfs1> Phil, whom I will always remember to credit from now on, wrote: >> # Do you like it better than "...Wireless" and "The Flat Earth"? I can't >> # imagine... >> How anyone can fail to me moved by "Neon Sisters" or completely blown away >> by "Eastern Bloc" is, quite honestly, beyond me. Still, at least we both >> like _some_ Thomas Dolby eh? I consider "Eastern Bloc" to be a rather uninspired remake of a truly great song - "Europa and the Pirate Twins" - with half the groove and one third of the emotive content. I only vaguely remember "Neon Sisters." In deference to you, however, I promise to give the CD another listen, with as much of an open mind as I can muster. 8^/ >> PS: Who are the Beach Boys? I think they were Jan & Dean's second band... <insert flames here>
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01530506ad6fb09cf215@[199.224.7.243]> Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 18:51:02 -0500 From: aym@j51.com (Angry Young Man) Subject: Tribute ideas IMHO, "Living through another Tribute" is funny, but has the undercurrent of "Jeez this stuff is awful." I would prefer a few others: "Rag and Bone Dessert" "Generals and Majors and Minors", or better yet, "Amateurs and Majors" "Instant Tunes (We're So Square)" "Some of the Millions" or... "50,000,000 XTC Fans Can't Be Wrong!" -ira
------------------------------ From: steve@expersoft.com (Steve-O Lutz) Message-Id: <9603160002.AA14151@chomolangma.expersoft.com> Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-87 Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 16:09:38 -0800 (PST) > Melissa wrote: > > On a totally unrelated subject, namely Jellyfish, I'm glad someone else > > brought up the Queen connection!! That was the first thing I thought of, > > I bought 'Spilt Milk' the other day and, although I hear Queen in > there, I think that the Super Tramp influence is even more eveident, > but no-one has mentioned this yet. Does anyone else agree. I do > like Jellyfish, but I would recommend many other bands before them to > XTC fans. On Spilt Milk, it seems to me as though each track is a tribute to an individual band. Joining a Fan Club is very definitely derived >from Queen. New Mistake is Supertramp all the way (the organ on the fade out is pretty much exact). Sebrina, Paste, and Plato is Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles (the guitar behind the "So serene" chorus is particularly reminiscint of Getting Better). I'd be hard-pressed to say there's an overriding style for the whole album. Bellybutton is slightly less pointedly-imitative, which makes it a superior album for me. It's still very Beatle-esque, but manages to expand on its bases a little instead of just celebrating them. -- Steve-O
------------------------------ Message-Id: <01BB12C1.5AD335C0@an87.tir.com> From: Bill Godby <wgodby@sun.tir.com> Subject: RE: Gizmotron/Andy @ Dave's Guitars Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 22:46:56 -0500 <The GIZMO was not a synthesizer but a rotating wheel of plectrums> WRONG! The "Gizmotron" came from a very old development, ca.1890's coin operated automated technology that allowed for a violin to be played automatically by rotating rubber wheels that touched on the violin strings, basically a very early jukebox. Godley and Creme (developers of the Gizmotron) certainly knew about this technology. The story goes that they put a pencil, with the eraser pointing out into a drill, and then touched the rotating eraser to a guitar string, emulating this effect, causing a vibration similar to a bow. The Gizmotron uses six small rotating rubber wheels that are attached to a motor and the entire thing sets over the guitar strings, just like the early Violin Virtuoso (I believe this was the name). You control with your right hand which string it will touch and fret with the other hand. This device was actually commercially available not that long ago, I have the promo material on it. So much for useless knowledge. I often wonder how much of my "harddisk" is devoted to such things. Regarding the guitar sound of XTC see Guitar Player June 1992, p.90. Andy's using mostly his Squire Telecaster and recently on Nonsuch he was playing a 75 Ibanez Artist, which he hadn't used since White Music and Go2. Also Andy and Dave use a Boss CE-2 chorus quite a bit, which combined with Gregory's 12-string gives quite the full sound. Dave uses two Rickenbacker 12-strings, a 1964 330, and a black 360 12-string which he used on English Settlement, which in my opinion contains some of the finest 12-string playing ever recorded. Dave also played a 63 Epiphone Coronet Dwight, a 65 Fender Jaguar, a 65 Vox Phantom and on the Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead, a Gretsch Country Club. ---- Bill Godby wgodby@tir.com
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 23:00:43 -0500 (EST) From: "Jennifer L. Geese" <jlg@tardis.svsu.edu> Subject: Try this one out Message-Id: <Pine.OSF.3.91.960315225503.14559C-100000@tardis.svsu.edu> While listening to _Drums and Wires_ recently, I found myself pondering a weighty question: If I were given an unlimited budget and asked to choose one song by XTC of which to make a video, what song would I choose and what would the video be like? I decided that it would be fun to produce a video of "Complicated Game". I would have shots of the band interspersed with shots of the little girl, little boy and God. The whole video would have an old movie type feel (kind of strobe-lighty and jumpy) to it and would be done in black and white. Now the question that I have is: How would YOU do it? What song and what would it look like? I'm looking forward to seeing the responses. Jennifer Geese
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 23:07:11 -0500 Message-Id: <199603160407.XAA07297@dcez.dcez.com> From: "J. D. Mack" <jdmack@nicom.com> Subject: Re: various bits Wow, am I in a posting mood. Let's start with quote number one: >Have I had a humour bypass? First everyone keeps saying that "Dave and >Colin and the Infinite Andy" is a very funny title - why? what does it >refer to? what does it mean? > >Mark Fisher (fisher@easynet.co,uk) Mark I was just about to post the same question. I suppose we'll both feel stupid when someone explains it to us. >I just bought the import CD of Drums and Wireless, the BBC sessions '77-'89. >I assume this is not the complete BBC Sessions. Does anyone know if more is >to come? I was just about to post something about this too (what a cosmic evening!) I have an oddball cassette that I got at a record show with alternate versions of "Heatwave, "Helicopter" and "Nigel." My first guess is that they are BBC versions. Is there a WEB page anywhere that lists EVERY song XTC recorded for the BBC? Or can someone post the ones not on "Drums & Wireless" here? >And on a completely unrelated note: John Leckie. Specifically (and yes, I'm >trying to start a contentious debate), what's the big deal? Any views on that? :-) "White Music" and "Go2" - your right, big deal. The Dukes of Stratosphere - that's another story. There's tons of cool production stuff going on just about every moment of every recording. >To Simon S. (and others): I've heard contradicting testimony on which >guitar(s) are used by XTC, That reminds me . . . I've seen a picture of the Fab 3 at a radio station in 1989. Colin's got an Ovation acoustic. Dave's got a Martin. What is Andy holding in his hand . . . I mean as far as his guitar. You people and your gutter minds! J.D.
------------------------------ From: Aaron Pastula <apastula@pepperdine.edu> Message-Id: <199603160938.AA26953@pepvax.pepperdine.edu> Subject: Dave Matthews Band... Date: Sat, 16 Mar 96 1:38:07 PST > >I just heard the Dave Matthews Band on Letterman last night for the first > >time. Damn near blew my socks off! They were so good! > >Anybody know anything about this group? I know nothing, except they're > >all over the web. > > I bought their album in December 1994 "Under the Table and Dreaming"...I > must say it was probably the best album of 1994 (though it didnt catch fire > till' around March 1995). Agreed. I bought it simply because of a song on the flipside of a cassette single that I COULD NOT get out of my head. And then I played it for about 6 months solid. Matthews has a very distinguishing voice that really "gets you in the mood" of his music, and their bass player is also a big XTC fan. Highly recommended. Aaron. P.S. - Go see Fargo.
------------------------------ From: 7IHd <ee92pmh@brunel.ac.uk> Message-Id: <22000.9603161514@molnir.brunel.ac.uk> Subject: Garden of Earthly Delights / The Loving Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 15:14:38 +0000 (GMT) # From: Miles or Gigi Coleman <coleman@cougarnet.byu.edu> # Subject: Books and XTC # # In the last issue (2-86), there were a few comments about books and any # relationship to XTC. I've got another. I just finished _Expensive People_ # by Joyce Carol Oates. However, I noticed that under Other Books By JCO it # had _A Garden of Earthly Delights_. Not having read it I wanted to know if # anyone knows of a connection there? No idea, but on a vaguely related note there is a totally different song called "Garden Of Earthly Delights" on the Carl Marsh solo album from 1989. (Carl Marsh, for those not in the know, being Shriekback's old guitarist; Shriekback being Barry Andrews' band). Does anyone know which song came out first? # From: steve@expersoft.com (Steve-O Lutz) # But consider that the Swindonian accent tends to mangle words such # as clear. If you pretend you're Colin, and sit around saying "stand # clear" to yourself for a while, it ends up sounding like "stand # clee-yah". Also, people will think you're a nut case; they'll stand # clear, tho'. I can't believe there's still an argument about this, but to those of you in far-flung corners of the globe who speak with silly accents (no offence intended <grin>), I really think you should let those of us actually in possession of an english accent make any comments on what it sounds like... the first wird is definitely, positively, 100% guaranteed, no arguments necessary, etc. etc. "straight". There is _no_ _way_ it sounds _anything_ like "stand". The second 2 syllables are less clear, but definitely start with a "t" or "ch" sound, hence "to ya", slurred. Can't someone just, um, ask Colin or something? _ |_)|_ *| | | )|| http://http2.brunel.ac.uk:8080/~ee92pmh/ ========
------------------------------ From: JakeKristy@aol.com Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 12:10:55 -0500 Message-ID: <960316121053_353004073@emout10.mail.aol.com> Subject: To Interpret (Feel) or Not Hello, time to ride another capillary on the Interpretation of Another Satellite vein. Some of our eloquent members think that it is daft, foolhardy, and wrong to think of an XTC song as anything but what the author intended. If we polled a sample of modern folks, and asked them the meaning of a perfectly simple stick figure, we assume that most would say it represents a human being. But we would not talk much about the artist who painted such a figure--we might even think it came from a very crude computer drawing program and was printed out in mass numbers. In step two we could have our subjects study a colorful and abstract work of visual art, something in which we could not tell up from down. No matter what the artist was feeling at the time the image was conceived, or what the artist was obviously ^drawing,^ the broader piece before us will evoke much more emotion from the thinking subjects than will the stick figure. A billion interpretations (and a billion more when you poll our people on day two) will flow, and that painting will be a fine example of art. Similarly, is an aural work of art up to interpretation by the listener? Should the author of such works be offended when some ^one^ hears something more meaningful or clever in the song than the author ever ^intended^? The genius of the author may well be defined by how differently the song affects each listener. While standing in the National Gallery of Art, a fellow observer asked me if the subject of the portrait in front of us was sad or not. Should I have shriveled up and walked away from this jester, who was so bold as to look for her own meaning instead of catching the blatant true and sole meaning that the artist intended ;-}? Or should I have commented on what the painting evoked in me at that moment? I decided to chat. So, should there be interpretations of song lyrics? Sure, why not? Burning my blinders and fiddling with my filters, --XTOTX
------------------------------
Message-Id: <1.5.4b12.32.19960316175925.006a5edc@mindspring.com>
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 12:59:25 -0500
From: jes <xtc@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #2-87
>From: produce@magicnet.net (Arthur James Virgin)
>Subject: Steve Lillywhite..DMB...XTC
>Lillywhite..The album production is VERY similar to Oranges and Lemons in
>that the timbre's of all the instruments are VERY crisp and bright..The
>songs are also VERY good. They are currently mixing their next
>album..Steve Lillywhite produced again.
Funny you should mention Lillywhite in connection with Oranges & Lemons.
Lillywhite only produced two XTC albums ("D&W" and "Black Sea") and O&L was
recorded about 9 years later with Paul Fox producing. Big difference, IMHO.
Actually, the production on the DMB album is unmistakably Lillywhite
considering his recent work with The La's and the Stones. Spacious and
airy, a little on the bright side, with plenty of echo. Consider, though,
his work in the late '70's and early '80's with bands like The Brains, U2,
XTC, Peter Gabriel (a stunning piece of work that had no cymbals and very
little reverb) and Penetration, which featured a bombastic drum sound,
plenty of dry guitar work, tons of synthetic echo (like the noise-gate
reverb on "Intruder" from PG's album), and eerie guitar sounds. It would be
interesting to hear the difference between D&W and the next XTC album with
Lillywhite at the knobs.
My two cents.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 11:14 -0700 (MST)
From: Miles or Gigi Coleman <coleman@cougarnet.byu.edu>
Subject: Misheard lyrics and other stuff
Message-id: <0DODHBAAS001R3@ACS2.BYU.EDU>
>>A non-Skylarking late discovery was how Colin whispers "we're only making
>>plans for Nigel" behind his singing. Adds a rather sinister effect with
>>headphones. Anyone have other examples?
>
>the whispered voice in the short break after "how do
>you Martians say I love you?", in Science Friction, at about 1:40 that says
>(what sounds like) "psychedelic".
On this same thread, how about in _Burning with Optimism's Flames_ beginning
with the second verse there is a sort of "moaning," kind of like "uhhhohhh"
that ocurrs at regular intervals in the background and ends at the chorus.
It's not very easy to hear. Who knows how many times I listened to it
before I noticed.
Miles Coleman
"When she's here it makes up for the time she's not and it's all forgotten."
_Vanishing Girl
------------------------------ Date: 16 Mar 96 14:40:03 EST From: Simon Sleightholm <101477.1611@compuserve.com> Subject: Andy's Birthday Message-ID: <960316194002_101477.1611_EHU59-1@CompuServe.COM> This may be old news but the site: http://www.addict.com/ATN/Music_News_Of_The_World/95-09-11.html carries a little article celebrating Andy's birthday, as does http://www.addict.com/Music_News_Of_The_World/95-12-11.html As you can see, they can't quite decide exactly when his birthday is, but it's a nice gesture all the same. Simon
------------------------------ From: sjala1@1adtfrear.1ad.army.mil (SJA Claims CPT Stauffer) Message-ID: <1996Mar15.175400.1406.6202@1adtfrear1ad.army.mil> Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 20:58:35 GMT Subject: New Member/Kudos from Toad Hello! I'm new to the mailing list, but a 14 year die-hard fan of the boys from Swindon. I'm an attorney with the U.S. Army currently deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina and I must say this mailing list and the Archives are saving my sanity!! What a great diversion. THANK YOU MR. RELPH! Check out the liner notes on the latest offering from Toad the Wet Sprocket called "In Light Syrup". Glen (his last name eludes me at the moment), the singer/songwriter of Toad, gives kudos to Andy as the inspiration for the song "Hobbit on the Rocks". The song does have a great XTC feel to it. Glad to be with you all. Scott Stauffer
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 16 Mar 1996 14:41:37 -0800 (PST) From: Thranduil <mong@sdcc3.ucsd.edu> Subject: chalkhills #2-85 Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960316143801.7515A-100000@sdcc3.ucsd.edu> >>OK, so after many months of research, Orwell writes a novel about the >>unbelievably horrible conditions suffered by a family of Hungarian >>immigrants working in a meat packing plant. This is a non-XTC point, but I believe the book being quoted here is Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle." It's an interesting book, and really makes one seriously think about vegetarianism after finishing it. mIKE
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 11:37:37 -0500 (EST) From: Natalie Jane Jacobs <gnat@umich.edu> Subject: Myths and secrets Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.960317112537.4675A-100000@breakout.rs.itd.umich.edu> Yesterday I purchased a huge thick book called THE WOMAN'S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYTHS AND SECRETS by Barbara G. Walker - one of Andy's favorite books, fact fans - I felt obligated to buy it after a friend of mine (who has no connection with Andy or XTC whatsoever) told me it changed her life; I figured it was too much of a coincidence and the Goddess was trying to tell me something. The book is filled with arcane lore and slightly dodgy but fascinating etymologies (and a mild amount of man-bashing, unfortunately). Two bits bear mentioning to y'all: "English tradition said Wayland the Smith lived within the Berkshire hill marked by the 370-foot image of the White Horse of Uffington. If horses were brought to him at night and left, with money, at one of the standing stones, he would shoe them before the coming of the dawn." (p.944) "Middle English _pertriche_, 'partridge,' was derived from Perdix, one of Athene's sacred kings, thrown into the seas from a tower, and carried to heaven in the form of a bird by his Goddess... The partridge in the [pear] tree was evidently taken as a symbol for Christ, instead of Perdix, when the image was transposed into a Christmas carol." (pp 772-3) I have another book which points out that the partridge is a traditional symbol of lust, and the "partridge in a pear tree" is a phallic symbol - along with the five golden rings, etc. offered to his lover, the singer is also offering himself. Somehow, this explains a lot to me. I don't know why. Natalie Jacobs ************** "There ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk." - Tom Waits
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 15:06:25 +1200 (NZST)
Message-Id: <v01530506ad732cbf10e6@[139.80.240.48]>
From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan)
Subject: A Theory, by Ann Elk (eeeee-heeem!!!)
>>Millions is about Mao. Another Satellite is about Religion. Dear Madam
>>Barnum - who else but Margaret Thatcher?
hey yeah, of course! The whole of Nonsuch is about international politics,
isn't it? I mean - the motto of the U. S. ("E pluribus unum") translates
roughly as "Omnibus takes all". So it's actually "Omnibus, takes all of the
US"!
And Rook... well, if you accidentally pronounce the Cyrillic letter "C" as
an English "C", then "Pycc", an old poetic name for Russia, becomes "Rook".
Then there's the one about the Shi'ite muslims, "Then Shiah peered". And
the one about the problems of poor nations in Asia, "Bungalow(Desh)".
And as for Peter Pumpkinhead, well...
The only songs not about world politics on the album are the two tender
love songs, "Books are Burning" and "War Dance".
Just another theory,
James
PS: have you ever stopped to wonder who it is who makes up all those
conspiracy theories? And why they might be doing it???
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 15:07:09 +1200 (NZST) Message-Id: <v01530507ad732d1e260d@[139.80.240.48]> From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: divers alarums >Did you know that Godley and Creme invented a guitar synth called "The >Gizmo" long before any others were developed? And that, in order to >promote it, they recorded a 3-record boxed set called "Consequences"? And >did you know later they directed dozens of videos for The Police, Duran >Duran and others, thereby setting the look of MTV for years? Oh yes. And I also know that Godley and Creme released some gems of albums that no-one seems to have heard of, like "L", Freeze Frame", and "Ismism" (when, oh when will they be released on CD???). And that they and a host of other people - including many who later became the backbone of Real World records, were involved in a 60 minute piece of music involving sections >from musicians around the planet called "One World One Voice". --- Why do we have to have the word "Tribute" or similar in the title of the tape? I like "Chalkhill's Children", but how about "Great Fires", or "This is Pop"? --- >A non-Skylarking late discovery was how Colin whispers "we're only making >plans for Nigel" behind his singing. Adds a rather sinister effect with >headphones. Anyone have other examples? this is a common trick - the most eerie use of it (IMHO), is possibly the first - The Doors' "Riders on the Storm". --- >In the last issue (2-86), there were a few comments about books and any >relationship to XTC. I've got another. I just finished _Expensive People_ >by Joyce Carol Oates. However, I noticed that under Other Books By JCO it >had _A Garden of Earthly Delights_. Not having read it I wanted to know if >anyone knows of a connection there? Miles, you can go back a wee bit further than this book. Go back to 1505, and look at the most famous painting of Hieronymus Bosch - "The Garden of Earthly Delights" - the triptych of Heaven, Earth and Hell of which the most famous part (Hell) was a major source of inspiration for this century's great surrealist painters. And I think you can go back even further, too. I have a funny feeling that the phrase "The Garden of Earthly Delights" is originally from the Bible. Dear God! James
------------------------------ From: Swindon@eworld.com Date: Sun, 17 Mar 1996 22:23:40 -0800 Message-ID: <960317222339_27939913@hp1.online.apple.com> Subject: greatest sounding englishman,... #Will Heyniger wonders... Is this Martin Newell record I keep hearing about "The Greatest Living Englishman" (have) plenty of pleasant songs? Enough pleasant songs to get you through a rough day (at the very least). Newell's quirky noodling takes you along a very gratifying tour of the England that he knows. The tour he conducts sticks mainly to working class suburbia, but it's filled with insightful lyrics and knowing asides that translate to any working class environment... (I hope I don't make it sound too much like a proletarian tract!) Check out "The Jangling Man", a neat slice of pop perfection. Our Mr. Partridge (the "new improved' as the cover art suggests) produced and engineered the project, as well as provided "hours and hours doing very clever stuff with a computer". The production gleefully boasts a homespun garage quality, though a few of the drum tracks seem to have been created in some subterranean grotto. Definitely worth a listen or three.. Also... a belated response to someone who posted a positive vibe concerning the Rheostatics... I agree with you about this band! I'm really only familiar with their 'Whale Music' release, but it's a keeper. I first heard about this band while listening to an interview with Brad Roberts (the lead singer of the Crash Test Dummies) on National Public Radio. In addition to crediting our label-less lads as a strong influence, Brad cited the Rheostatics as a ground breaking band that he looked up to. They are a talented group that write good pop tunes that are both quirky and catchy (and we all thought Andy & crew had those adjectives copyrighted...) As for tribute tape names.. 'Living through another tribute' sounds catchy. I also had a thought... What if we were to name the tape 'In Loving Memory of a Band'? (Sounds like a tribute to a group whose private plane went down over the Adirondack Mountains during their eastern U.S. tour.) This title could work to our advantage as XTC fans. I can just see it now... Music business clowns scrambling to get out the next piece of XTC product because they're worried that the fan base believes that the band is no longer together. As a high profile group of potential consumers, we should ban together and inform record companies that if they don't supply us with new XTC merchandise soon, we will shift our 'product loyalty' to a commodity that's easier to obtain. Like dental floss... or the hair products that Cher does the infomercials for. This seems like a good spot to derail this train of thought.... Exiting from Eden... E.G.
------------------------------ From: DAMIAN FOULGER <SPXDLF@cardiff.ac.uk> Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 09:55:28 GMT Subject: Tribute Tape name. Message-ID: <139839E26DE@nrd2s.cf.ac.uk> Dear all, Well it seems that I have the job of counting the votes as noone else seems to be contesting me for the position. Now that John has informed us that we number 1100 I am a little scared!!! ;-} But there is no turning back. I suggest that the voting and proposing goes like this: People send there ideas for titles directly to me <spxdlf@cf.ac.uk> between now and say... Monday 1st April. I will compile a list and post it to chalkhills for everyone to see. It would be nice to have a system of voting where people choose their favourite three titles and then when a title is rejected everyone's votes for that title are transfered to the next favourite, but this would take me too long. So what I propose that we do instead is vote for *three* titles, I will then collate the four titles with the highest number of votes, repost these and then we can all vote again for the most popular titles. Each voting period will be exactly one week long. This way, everyone's votes will count for _something_. If anyone has any other suggestions or can spot fatal flaws in my system then please mail me directly. Dames TWD (Life is good in the greenhouse:XTC) (You told me you saw Jesus, but I could only see a tree: Amber) (If people lived in Heaven, God would break their windows: Damian)
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01530500ad732ac92d6e@[192.135.84.136]> Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 10:02:05 -0500 From: AlexW@tiger.hsc.edu (Alex Werth) Subject: [Steer Me] Clear Regarding the battle over the misunderstood line in "The Loving," I'm not suggesting this as a compromise between "stand clear!" and "straight t'ya!," but I've always heard that line as "stay clear!" Make sense to anyone else?
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1996 11:20:56 -0500 (EST)
From: Jamie Mowder <mowder@is2.NYU.EDU>
Subject: Re: xtc, Barrett and the Beachboys
Message-Id: <Pine.OSF.3.91.960318104758.14836B-100000@is2.NYU.EDU>
> pebrantl@mailbox.syr.edu (Paul Brantley) wrote:
>
> What I find interesting is the Brian Wilson/Syd Barrett connection -- two
> artists almost impossible to talk about because neither one was able to
> transcend their "diamond in the rough" status.
I'm glad to see the linkages made btwn Andy, B. Wilson and Syd.
Between the three of them, their songs delineate a picture of
voluptuous, perfervid imagination and almost tragically lofty
musical ambition. All three individuals, IMO, have had enough
difficulty merely trying to harness and keep track of the
outpourings of their own heads, much less attempting to
negotiate the trying channels of the professional business of
the music industry, and of social and romantic reality.
Of the three, I think Andy has been most successful in describing
lyrically what it feels like to be teetering on the brink of
nervous insanity while trying to realize unique, artistic goals
in the midst of a self-shattering profession and a confusing world.
Barrett and Wilson have done better jobs of sonically capturing
that feel.
Noteworthy songs: XTC: "Train Running Low", "No Language in
Our Lungs", "Funk Pop-a-Roll". Brian Wilson: "I Know
There's an Answer", "I Went to Sleep", "Wind Chimes", "Mama Said".
Syd Barrett: "Yes, I'm Thinking", "Wined and Dined","Let's
Split", that I Ching-quoting track on Side 2 of _Piper at Gates_
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #2-88 ******************************
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