Chalkhills Digest Volume 3, Issue 155
Date: Sunday, 17 August 1997
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 3, Number 155
Sunday, 17 August 1997
Today's Topics:
I Love You Guys (and gals)
An exasperated plea
Lest Me Forget...
Brian Stevens?
ege bamyasi
knee-jerk SOTW/QOTW responses
Thoughts on your thoughts
Insert something witty here
Hey, c'mon now...
Guess we're not in Swindon any more, Toto.
Water and plugholes in the soutern hemisphere.
Unrelated Thing
Happy Birthday time
opening salvo
Rockpallast, Black Sea
Bourbon, therefore, random musings.
Bennyheads
Hey, I like this...
King For A Day
Tyop (ha ha) in my last post...
Still looking for...
JUXTAPOSITOIN AND WONDERMINTS
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Chalkhills is digested with Digest 3.4 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>).
Saving it all up for you -- bungalow.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Lee Lovingood" <lvngoods@beachlink.com> Subject: I Love You Guys (and gals) Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 22:16:05 -0400 Message-Id: <19970814221246.5a640a27.in@mail.beachlink.com> Hello friends... I just wanted to drop a quick line to tell you all how much I enjoy reading your posts. You are all my friends - even those who don't care for Prefab Sprout! "Some folks is even whiter than me!" (Todd, Something/Anything) Leeeee eeeee eeee eeee zure..
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33F3DE3E.6246@bhip.infi.net> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 00:42:58 -0400 From: gregory <mattone@bhip.infi.net> Organization: InfiNet Subject: An exasperated plea Tschalkgerz! OK, I'll ask again, as I haven't seen any response... Somebody out there has demos of possible future XTC album content. I have asked for them in the past... I have offered to send a blank tape... I have been told by a possible samaritan NOT to, as they would just get confused by the presence of a new blank tape (!), and would send out a copy to me... no demo tape... I made a recent request for some friendly soul to do something for me so that I could have a copy... WHAT CAN I DO TO RECEIVE A COPY OF ALL THESE 'WONDERFUL' DEMOS THAT EVERYONE IS GOING ON ABOUT? Kiss cyberass? Cough up another XTC MIDI? Order a copy of Becki DiGregorio's CD? Gush about just how absolutely much I love/hate Todd, love the Mommyheads & Prodigy & Ben Folds Five & The Kinks & Graham Parker & The Beach Boys & 'Revolver' & 'Sgt. Pepper & whatever, give away a Prophet V to one of you, learn to play the French trombone, produce financial mega-backing for IDEA, what? I would really appreciate it, ya know? -Brian Eating future and shitting past...
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Aug 1997 21:59:49 -0700 Message-Id: <199708150459.VAA12941@mando.engr.sgi.com> From: John Relph <relph> Subject: Lest Me Forget... Here are a few responses that I had brewing, but then I put the barrel in the closet and forgot about them. One day I may catch up with all of this... Chris Miner <cminer@cougarnet.byu.edu> asks: > > Can anyone tell me the difference (besides price!) between >the import and domestic versions of the following XTC disks: > >(domestic) Rag and Bone buffet (UK-import) Rag and Bone Buffet Rare cuts >and leftovers >(domestic)BBC Radio 1 live (UK import) Live in Concert BBC Radio 1 >(domestic) Big Express (import) Big Express None, almost none, and almost none, respectively. I think the import _Big Express_ might have a nice booklet, and the two _BBC Live_ CDs have slightly different cover art. Ted Harms <tmharms@library.uwaterloo.ca> asks: > >4) Could some of the elders on this list (Mr. Relph?) give a history on >how this list got started? I saw the first Chalkhill digest and it >seemed that there must've been some form of interaction before the list >was born. Anybody care to mention how y'all met? Chalkhills is an indirect offshoot of Love-Hounds, the Kate Bush list, and rec.music.misc, wherein XTC was discussed. I got tired of having to sort through lots of Kate mail and misc rantings, so I decided to create an XTC mail list. Originally it didn't really have a name, but after _Oranges and Lemons_ came out, I decided to call the list "Chalkhills", after "Chalkhills and Children" and the image on the cover of _English Settlement_. The name seemed to cover XTCs career and roots. >The other thing I think of when I hear the song is that there's a book >I've never read called 'Venus on the half-shell'. The book is authored >by Kilgore Trout but it's really a alias for Kurt Vonnegut. Actually, the book was written by Philip Jose Farmer, from an idea by Kurt Vonnegut. Cheryl McGregor <McGREGOC@regents.ac.uk> asks: > >Question! I've noticed a funny glitchy sound in "Generals and >Majors" on my CD and on various tapes that I have purchased. Has >anybody else noticed this? Or have I managed to by all the duds. >Its only in one place so I don't think it was an instrument thing. At what point (time) does this sound occur in the song? Jason Phelan <PPumpkinH@aol.com> asks: > > I am curious to know how many people subscribe to Chalkhills and if > Mr. Relph could include some sort of running tally. As of this instant, about 1,250. And, no. "Pablo F. Gorondi" <103075.2635@CompuServe.COM> writes: > >Reading the TIME magazine article the other day, I was struck by the fact >that the author pointed out that the name of the band is pronounced like the >"recreational drug," not, as I and all my Argentine and Hungarian friends >have been pronouncing it for the past 15 years, the three letters X-T-C as >they sound in the alphabet. Actually, the Time article is WRONG. (For all you giving me a hard time about the simplistic terms I have been using lately, drawing everything in black and white, what I really mean to say is that the Time article is not correct. Which is to say that it is wrong.) In all the radio promos and interviews I've ever heard with any of the members of XTC, they pronounce it "EKS-TEE-SEA". Three letters. jes <xtc@mindspring.com> asks: > >Someone asked >>James: didn't some awful female singer ca. 1991 do a cover of >>"tomorrow never knows"? i seem to remember cringing a lot at her nerve. I thought this was Sheila Chandra when she was singing with Monsoon. -- John P.S. Bob Estus (bestus@mail.sonyinteractive.com) wins the five (5) bonus points in today's game show. He sent in the correct answer of "squeeze". The judges say, however, that the alternative answer of "canned heat", while technically also correct, is not the answer they were looking for. "Canned heat" refered to its intended use, while "squeeze" is . . . You know, I just can't imagine using Sterno in an attempt to get high. Pass me that big bottle of Colt 45 Malt Liquor.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v03007801b019c0f8b79f@[168.121.37.41]> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 04:29:27 -0400 From: Curtiss Hammock <curtiss@macbeth.com> Subject: Brian Stevens? Hi all. Delurking for the first time since rejoining the list (after being away for one or two years) to see if anyone has checked out Brian Steven's disc "Prettier Than You." Brian used to be with a little-known band called The Cavedogs that released an excellent album (Joyrides for Shutins), a pretty decent EP (Six Tender Moments) and some other stuff in the early 90s. Now he's back on a solo album that I've been enjoying quite a bit. In addition to some pretty decent and mature songwriting, it features an all-star cast, including The Grays' Jon Brion (who contributes a killer Clavichord track on "She Shines") and our own Dave Gregory on various keyboards and guitars (Dave's parts were recorded by Andy in Swindon). Excellent songs with some fine production. Also, let me take this opportunity to thank everyone for *their* recommendations. Through this list, I have added many fine bands to my collection. ________________________________________________________ | _________ | | Curtiss R.Hammock II | ___ | | | MacBeth Design & Curtiss Web Designs | /- -\ | | | Online Macintosh Users' Group | <\@]@/> | | | Atlanta, GA, USA | \~/ | | |http://www.mindspring.com/~curtiss/cwd.html | ` | | | curtiss@macbeth.com |_________| | |________________________________________________________|
------------------------------ From: monnickj@ubk.co.uk Message-Id: <199708151118.MAA16484@sys4.cambridge.uk.psi.net> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 12:22:55 +0000 Subject: ege bamyasi Sgt pepper it could only be stormy ........ Graham Parker To me this guy in the 70's had the greatest backing band you could ask for and did all of us in the UK a favour by reintroducing dance music at a time when pogoing plus spitting were the norm at concerts. He also opened the door for the two tone revival (whereas punk did it for reggae) and probably the revisiting of motown which followed He provided a stax outfit for the the 70's with a rhythm section to die for, a great key board player and a rhythm guitarist straight out of the jungle in the form of martin belmont. MB still plays the london pub circuit with various country bands and uses a six string bass as lead guitar. As a live experience it was unbeatable but too literal in its retro feel to ever make the breakthrough. EC plundered the whole show a few years latter with his highly contrived 'punch the clock'. Can What a band, even their offcuts (unlimited edition and radio sessions) were amazing, the greatest of all the krautrockers. I never saw them but I would recommend that anybody checks out 'ege bamyasi' which i reckon is their best. Others would give you 'tago mago' and 'monster movie'. enjoy the weekend jon on the turntable - heart of uncle by the 3 mustapha 3 *---------------------------------------------------------------- The views expressed are of the individual, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The United Bank of Kuwait PLC. *----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ From: jssimmons@mail.biosis.org Message-Id: <9708158716.AA871649047@mail.biosis.org> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 97 08:43:17 -0500 Subject: knee-jerk SOTW/QOTW responses I rather like the SOTW/QOTW idea, so much so that I will make a rare appearance from the depths of lurkdom to chime in: SOTW: No real deep insight on "Making Plans For Nigel." This song provided my first exposure to an XTC video, and I remember wondering if the video's lead singer and its main "character" were one and the same (they are, aren't they -- it's been YEARS since I've seen it...). QOTW: Defining "best opening track" as "opening track I like a lot," I would say that the albums with the "best" ones are: Go2 (seriously!), BS, ES, BE, and Skylarking. I find the raw energy of "Meccanic Dancing" and the frenetic discord (for lack of a better description) of "Wake Up" particularly refreshing. Please don't open fire for this admission, but I REALLY dislike "Garden of Earthly Delights" and "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead." In my opinion ALL the opening tracks do a pretty fair job of establishing the "feel" of their respective albums. Trying to keep it brief, so I will fade to black here... -Jon in Philly
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33F45824.4A87@prodigy.com> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 09:22:44 -0400 From: Jim Samuelian <jsamuelian@prodigy.com> Subject: Thoughts on your thoughts > From: Jason Kirkman__Carol Kawase <jkirk@mcn.org> > Subject: Thoughts on #3-152 > > Jim S.--I actually like the song "Mother", and know at least one other > person who does. 7/4 time, hip guitar solo, and I really think the vocal > delivery is hilarious. I guess the relationship you have with your own > mother might affect your response to the song. WHO TOLD YOU ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY MOTHER??? IT WAS _HER_ WASN'T IT?????!!!!! I actually think Mother's pretty cool, too, but was just trying to make my lame little point and that's the best I could come up with. ...okay, how's this: listening to Beatles For Sale without Mr. Moonlight...can we agree on that one?...or does that say something about my relationship with, um, mr. moonlight?...
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33F45D03.CDAA92B6@stewmac.com> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 09:43:33 -0400 From: Keith Hanlon <hanlon@stewmac.com> Organization: Stewart-MacDonald's Guitar Shop Supply Subject: Insert something witty here > Dear Chalkers, > Does anyone else out there like Can - I know AndyP does, and he says > Malcolm Mooney is his favourate singer (Black Sea tour programme I > think). YES! Buy "Tago Mago" now! And to Brookes.... you certainly posses the communication skills necessary to sum up the Mommyheads career so eloquently. I have nearly nothing to add... good work. It's time someone besides Mitch or myself pipes in with Mommyhead-praises. If ANYONE can find me a VINYL copy of "Acorn," I will do anything you ask... anything. > XTC, here's a question, what album of theirs will be considered "best" > or "most important" long after they're gone? Hmmm..... "English Settlement." "Runaway" is the perfect opener, followed by cut after cut of classic XTC. Not much I can say about this... to me, it's the obvious choice. Loving it when we're off topic, Keith
------------------------------ From: TBERNHA@columbiaenergy.com Subject: Hey, c'mon now... Message-ID: <0017110000274027000002L172*@MHS> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 11:07:28 -0400 Hi, kidz: Haven't seen much to comment on/respond to lately, but this post from Jason Kirkman caught my attention: >Jim S.--I actually like the song "Mother", and know at least one other person who does. 7/4 time, hip guitar solo, and I really think the vocal delivery is hilarious. I guess the relationship you have with your own mother might affect your response to the song.< Whoa now, buddy! Maybe it's the fact that, IMO, there's little original about the song: Andy S. is doing is best Robert Fripp imitation, and falling far short of the mark; the song's basically a 12-bar blues, except, in an attempt to be different, he puts it in 7 and plays it in the harmonic minor; and the lyrics are, at best, way too cute and, at worst, trite pop psychology. Sort of like your assessment of Jim's reasons for not liking the song, eh? Not that it's any of your business, but I had a very good relationship with my mother, and that song is the low point of Synchronicity for me. Cute at first listen, annoying afterwards. A novelty song, period. You happen to like it -- fine. But that's no reason to get shitty with someone who doesn't. If you were being sarcastic, you forgot the emoticon. Now, "Miss Gradenko," OTOH -- *that's* a great song! :^) And, after baiting our friend Stormy ;^) , Jeff Langr goes on to ask: >XTC, here's a question, what album of theirs will be considered "best" or "most important" long after they're gone? A chance for an on-topic discussion for a change. Maybe it's a yet-to-be-released album...< Maybe, but so far people seem to agree it's either Black Sea or English Settlement, with Skylarking a distant third. I may very well be wrong, but those are the names I see and hear mentioned most often. Gary Minns asked: >It was the little squiggle of blurb that came after Mole and before Vanishing Girl on the Chips CD that confused me. Why bother to leave in a 2 second line of nonsuch that was not part of a song? I suppose the answer is: why bother to take it out?< I believe the answer is that it was inserted especially *for* the CD. AFAIK, "Chips" was never released on vinyl -- it was the CD compilation of the EP-length "25 O'Clock" and the album-length "Psonic Psunspot." So the backwards-masked part was inserted to designate the segue between the two (like we needed it!). Catherine Sweeny pondered: >Or Andy singing <snip> "I know what I like in your Wardrobe" by Genesis (or is Peter Gabriel just too 'definitive'...). Anything off "Selling England by the pound" is probably worthy of Andy's attentions, although I'd give Colin "More fool me".< Wow, what an interesting concept! Although, the more I think about it, the more I can hear only Colin being able to handle the Gabriel-era Genesis stuff (though I think Andy would do great on the "spoken" parts of "I Know What I Like"). I think Colin is very influenced by PG anyway -- "One of the Millions," IMO, is very PGish, both in its vocals and music. In fact, I'd love to hear PG cover that one (with Tony Levin doing the bass line and Manu Katche the drum part, of course! :^) Bill from The Village Green asks: >QOTW 01 -Which album contains the best opening track? Does the song lay the groundwork for what follows on that album or is it just a killer track by itself? (Groundwork being mood, tone, topic, concept, etc.).< If we're going for a killer song that sets the tone, I'd have to say Black Sea (Respectable Street), followed by Big Express (Wake Up). And good luck with your effort, mah man. Hope it works. As for the song of the week, actually, like you, Nigel was the first XTC song I heard, but I didn't know it was XTC at the time -- it was on a friend's mix tape, with no i.d. of bands. Frankly, I wasn't *that* impressed, though I thought it was an good song. I think the thing that really hooked me on XTC was when I first heard No Thugs in Our House segue into Yacht Dance -- I remember thinking, "My God! What range!! THIS is talent!" ByeBye!
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.32.19970815152902.006a7b70@popmail.dircon.co.uk> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 16:29:02 +0100 From: Simon Sleightholm <nonsuch@dircon.co.uk> Subject: Guess we're not in Swindon any more, Toto. From: that milkmaid <rmckenzi@dti.net> >(in the Rifff interview - thank you Simon, you little-known and >underworshipped god!) Oh, worship away, worship away... Thanks, I'm pleased you enjoyed the stuff - transcribing some of the real audio snippets was _no_ fun. So, we're all agreed then, if Microsoft come and sue my arse off we share the costs? Right? Right? Hello? Is there _anybody_ there? ;) By the way, your take on "My Bird Performs" was excellent; an interpretation that I certainly had never considered before - it was obviously a dig a some artist/intellectual type but I'd never thought of applying it directly to Andy. A nice bit of work, that. From: Catherine Sweeney <Cather-s@selectst.com> >I think Andy would do marvels with Wolfgang Press - I can hear him >singing "Bottom Drawer" pretty menacingly, or "Kansas", even. Ooooh. A *sweet* thought. "Kansas" is one of _the_ tracks of the century, and you're right. I can hear Andy giving it some sinister all over this track, though it might be a little too close to "Talking Heads" territory for him after the problems he's had with the remnants of that band since doing "Paper Snow." I can't help but grin like a lottery-winning melon slice thinking about this notion. In fact, most of your suggestions had great appeal - even the Archdrude himself was in there! I'd like to hear XTC covering the _mighty_ Jehovakill in its entirety. Thanks, Catherine, you've made my last day at work before my vacation even more enjoyable! Does any else love (most of) New Model Army's "Thunder And Consolation"? I reckon XTC could make a good fist of some of that stuff. As for Colin and Andy switching tunes. Hmmm. The later stuff is very much "stamped" with their individual watermarks; I don't, for example, think Andy could brush the right kind of flaky gilding on to "Bungalow" like Colin did (though "The Disappointed" is _so_ Colin, at least musically), and I think Colin would struggle with something like "The Ugly Underneath". I'd love to hear Andy give "Ten Feet Tall" and "Washaway" his all though. We follow the tail lights out of the city... Simon -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bungalow.htm -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- An XTC resource - "Food for the thinkers..."
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199708151610.JAA22602@sgi.sgi.com> From: "Dr. Foulger" <Damian.Foulger@astro.cf.ac.uk> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 11:08:43 +0000 Subject: Water and plugholes in the soutern hemisphere. P@ul wrote: > 15/8/97). Also, water goes down the plug-hole in the opposite direction down > here. I'm left-handed too, if that's any help :-) As a member of the Society For Correct Thinking (SFCT) I would just like to point out that all things being equal water does not go down the plug-hole in the opposite direction in the southern hemisphere when compared to the northern hemisphere. This idea is based on the coriolis force that _is_ in different directions in the north and south hemispheres but it is too small to overcome the random movement of water molecules in an average sized bath. Move up to very large masses of air (e.g. cyclones and anticyclones) then there is a noticeable effect, but not, I'm afraid, in anything the size of a bath. I had to jump on this one because I heard today that 50% of people living in USA didn't know who long it took for the Earth to revolve once around the Sun (1 year), in fact 20% actually thought the opposite was true! Apologies for the lack of XTC content and to P@ul who invariably has only intelligent, though provoking and informative things to say and I consider his input as some of the backbone stuff of Chalkhills discussions. Damian * -------------------------------------------------- Dr. Damian Foulger Cutting Edge Optronics, Inc. 3753 Pennridge Drive, Bridgeton, MO 63044, USA.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03102800b01a40908578@[146.6.72.33]> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 12:33:37 -0500 From: jason garcia <h.h.name@mail.utexas.edu> Subject: Unrelated Thing It's hip to be square! >I believe all Beatles records with the exception of Abbey Road have mono >versions. Actually, according to Mark Lewisohn, Official Beatles Chronicler, the Beatles stopped mixing for mono with "The Beatles" (White Album). >Anyone noticed that even digitally remastered LP's can sound cold and >sterile compared to their analogue originals? Hell yeah. I have an American reissue of "Revolver" my dad bought in the seventies and a digitally remastered British version from the late '80s. There's NO comparison, especially when one starts off "She Said, She Said". The drums especially, which I always thought *kicked ass* in that song (if you'll pardon the teenage metalhead expression) sound really weak in the digitally remastered version. Doesn't make much sense to me. The two formats aren't really compatible. >am i completely crazy, or does anyone else think that the horns in "it's >nearly africa" sound like Canada geese?! That's really funny, but now that you mention it...yeah, I guess they do. This is COMPLETELY unrelated to ANYTHING ever broached on Chalkhills, but has anyone ever played "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen backwards and gotten a little naughty message? :) Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go... Jason
------------------------------
From: Melsta@aol.com
Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 14:31:22 -0400 (EDT)
Message-ID: <970815143045_773026033@emout01.mail.aol.com>
Subject: Happy Birthday time
Hey Chalkniks--
As I approach the milestone that is commonly known as the BIG THREE-OH next
week on the 21st, I'd like to take a moment to wish our Mr. Moulding his
very own Happy Birthday on August 17th. Well, almost his very own. He
actually has to share it with the likes of:
Davy Crockett b. 1786 Dead; Mae West b. 1892, Dead; Actress Maureen O'Hara,
77; actor Robert DeNiro, 54; musician Kevin Rowland of Dexy's Midnight
Runners, 44; musician Belinda Carlisle, 39; actor-director Sean Penn, 37;
singer Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block, 28; musician Steve Gorman
of the Black Crowes, 32; singer-bassist Jill Cunniff of Luscious Jackson,
31; actor David Conrad (''Relativity''), 30; rapper Posdnuos of Del La Soul,
28; actor Bryton McClure (''Family Matters''), 11.
What a crowd! But then I get:
Aug. 21: Aubrey Beardsley 1872, Dead; Count Basie 1904, Dead;
Actor-filmmaker-writer Melvin Van Peebles, 65; Wilt Chamberlain, 61; singer
Kenny Rogers, 59; actor Clarence Williams III (''The Mod Squad''), 58;
singer/songwriter Jackie Deshannon, 53; musician Joe Strummer of the Clash,
45; singer Kim Sledge of Sister Sledge, 40; musician Liam Howlett of
Prodigy, 26; actress Alicia Witt (''Cybill''), 22.
And if I'm not mistaken, HRH Princess Margaret. I guess that makes up for
it. Although Alicia Witt had roles in both David Lynch's Dune and in Twin
Peaks so she's cool.
Nobody's taking up Moxy Fruvous one way or another. So I'll start the
campaign thusly:
The Borders listening station description asks one to imagine (see if I can
get this straight) "a wedding between the Roches and XTC, with Tom Lehrer
officiating, and the Muppets and They Might Be Giants singing in the choir".
Or somesuch. They're definitely "quirky", a term that is often used to
describe two of my big obsessions: XTC and Twin Peaks. You just never read
anything in the mainstream press about either one without the Q word coming
into play. I only have Moxy's latest record "You Will Go to the Moon", and
particularly recommend Laszlo's Career, Michigan Militia, and Kick in the Ass
(a Rockapella-The Bobs type diatribe against nasty people).
So check it out, see what you think, let me know. Until then, I remain
Yours in xtc
Melissa Reaves (aka da Melsta)
We only want bread but we're forcefed cake.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33F4F2B6.76A6@earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 17:22:14 -0700 From: Wesley Hanks <whanks@earthlink.net> Subject: opening salvo Chalklestmentlington, Beating of Hearts - the way an opening track should be. Extreme close second - Garden of Earthly Delights. Opening my Wonder Annual Wes
------------------------------ From: Dschmtr@aol.com Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 23:02:06 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <970815230204_773086238@emout04.mail.aol.com> Subject: Rockpallast, Black Sea Hello Chalkpersons, I'm a long time lurker and I've finally decided to throw my two cents (pence?) in. For a while I thought I had wandered onto the Todd Rundgren mailing list. I realize the wait for a new album has driven everyone a bit mad and we do need SOMETHING to write about. I just have one question and then I tell my "how I fell in love with XTC" story and get out of here. Andre (a.de.koning@bpa.vnu.com) wrote: >In my announcement last Chalkhills (#3-153) I forgot to mention that the >Rockpallast show on Septemer 28 (that's in the night from saterday to >sunday) will be on the WDR. >The WDR is available on Astra 1C 11,053 GHz, Transponder 39 (so they say on >their homepage:), so that covers most of europe. My question: The WDR has five channels, will this program be on Eins Live? If so, it will be available in RealAudio at http://www.wdr.de/radio/einslive/. This is much cheaper than buying a satellite dish. How I fell in love with XTC: When I was 11 (1982) I saw the video for "Sense Working Overtime" on MTV. (Yes, they did play videos on MTV at one time.) Being 11, I had no money to buy the album, so it was a few years before I truly was able to discover the wonders of XTC. My first XTC album, "Black Sea" was recommended by a guy at Schoolkids' Records in Ann Arbor (Mich.) and ever since those first discordant chords of "Respectable Street", I've been hooked. It's still my favorite of all their albums. (And my favorite opening to any album.) Enough of my blabbing. Thank you for your attention. Thank you (whoever you were) for giving the Kinks' mailing list address. Floating, bumping noses, dodge a tooth, their fins are luminous, Dave Schmitter (Dschmtr@aol.com or dmschmit@umich.edu)
------------------------------ From: "Lee Lovingood" <lvngoods@beachlink.com> Subject: Bourbon, therefore, random musings. Date: Fri, 15 Aug 1997 23:32:05 -0400 Message-Id: <19970815232757.5fd0247c.in@mail.beachlink.com> Greetings from the land of the Lost Colony of Roanoke! (c'mon, remember those history lessons, or were you asleep like me? "History at your door, who could ask for more?" Name that one!) Where was I? Ah!!!! As a lot of you may know, I am an On Air Personality (DJ to the layman) on a local alternative radio station. Bear in mind that by telling you this am I in no way adopting a holier than thou attitude. For the most part, I am repulsed by what is happening in radio today, but hey, it's a living. I tell you, or remind you of this to explain how I got a copy of the new Eric Matthews disc "The Lateness of the Hour" this very morning. Already, I have listened to it twelve times and am currently on the thirteenth listen. It is most excellent! The first single is called "My Morning Parade" and is truly one of the best pop songs ever written. If you want to hear a man who will one day have his own mailing list and may even be considered a master of pop on par with AP and TR, you have gotta check out this recording! Jason Faulkner turns in a fine performance again on this disc, as the first, and the general mood seems a bit more bright. Call and bug your local DJ to play "My Morning Parade". If they don't, never fear! The disc is due in the US on the twenty sixth of August.(This was not a paid endorsement!) I cast my vote for the theory that XTC have yet to release their defining album. One day, these Gods are going to come down and bless us all with an unrivaled collection of tracks that will allow room for discussions of little else on this mailing list. Mark my word! ---- However, if I were to pick one that will be remembered to this point, I would have to say "English Settlement". It didn't really break new ground, it didn't have a specific message, it was just a great album. So put me down on the "English Settlement" list. One final thought....If you have a battery operated analog watch,, you can always count on having a precise record of the time of death of it's battery. God, I think too much. \|||/ (++) (~) "She's my Soft Touch typewriter, and i'm the great dictator...." Leee eee eee eee zure.
------------------------------
Message-Id: <l03110705b01ad2652449@[205.231.217.118]>
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 11:35:03 -0500
From: Ben Gott <gott@li.com>
Subject: Bennyheads
I don't particularly like the Mommyheads on the strength (or lack thereof)
of their recent Geffen release. The jury's still out, though (someone
e-mail me to convince me what to buy next; I'll bite.) It seems to me that
the gentleman singing lead vocals just isn't reaching some of the notes.
***
I think that Colin would've done a good "Rook."
***
Brookes said:
>am i completely crazy, or does anyone else think that the horns in "it's
>nearly africa" sound like Canada geese?! i >do and for some reason [see
>aforementioned possible insanity] i love it.
Yeah - I agree completely. I always thought it was cool that Andy played
the sax himself on that song. Unless I read the sleeve wrong, and he
didn't, in which case forget about it.
Then, Brookes said something which I disagreed with, and which made me
think twice about his sanity:
>and unlike several groups whose main accomplishment is to sound something
>like XTC (Jellyfish, Martin Newell, >Yazbek, the Sugarplastic, etc)
He, of course, is not the first person to bring the "facsimile" issue up,
but I'm going to respond to his statement. I think that, although some
might believe that the main purpose of the above bands is to "sound
something like XTC," I say "Bullwinkle." I think that all those musicians
took important songwriting cues from Andy, Colin and Dave, but also bring
something to the music that is completely their own. I've always thought
that Jellyfish sounded more like Queen, because I don't associate XTC with
that kind of frilly rock (although I enjoy my "Spilt Milk" CD.) I love
Martin Newell's pop "sensibilities," and there are some lyrics
("...Cuban-heeled boots..." comes to mind, from "Arcadian Boys") that stand
out in themselves - and make me think more of the Smiths or Beatles than
XTC. Is it so wrong, however, that Martin Newell or David Yazbek or - God
forbid - BEN GOTT!!! listen to XTC, and take their quirkiness and chord
changes and brillance and try to weave them into their own compositions?
"All of a Sudden...," Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street," Mike Oldfield's
"Tubular Bells," Steve Reich's "Different Trains," and Sting's "Fortress
Around Your Heart" all inspire me on a daily basis, and I wish I had
written all of them.
***
Stormy thundered:
>MARK A. GOTTSCHALK wrote, "That's all. I don't have too much to say.
>Adios, and remember, write things that will >interest me. Thank you." That
>is the request of the century. Who else but some 17 yr old kid would come
>on a >mailing list with thousands of people and ideas and make that
>request. I Me Mine. What a cute kid. I could just >ruffle his hair.
All I can say is, if anybody on this list ever dares to write anything that
*I* don't agree with, I will track you down and force you to watch the
video for "Mmmmmmmmmmmbop" for ever and ever and ever. And I'm *18*, so I'm
not afraid to do it!
***
>Which album contains the best opening track? Does the song lay the
>groundwork for what follows on that album >or is it just a killer track by
>itself? (Groundwork being mood, tone, topic, concept, etc.).
Geez. I've always loved "Runaways..." I think it's perfect for "ES". As to
the other albums, I think it would've been interesting if "Hand 22" (from
"Through the Hill" or "Over the Hill" or whatever) began "Oranges and
Lemons." That muted trumpet thing is stunning. I like the songs that end
the albums too. "Chalkhills and Children" is melancholy and beautiful, and
it brings O&L back from the L.A. craziness into Swindon - if only for a
moment. "Sacrificial Bonfire" is nicely orchestral. (Oh, here's a question:
why does my brother's Go2 LP start with "Beattown," but has the same song
listing as my CD (i.e., it's supposed to start with "Meccanic Dancing.")
Was this just the pressing, or are they all like this?)
***
I just received the "King for a Day" remixes, and, while I don't *love*
them, they're pretty good. Has anything else (except for the Dub
Experiments) been remixed? I'd love to hear something.
***
Off to college in six days...My new address will be
<bgott@polar.bowdoin.edu>, and I'll rejoin Chalkhills when I'm ensconsed at
Bowdoin. Hey - Mike Townsend - are you still in Portland?
***
I broke into the Palace
with a sponge and a rusty spanner
she said: "Eh, I know you, and you cannot sing"
I said: "that's nothing - you should hear me play piano..."
Ben (insert smiley emoticon here)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
B e n G o t t :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine
Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.
------------------------------
Message-ID: <33F5E2F7.69B3@gate.net>
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 13:27:19 -0400
From: Pandrea <pann@gate.net>
Subject: Hey, I like this...
Hello Chalkies,
Regarding The Village Greens post about SOTW and QOTW, this seems
like something that would be somewhat interesting, as it would give us
a weekly type of XTC thread to opine about. So, without further ado, I
give you:
Making Plans for Nigel: still love it. This is the song for me that,
for people who don't know about Xtc, always without much
exception, usually exclaim "oh yeah, man, I use to love that
song". For some reason, every time I try to play another
"famous" Xtc song, most people do not respond much, or either
give a polite "thats nice" or "thats weird". This semester
I have made my mind up to play a lot of Xtc for my
classes ( I teach Painting, Drawing and Color Theory at the
local college), so maybe through "osmosis" I shall convert
a few poor students. Or lucky students, if they do get
into it.
QOTW: For me it is close between Beating of Hearts and Summers
Cauldron, with Summers taking it. It just sets up the whole
Skylarking experience for me. I can imagine just lying there
near my favorite old tree, in the shade, looking up at clouds,
lazily enjoying life, with no where to rush to, no deadlines,
just kind of drifting along. And then to go right into Grass,
is just a perfect one-two punch. Beating of Hearts and
Wonderland have also always done this for me. They set up
the overall pastoral, and seasonal setting that I love
about both records. As an aside, Airbag on Radioheads OK
Computer, sets up the entire record incredibly (get it if
you do not have it!) Classic album....
T'ank you veddy much,
Perry
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199708170005.CAA26449@utrecht.knoware.nl> From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl> Organization: The Little Lighthouse Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 02:10:54 +0000 Subject: King For A Day Dear Chalkers, does anyone need a reminder that today (Sunday August 17) our hero Colin Moulding is celebrating his 42nd birthday? thought not... yours feastly, Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse; the XTC website @ http://utopia.knoware.nl/~mmello ===> The Random XTC Quote <=== Life's like a jigsaw; you get the straight bits, but there's something missing in the middle
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03110708b01c3532d4d3@[205.231.217.118]> Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 00:05:25 -0500 From: Ben Gott <gott@li.com> Subject: Tyop (ha ha) in my last post... In a recent post to Chalkhills, I inadvertantly (because of sleepiness and foggy-headedness) referred to Brookes's sanity as "his." I am truly sorry, Brookes... Ben - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - B e n G o t t :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33F70610.6F6@schoollink.net> Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 07:09:20 -0700 From: phipps@schoollink.net (Danny Phipps) Subject: Still looking for... Hello Chalkies! -- Been awhile since I've posted. Good reason though...I couldn't!! Modem burned up!!! Now back on "Go!" and still looking for... STEPHEN DUFFY'S 2nd solo album on CD entitled "Because We Love You" and THE LILAC TIME's 1st album, simply entitled "The Lilac Time" (on CD). Do these items indeed still exist out there somewhere? Any "advice" on this would be welcomed (but try and keep it positive, okay? -- Thanks!). Am anxiously awaiting the new one by our boys! Recently got The Heads' "No Talking, Just Head" and truly enjoy "Papersnow" with each new listen!! Keep up the good work, John, with the mailing list here. What a wonderful concept to know that we're all gathering in the same room, so to speak, and conversing to each other about a truly great and talented band, eh? Alright! Let me know something about those 2 items listed above, folks! I'm waiting for these with almost bated breath (pant-pant!)... Peace through Music, /Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net> * --------------------------------------------- "Imagination like a muscle will increase with exercise." (Peter Blegvad) * --------------------------------------------- Latest CD in old Dan's player: Joni Mitchell's "Hejira" Latest favorite XTC track: "Melt The Guns" (still) Latest spice: Ginger Later...
------------------------------
From: "KIMBERLY MARTIN" <KMAR0971@Mercury.GC.PeachNet.EDU>
Organization: Gainesville College, Univ Sys of GA
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 16:38:52 EST5EDT
Subject: JUXTAPOSITOIN AND WONDERMINTS
Message-Id: <34215AE5B42@Mercury.GC.PeachNet.EDU>
HELLOOO blackboard writing utensils...
Hi, tis me, the girl who's too broke to buy her own computer so
only gets to check her e-mail once a week here at school...I've been
wanting to post for a LONG time but keep forgetting.
First of all, if you have TWO BUCKS to spare (U.S. dollars; I
don't know how much that would be in other countries, maybe $3 UK??),
you should send it to ME cos my new fanzine is NOW AVAILABLE!!! It
is called JUXTAPOSTION, and even if I did write all of it, do all the
page layouts, and do all the artwork (not to mention xerox all the
pages and staple them all into booklets), I think it's GREAT!! and
just for you xtc-o-philes (and I suppose that should apply to just
about everyone reading this), there's 3 whole pages devoted to the
lads from swindon, maybe 4, I can't remember....plus, other music
reviews (Moxy fruvous, ben folds five, blur, mustard plug, less than
jake, jason falkner, more), thought-provoking articles on a wide
variety of topics (creation vs. evolution [both bullshit, but both
true], magic, work, sex, the Kathie Lee Konspiracy, you name it), and
even a silly short story! plus more. HIGHLY RECCOMMENDED, even if I
did do it all on an electric typewriter and it's full of typos. oh,
and just cos I like the camera, there's a whole page of pics of
myself, and I only mention this cos maybe that should be a reason to
buy the mag as well...:D (too bad red hair doesn't show up in xerox!
:( ) well, enough shameless self-promotion, but first here's the
address you should send your money, promotional items, other goodies
of value to:
JUXTAPOSITION
c/o KIMBERLY L. MARTIN
3754 kimberly dr.
Gainesville, GA 30506 USA
I just printed out the last three Chalkhills lists, haven't
gotten a chance to read the last two, so if I repeat anything
someone's already said, well, MAKE ME FEEL SORRY FOR THE REST OF MY
MISERABLE PATHETIC LIFE!! ha ha....
okay, threads, threads...
TODD RUNDGREN: the song "Onomatopoeia" alone makes him great in
MY book; then again, my book also enshrines such personalities as
weird al yankovic and the canadian band NO FUN, so...
THE KINKS: yeah, PLEASE, tell us about other music besides XTC
to listen to, I mean, we're all already xtc fans, re-emphasizing over
and over their greatness is basically like preaching to the choir.
Unless you're a die-hard collector you've already bought all the
albums, and probably aren't looking for anything much more
(at least that I could help you with, and I can't aside
from the 95 demos, if you want a dub of those drop me a
line); hopefully soon we'll be able to supply everyone with
demos. My point, oh yeah, ummm, no new xtc, um, got money to spend,
like to know what good music to buy, this list very helpful in helping
me find good music...until this list I thought of the kinks as the
guys who sang "Lola" and "you really got me"; good songs, but didn't
know they had many good albums with non-hits worth hearing. I'm
ALWAYS looking for new music to get into, so here's a few of my old
and new favorites that maybe you should give a listen to...
THE WONDERMINTS: I just heard this one last nite at borders, didn't
have the cash to buy it, but the 4 songs I heard totally knocked me
on my derriere...pretty, psychedelic, futuristic-retro, POP music,
they did the soundtrack for the MIKE MYERS film AUSTIN POWERS, if
that means anything to you...
(I like mike myers, he is a bit of a moron, but I can't get enough of
his cheesy brit humor)
THE dBS/Chris Stamey: I never hear these guys mentioned on this
list, late 70's/early 80's power-pop with off-kilter harmonies and
weird and pretty songs, their self-titled lp is a must have...
THE SHOES: see the dBs, basically along the same time period/genre
THE SWAMP ZOMBIES: these guys RULE. folk-pop-punk-60's fuzzy retro-
wry-witty-surf-you name it, they do it, and they're great! check out
their 1990 lp "scratch n sniff car crash" on dr dream records, or
their 1988 lp "fink". kinda tmbg meets the dead milkmen meets the
violent femmes, but better...(and I like all 3 of those too)
CHRISTMAS: late 80's intellectual art-pop, chunky guitars with a
lead vocalist who sounds a bit like susannah hoffs, but there's a
male vocalist as well (michael cudahy?). for some reason these guys
re-vamped themselves and formed the cocktail "exotica" band
Combustible Edison, who did the soundtrack for the movie "four rooms".
LET'S ACTIVE: please, someone tell me they dig LA! Mitch Easter
should produce the next XTC album, he'd put a lot of shimmery sitars
in the mix...
okay, enuff of that for now. I'm gonna go play with my turntable
now, got "boys for pele" on clear vinyl last nite, and yes, sound
quality far superior to that of the cd! (especially noticable with
tori amos)
sorry, 'xcuse the lack of xtc content, but there's plenty in my
fanzine! (yipes, another plug)
hope to get mail from all of you soon...
--KIMBERLINA
--no webpage, no signature, not even 20 and still fighting the 90's
kicking and screaming
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #3-155 *******************************
Go back to Volume 3.
18 August 1997 / Feedback