Chalkhills Digest Volume 3, Issue 27
Date: Tuesday, 12 November 1996
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 3, Number 27
Tuesday, 12 November 1996
Today's Topics:
Re: Elvis & Mac
Re: Cycle
Re: Beatles rarities
Various things
video tree anniversary
Marvin Martian sings "My Weapon"
Kevin Gilbert
Re: Autoerotic Asphyxiation and Sundry Other Threads
Colin Plagiarises Beatles
I like Pulsing, Pulsing
D'oh!!!!!!
Crashing by design
Flimsy Fossils
XTC & Christmas
More misheard lyrics, questions of the universe answered...
On a Tangent
tonality and absolutes...wrong (long)
One More Word on 6th Chords
Most Embarrassing and Best Dressed
Ben Folds & xtc
Crushed by Chalkhills
Re: XTC/Kinks
Silly
The Rutles
2nd post - more random comments
Nothing to get hung about
Administrivia:
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:
unsubscribe chalkhills
For all other administrative issues, send a message to:
<chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:
<chalkhills@chalkhills.org>
World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>
The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
Anytime you rise, I'm here, and I'm crazy for you pink thing.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-Id: <v01540b0daeaddf43e15c@[199.171.191.1]> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 01:12:50 -0700 From: gondola@deltanet.com (E.B.) Subject: Re: Elvis & Mac From: h.h.name@mail.utexas.edu (Spiritual Generation, etc.) > >Then you probably missed a FUCKING INCREDIBLE show. Elvis Costello >is still a performer beyond compare. There are so many artists >who THINK they're putting on a show, who THINK they're connecting >with the audience, when all they do is stand around, stare at their >Converse and coax feedback noise out of their guitars, little caring >whether the audience is even there. Elvis ROCKED, and that's all >there is to it. I give your comments a big BRAVO!!!! ;) > >I never understand why Ram is so maligned. :( Most people seem to > >think Band On The Run or Tug Of War is McCartney's best solo album, but > >both those records sound terribly dated to me today (esp. Band On The > >Run). And how good can any album be that contains "Ebony And Ivory?" > >Pretty damn, actually. Like I said in an earlier post, McCartney is a >pop craftsman. Nowhere in his solo work does this come together more than in >"Band On The Run" and "Tug of War". See? See? I TOLD you they like those two albums!!!!! What's up with that? ;) Disappointed that the guy who emailed me and said he traded in his Band On The Run CD didn't post ;), EB
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01540b0faeade2248e96@[199.171.191.1]> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 01:20:56 -0700 From: gondola@deltanet.com (E.B.) Subject: Re: Cycle From: Ira Lieman <aym@axe.intercall.com> > >So, my least favorite XTC songs: "Travels In Nihilon," "Here Comes >President Kill Again," "Day In, Day Out," and "Season Cycle." Golly -- what's wrong with "Season Cycle"?? GB
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01540b10aeade3fdfdc3@[199.171.191.1]> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 01:32:58 -0700 From: gondola@deltanet.com (E.B.) Subject: Re: Beatles rarities From: Michael Versaci <stormymonday@sprintmail.com> > >I wholeheartedly agree with you that the "Goodbye" demo is a glaring >omission from A3. I freaked the first time I heard this. Paul at the top >of his game, effortlessly performing a beautiful melody as if he were an >elf from "The Lord of The Rings". Thankfully, it is part of my private >"anthology" library that I've been building for years. Waaaah! I haven't heard Paul's "Goodbye" at all (though I know the melody from the Mary Hopkin version), so I was REALLY dying for it to be on the Anthologies. There's a few other unreleased compositions I'm still curious about..."Heather," "Watching Rainbows," "Circles," "Child Of Nature"...anyone heard these? GB
------------------------------
Date: 12 Nov 1996 13:22:52 -0000
Message-ID: <19961112132252.1982.qmail@hotmail.com>
From: "Ben Gott" <xtcfan@hotmail.com>
Subject: Various things
Good morning, everyone...
1) I think the chord at the end of "Love on a Farmboy's Wages" is
brilliant. It seems to fit with the mood of the song quite well, and gave
me goosebumps when I first heard it, pumped up loud in the CD player of my
Honda.
2) Some of you might be asking, "Ben, is it possible to like XTC, Elvis
Costello, and Crash Test Dummies all at the same time without wanting to
kill yourself?" My answer is: yes. Obviously, XTC is the world's most
amazing band, and Elvis writes some of the best music and lyrics out there
(even something like "God's Comic" on "Spike"). However, one must not put
Crash Test Dummies down too fast, as their new album is one of the best
things I've ever heard, bar none. Someone in the last digest remarked how
CTD was a very "playful" band; and, indeed, I'd have to agree. Lyrics like
"then she wondered if she should start to take it easy/'Overachiever' might
be putting it mildly" seem to me to be brilliant (although banal to
others...natch!)
3) Some of you might also be asking, "Ben, are you really Joshua
Hall-Bachner?" I am not, although we are close in age. However, I am sure
that we are both trying to convert high school students to XTC, which is a
job approximately as difficult as ending a war, for all my friends have CDs
by "Hootie," a band which makes me phlegm.
4) Let us thank our moderator, John Relph. If he weren't doing this job, we
wouldn't have such a concise digest. Also, as to Richard's undertaking,
"Chalkhills' Children," I'd urge everyone on the list to buy one. Richard -
I'll buy more than one if you need me to (just gotta get that change
together that's under my couch.) Let me know.
5)Let's not start the "Dear God" thing again, OK? Hmmm?
That's all for now. I've got a day off from school, which means that I can
celebrate Andy's birthday as it should be - XTC all day.
Ben ("Neb" spelled backwards)
XTC SONG OF THE DAY: Jason and the Argonauts
* ---------------------------------------------------------
Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
* ---------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 09:03:18 -0500 Message-Id: <96111209031853@mbcc.mass.edu> From: sharedon@mbcc.mass.edu (Don) Subject: video tree anniversary well, we're coming up on the first year anniversary of the ill-fated video tree. must be some kind of record! i'd sure like to hear from other shrivelled leaves!!!
------------------------------ From: JSSimmons@mail.biosis.org Date: Tue, 12 Nov 96 09:29:26 EST Message-Id: <9610128478.AA847819766@mail.biosis.org> Subject: Marvin Martian sings "My Weapon" Well, not really. But to clarify, MM's weapon was an: Amodium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator -Jon in Philly
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 09:04:02 -0600 (CST) Message-Id: <199611121504.JAA09518@sky.net> From: Scott Taylor <staylor@sky.net> Subject: Kevin Gilbert >> even a group - it was Kevin Gilbert (who was unfortunately found dead >> recently in LA - I think drug-related) > >Yes, tragic, although I don't believe his death was drug related. >The prevailing story of this brilliant artist's untimely death is that he >died of auto-erotic asphyxiation. This guy is (was) great. Everyone on the list would do well to check his solo album out. (Thanks to Chalkhillian Bob Glazer for introducing me to him.) BTW, re: his autoerotic demise... Wasn't this foretold by his lyric 'I'm waiting with my best friend held firmly in my fist'? staylor@sky.net
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199611121611.KAA12286@mailgate.execpc.com> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 10:11:17 -0800 From: dfranson@execpc.com (Dave Franson) Subject: Re: Autoerotic Asphyxiation and Sundry Other Threads Hi all, Long time, no post, but if y'all gonna discuss autoeroticism, how can I deny myself the gratification of a post? "MARK HEGGEN" <mark_heggen@studio.disney.com> said: >About "Countdown to Christmas Party Time"--does anyone besides me see this >song as a SATIRE? Thank you. Christmas singles are fun. Both songs are throwaway fun. I don't think they were intended to bear too much scrutiny. As for me, I've always enjoyed the PACKAGING of the Three Wise Men single more than the music itself. Regrettably, this effect is lost if you have only Rag 'n Bone Buffet. ----------- Joshua Hall-Bachner asked: >What, exactly, *is* "auto-erotic asphyxiation"? The only other time I've >heard of it was a joke on the X-Files once. :) Ah, now here's a subject I can wrap my hands around! I first became acquainted with this term as a wee lad in the mid-70s, when the enormously gifted underground comix creator Vaughn Bode (Cheech Wizard, etc.) met his end through the same mishap. NAUGHTY BITS ALERT: PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY DIRECT DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ACTIVITY BETWEEN A LONE CONSENTING ADULT AND HIS OR HER NAUGHTY BITS. For males, autoerotic asphyxiation typically occurs when, in the search for the ultimate sexual climax, they attempt to simultaneously reach orgasm and restrict the flow of oxygen to the brain. This is often attempted by fashioning a simple noose (supposedly, a tie will do), securing one end to a door handle, and securing the other end around your neck. As you slump and do whatever is required to reach sexual climax, blood flow is restricted to your brain and hoped-for sexual heights are supposedly reached. The problem occurs when a) you misjudge the distance to the floor and thus hang yourself, or b) you earned one too many merit badges for knot tying and the noose you've constructed fails to release when planned. All in all, it's a shockingly stupid way to get your jollies. I can't speak for the ladies... although the body parts would differ, one would think the mechanism would still prove statisfactory. ---------- Jason said in reference to a '94 Costello concert: >Then you probably missed a FUCKING INCREDIBLE show. Elvis Costello >is still a performer beyond compare. There are so many artists >who THINK they're putting on a show, who THINK they're connecting >with the audience, when all they do is stand around, stare at their >Converse and coax feedback noise out of their guitars, little caring >whether the audience is even there. Yeah, but what you REALLY think? Seriously, I missed Elvis on the '94 tour, but I was lucky enough to see him in Rosemont, IL this past August, and he was, dare I say it, THE MAN as always. I was also fortunate to successfully grovel for his autograph and take a couple snapshots as he made his way to the limo after the show. I hope all you Elvis fans have December 3 marked on your calendars. On that day, Warner Bros. U.S. is releasing a 30,000 copy limited edition box set of the 5 promo CDs that arose out of Elvis and Steve's (Nieve, not Lawrence) mini-tour of the U.S. this past May. You can glimpse the excellence of these performances by giving a listen to the version of "Just About Glad" found on Elvis' current U.S. maxi-single, "You Bowed Down." (Sorry for the Elvis digression, but the Elvis list HAS been down for the past four days... .) ------------- KENMONK@aol.com asked... >I have seen two different live XTC cd's in my local record shop. One >being Drums and Wireless and the other being XTC Live in Concert on >Windsong. Any input on the merits of these and which one is most >essential. As others have reported, both of these are must-haves. My only caveat would be that I find the live performance on the boot "Fab Four in Philly" a bit more boisterous than that captured on the "Live in Concert" disc, but that's like saying I prefer Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk to Chocolate Brownie Fudge, i.e. a negligible difference, offered only in passing. Plus, depending on your view of the universe, you may reap better karma from buying a legit release rather than a bootleg. ------------ james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) quoted the Rolling Stone Album Guide... [massive snip] > Theirs is the >final, great consensus in popular music - not liking the Beatles is as >perverse as not liking the sun." I agree with this except on one point... a sunrise, a day in the sun, a day at the beach, and a sunset can never be overplayed. Alas, the same can not be said for the Beatles' music. -------------- "He with the great contacts" "Ben Gott" <xtcfan@hotmail.com> said... >My friend Dave (program director at Radio Woodstock..96.9 FM) called last >night, and said that he was making me a tape of the AP "Rock over London" >interview *direct from his DAT copy.* (Actually, he's having one of his >interns do it!) Anyway, he said he'd get the tape to me in a couple of >weeks, which means it'll be time for another CONTEST in a couple of >weeks...I'll start thinking up questions now. I'm really excited about >getting this tape! Hey, Ben, much as I've enjoyed your contests in the past, how 'bout offering the "Rock Over London" via a TAPE TREE? I'll make it easy for you... I'll even coordinate the tree if you supply the seed tape. After all, it's been almost a year since my successful Jules Verne's Sketchbook/Bull With the Golden Guts tree, and I'm just itchin' for some more masochism! <g> Seriously, let me know what you think of this possibility! -------------- As for "Testimonial Dinner," am I the only one who likes Freedy Johnston's read of "Earn Enough for Us"? I think his vocals have a great quality, which I've confirmed by listening non-stop to his "This Perfect World" CD, found at a recent record fair for a shockingly low price. Peace, love, and understanding... Dave
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 10:47:26 -0600 (CST)
From: Marshall Joseph Armintor <mojo@owlnet.rice.edu>
Subject: Colin Plagiarises Beatles
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.961112103806.19191A-100000@great-horned.owlnet.rice.edu>
Really, I always thought that "Ball and Chain" was a rewrite of
"Getting Better"...there's the same two chord opening vamp...kuh-chink-
chink-chink-chink[ -S get -ting bet-ter all the tiiiime]
| |
[ save us from the ball and chain ]
Pretty close to the same number of syllables even (eight versus seven,
respectively). Ever since my first encounter with XTC (1989...that'd be
ES...perhaps that's typical), everytime I heard it I gave Colin credit
for refurbishing a tune nobody ever mentions, Beatles-canon-wise, and
coming up with a terrific, original track.
marshall
------------------------------ From: Stephen Clarke <S.Clarke@maires.co.uk> Organization: NOP Research Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 16:51:58 +0000 Subject: I like Pulsing, Pulsing Message-ID: <9611121649.aa03877@itserv.maires.co.uk> >Well, it's been 1 week now since I declared Pulsing, Pulsing to be the >all-time worst XTC song, and my claim has yet to be refuted. I guess >it's official. The worst ever XTC song of all time is ' countdown to xmas party time' - no contest. Pulsing, Pulsing is great especially the unplugged electric rhythm guitar bit AP says of 'Bungalow' on radio 1 a few nights ago "damn I wish I'd written that song !" I like this one too. I also like 'smartest monkeys' ,'heaven is paved with broken glass' and most of 'explode together' (all of which have been slagged off on this list). Steve.
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 08:21:29 -0600 (CST) From: AMANDA OWENS <ACOEA@jazz.ucc.uno.edu> Subject: D'oh!!!!!! Message-id: <01IBR2DWVZ0690BCBX@jazz.ucc.uno.edu> Well thank you Patrick for finally helping me out in defending CTD. It's about time someone else did, I was starting to feel very alone. I subscribe to a Dummy mailing list too (as well as I was the grand prize winnerof a custom-made CTD tour jacket a few months back), and I notice that there are several duel CTD/XTC fans like myself. Why is it that we can respect XTC but it'is sacrilege for an XTC fan to like CTD (I'm speaking this as most of us were into CTD before XTC.) I just don't get it. I agree with Patrick, people take them too seriously. Hell, THEY sometimes don't take themselves very seriously. As far as any crack comments about Brad's low voice, knock it off. The man cannot help what his voice sounds like. Blame his grandfather, that's where he got it from. As far as their music goes, it's not incredibly innovative, but it is solid, good playing. The bands I listen to don't have to blow me away for me to enjoy them. I'm sorry, I don't think I missed much. I stayed for maybe one Elvis song and I couldn't take anymore. (Besides which it was a school night and I had to leave early anyways.) Our New Orleans Times-Picayune, in their little birthday section yesterday, nestled Andy's in there, but misspelled his last name! Apparently, not only did Andy Partridge turn 43 yesterday, so did Andy Patridge. A twin separated at birth, perhaps? :) I had a weird dream involving Colin last night...you know, the kind you want to kill your mother for because she woke you up out of it? That sort of dream. Yeah, maybe when I'm 28 or so I'll look back and say "God I wish I would've stayed for Elvis." But probably not. Cheerio, Me. "You're only here once so you gotta get it right, cause life don't mean much if measured out with someone else's plight." XTC song of the day: Making Plans For Nigel
------------------------------ Message-ID: <1393D72F01291300@ametsoc.org> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 96 12:40:00 -0500 From: dgershmn <dgershmn@ametsoc.org> Organization: AMS Subject: Crashing by design Hi, Chalk-olate trufflers (hey, at least it's a new one, right?), A handful of things... EB replied to AMANDA's unadulterated adoration for the Crash Test Dummies thusly: ><Shudder> I had to sit through them opening for Elvis Costello >once...blecccch. Why is all the popular music in Canada so gawdamn cloying? Well, I don't want to condemn all Canadian music by any means, but I'm with you on the CTDs...I really can't take them. If made to choose, I'd rather hear Brad Delp of Boston than Brad Roberts from CTD when it comes right down to it (and that says a LOT). They do nothing for me (nothing personal, Amanda). Michael Versaci said: >>On The Beatles: The a capella version of "Because" from A-III is perfection. To which GB replied: >Funny, I thought that was the most disposable track of the whole package. >Just artificially eliminating the backing tracks long after the fact is a >bogus way to create an "alternate" version. And certainly, everyone has >always known what great harmonies the song has...that's perfectly obvious >from the original version...Anyway, like I said, that's the first A3 track I >would eliminate. Then I'd replace it with the "Goodbye" demo. ;) Got to agree with you on that one, GB. At least on the point of why eliminating the instrumental tracks makes for a rarity...and as far as the "perfection" goes, don't forget to read your Anthology booklet, Michael. There are 9 vocal tracks running in "Because" at once, 3 for each of the singers. It's a beautiful song with beautiful harmonies, but it's certainly not the most spontaneous song on the CD. And as for the "Goodbye" demo, I can't for the life of me figure out why it wasn't included. It's a great song that would have been worthy of inclusion on one of their original albums, and I was certain it would turn up on Anthology 3. Go figure. And while I'm on the subject...McCartney's best solo album in my opinion is his first, "McCartney." "Every Night" is a truly great song, and aside from a couple of toss-offs, the rest of the album is excellent as well. Often underrated, give this one another try if you had written it off. GB also said: >Damn, first the Chryssie Hynde/Nureyev comment about Dave, now this! That >Andy certainly has a way with imagery! :) Actually, the Chryssie/Nureyev comment was about Colin. Mike Versaci, again... >I have heard, but do not own "Village Green Preservation Society". I do >have "Misfits", "Sleepwalker", "Low Budget" and the one with "Destroyer", >and a compiliation of their early work, so I'm sure by "Kink-o-phile" >standards, I'm unqualifed to judge. Listen, Ray Davies is a fine artist, >but I'll never worship him. That's because you've got the wrong albums to judge such a thing, as you admit. Those are decent albums, but unless you've been able to take time to listen to, in their entirety, "Village Green," "Face to Face," "Something Else," "Arthur," "Lola vs. Powerman and the Moneygoround," and "Muswell Hillbillies," you'll never really understand what all the raving is about. It's like listening to the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" soundtrack album and thinking you know what the Beatles are about. Ray Davies is, if not the equal of Lennon/McCartney or Mr. Partridge (and I don't mean "Danny"), pretty damn close. Rebecca Newton queried: >Does anyone else think that "Dear God" is the worst song on _Skylarking_? NO. At least not me. It's a beautifully executed song, I feel...it puts into words perfectly why so many people have a problem with the idea of there actually being a god, perfectly phrasing the anger, frustration, and puzzlement over the nonsensical way that life (and death) on Earth is wrought. And heck, I'm not even religious (I lean toward what might be described as Taoist tendencies). As for Jeff Lynne, he should be banned from ever producing another band again. He took away all of Tom Petty's will to rock on the albums he produced, and he made the new "Beatles" songs sound like the Traveling Wilburys singing with John's ghost. (Oh, Traveling Wilburys aren't bad, actually, but that's not who the Beatles should be emulating). And couldn't he at least have made sure Ringo was awake for the recording of "Free as a Bird"? Take the number of measures in that song and multiply by 2 and you get the approximate number of times Ringo hit the drum kit during the song. Th-th-th-that's all, folks! Dave Gershman
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v0213050faeae61df6b35@[134.32.48.171]> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 17:31:51 +0000 From: varga@ferndown.ate.slb.com (Stephen Varga) Subject: Flimsy Fossils You may recall that a few weeks ago I sent a posting with the heading "Fossil Frustrations." Included in that article I mentioned one of the lugs of my limited edition CD case broke off. I've since learned that a fellow Chalkie has suffered the same problem with his case. We have come to the conclusion that the build quality of the ltd edition CD case is substandard. I want to know if there are any other Chalkies out there who have also experienced this problem because if the goods aren't of merchantable quality, we should be entitled to a replacement. If I come to selling my CD in years to come, I don't want my purchase heavily devalued because the lugs were too fragile so they broke. (Hence the CD is no longer in Mint Condition) By the way, is it best to go back to the shop or to get a replacement direct from Virgin-EMI?
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 12:02:18 -0600 (CST) Message-Id: <199611121802.MAA02906@sky.net> From: Scott Taylor <staylor@sky.net> Subject: XTC & Christmas Apologies for the lack of XTC content in my last post... but herein I'll attempt to make up for it. With the impending release of the compilations featuring the Three Wise Men tracks, there has been a lot of discussion of "Thanks for Christmas" and "Countdown to Christmas Party Time". This reminded me of when I attempted to make a Christmas mix tape for a friend featuring stuff like the Who's "Christmas", (e)'s "Everything's Gonna Be Cool This Christmas", Monty Python's "Christmas in Heaven"; i.e., all the non-standard Christmas fare I could dredge up. I found it interesting that there was so much from XTC which falls into this category. Aside from the two aforementioned tracks, I also included "Always Winter, Never Christmas" and lately I've heard mention of one of Andy's demo tracks referring to Christmas. Given Andy's stated antipathy to God, what is it with this apparent fascination with Christmas? I can't recall any other bands who have so many songs of this nature. Granted, it's not quite on par with the cosmic significance of Andy's fixation on fire.... +-----------------------------+ | Scott M. Taylor | | staylor@sky.net | | http://www.sky.net/~staylor | +-----------------------------+
------------------------------ Message-ID: <c=US%a=_%p=AETNA%l=AETNA/AETNA/001AA6FE@aetna.aetna.com> From: "Witter, Karl F" <witterkf@aetna.com> Subject: More misheard lyrics, questions of the universe answered... Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 13:35:00 -0500 Misheard lyrics: "Senses Working Overtime" I thought the bridge was "And bullets might give you black eyes", which I attributed to Andy's humorous sense of distortion and understatement. "King for a Day" The second verse sounded like "Everyone's licking up to the milking pen." If you've ever seen kittens, puppies, piglets or calves going after the mother's milk, you know the image pictured. I supposed Colin meant "if you put this stimulus/reward in front of people they act like infant animals, with no perspective whatsoever." "Putting tongues where they didn't ought to be", indeed. In addition to boot-licking, this lyric would have added nursing-style "licking" also, for more, More, MORE of that HIGH-QUALITY WORDPLAY you'll find in EACH and EVERY XTC RECORD!!! (Oops, suddenly channelling Harvey K-Tel. Okay, I'm back to normal.) >(From Jason) Pepper your posts with perfunctory profanity. Perfunctory? "Routine, superficial, lacking in enthusiasm?" Hey, "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing fuckin' right". (From the bestseller, "All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned In Utero.:-)) >(From Josh H-B) I will be *very* disappointed if [Marvin Martian] >doesn't have a part in "Space Jam." I've seen the commercials and it seems he's a referee/official. As that, will he always be threatening to do something as punishment but never quite getting it done, like in the timeless 'toons? >>(From Mike Versaci) >>The prevailing story of this brilliant artist's untimely death is >>that he died of auto-erotic asphyxiation. >(Again, from Josh H-B) What, exactly, *is* "auto-erotic asphyxiation"? The >only other time I've heard of it was a joke on the X-Files once. :) Er, haven't they warned you about that in hygiene? Perhaps someone might want to take up this subject privately. Even though we all revere you as the first one of us to become a verb, Josh, I don't know you well enough. >(From Mark Strijbos) Yours in ecstasy on this Big Day. If that means what I think, congrats! And quite enough dweebing around with your friends (most of whom you've never seen face-to-face) for right now :-)! Get out there and enjoy RW (real world) for a little while, we'll be here when you get back. To Dave "Ballet for a Rainy Day" at Studio seventeen: What's an e-bow, or energy-bow, guitar? How is it different or what's done to its output? I see it credited all over my Big Country albums. E-mail me privately if you'd like, at witterkf@aetna.com. >(From Eric, about the infamous E6 capping off "...Farmboy's Wages" >The final chord...sounds unresolved...There's...*more* harmonic >tension in that E6 than...a cadence to the tonic major...but calling >it "dissonant" tends to render the term almost meaningless. nitpickingly Continue nitpicking, IMHO. If someone wants to explain the nuts and bolts of real songcraft, I like having people who can go beyond my typical "I like that part..." and do the dirty work. Seems you're a learned person and if terms like "dissonant" can't represent what they really mean in this space, well, we've lost a bit of something special about the band we're here to enjoy. And you're doing it in a constuctive manner, to boot. And, piling on, another happy belated birthday wish to AP. I'm curious if control-freakness is supposedly part of the sign (all say he is, and I've been accused). I know creativity isn't inherent to just being a Scorpio, cos I have none. Last, having started it all, "council estate"--got it! Thanks to every respondent. Whew! Used up my bandwidth and now I should take a week off. "Love's not a product you can hoard or pack a suitcase with" (unless you bought the inflatable model), Karl
------------------------------
Message-Id: <v01540b00aeae74d6003d@[146.6.72.31]>
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 13:04:25 -0600
From: h.h.name@mail.utexas.edu (Spiritual Generation, etc.)
Subject: On a Tangent
Hi-ho! Kermit de frog here...
>The chorus of "Mole" sounds like Colin.
_
It ain't. He does sing the high harmony at the end, tho.
>Look for an obscure McCartney track called "Back On My Feet". I believe
>that it was the B-side of "Once Upon a Long Ago", and was co-written with
>Elvis Costello. He's capable, he just has no governor.
I agree whole-heartedly. He's gone off into never-never land,
though at least he admits that he needs a collaborator.
Still, "Hope of Deliverance" is just as good as anything
he's done.
>I'll see if I can borrow copy of the highly touted "John
>Henry", because I consider myself to be open minded and fair, and I have
>misjudged bands before. But, no way, no how can I imagine ever thinking
>that >they have anything in common with XTC or The Beatles.
I consider "John Henry" to be one of their best albums, rating with
"Lincoln" as my fave. It is sprawling, like the one before it ("Apollo
18"), but it was their first recorded outing with a full band and the
songs are more in number and have slightly better arrangements than on
"Factory Showroom" (the most recent). Nothing in common with XTC? Check
out the Paul Fox production on "Henry" (he did "Oranges and Lemons").
>Add "Not Guilty" to the list of gems from George.
No shit. That is one of the coolest guitar riffs I've ever heard.
I wish I'd written it. I've never heard his solo version from '79 but
how could it possibly top the Beatles'? Why didn't they release it?
They recorded 103 takes of the damn thing. His vocal delivery on
that is comparable to Morrissey (in spots).
>...IMO one of them being John making fun of Paul's Teddy Boy by doing a
>square dance call...
>God he had the wickedest and sharpest toungue!
He was hilarious. Paul has always been my favorite musically, but John
always cracks me up. Also funny is the bit before that in the same song
where Paul's just going along, singing the song, and suddenly out of
nowhere he just breaks into hysterics and you know that John must have
done *something*...
(During sessions for "Think For Yourself":)
John: And get that Norman Smith back in there, he seems to be
moving out the place, you know?
George Martin: He's here all the time.
John: Is he? I can bet that it's just a drawing.
Man, we REALLY need that new album to come out, don't we?!? Geez...
Jason, of Austin TX
Lessee -- "Love the one you're with"...? No...
how 'bout... "you're the wish (you are) I had"?
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 11:23:19 -0800 (PST) From: bmilner <bmilner@netcom.com> Subject: tonality and absolutes...wrong (long) Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.95.961112110530.10538D-100000@netcom13> Dear List, Their has been a thread recently about how certain bands or songs will use tonality in an objectively ugly way. This line of thinking went on to say how Andy used dissonance in a really cool (read... valid) way while other artists did not. This was because Andy P. knew how to "resolve" the notes properly to relase the tensions they create. I think this is totally WRONG! And I'll tell you why... First of all, though there are an accepted series of rules governing the way chords tend to relate to one another, it is totally relative which one of these will sound good. The system can get SO complex. I'm talking Locrian modes played over Tritone substitutions via a stacked fourth Arrpeggios (My Jazz pianist friend Liz was showing me these). You might find that kind of playing completely dissonant. She finds it Bitchin' and creepy. The point is that One/Four/Five progressions are not inherently better or more resolved. We are just schooled to hear them that way. A fourth may be a perfect interval, very consanant, but stack them and you get a fucked up chord. Stravinsky wrote the "Rite of Spring" and though it sounds cleverly dissonant to us today (and properly resolved at times), it incited a riot at its debut performance. A riot! I'm not talking critics scratching their goatees and finding it "improper use of tonality"... I'm talking people beating on each others heads! It offended their ears that much. Nowadays, that piece is comparatively tame. XTC regularly does even weirder things harmonically. The point is this, Andy and Co. use dissonace for color. They like the tension it creates. They don't have to resolve it in a "acceptable tonal" way for there really isn't one. I've heard andy hang on really diossonant notes for bars at a time. Others use dissonace too (though some by accident...) and you may not care for their take on it. Doesn't mean it's wrong in an absolute sense. Of course, it's no fun to say all band are equal and be bands a musical relativist. It's more fun to say this is great, while this sucks, so... let the arguments begin! Brandon Milner
------------------------------ Message-ID: <33884B37.43E4@galileo.net> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 13:32:31 -2450 From: Jim Henderson <western@galileo.net> Organization: Western Commercial Rerographics Inc. Subject: One More Word on 6th Chords Chalkies: At the risk of stretching this thread a little too thin, I'd like to add my two cents worth to the disscusion of 6th chords: From "Simon Knight"-- >"Wages" ending is *not* dissonant! It's an E6 chord! It's only an >added C# onto an E major triad! Nothing is clashing. Think of it as >a C#m7 chord (one of my favourite chords), it makes the notes evenly >spaced and you'll see what i mean. A dissonant chord might have a G >or a C note added, something that conflicted. I'd understand if it >was a "scary" augmented chord or something, but it's common enough i >can't see why it jars with you so much. >It's not even that unique or different - lots of songs end like this. >(Isn't it called something like going into the "relative minor"?) >They do it in Disney songs! My sister does it all the time in her >songs because it's something she loves about certain Beatles songs - >which is probably where Andy pinched it from too. >I'm glad it doesn't "resolve" in the classical sense. I can't think >of anything more boring that the big "Ah...men...". Also from ERIC DAY -- >Obviously, this is fairly subjective territory. However, I tend to >reserve the term "dissonance" for a rather specific harmonic phenomenon. >I won't dispute your feeling that the final chord of "Farmboy's Wages" >sounds unresolved, but I would caution against calling it dissonant. The >song is clearly in the key of E major, and the final chord (E6) >reenforces this nicely (obviously IMNSHO). The presence of the 6th >>>tone, >although adding complexity to the harmony, is a quite common device in >pop music. It can be found in the works of Cole Porter, the Beatles, >Elvis Costello, and countless others. There's certainly *more* harmonic >tension in that E6 than there would be in a cadence to the tonic major >triad, but I think calling it "dissonant" tends to render the term almost >meaningless. A sixth chord, in terms of music theory, is neither equivalent to the relevant minor, nor is it dissonant by any definition. A major sixth; i.e., C to A or E to C#, is a major interval. By definition, a major interval is inherently consonant (as opposed to "dissonant"). This chord is often times thought to be dissonant by the listener because of its tertian nature. That is, chords built by extended thirds (6th chords, 9th chords, 13th chords) can sometimes be considered dissonant if the tones in them are dissonant. For example, a 13th chord has a perfect second in it at the ascending octave, thus making it sound slightly "off" to the Western ear. The sixth chord, however, is tertian but *not* dissonant. I hope for those of you that play an instrument or give a rat's patootie, this will somehow clear it up... This is a first post for me, and I just wanted to say that I always enjoy reading the jovial disscussion here. *Many* thanks for intelligent XTC content. Jim
------------------------------ From: Bob Thomas <BobT@cait.wustl.edu> Subject: Most Embarrassing and Best Dressed Date: Tue, 12 Nov 96 13:52:00 CST Message-ID: <3288D5A8@msgw.cait.wustl.edu> Hello Chalkhillbillies: First I have to admit that I am WAY behind in my Chalkhills reading. I've been doing silly things like my job, and my Dad and Husband things at home, and listening to lots of good music. If yous (that's midwestern U.S. for y'all) continue to put out two a day, I will be seriously backlogged and in danger of missing out. With that, I leap into the fray with my comments, ignorant of the current Chalkhills events, and threads, and whobodydoinwhat. The most embarrassing song thread got my attention; embarrassing is exactly my sense of the song War Dance. For while I thought there wouldn't be much support for my position, but some have come forward with their thoughts, even disdain, for the song. I really hate it, and that surprises even me. I'm one of those "I like everything they ever recorded" types, including the Homo Safari Series. I look for the qualities I expect from them in any song, and I always find it. In War Dance I find a completely alien sensibility, and little musicality. Oddly enough, I'm writing this as if you cared. I don't, so why should you? And now for something completely different. Peter Dressler's spoof made me laugh out loud. I was at work, mind you, and laughing merrily. It was good therapy. Very funny. Well done, Peter! Speaking of spoofs, what if there were awards for Chalkhills subscribers? Say, Most Bestest Greatest Post of 199X Least Understandable .sig File Most Frequent Poster Best Lurker (how would we know?) (self-nominees welcome) Best Newbie post Lifetime Achievement Award (goes to Mr. Relph the first year, of course, then to Phil Corliss) Rookie Of The Year (hands down winner pops to mind, dunnit?) Ms./Mr. Congeniality Yikes! this could be scary. Let's forget it, shall we? I'm sorry already. Someone rip out my spacebar before I kill this whole official XTC fandom thing. I mentioned "lots of good music" that I have been listening to (to which I've been listening). Much of it was brought to my attention by yous. Thanks for your recommendations. In case you haven't picked up on any of these, I can second the motion and confirm their quality, and their ability to hold the interest of the highly discriminating, erudite and "don't give me any bullsh*t" fans of XTC. They are: Jason Falkner, Author Unknown Brendan Benson, One Mississippi The Chills, Submarine Bells (ca. 1990) Jamie Block (er, I guess just Block), Lead Me Not Into Penn Station These along with Jellyfish, Yazbeck, Dave Dobbyn, Newell, Thompson, Matthews, and XTC but not War Dance. Bye, Bob
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.32.19961112191632.006a4acc@online.no> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 20:16:32 +0100 From: Karl Harald <karloe@online.no> Subject: Ben Folds & xtc Hello to you all Ben Folds Five played in Oslo friday (great concert, lousy piano sound) After the show i luckely got to talk to Ben who happened to love XTC (not a big chock). He said their (Ben Folds) new album will be out in February or March He also said that he had spoken to David Yazbak who had told him that Nirvana was supposed to be on "a Testimonial Dinner". (is this common known?) Does anyone know who has the original to the song "something in the air" on Jules verne?(at least on mine) also, Is "It's snowing angel" XTC or Dukes of Stratosphere? Bye XTC song of the day: Snowman
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.16.19961112195127.0977c5d2@cic-mail.lanl.gov> Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 12:51:27 -0700 From: DeWitt Henderson <dewitth@lanl.gov> Subject: Crushed by Chalkhills Hola amigos! Geez, between late afternoon Friday and this morning, it's been raining Chalkhills!!! A lot of comments (aren't we just all full of our little opinions?), but I'll try to make 'em all short & sweet: - "emotional rush... missing from O&L" ?!?!?! You say this about a CD w/ "Hold Me My Daddy", "The Loving", "Chalkhills and Children"... ??? - "Dear God... the worst song on Skylarking"? It's definitely not my FAVORITE, that's for sure. - Amer. vs. Britpop - I really riled up some good ol' boys at my last job (in Austin, TX) when I declared that there were a lot more good British bands than American! Boy, they rushed to the defense, naming all kinds of throwaway bands. One of 'em is a huge fan of ZZ Top, though, who are actually very talented musicians, but their entire song catalog can be reduced to "Heh heh heh little girl, c'mon over here & let's party" - McCartney - OK, so shoot me, I even like quite a bit of his SOLO stuff. Admittedly, though, some tracks (or whole CD's) are a bit weak. - Kinks - not just their early stuff is great. What about some of that mid-period resurgence - "Sleepwalkers"/"Misfits"/"Low Budget"? "Rock and Roll Fantasy" is a fantastic track to me. - Kevin Gilbert - checked out "Thud" - good, but I prefer "Toy Matinee" - Rutles - "Let's Be Natural"! YES, that's a killer track! The new (2nd) Rutles - I checked it out, and it's very tuneful too, but I think the first is probably better. - Jeff Lynn - he's great, but overdoes it - I mean, it doesn't matter whether it's ELO, Petty, Harrison, Wilburys - it always sounds like there's about 500 acoustic guitars in the background, a la McCartney's "Rockestra" (see "Back to the Egg") - Kate Bush - reminds me of a reviewer's description of Geddy Lee's (Rush) voice - "sounds like a chicken being strangled". (OK, so I actually LIKE some Rush stuff). Her cover of "Rocket Man" - now THERE's something we can talk about being embarrasing... - f**k - haven't we killed this f**king issue? Thank you. - Bungalow - god, wasn't Andy's description of the background on this song great? (thanks to Mark Fisher) - Mark Cuevas' conversion techniques - hmmmmmm. A little strong, eh? (actually, that was pretty funny!) - EC's "Hurry Down Doomsday (the Bugs Are Taking Over)" (I think that's the title) - I like this CD, but what the hell is this track? It's got to be one of the weirdest things he's recorded, and I'm even a BIG fan. OK, back to "working for paper and for iron". * ---------------------------------- | DeWitt Henderson | | Los Alamos National Laboratory | | CIC-13 MS P223 | | Los Alamos, NM 87544 | | 505/665-0720 | * ----------------------------------
------------------------------ Message-ID: <32898997.62A8@concentric.net> Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 00:40:55 -0800 From: David Rubien <rubien@concentric.net> Subject: Re: XTC/Kinks Sorry, I lost the chalkhills that contained the request about the difference between the single-disc Kinks' "To the Bone" on Konk, and the double CD that was just released on Konk/Guardian. But here's the info: I have the British import of the single disc on LP, and the U.S. released double CD. The double has everything that's on the single except "Waterloo Sunset" and "Autumn Almanac." This is highly strange, because not only are these songs 2 of the greatest Ray Davies ever wrote, but the double CD has a few crappy Kinks songs that easily could have been left off to make room for the other 2. Songs like "State of Confusion" and "Give the People What They Want." But who are we to question the motives of R.D.? Anyway, the double contains amazing new versions of many kink klassics including "Picture Book," "Village Green Preservation Society," "See My Friends" and "Do You Remember Walter." It also has 2 new R.D. songs that are quite good: "Animal" and "To the Bone." These are not on the single disc. I'd love to see the Kinks rerecord much more of their older stuff, because A) some of it is hard to find these days, and B) the original versions were often wretchedly produced, particularly the songs on "Village Green." Cheers, David
------------------------------ From: box@linux.nemesis.com.au Date: Wed, 13 Nov 1996 09:25:12 +1100 Subject: Silly Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9611130924.A16660-0100000@linux.nemesis.com.au> #> From: particle@servtech.com (JHB) #> Seven words for you here: The Smartest Monkeys and Cockpit Dance #> Mixture. 'Nuff said. I love the dance mixture. I don't care what anyone else says, it's a fun little tune you can groove to. And it's nice to have XTC to listen to when I get a craving for something boppy. #> the most "embarrasing" is the pair of Strange Tales and Officer #> Blue, not because they're bad but because they're *stuuuuupid.* #> Andy says they're the two worst songs they've ever recorded. But the world *needs* silly! They're both brilliant songs. Let's face it, even XTC's worst efforts beat the crap out of most of everything else out there. #> The strength of ['Deliver us...'] is in the mood it creates... #> you can hear the wind, feel the rain, see the lightning... All I get is a vision of some guys playing with synths. Maybe I should listen to it without thinking about how the music was played. :) #> I *still* don't understand why women like Linnell. I would #> have guessed that, if anyone, they would like Flansburgh more. #> *shrug* Maybe it's his figure. JF's a bit... well, puffy, for want of a better word. Also, JL's got a charismatic face and no glasses. #> I find neither "fuck" nor "f*ck" to be offensive... I find 'f*ck' patently irritating and unnecessary. So I agree. :) #> protesting the installation of Metal Detectors. It annoys me. My metal detector is with me all of the time. I'm the inspector over the mine. #> What the heck is Andy's obsession with "Fossil" about? It is used #> prominently in *two* of the New Demos, in Lighthouse and as the #> title of the new singles collection. Hmmmm... Maybe he's worried about getting old. They've not recorded an album in donkey's, so it's understandable... #> From: Rebecca Newton <javagirl@grove.ufl.EDU> #> Does anyone else think that "Dear God" is the worst song on #> _Skylarking_? Maybe in the land of inversion but not in this dimension. Oh, and _Fossil Fuel_ ain't a plural guys. Adam On the music box: Ade belew, _Here_ [with a flat tyre]
------------------------------ From: Martin_Monkman@fincc04.fin.gov.bc.ca Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 14:55:43 -0800 (PST) Subject: The Rutles Message-id: <9610128478.AA847838877@FINSMTP1.FIN.GOV.BC.CA> A few folks have mentioned The Rutles here lately, so I thought I'd chime in. "Let's Be Natural" -- I've always heard it as "Let It Be" via "Dear Prudence". It's one of the songs from the documentary/first album that's not a blatant crib (as, say, "Get Up And Go" is) but one that's stylistically a Beatles homage. The new album -- is called ARCHAEOLOGY, has 16 tracks, and contains more homage than a parody. Sure there's songs that are flaggrant copies, but for the most part it's more subtle. There are little touches, flavours, embellishments, that set the tone. I had approached the album somewhat reluctantly ... I thought that they may have mined all the nuggets the first time around. I fears were unfounded. Innes's songs remain true to their models/inspiration, and for me the highlights are "Knicker Elastic King", "Back In '64", "Lonely-Phobia", and "Don't Know Why". Obligatory XTC mention -- ARCHAEOLOGY is a Virgin release (2438-42200-2) -- the same label that recorded that other great homage band, The Dukes Of The Stratosphear. Shameless self-promotion -- Media Circus (the band in which I play) covered "Get Up And Go" at our gig on Saturday night. The great response we got (either folks knew what we were up to, or they missed the fact that it wasn't "Get Back" -- it was impossible to tell) ensures that we'll play it again. The <Official> Rutles homepage is http://www.primenet.com/~dhaber/rutles.html Martin
------------------------------
Message-Id: <2.2.16.19961112234811.4fcf7270@cic-mail.lanl.gov>
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 16:48:11 -0700
From: DeWitt Henderson <dewitth@lanl.gov>
Subject: 2nd post - more random comments
- "left the concert so she wouldn't have to sit through Elvis Costello?"
MY GOD! That's like saying you left after the Partridge Family so
you wouldn't have to sit through XTC! (Hmmmm, is that a pun? Partridge
Family?). Sorry, I just think EC is one of the greatest artists in
existence.
- Review of FF - Jason (of Austin) slammed it - right on! It was like
"great, 'cause only their singles are good"
- Beatles love letters - thanks to James Dignan for the quotation. And
I still can't believe it when I run across people who just don't think
they were anything to get excited about. And even though I like the
Rutles a lot, no, they ain't the real thing, baby.
- Sorry, I *LIKE* "Magneto and Titanium Man".
- REM - I agree w/everyone who's saying "why's everyone slamming them?"
I mean, yeah, "Monster" ain't my favorite, and I haven't even heard
the new one, but I think JHB put it best: that they're still putting
out good music despite their mega-success. And that's a good point -
I think when you're fabulously rich, it's hard to be as creative.
I think that's part of McCartney's thing, or the Stones - I mean,
you're not "hungry" anymore. One review put it best, talking about
the Stones' "Fight": "here's a jet-set middle-aged multimillionaire
talking about getting into a street fight". But I still like the
boys a lot...
* ----------------------------------
| DeWitt Henderson |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| CIC-13 MS P223 |
| Los Alamos, NM 87544 |
| 505/665-0720 |
* ----------------------------------
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 12 Nov 1996 19:09:16 -0600 Message-Id: <v01530500aeae77771647@[204.153.64.195]> From: musicvil@idir.net (John Yuelkenbeck) Subject: Nothing to get hung about Maybe it was my unrealistic expectations, but I was disappointed with the Beatles' Anthology III. This was my favorite period of the band's (this is from someone who remembers the whole gig when it happened!), so I was hoping for something revealing. The recording situation was so much different then--bands didn't do much noodling in the studio if the track wasn't already fairly well accepted as something to be released--so I guess I shouldn't have hoped for much, but the rehearsal takes and non-overdubbed cuts just don't excite me. The only thing to yank my chain in the least was George's "All Things Must Pass" demo. Add me to the list of those who would rather have "Goodbye" than "Because." Someone asked about autoerotic asphyxiation in reference to some earlier post which I didn't catch. Possibly in connection with Ian Curtis of Joy Division? It's one thing I've heard rumor he might have died from (as opposed to suicide). Anyway, it's a practice of cutting off your circulation while masturbating to receive an allegedly wonderful 'high.' In some cases, the guy has gotten to carried away and accidentally done himself in. I've never tried it, I'm just well read.
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #3-27 ******************************
Go back to Volume 3.
13 November 1996 / Feedback