Chalkhills Digest Volume 4, Issue 120
Date: Monday, 3 August 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 4, Number 120
Monday, 3 August 1998
Today's Topics:
Catherine Wheel ? My Teacher Likes XTC!!
Elvis and the Monkees
A Sword In My Hand
I can't believe that Peter Dresslar guy (BNL)
POP RUSH (that would be a good name for a band)
oops, you seem to have lost your beat madam.
My escape from the "rawk-'n'-roll" straitjacket
Pop Bait taken
Haiku Review
BBCDs
Loving memory
Other tunes
Re:Pop!
Re: Astrology
Shivers
re: elvis
Other TVT Artists
Farmer's XTC: Song Stories
Chalkhills Originals '98 - Awaken You Dreamers - Info
Birthdays -- Lack of Basic Info
Yet Another Satellite
I WANT A NEW ALBUM NOW
Other Recent Pop Bands
Administrivia:
Ordering information for "Chalkhills Originals '98: Awaken You Dreamers"
is now available on Chalkhills.
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Chalkhills is compiled using Digest 3.6 (John Relph <relph@sgi.com>).
Bungalow / Silver shoreline.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 22:58:07 -0400
Subject: Catherine Wheel ? My Teacher Likes XTC!!
Message-ID: <19980724.225807.8878.0.skybar80@juno.com>
From: skybar80@juno.com (Formerly Known as Smileypants)
Greetings, Chalkhedz.
wwilson@star.zko.dec.com Wrote:
<<Now, on to another reason for my note - two CDs that XTCers might
want to note are Catherine Wheel's "Adam and Eve>>
WOW! A chalkhed that likes CW!! This band has been totallu underrated
since 1991. Yes, Black Metallic was a very well-known song for a bit on
alternative radio, I guess, but they've been rudely overlooked for years.
:( Adam and Eve is not realy my favorite album from CW but still, it's
got its moments ("Delicious", Future Boy", "Phantom of the American
Mother", "Broken Nose")
And finally, I had an essay to do fo rmy Language Arts class in my
college's Summer Bridge Program, and we had to write 1-2 pages on whether
the government can decide what is obscene. I cited "D*** G**", and the
controversy it sparked and when I got the paper back, one of the comments
was "Great example! I remember this! And I have this song!" My jaw just
dropped. This is a cool teacher. One time, she played "Fuck and Run" by
Liz Phair as an example of a song that could offend people. i was like
"WOW! A Liz Phair fan!" Too cool.
Tis all for now. back to lurking.
Ken
The black paper between a mirror breaks my heart
The moon frayed thru dark velvet lightly apart
Steal softly thru sunshine
Steal softly thru snow
--------Cap'n Beefheart------------
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 20:22:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: "J. Brown" <ringostr@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Elvis and the Monkees
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.3.96a.980724201654.65080B-100000@dante39.u.washington.edu>
> 1) I thought I'd add a funny lyric that gives one pause to think:
> Elvis Costello's "God's Comic" from Spike where he laments in what is
> supposedly the voice of the "big cheese" when he says,
> "I've been wading through all of this unbelievable junk
> and wondering if I should have given the world to the monkeys."
I have some live boots of this song where after this line Elvis stops and
goes into the beginning of the Monkee's "Last Train to Clarksville"
Continuing along this Monkee's Train of thought, I was surprised that
durin the recent Andy and the Monkees thread no one mentioned that Colin's
"The Smartest Monkeys" is all about Mike Nesmith and his styruggle for
artist legitamacy!
Jason Wilson Brown
History & Canadian Studies Major
President- GEEK The Secret Society of the College Bowl
ringostr@u.washington.edu geekbowl@u.washington.edu
P.O. Box 45822 Seattle, WA 98145-0822 (206) 632-4905
"If Mars had life on it, I might find my wife on it"
-Brian Wilson
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199807251424.QAA07196@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 16:25:26 +0000
Subject: A Sword In My Hand
Dear Chalkers,
I'm a bit upset about what Ted wrote:
> I'm not going to go into a diatribe about Richard's flaming of
> me yesterday on the list, but in my defense...
> [...]
> The blame lies solely and squarely on his shoulders.
> If he's in charge of this compilation, he should have never
> banked on my reservation of the song, especially since he hadn't
> heard anything from me since then.
Seems to me that you are blaming Richard for trusting you.
You are very quick to react to his post so why did you not answer his
email? If you knew you were not going to be able to record your
reserved song you should have had the common decency to tell him.
BTW: the name calling is totally uncalled for (no pun intended) and
I think you owe Richard an apology.
I also reserved a song but the new hardware i needed to record it
kept breaking down... Not taking any chances I immediately wrote to
Richard, explained the whole situation and pulled myself out.
And given the number of people who wanted to contribute to this
compilation i'm sure he had no trouble in finding a replacement.
yours etc,
Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
or http://come.to/xtc
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 22:28:46 -0400 Message-Id: <199807260228.WAA15709@csu-e.csuohio.edu> From: Michael York <m.york@csu-e.csuohio.edu> Subject: I can't believe that Peter Dresslar guy (BNL) BNL and XTC are two bands that have been once again screwed by american audiences. Stunt is definately the worst album of theirs yet, but they are still having a blast with their music, and the limited edition has two really great songs. One about mestruation and the other, the albums saving grace, Long Way Back Home. Its a shame that there is nothing comparible to "As I prepare a suit that's made of monkey hair" anyway, XTC kind of sold out to main stream american consumership with The mayor of simpleton from that point we had to look in the bands past and on B-sides for really inspired material, Blue Beret, another satelite (rag and bone version), Church of women etc.. None the less they just really wanted to get paid for all of their blood and tears. Hence the new record deal. The Barenakes have to cater to a whole bunch of fans that only know brian wilson and $1,000,000. If you bought the regular release of Stunt, do yourself a favor, give it to some girl youve got a crush on and go buy the limited edition. stunt is ripe for mainstream consumption,...... and .....I'm OK with that. I just don't want to hear some 12 year old girl call the nearest K-rock type radio station and ask to hear "its all been done". Because it makes me feel old I really want to hear songs like yaught dance and the flag Sometimes I think the housemartins had the right idea, Two albums and the rest is left for the masses to mull over forever. Sad but at least it's cool to know that they can never change their music for Americas "match box 20, dishwalla, verve pipe, third eye blind, crap music for consumption" fetish. Count these blue cars, ok pal. Why couldn't Martin Newell come from Cleveland and change American Music for the better? Well, The violent Femmes like american music, do you like american music? They like american music--- Baby. peacetwofingers
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03110700b1e15cf32ccb@[146.6.72.37]> Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 17:07:27 -0600 From: Jason Garcia <h.h.name@mail.utexas.edu> Subject: POP RUSH (that would be a good name for a band) Chris spoke of the "pop rush". Well termed, my friend. Yes, there's that certain feeling one gets when one listens to certain pop songs of exceptional quality- quality here meaning in terms of the SOUND of the song. It could have cheesy lyrics. It could have 5 words. But in these songs, it's something about the way the music is played and the way the singer sings that makes you go "oooh!" Chord changes do have a lot to do with it, I think. My favorite thing about music is fitting melodies together with chord changes- there's so much you can do there! A few songs that give me the "pop rush": The end bit of "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode Paul McCartney's "Souvenir", from "Flaming Pie" (esp. where the distorted guitar comes in, and where the "ahhhs" come in on the third verse) Elvis Costello's "You Little Fool" (the beginning of that is as close to a musical orgasm you can get) XTC's "Cynical Days" (I think that's Colin's best chorus) "Close To Me", The Cure "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", Cyndi Lauper (this song simply rocks) "Baby Love", The Supremes! And as you said, I could go on and on. For me, they're usually upbeat songs. For some reason, upbeat songs seem to carry more emotion for me than slower, turgid ones. I mean, I'd rather listen to "Our Lips Are Sealed" (vintage Go Go's) than anything by Tori Amos...is anyone understanding this? That was what was so great about the 80s, I'm realizing now, is that the songs were FUN. You just liked to sing along with them. These days everything seems so serious...but I think you can have fun-sounding songs without being a total idiot with the lyrics. Case in point: The Beatles. (of course, it's nice to be a total idiot sometimes [re: "All Together Now", Paul's song for the "Our World" satellite broadcast- no just kidding, but can't you just see it? (screen goes blurry) George Martin: "You're not going to do THAT song, are you?" Paul: "Why not? Think of it- kids around the world, singing 'all together now...'" (pause) Ringo: (sighs and puts down his drumsticks) George H: "I'm out of here." Paul: "What's wrong with that?" John: "Who's the leader of this band again?" And so the world got "All You Need Is Love"... Wow, I got way off topic there. What was I talking about? Oh well, it doesn't matter. :) Jason
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19980727002827.24393.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Sebastien Maury" <seb101@hotmail.com> Subject: oops, you seem to have lost your beat madam. Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 17:28:25 PDT Look I'm sorry if this has already been mentioned (I'm about 5 digests behind!!!), but there's a little ditty by the name of Paranoid Android (Radiohead), which you'd have to admit has been geting the odd bit of airplay here and there. It has some 7/4 (or 7/8)parts. It's "classical" in structure too (fast/slow/fast etc), which adds to its interest. It has to be one of the most successful songs of late 97-98. And it's not in 4/4. And then there's Wonderland. Now I'm not going to put it forward as my favourite XTC song of all time, but I don't dislike it. It has that distinctive Colin trait of unusual chord progressions and curious melodic leaps (this same quality makes Cynical Days such a gorgeous track for me, and gives to The Smartest Monkeys an acerbic quirkiness that I find brilliant), and it undoubtably fits into the general scheme of Mummer. I find Mummer slightly unsatisfying in its CD format: I think it's one of the few examples of extra tracks detracting from the overall feel of an album. This is not to say that I don't like the extra tracks/b-sides, but with them, the album drags for me, in a way the LP does not. By the way, does anyone know the availability of the 2LP as opposed to single LP versions of ES? Is one considerably rarer than the other? Also how readily available is Nonsuch on LP? (Any Australian readers, please call now. Or mail me) Thanks, Seb.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19980727010653.22828.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Brent John Palmer" <brent_palmer@hotmail.com> Subject: My escape from the "rawk-'n'-roll" straitjacket Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 18:06:53 PDT Greetings fellow Chalkers! It's been interesting discovering people discussing unusual time signatures, etc. Come to think of it, I wouldn't mind learning some music theory (incidentally, the subject I did best at school was Music). A couple of my friends are either con.-students, or have had that sort of an education, and would be streets ahead of me in that area. There are few bands whose work invokes this sort of analysis and discussion (it certainly beats mindless banter along the lines of "Have you seen the lead singer of [whatever band]'s new haircut?"). Musicianship (as opposed to fashion, street-cred or screaming-schoolgirl potential) sets apart people like XTC from the rest of the flock. (Another band I'm interested in finding a bit about is Jethro Tull.) On a similar note (no pun intended), just a few weeks ago, after hearing the song "Tissue Tigers" numerous times, it very suddenly hit me: the drumming pattern is so unusual. Yet it works! Instead of being relegated to B-side-dom, "Tissue Tigers" should've been a single of its own! A suggestion about _English Settlement_: Could it be possible for Idea to re-issue the album, re-mastered? (There's a defect at the beginning of "Senses Working Overtime", where it seems to "skip".) A great idea (another bad pun - sorry!) for the packaging side of things would be to enclose it in a textured Digi-pak (a la the original LP cover), with conceptual artwork on the label. However, since I don't know if this would be financially viable (especially since they'd have to buy the rights off Virgin), it's probably just a dream! PS: Is it likely that their Idea-label material will be locally-available in Australia? Brent
------------------------------ Message-ID: <304D2C3DF164D111827200600837841F2EDFCF@einstein.moneystar.com> From: Jill Oleson <oleson@moneystar.com> Subject: Pop Bait taken Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 20:19:00 -0500 "What is that noise that you put on? This is Pop. Yeah, Yeah. This is Pop. Yeah, Yeah." + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Thanks to Todd Bernhardt, Harrison Sherwood, and Rednoise for responding to my Pop post. Red was absolutely right when he said that there was a flaw in my logic. Pop isn't just the nickname for "popular" as I stated in my post; it is also a wide-ranging genre of music, a genre that XTC borrows heavily from, as they have borrowed from jazz, punk, etc. I agree that Andy summed it up well in the lyrics to the 1978 song "This is Pop" (quoted above). Yet I'd also argue that with that song--and "White Noise," the album that included it--XTC was hoping to redefine what Pop music is, hoping to redefine the music that is/was available on jukeboxes, Muzak, and all public places. Those of us who have heard an occasional XTC tune while grocery shopping or riding in an elevator can attest to the limited success the band has had in transforming the genre that is Pop. IMO, XTC doesn't just borrow from Pop, they "Beat It", slap it around, teach it a lesson. Pop limps away, hurting, crying "Never Again, Honey! Help me, Momma." I still find the term Pop an irksome description of a band that is far too clever for this simplistic description and continue to hope that Chalkhillians come up with something better. Consider it an opportunity for a fun, perhaps even an intellectual exercise, if nothing more. Note: The Michael Jackson example was used just to pull your collective chain. Comments, Dom? Me? After listening to "White Noise" over and over again today, I'm switching over to the sweet sounds of Cesaria Evora, "The barefoot diva of Africa." Ahh... Jill Oleson oleson@moneystar.com Austin, Texas
------------------------------ From: PiriyaV3@aol.com Message-ID: <51d32bc8.35bbdf0b@aol.com> Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 21:59:38 EDT Subject: Haiku Review Hiya fellow Chalkhillians! I was just cruisin' the Bunnyhop Magazine pages (http://www.bunnyhop.com/contents.html) and found a "haiku review" of the Sugarplastic's album: "Bang, the Earth is Round." It got a little chuckle out of me, so I thought I'd share it! The Sugarplastic Bang, the Earth is Round New Wave bounces back with absolute ecstasy and sweet-tooth decay. (DGC) * * * * * * * * * * - Piriya Minister of Propaganda - http://www.lfc.edu/~vongkpp
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1998 23:07:10 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <v03007801b1e1649f6626@[209.86.136.158]> From: Mitch Friedman <mitchf@mindspring.com> Subject: BBCDs I spoke with Andy earlier today and amongst other things I found out *some* more info about the BBC box set thing. It will come out in September but won't be out in the US. It will be four discs: one of the material on Drums and Wireless, one of the Live in 1980 disc that came out previously, one of 9 or 10 more songs from various BBC sessions (the ones they really wanted were erased by the BBC prompting me to inquire as to whether Colin works for them too!), and the final disc will be a live concert from 1978 combined with a few tracks from a show from '79 which was Barry's last gig. They are still recording vocals at Colin's house and will be for 4 or 5 more weeks. Then starting September 14th they will finally begin to mix the album with Nick Davis somewhere in Wales. I mentioned to Andy about the recent discussion concerning whether or not radio stations will play a song with F-U-C-K spelled out if it's a single. He said they had no plans to release a single unless radio stations start playing one particular track a lot more than others because to release and promote a single is as costly as making a whole new album sometimes. But he was intrigued with the idea of "Your Dictionary" having a chance at grabbing some attention since I pointed out that lots of people seem to be able to grasp the song right away and it may also catch the attention of those that liked the controversial nature of "Dear God" and is a similar type of song musically in some ways. Mitch
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 01:44:30 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <v01510101b1e1fc178ae1@[194.128.83.69]> From: fisher@easynet.co.uk (Mark Fisher) Subject: Loving memory A review in Friday's edition of The Guardian by Tom Cox of an album called Waved Out by Robert Pollard describes it as, "the sensation of listening through a partition wall as a drunken genius pastes together his record collection, beginning at Revolver and finishing with XTC's White Music. Flawed, but addictive." Imagine that! A music critic who can think all the way back to 1977-era XTC! Is this a record? And talking of records, should we all check out Robert Pollard?
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s5bc5fda.092@4thestate.co.uk> Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 11:04:57 +0100 From: Andy Miller <ANDYMILLER@4thestate.co.uk> Subject: Other tunes Hi Ken said, re: other bands/albums >Is this now a taboo thread to pursue? Sure hope not. Without it, I never would have heard Jason Falkner Presents Author Unknown, greatest album of the 90s. I've just heard that Jason's new album, having been denied a US release because Elektra "didn't hear a single" (sound familiar?), will be coming out in Australia and Japan only in the next few weeks. Anyone know anything about this? I'll just take this opportunity to (belatedly) second Erich Walther's recommendation of RUFUS WAINWRIGHT's album - it's superb! (and co-produced by Jon Brion, Jason Falkner's partner in The Grays). This is a really great, really unusual record. XTC content nil I'm afraid. But best Andy
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s5bc662f.075@parliament.uk> Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 11:35:45 +0100 From: Dominic Lawson <LAWSOND@parliament.uk> Subject: Re:Pop! Todd says: I'm sure getting tired of the constant Harrison baiting! Oh come on, this is silly. It was a joke, albeit a poor one, and hardly worth getting steamed up over. I'm sure Harrison is man enough to ignore my childish jibes. I have previously stated, on more than one occasion, that I have no reason to think that Mr Sherwood is anything other than a lovely bloke. I think he goes on a bit, and that much of what he writes tends to put people off contributing for fear of being humiliated, but it's really NOT THAT IMPORTANT. Anyway, rumour has it that you and Mr Sherwood are pals. It's great that you're prepared to stick up for your friends, but why not wait until someone actually has a go at him? Todd also says: But, c'mon, cut the G-man a break. I think he's just trying to have some fun, and I for one would like to see more of that here. What, you want people to have fun? Oh good. Does that mean I can attempt to be funny occasionally, or is that only allowed if it doesn't risk winding up your friends? Frankly, I'm not the malicious type. Humour doesn't necessarily translate, and as my girlfriend often points out, I'm not that funny anyway. But I'm enjoying myself, and enjoying Chalkhills. Let me have my fun! I promise you, no one will get hurt. Finally, Molly says: My favorite song off the album is So Pale and Precious. It has a Beach Boys feel to it. NNNNnngggghhh....GRRRrrrrrr.......No, I'll have to go and lie down. Anyone would think you were trying to encourage me...... Until next time, fun lovers, salut! Dom.
------------------------------ From: btm@ns1.mindmagic.com Message-ID: <35BC4CD9.6910@ns1.mindmagic.com> Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 10:48:11 +0100 Subject: Re: Astrology Tschalkgerz! The, uh, Gingerbread Man tells us: >Astrology is as unproven as religion. But unlike religion, astrology at least relies on astronomy, geometry and calculus to make it's case. And, as Albert Einstein wrote, "Those who do not believe in astrology have never studied it."< What? Where did you get all that?... gimme a couple of days, and I'll be back here with twelve reasons why astrology is bullshit. Just need to find an article I have at home. Don't care for religion, either, thank you. -Brian http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer XTC MIDI files & more!
------------------------------ Message-ID: <0143041F00B7D011B7C500A0C9005151140A2F@IMA_NT1> From: "BOB O'BANNON" <BOBANNON@IMAweb.com> Subject: Shivers Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 09:41:34 -0500 >>>There's certain individual songs that have a direct physiological effect on me; shivers up and down the spine, involuntary physical movements(air guitar, jumping madly around the room, etc.), feeling like a child at the fairgrounds with an unlimited supply of quarters, and the like. I hope someone understands what I mean.<<< Oh yea. The song that did this for me like no other was "What Difference Does it Make?" by the Smiths. I think I listened to it 20 times the first time I heard it. A sampling of others: You're the Wish You Are I Had - XTC No Time to Cry - Iris DeMent Appalachian Spring - Aaron Copland And Your Bird Can Sing - Beatles Come to Love - Matthew Sweet Anywhere I Lay My Head - Tom Waits Moving on: >>>I am sorry that the discussions by the syncopating Partridgian sycophants will also cease; sort of the just paying for the sinners (O'Bannon should burn at the stake?)<<< It's comments like this that solicit people like me to add some balance. But I'd better restrain myself, because that's what seems to cause problems on this list. Before I get carried away, I'd like to hear what XTCesque bands people are listening to these days. This thread in the past has yielded some tasty recommendations. I'll start with Ron Sexsmith's album from last year, "Other Songs," which shares more with Elvis Costello than XTC, but is a clinic in virtually flawless songwriting. Andy could learn some tips from Ron in simplifying things a bit, I think. Other takers? Bob O'Bannon
------------------------------ From: WillJ4comm@aol.com Message-ID: <597b20d1.35bc8ea5@aol.com> Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 10:28:52 EDT Subject: re: elvis I saw Elvis Costello a few years ago when he was supporting "Mighty Like a Rose." When he sang God's Comic and came to that line, "...and wondering if I should have given the world to the Monkees," he launched into a chorus of "I'm a Believer." After about 30 seconds of rockin' he went back into the original song. Nice, E. Will The Internet Music Show (featuring xtc) http://come.to/theblissroad
------------------------------ From: wwilson@star.zko.dec.com Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 10:39:33 -0400 Message-Id: <98072710393355@star.zko.dec.com> Subject: Other TVT Artists Another TVT artist is Spookey Ruben. I sent him a fan mail a few years ago and didn't hear from him until around the holidays last year, when I got a weird postcard, "Happy Holidays from Spookey Ruben." It was a strange photo of him. I like his "Alternate Modes of Transportation" CD. Someone mentioned "Brian Jonestown Massacre." I have a chance to see them in the area on August 4. Should I? The thing that bothers me somewhat is I'm old enough to remember BOTH Brian Jones AND Jonestown. (I'm 39.) I'm sure I'll stick out in a crowd of Manic Panic hairdyed and pierced kids and feel very self-conscious if I do go. However, I still like new music, despite looking conservative. Brian Jonestown Massacre is, at the least, a cool name for a band. Anyone else ever hear of Cotton Mather? I'm enjoying their debut, Kontiki, very much. Wes (feeling old and in the way in Hahvad Square)
------------------------------ Message-ID: <75639C4174B7D111AD2100805FEA294886E360@MSEISC1> From: Greg Marrs <gmarrs@bn.com> Subject: Farmer's XTC: Song Stories Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 15:22:23 -0400 Howdy folks. Just a public service post: I was just paging through my freshly minted (though curiously, not minty-fresh) galley of Neville Farmer's XTC: Song Stories (soon to be published in the US by Hyperion), I thought I'd share a teaser paragraph from NF's intro: "Over the years of knowing XTC, I became party to privileged information of the type you wouln't normally share with your best friend, a difficult position for a journalist. But Andy, Dave, and Colin seemed unconcerned and that trust ensured my loyalty to them in return. It wasn't until Andy asked me to write this book that I felt I had license to talk. Andy said, Be open, don't hold back, and I was astonished at the frankness of the discussions we held in the book's preparation. There are still things I have missed out. Some of them would have caused rifts in the band and other things left no mystery for the fans to savor." Later in the book, he provides an interesting alt-text to Harrison Sherwood's now famous Qrocodile Quiz thread: "All the girls in Spain do a wee-wee down the drain/While the boys in France do the same thing in their pants" More interestingly, the book ends with a discussion of the "provisional tracks" from the upcoming disc. I know what I'll be reading tonight.... In other NYC news -- Anyone wishing to score one of those nifty best-of compilations with the embossed nautilus can find one in Madhattan at the small record shop on Thompson st. between Bleeker and 3rd in the West Village -- the shop's name escapes me. They also have a three cd picture disc set of the first three XTC discs, and a bootleg of some live BBC recordings...
------------------------------
Message-Id: <s5bc93df.003@phjw.com>
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 14:47:48 -0700
From: "MARK G. CUEVAS" <MGCUEVAS@phjw.com>
Subject: Chalkhills Originals '98 - Awaken You Dreamers - Info
I recently asked the "Awaken You Dreamers" contributors to describe
their songs for the soon-to-be-released compilation. Here's what they
have to say:
*John Relph* (Song: Don't Tell Me)
"Think Bob Mould meets Matthew Sweet and Nick Lowe for some
hard-edged, jangly pop."
*Steve Clarke* (Song: Rainy Day Blues)
"Kind of . . . Norwegian Wood sung by Thomas Dolby on valium"
*Me* (Song: Molly Grey)
"10cc meets Eleanor Rigby [at the Overlook Hotel]"
*Hades' Horror Is Now* aka Harrison Sherwood ;) (Song: Kicking Out
the William (Homage to Catatonia))
"Pop fluff so danged infectious it's been quarantined by the WHO. The
lyrics are caulked to the brim with Clues and Hidden Meanings -- I wanna
see those Green Lantern decoder rings sa_mokin'_.
Hint that will unravel the whole Gordian Knot: the Giant Squid is JFK."
*Jeff Castanon* (Song: Nine More Minutes)
"Like riding a roller coaster while eating an ice cream sundae."
*Jason Garcia* (Song: The Great American Public)
"Basically 'Radio, Radio' with a few twists, turns and surprises, sung by
a guy in a McCartney costume."
*becki digregorio* (Song: Love Can)
"acoustic psychadelic heavy folk"
*Paul Brantley* (Song: Sing Along With Me)
"Composer of chamber music hears Mayor of Simpleton and becomes
Your Honor of Homage"
*Mike Foster* (Song: The Vanishing Man)
[I wasn't able to get Mike's description in time for this email, but it's a
folksy acoustic ballad -- with strong vocals by Paul McNulty. These guys
went to a London studio to record this one.]
*Pat Tomek* (Song: Hunger Moon)
"Tony Joe White tries to play 'Misty Mountain Hop' from memory"
*Paul Rogers* (Song: Love Is The Reason)
". . . sort of Crowded House v. Toad the Wet Sprocket"
*Eric Day* (Song: What the Hell Does the Devil Want With My Soul)
"A timid little waltz about self-flagellation with several incorrect chords
and far too many notes"
*Randy Christopher* (Song: Anastassia)
"Anastasia is your basic pop rock with psychedelic overtones, and
contains a tiny little lyrical tribute to XTC for those who are bored enough
to actually try and decipher the words. But really, don't bother."
*Jamie Brantley* (Song: Better Than I Know Myself)
[I wasn't able to get Jamie's description in time for this email, but his tune
is an expertly engineered, mellow rock-type tune with good vocals and a
really tasteful acoustic guitar solo]
Unfortunately two events recently occurred which have resulted in
changes in the Awaken compilation -- but only a minor setback in the
release date. First, Steve Clarke was preparing a collaboration which
was to feature a number of the Awaken artists playing together -- with
the benefit of only the tempo, basic drum and bass, and chord changes.
All else was "blind." Steve was mixing these on a Roland VS 880, but
had a fatal hard drive crash and wasn't able to complete the project.
Second, Peter Fitzpatrick recently had a number of matters which
required his attention and was unfortunately unable to complete his
song.
In place of these two songs, we will be including Todd Bernhardt's
offering entitled "Something Big" and Mitch Friedman's offering (which
will very likely be) entitled "Purple Burt." Details on those two to follow.
If you haven't yet ordered your copy of Chalkhills Originals '98 - Awaken
You Dreamers, you had better hurry. Here's the ordering info again:
Send your check in U.S. dollars, payable to Mark Cuevas.
Mail your check or International Money Order to:
Mark Cuevas
4139 Via Marina #405
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
It's best to enclose a mailing label (with your address on it) so that I can
easily affix it to your package, but so long as your address appears
somewhere in what you send to me, I'll get it right.
I will ship the tape when your check clears.
We have rounded up to the nearest nickel to offset extraneous costs like
insufficient postage or having to send a letter back because we've run
out of tapes. In all cases, however, we've endeavored to come as close
as possible to the actual cost without incurring a loss.
Pick the place closest to you to determine your cost. If you know that it
costs more, send a bit more.
You will notice that some of the steps in price are non-linear. It is due to
postage costs.
Quan - United States
1..........$6.15
2..........$10.90
3..........$14.45
Quan - England
1..........$8.00
2..........$13.90
3..........$18.95
Quan - Japan
1..........$8.00
2..........$12.50
3..........$19.75
------------------------------ From: keone@ix.netcom.com Message-ID: <35BCFCEF.15C47F8A@ix.netcom.com> Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 16:19:27 -0600 Subject: Birthdays -- Lack of Basic Info Hi Y'all! The quest continues for accurate birth information on the boys. I've been searching the various XTC web sites and am shocked at the scarcity of information. What I've uncovered so far: Name Date Place Time Andy Nov 11, 1953 Malta XXX Colin Aug 17, 1955 Swindon XXX Dave Sept 21, 19XX Swindon XXX Terry July 18 (16?), 1955 Swindon XXX Barry XXX XXX XXX I didn't expect to find birth times, but the lack of other basic info (especially for Barry!?!) surprised me. Also, I don't have a copy of "Chalkhills and Children" -- does it fill in any of the gaps? Anyone living in Swindon care to poking around in the public records? Please reply privately if you can offer any assistance. Thanks! - The Gingerbread Man
------------------------------ Message-ID: <35BD4CBC.A8B4316D@netcom.com> Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 23:59:56 -0400 From: Jefferson Ogata <ogata@netcom.com> Subject: Yet Another Satellite I'd be happy to take a crack at deciphering the technique used to create the odd guitar chord sound in Another Satellite -- if only I knew which version the original poster was referring to. The two I know of are on Skylarking and on Rag and Bone Buffet. The relevant sound is very different between these recordings. So which is it? Velveeta or Cheese Whiz? XTC song of the day: Another Satellite Non-XTC song of the day: Fly Like An Eagle/Steve Miller Band ;^) -- Jefferson Ogata <ogata@netcom.com>
------------------------------ From: MFa2707621@aol.com Message-ID: <51d623d7.35bd6b24@aol.com> Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 02:09:39 EDT Subject: I WANT A NEW ALBUM NOW Chalkers, I would like to say something, I wish the new album was being released soon. I'm getting so desperate. Why can't Andy get his act together, and get the album out. I know they have financial problems, but if they went out and promoted something they would get more money. Come on guys, let's get our act in gear. Molly
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199807281355.JAA13032@gw33t.fmr.com> From: "Sawyer, Keith" <Keith.Sawyer@fmr.com> Subject: Other Recent Pop Bands Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 09:54:55 -0400 Regarding the recent discussion of attempting to find a new moniker for 'our' type of music ... I have battled these guilt-laden issues myself. But face it my friends, XTC *is* pop, along with the Beatles, Kinks, Raspberries, etc. etc. Those self-styled "kings" referred to in the previous digest - *they're* the ones with the labeling problem. Let *them* find a new category for their mish-mosh of styles - WE ARE POP. Say it loud, say it proud - I LOVE POP MUSIC! GFROBE@aol.com asks: <One of the things I loved the most about Chalkhills before my absence was <the references to less known bands and musicians that I might not have <heard about. Some great examples are Jason Faulkner, Poundcake, The Lilic <Time, Spooky Reuben, St. Surreal, Sugarplastic, Eric Matthews, and many <many others. <Who else are you folks listening to that bring these artists to mind? There's hasn't been much in the retro-pop genre that has really twigged my ear since Brendan Benson's fabulous _One Mississippi_ (find it for $2 at your favorite used store) and Olivia Tremor Control's _Dusk at Cubist Castle_ (sorry, the new High Llamas did nothing for me). However, I recently stumbled across a singles/outtakes cd by an Australian band called the Green Pajamas. How have our friends downstairs hidden these brilliant Beatle-tinged boys for the past ten years?! The compilation _Indian Winter_ is an absolutely wonderful compendium of fresh pop influences from the guitar strumming of the Byrds to the sublime Mummer-ish urgency of XTC (with Black Sea tinges, if you know what I mean). Another album of theirs called _Strung Behind the Sun_ is just as wonderful if not a bit trippier, though their latest cd single _Strung Out_ was sparse. You'll have to search for them, but it's worth the effort. And if the Byrds reference in the previous paragraph started you salivating, rush to your nearest retailer and check out the Bevis Frond's latest _North Circular_, a two cd set with precious little filler. And for those of you ga-ga over Stereolab a jumpier, hookier version exists in Sweden by the name of Komeda. I wasn't enthralled with their first, but the new one _What Makes It Go?_ is filled with buoyant burbling synths. It takes a bit of time to warm up, but motors like a mother once the clutch engages. If you want to trade home-made compilation tapes of new artists please feel free to e-mail me at keith.sawyer@fmr.com. I find this method much more effective than reading magazines, listening to commercial radio, or relying on the rabid ravings of fellow list loons like myself. see ya, keith
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #4-120 *******************************
Go back to Volume 4.
3 August 1998 / Feedback