Chalkhills Digest Volume 4, Issue 57
Date: Thursday, 19 February 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 4, Number 57
Thursday, 19 February 1998
Today's Topics:
Rare combination ;)
Julien Baer and Louis Philippe
Dave Gregory for Julien Baer
Replies
Disappointed
First Post...Issue of mania...yada yada yada
Could XTC get ConnecteD?
Yazbeck cheap - buy nine!
'86 in '79, XTC #1, Merchandise, Expanded digest
First post
Andy Partridge: Time is his Bitch.
Message for you, sir.....
First contrib; Contribs;Burning; DG=Neil Morrissey?
Satisfy Your Desire For New Material
Becki Revisited
Lucky??
Skylurking...
Art, Dave and other gubbins
I have something special.
consummate lunch
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 19:45:41 -0500 (EST) From: Kara N Berryman <kberryma@indiana.edu> Subject: Rare combination ;) Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.96.980216194326.3693B-100000@ophelia.ucs.indiana.edu> hello all just wanted to say not only am I 19, but I am also from Indiana. So that makes me an underage American....(two things that everyone seems to think are rare around here). That's all..... --KARA ************************************************************************* If Barbie is so popular, why do we have to buy all of her friends? *************************************************************************
------------------------------
From: Patrick_BOURCIER@paribas.com
Message-Id: <C12565AE.003FE4D9.00@PARIBAS.COM>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 12:23:16 +0100
Subject: Julien Baer and Louis Philippe
Hello Les Crayonneurs,
Jim ZITTEL wrote about Louis Philippe's Jackie Girl:
>The CD's title and cover of "Jackie Girl" is a tribute to Jackie de
>Shannon. The booklet says "They will enjoy, I hope, the great return
>of XTC axeman Dave Gregory in the guise of Lord Cornelius Plum in
>"Jackie Girl"- the song". The songs themselves sound like they could
>have been recorded in Jackie de Shannon's heyday, with a bit of Burt
>Bacharach feel to them. Some of the songs seem kind of slight to me,
>but there are some nice pop songs on it.
Louis Philippe is very well known in Japan and almost unknown in his
own country, in France. The songs are pop with an old fashionned
'taste' somewhere in the production. I'm not keen on the voice of
Louis Philippe. I've seen him sometimes in concert here in Paris. One
acoustic gig, alone with a guitar, then with Martin Newell live, then
with his own group in an electric set.
Each time, I thought his voice was a bit too 'precious'.
But he's a good musician and a good producer.
>I am also curious to know if the guitar work Dave Gregory did for
>French artist Julien Baer has ever been released? Any details
>appreciated.
Julien Baer's CD has been released last year. The exact references are:
Julien Baer :
'Julien Baer' (eponymous !)
Polydor 537 043-2
1997 Polydor France (Label of Polygram)
The song where Dave Gregory played is : 'Juillet 66'
It seems that Dave only plays in the chorus but I'm not sure.
This song always reminds me Serge Gainsbourg and Yves Simon, some
french artists you maybe know.
Louis Philippe has contributed in this CD too. He's made some guitars
but for some 'weird' reasons, Julien Baer has re-recorded all the
guitars note by note with other session men. Then, an obvious conflict
appeared between Julien Baer and Louis Philippe. In the inner sleeve
of the CD, Louis Philippe is credited as Philippe Auclair (his true
name).
You can order the CD in the FNAC website (www.fnac.com)
Au revoir,
Patrick de Lumiere : pbourcier@hol.fr
------------------------------ Message-ID: <34E99658.16A1@kyoto.xaxon-net.or.jp> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 22:53:29 +0900 From: tateoka miwa <tate3mk@kyoto.xaxon-net.or.jp> Subject: Dave Gregory for Julien Baer ZITTEL@aol.com wrote, >I am also curious to know if the guitar work Dave Gregory did for French >artist Julien Baer has ever been released? Any details appreciated. It has already released from Polygram France.I heard that album to checkDave's guitar play. He played a guitar for a track titled "Juliette'66". There is no guitar solo but only a chord backing. Julien Baer played keyboards and some organ, I think his playing isinfluenced from funk jazz organ, he mixed French chanson tradition and acid jazz thing very well. If you'd like to listen Dave's guitar in this album I don't recommend, but Julien Baer is one of the best new comer in '97 from France.
------------------------------
Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19980217174950.0069fed0@130.127.28.14>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 17:49:50 -0500
From: Adam Tyner <ctyner@CLEMSON.EDU>
Subject: Replies
<<Oh, what the hell: obligxtc...I've been listening to "Drums and
Wireless" a lot. Anyone like the "No Thugs" on there better than the
"English Settlement" version? And what about that great piano chord at
the end of "Runaways"?>>
I've found myself listening to Drums and Wireless more than any other XTC
CD... I'm also especially fond of the "Jason And The Argonauts" on there...
As far as popularity goes, I hate predicting this sort of thing. I suppose
it's too early to say, really. Weirder things have certainly happened. :-)
I might've mentioned this earlier, but I have a notoriously bad memory.
Perhaps XTC could form some sort of fan club and release the occassional
newsletter and perhaps publish a CD for Christmas or something, containing
rarities, demos, etc... Barenaked Ladies have done something similar for a
$25 yearly fee, with a fair degree of success.
Other thoughts?
-Adam
/----=========================================================----\
http://www.awod.com/gallery/rwav/ctyner/
The home of He-Man, "Weird Al", Yoo-hoo, Killer Tomatoes, and more!
Demented music list admin O- MiSTie #67,326
------------------------------ From: MFa2707621@aol.com Message-ID: <285ebde3.34ea1ea5@aol.com> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 18:34:59 EST Subject: Disappointed Chalkers, I just read the latest Chalkhills, and I'm amazed at what I read. I can't believe some of the people on this list. All they do is complain about how XTC doesn't give us fans respect. Why should they if we complain about them? I just recently started the subscription, and I might stop subscribing if people stop complaining. I subscribed to talk about XTC, not complain about them. Why can't we talk about how we love the group, instead of attacking them. That's all I have to say for now. Molly Buffalo, NY
------------------------------
Message-ID: <34EA3680.3EDC9A9@earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 17:16:49 -0800
From: Steven Graff <sgclutter@earthlink.net>
Subject: First Post...Issue of mania...yada yada yada
> Hello again, folks!
Ladies and Gentlemen...Eric Leidberg!
> I dont agree with Steve Graff.. Who would want Andy Partridge to stay a
> perennial teenager? Drum and Wires was a good outing, but the
> sentiments expressed in Roads Girdle the Globe wouldnt have
> neccessarily brought me back for more. Although it was certainly a
> better
> disc than most bands put out after ten years, Drums and Wires was
> only a half-baked meal, and personally I prefer my Partridge well-done.
> To give up a little mania for the deeply satisfying lyrics, and
> wonderful melodies that were to come, was certainly worth the loss.
Mind you, I'm not doing this out of spite or anything, but if
Drums and Wires was half-baked, what about the pull it's had on
thousands of XTC coverts? For my own designs, Drums and Wires through to
Mummer show the motherlode of lyric and music quality for XTC, up until
Oranges and Lemons. I myself can come up with "wonderful melodies" til
the cows come home, but I could never do a Drums and Wires. And yeah,
Roads Girdle the Globe wasn't the clincher, if you recall...the double
barrel of Life Begins at the Hop and Making Plans for Nigel were what
brought XTC to the forefront at the time. If you don't consider Human
Alchemy, Melt the Guns, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Across this
Antheap, and even The Ugly Underneath manic, I don't think we're
speaking the same language. Sorry you weren't satisfied with the lyrics
of Go2, White Music and Black Sea! I just want Andy and Co. to recognize
that the onset of age doesn't have to equal the onset of a bad case of
mellowing. (Extrovert belonged on Skylarking, in my humble opinion.)
As far as keeping Andy a teenager, well....."you're as old as you
feel" is the tried and true saying. I'd hate to think of XTC delegated
to the "deeper" world of Adult Contemporary. They may not be punk, but
they still work with punk ethics. The loss is ours in the sense of a
confident band, perfoming wonderfully energetic...passionate shows as
the assertive exception from the morass of new wave. (Kind of like Built
to Spill and Ben Folds Five being a healthy departure from the
Industry's marketing tool known as Alternative)
Which brings me back to the money-donation bandwagon....for a band
like XTC...born and bred on DIY....don't you think it'd bring pause to
suddenly find your fans donating money to you?
Though I disagree with your harping on Drums and Wires as the "bad
example" (get off the Adult trip already!), I still consider you XTC
kin, with the rest of you Chalkhillsters!
Sincerely
Steven Graff
28 years young
Clutter singer/songwriter/guitarist
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------------------------------ Message-ID: <34EA3119.102A@geocities.com> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 19:53:45 -0500 From: Troy Peters <troypeters@geocities.com> Subject: Could XTC get ConnecteD? Hey, Chalk-kids! With all this recent talk of *us* helping the lads get more computerized/webbed, I began to wonder if we or somebody else could work up a cool site like Sony's ConnecteD. It's a Shockwave deal where you can play your CD in your own CD-ROM drive while your browser downloads lyrics, interviews, even games, that are related to what you are hearing on the CD. If you have the Ben Folds Five album "Whatever and Ever Amen," you should check it out. There's even a nifty pong game where your paddle is Ben Folds' head. (Especially nice for those of you who still don't like BF5.) You MUST check it out at http://www.music.sony.com/Music/ConnecteD/html/connected_home.html So who's got the Shockwave chops to work up a fabulous site for "Firework"? Troy Peters
------------------------------ From: "Wesley Hanks" <whanks@earthlink.net> Subject: Yazbeck cheap - buy nine! Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 17:05:33 -0800 Message-ID: <01bd3c09$50af9b60$LocalHost@default> A quickie, Toodle over to www.war.com and you may purchase both of Mr. Y's cds for a mere $16 until the end of the month. Think of it as an internet version of a K Mart "blue light special". Wes
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.32.19980217180300.0069b118@acton.com> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 18:03:01 -0600 From: Dave Ledbetter <dbetter@acton.com> Subject: '86 in '79, XTC #1, Merchandise, Expanded digest Libby asks about her recording: >it's skylarking with breaks between songs where andy talks >about each song. it was made in 1979. anybody have any ideas? Since Skylarking wasn't released until 1986, my idea is that your recording was not made in '79. Otherwise I will say, unless you're planning to sell it, its real value is what it's worth to you. Mark Stribos asks: >how would we, as their loyal(?) fans, react if Firework would be a bit of a >success and XTC would be catapulted to sudden fame and fortune? Do you >love them because nobody else does or would you be thrilled if they had a >number 1 with a bullet? The problem doesn't seem to be the popularity itself, rather, that popularity = success = quenched thirsts and loss of original motivations. REM was a GREAT band prior to their extended success IMHO. That seems to be the case with many other successful bands-- the Cure, Pearl Jam, U2. They're music is comin' from a different place than it did originally. I can no longer relate to them. I'm not sure that would be the case with XTC, but who knows? Imagine if XTC, after becoming commercially successful, had put out "Mint Car" or "Discotehque". (neither are totally without creativity, but both are relatively weak when compared to prior material, IMHO) Wood Robert MMUk writes: >The only thing I can't quite understand is the lack of merchandise >available. There are many fans who would genuinely love to be able to buy >the likes of T-Shirts; I hope that Idea records latches on to this... I would not only buy XTC merchandise, I'd wear it in public. And I'm not just talking about lingerie. Harrison, Sherwood poses the question: >When the new record hits, the Chalkhills list itself is inevitably going to >undergo a massive upheaval. The subscriber list will grow exponentially, and >we will have an enormous rehashing of stuff we've already driven into the >ground. Perhaps we could have a secret, second digest. Something along the lines of the masons. You know-- by invitation only, secret to the death. Uh... that is... unless you folks already have one... and I'm not on it. OK, nevermind. Rob Cosentino, I have lost your email address, will you email me? Dave -in need of a good dictionary and a little motivation
------------------------------ Message-ID: <002c01bd3c1d$42994120$a3f9a7cf@mroden.vistar.ca> From: "Michael Roden" <mroden@vistar.ca> Subject: First post Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 22:24:05 -0500 Hi Chalkhills dwellers, This is my first post. I have been lurking for some time. I have been a fan of XTC for some 15 years... discovered them in 1983 when a friend introduced me to side two of the Drums and Wires LP. I was completely floored by "Complicated Game". "Millions" was / is one of of the most wonderfully weird songs I have ever heard. Those vocal contortions and the unique poetic style that Andy sometimes uses, like in the song "Shake You Donkey Up" as another example. Then of course, I listened to side one and discovered those catchy Colin Moulding singles. "Life Begins at the Hop" to me is such a wonderful example of how much fun pop songs can be. From Big Express onwards, I have bought every album as soon as it arrived in on the store shelf. I really loved the Nonsuch album... hard for me to choose between "Rook", "Peter Pumpkinhead", "Then She Appeared", "My Bird Performs" or "Wrapped in Grey" as a favourite from that record. Well, "Rook" if I really HAD to choose... but then... re: Pearl Jam fans > (perhaps the longest-suffering lot since XTC suporters) Not quite... I am a big fan of The Fixx... their last release was in 1991. They have a new album coming out this April 7 on the CMC/BMG label. A 7 year drought. I know that there are probably very few of you here who are fans of The Fixx (I have heard that the band members outnumber their fans in the UK), but the fact remains that we "Fixxtures" have suffered longer. So there. I am thrilled about the upcoming album, Firework. I will buy more than one copy for sure. My two cents on the touring issue... if XTC were to tour as a headliner they would be very well received anywhere and would probably at least break even and maybe the new album would sell better. I can't understand why Andy dreads the spotlight of performance so much. However, if his phobia or loathing or whatever you want to call it makes him violently ill, then I fully respect his decision to choose to keep his health, even if I don't understand why live performance for him is so physically destructive. The XTC album I most recently listened to was "English Settlement", my personal favourite. The non-XTC album I most recently listened to was from a new band called Thanks To Gravity. Thanks for the bandwidth, Michael
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199802180305.TAA24201@mail.eskimo.com> From: "Matt Keeley" <mrme@eskimo.com> Organization: The Dead Cat Revolutionary Army Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 19:05:11 +0000 Subject: Andy Partridge: Time is his Bitch. Hello.... > From: Epidermis1@aol.com > hey everybody- > i am just full of questions i guess, because i have another one. i was > wondering if anybody knows how much a record i just got is worth or if it's > worth anything- a friend of mine bought it for me, and i dont know how much > she paid. i'm just curious, it's red and on the cover it just says "LIVE THE > WARNER BROS. MUSIC SHOW" it's for radio prgrams and it provides for > comercial breaks, it's skylarking with breaks between songs where andy talks > about each song. it was made in 1979. anybody have any ideas? I'm interested in any more information about this disc... especially the copyright date... After all, we all knew that Andy Partridge was the mystical time controlling dude, but we didn't think he'd let himself be known as such this early...8) Actually, though, if it's what I think it is, I've seen it go for about $30... might be worth more, might be worth less... (BTW, someone might have just been tricky and switched sleeves... XTC weren't even with Warner in '79 in America... DEVO was, however, and we're ALL DEVO... and of course, DEVO was also on Virgin overseas... hmm...) > From: Misty Shock <mccrtny@u.washington.edu> > previous album. Hence, Firework --> "My Bird Performs," Oranges and > Lemons --> "Ballet For a Rainy Day," *and* Nonsuch --> "Chalkhills and > Children." Which story is correct? Or is this just a funny coincidence? I dunno... I think it might just be a combination of the two... Maybe he wrote the line of Chalkhills after the Henry VIII castle sighting... Or maybe Andy's time travelling abilities have reared their ugly head again.... Ah well, that's this world over and over and over, every night. Got great food there... Matt Living Through | (ICQ UIN: 1455267, Name: MrMe) Another | http://www.eskimo.com/~mrme Cuba -- XTC | I used to be temporarily insane! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now I'm just stupid! -- Brak Yeah.
------------------------------ From: LadyCPlum@aol.com Message-ID: <11cd2bde.34ea65c5@aol.com> Date: Tue, 17 Feb 1998 23:38:27 EST Subject: Message for you, sir..... Cutting right to the chase with this one,...... Pancho-Why thank you medear. I still break into a goofy ecstatic grin when I look at that Christmas card puttied up onto my wall, right between my autographed Crash Test Dummies poster and my Canadian flag license plate. On the subject of do we like XTC b/c no one else does or would we still like them if they topped the charts..... First of all, the day when XTC tops the charts will come when Dave Gregory proposes marriage to me. (In other words, don't hold your breath for that to happen.) Nonetheless, I could care less whether they sold millions of records or records in the hundreds. They have a brilliance that has been unmatched since 1977. Their music is timeless. They've never tried to be anything more than what they are, never tried to do anything under their expectations, never bent to fit the mould of what's popular. We didn't see them don leisure suits and do the Hustle in the 70's, or grab the industrial strength hairspray and leather during the metal resurgence of the 80's, or grow goatees, stop washing their hair and adapt an "I hate my life and this place sucks" attitude in the 90's. For that I have nothing but admiration and respect for them. And to top that all off, they're damn good musicians and have the outward appearance of being genuinely nice fellas. But there is a part of me that would feel a sense of dread if the general populace embraced them. Metal, the music I grew up on and thrived on when I was younger, ended up being destroyed when it was latched onto by trendhoppers. (You know, the same people who listened to New Kids on the Block in the late 80's, who then walked around with glum expressions on their faces and Alice In Chains t-shirts for awhile and now pump their fists to Chumbawamba.) But I don't see any danger of that happening anytime soon. I still hear the echo of one of my co-workers, who upon seeing me reading an issue of LE, asked if XTC was "one of those Seattle bands". Th-th-th-that's all. Amanda XTC song of the day-Disque Bleu non XTC song-Me-Paula Cole (This is one of the best videos I've seen in a long time.) Amanda's Python quote of the day-"In this picture there are 47 people, and none of them can be seen."
------------------------------ Message-ID: <65706847FC74D1119E000000F801D38C18F229@NTFS03> From: "Deane, Simon" <simon.deane@dgj.com.hk> Subject: First contrib; Contribs;Burning; DG=Neil Morrissey? Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 16:34:15 +0800 I've been receiving the list for a few weeks now and have just a few points. ( Having now finished writing this, I realise I go on a bit so skip if necessary.) 1. I've been a fan since a mate played me "Statue of Liberty" and "This is Pop" over 20 years ago (God , that long). I have to say that I've liked almost everything they've done except "Mummer" and, altthough there are some brilliant things on it , "Big Express". "Nonsuch " is truly a great album - but at the time they came out I was similarly entranced with "Drums and Wires", "Black Sea", "English Settlement" and "Skylarking" - they were rarely off whatever my player was at the relevant times. For this reason I'm reluctant to say what album is best, suffice to say that they were all the best when they came out - you kind of grow up with the Group. 2. I saw XTC play once at Exeter University in about 1978/9. My abiding memories of the concert are Andy Partridge seeming to be fairly pissed off with the attitude of the students - I think he didn't think they were taking him seriously enough (I was) (although they did do an encore, XTC, not the students) and also the kind of "militaristic" way they performed - Partridge was dressed in a black shirt and he kind of "marched" as he sang some of the songs - but nothing could be further away from his or the rest of the band's accepted image. I don't want to make any particular comment about this - it's just an observation that's been with me for about 20 years. 3. Individual songs: "Burning with Optimism's Flame" has to be one of my favourites, particularly the bits where Partridge seems to be trying to cram as many words as possible into one line (c.f. the bit which ends "in" or "with"- "a Navajo blanket........"). I just can't think of anyone else who would write music or lyrics like this guy. Also, I was listening to "Complicated Game" again at the weekend and was reminded of what an extraordinarily powerful song it is - it makes me out of breath just thinking about it. "Shake your Donkey up" - where the hell did he get that bass line (is that the best way to describe it?) from? "This world over" - for some reason the bit where he sings about describing "what London was like" to his kids nearly always brings a tear to one's eye. I could go on, but won't. 4. On the issue of contributions to the band to help them with the new album-my first reaction was "why the hell not? I would be prepared to give a sizeable donation". For some reason though (ignoring all the logical pros and mainly cons which have been aired here) instinct tells me it ain't a good idea - even the websites to help with marketing the new album, and buying more than 1 copy. I haven't thought carefully about this yet to justify it with reasons- it's just one of those feelings you get. Anyway the rest of you will do what you think is right - far be it from me etc... 5. I've often in the past seen or heard about stuff like Dukes of Stratosphear albums, Rag and Bone Buffet etc. (and now this demo "release" of songs for the new record) but never bothered to buy for some reason. Also I've never heard "Dear God". Could anyone help out by pointing me in the right direction as to how these items might be acquired, preferably on CD? 6. Have any British members of this list noticed the remarkable similarity between Dave Gregory and Neil Morrissey (Tony) from "Men Behaving Badly"? Are they by any chance related? I think we should ....etc. etc. 7. There's been a bit of talk about XTC's commercial success or lack of it. Well it's not entirely unknown to them - they've had some pretty major hits with "Making Plans for Nigel", "Generals and Majors" and "Senses Working Overtime", all of which I seem to remember made the "Top 3" in the UK singles charts and I'm sure "Drums and Wires" was a top 3 UK album when it came out. The potential and the occasional very commercial song are all there - it's just a question of airplay and marketing (at which point everyone no doubt will refer me back to my comments at point 4 above). 8. That's all from me - sorry if any of the above has been covered ad nauseam before - I just wanted to get some of these things off my chest. I've never actually met another XTC fan before apart from my mate (see above) but plenty who hated them - one even gave me his "Skylarking" CD back after I'd recommended he get it. (Incidentally, any other members of this list in Hong Kong, where I now live?) This is in fact the first kind of fan "letter" I've ever written which at the age of 38 is a rather strange experience. Simon Deane
------------------------------ From: David_Goody@mandg.co.uk Message-ID: <002565AF.00410FE8.00@smtpmta.mandg.co.uk> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 11:55:49 +0000 Subject: Satisfy Your Desire For New Material In order to help quench my XTC appetite, I recently purchased the new CD by "H" entitled "Ice Cream Genius", which contains the guitar work of our very own Dave Gregory. Unfortunately, I have found that the style of music does not really suit my taste, so I would like to offer the CD up for exchange or sale. Any offers? A copy of the latest demos on CD would be good, as would any XTC videos (English format) except Play At Home or Look Look. If you would really like it and you have nothing to trade, you can buy it for fourteen pounds sterling plus shipping (cost price). Please e-mail me (david_goody@mandg.co.uk) if you are interested. Cheers.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <34EAE19E.66E9@sprintmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 08:26:54 -0500 From: Stormy Monday <stormymonday@sprintmail.com> Organization: Stormy Monday Enterprises Subject: Becki Revisited Folxtc, I pulled out Becki di Gregorio's "Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove", and it sounded fresh and new. I say this because we have many new subscribers to the list, and I wanted to alert them to the existence of this fine debut album. If you want to hear some new music that is different than what is currently being served up by the local radio and video stations, I urge you to visit the official "Becki" web site and order her CD. Dave Gregory contributed some of his guitar and keyboard magic, but you should know that the record stands on its own merits. For more info, go to http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bdg.htm . Stormy Monday
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 10:35:06 -0500 (EST) From: Thomas Slack <tgs@telerama.com> Subject: Lucky?? Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.95.980218103221.394A-100000@frogger.lm.com> Just had to put my tuppence in about this recent thread concerning the notion that XTC is resting on their laurels expecting fame and fortune. In case you haven't been paying attention, they *intentionally* went on strike for five years because they had no other recourse. They were getting screwed by Virgin, and took the only measure they could to stop it. They have enlightened many people to the common practice in the joke of a business that is the music industry of enlisting young (and thus not as experienced) musicians who may sign anything to get their stuff heard, working them to the ground on the concert circuit, then letting them burn out and break up before they have a chance to wise up and renegotiate their contract. XTC is far from lucky. Imagine if you had created a masterpiece like Skylarking, and you still found yourself parking cars to get by. The notion that a newer crop of carbon-copy garage bands is getting rich by following the formula created for them, while the true genius that is exhibited by XTC leaves them struggling, makes me sick. The members of XTC have sacrificed alot to maintain their notion of integrity, and they are far more deserving of respect and fame than just about any other musicians I can think of. They are my heros, both for the beauty and originality of their music, as well as for the stance they have taken to further the notion that you should stick by your guns and do whatever it takes to express your art, despite the consequences. Tom (cimbing down of my soapbox now) Slack
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BD3C67.3DE29740@dd63-098.dub.compuserve.com> From: Neall Alcott <nalcott@hacbm.com> Subject: Skylurking... Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 12:17:53 -0800 Well, been lurking on and off this list for some time, so I thought I might as well jump into the fray. Anyway, I'm a big Beatle fan, and hence was introduced to XTC around Oranges and Lemons by another Beatle fan. When I first listened to Orange and Lemons I found it good but a little too busy. I put it down for about a month (gasp!). When I returned to it later O&L grabbed me by the throat and forced me to love it. I now own all the albums and the brain transference is complete. Very excited to hear about the new album. And despite others opposition, I think it's great that the list has some members in contact with da boyz. This has probably been covered, but how do we know the working title "Firework"? Also, I would love to get hold of any of the demos, so if anyone can help me out with my XTC addiction, it would be very appreciated. Please email me. Thanks, Neall Alcott, CNE, MCSE nalcott@hacbm.com [Attachment omitted, unknown MIME type or encoding (application/ms-tnef)]
------------------------------ Message-Id: <2.2.32.19980218193744.0068b358@popmail.dircon.co.uk> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 19:37:44 +0000 From: Simon Sleightholm <nonsuch@dircon.co.uk> Subject: Art, Dave and other gubbins From: Liz Spencer / Eric Leidberg <yetti8@crocker.com> >Its the age-old question: >Do you have to be completely out of your mind to create great art? Age old, indeed, and somewhat dangerous. I've seen a good number of people (at first hand) lead sad lives because they can't shake the whole "troubled genius" notion and applied it, knowingly or unknowingly, to themselves. This has taken two forms - the genuine talent who tries to foster the appearance of mental turmoil in order to present their work as "authentic", and the truly troubled who have taken their problems as a sign of genius. Both roads lead to a murky realm. >I dont know. Me neither. But I do find it unsettling when people express an interest in an artist because of their problems, not their work - for example, I knew someone who didn't give a welder's knuckle about the music of Nick Drake until they heard he killed himself - which leads on to that whole other question of how much should one apply knowledge of an artist's life to the appreciation of their work? A question which, as far as I know, has remained unanswered as long as that one posed earlier. Basically, a good thinker and writer can apply any aspect of any artists life to any aspect of their work and come up with a working theory - showing the work to be a logical progression _from_ or, conversely, a reaction _to_ the circumstances of the artist's list, for example. That's what makes art such fun; we can study it, appreciate it, discuss it, theorise and then fight like cat and dog over our conclusions. :) From: J_ARTECONA@RCMACA.UPR.CLU.EDU >And while I am at it, I was really touched by Dave Gregory's gift to Amanda. >What an incredibly nice person! Just as I always thought he would be, a >noble soul indeed. Indeed he is, here's another couple of examples. Becki diGregorio sent me a copy of her CD - signed by her band - by way of Dave with the request that he sign it too and send it on. And he did; I got a nice little packet postmarked Swindon. Also, those ex-Limelighters who have maybe sought to stop the gaps in their collection by visiting the Limelight archive on Bungalow (who left this dirty huge plug lying around here? I nearly broke my neck on that...) might have noticed the absence of "The Dave Gregory Special" - Mark Fisher, editor and the most exalted Edinburgh resident since Mary, Queen Of Scots, asked me not to use that issue because Dave had been very embarrassed about being the focus of attention. What a nice, unassuming gentleman - especially given his immense talent. From: Mark Strijbos >Do you love them because nobody else does or would you be thrilled if >they had a number 1 with a bullet? I'd be thrilled to bits. From: Wood Robert MMUk <robert.wood@micromass.co.uk> >Feel free anyone to correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason they've not >released anything for six years is because they were forced into a corner by >Virgin, and the best way to get out of their contract was to go on >strike. You can't blame them for that, surely? Excellent points well made, Robert. Something I'd like to add is that I get the general impression that, like myself, most people's intention in wishing to contribute to the bands funds is not charity, but more an attempt to address the fact that so little of the money we've spent on XTC records has actually reached the band. And what beef, exactly, do Virgin have with Swindon? Branson signs XTC and they get screwed over a rotten barrel, and then he moves into the railway industry (Swindon's erstwhile lifeblood) and breaks that too. What a guy. From: Misty Shock <mccrtny@u.washington.edu> >I remember watching an >interview on Rage in which Andy stated that it was taken from the name of >the castle of Henry VIII, only later to discover that it meant "without >equal." Both are true - the palace was supposedly so grand that is was "without equal" (though it evidently didn't impress the royal concubine who had it knocked down and the land sold off after the death of Charles II). It was used in the song "Chalkhills and Children" erroneously by Andy who says he thought it meant "nonexistent" at the time and only found out the true meaning later. Did you ever hear about the the great deception? Simon -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/bungalow.htm (http://come.to/bungalow) -+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+- An XTC resource - "Saving it all up for you..."
------------------------------ Message-Id: <34EB409F.EF5EBE3B@bowdoin.edu> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 15:12:41 -0500 From: Ben Gott <bgott@bowdoin.edu> Organization: Loquacious Music - http://www.wp.com/58596 Subject: I have something special. Hillers, There's a CD on the Aiwa that sounds strangely like a new Yazbek album...That's because it IS the new Yazbek album! Hooray! Good doesn't even begin to describe: it's excellent beautiful funky lo-fi hi-fi and fully Andy-Partridged (at least a bit)! Including a horn section on "You Are Here," the song which strangely features a man named Andy. Yazbek is truly one of the great artists of this decade. He's brilliant, witty, and -- thank God -- he's not trying to sound like Pearl Jam or Paula Cole. (I think that, based on his vocal performance in "Dear Mad(Am) Barnum," Ira Lieman could sound like Paula Cole. Don't you, Ira?) Everyone BUY THIS ALBUM. I don't care if you have to go into debt because you're buying so many. Get a few thousand! Re-mortgage the house! That's how happy I am. -Ben (who doesn't have a house, but could re-mortgage his roommates) * -------------------------------------- * B e n G o t t :: Bowdoin College (207) 721-5142 :: Brunswick, ME 04011 Own Yazbek's new album! http://www.war.com * -------------------------------------- *
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 16:52:53 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <199802190052.QAA26453@intergate.sonyinteractive.com> From: Bob Estus <bestus@intergate.sonyinteractive.com> Subject: consummate lunch Chalkmembers, Just received CC'97 and was knocked out by all the contributions. I believe it's the best XTC tribute yet. A round of applesauce for all involved. Special thanks to Richard and Peter for putting together a clean production. Among other standouts Harrison's "Real by Reel" must be obheard. And I hate to name favorites but I'm really liking Ed Miller's version of "Peter Pumpkinhead". If you haven't ordered a copy yet you're missing out. Let see... CC'96 had Eric Day belting out "any DAY now" and CC'97 had Christopher Moll singing "I'm the MOLE". Will CC'98 be able to keep this trend going? Also in mail was Yazbek's "Tock", the great and varied follow up to the Laughing Man. It's infectious as hell. Highly recommended by 4 out of 5 choosey dentists. And only $9 (plus shipping) if ordered before Mar. 3rd at: http://www.war.com. The track "You Are Here" with Andy Partridge will bring a broad smile recalling there's a platterfull of new XTC on the way. satiated for now, -Bob
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #4-57 ******************************
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