Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 189
Date: Sunday, 2 May 1999
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 189
Sunday, 2 May 1999
Today's Topics:
table that tabla talk
while we're on the subject of British sitcoms...
last hurrah?! spare me!
"AV1" LP in Germany
RE: Behind her bonnet
Lust
Dom is a bum!!!
Re: British TV
More British TV
Andy
Re:
Re: May You Live in Interesting Times
Sgt. Sherwood's Moldy Farts Glub Band?
the nonsvch controversy +bonus feature
Burt and our parents music
the single
XTC LIKES AND DISLIKES
Press
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Putting tongues where they didn't ought to be.
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Message-ID: <19990430151532.21962.rocketmail@web807.mail.yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 08:15:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Chris Desmond <c_desmond@yahoo.com>
Subject: table that tabla talk
John Nahasapeemapetalon of Chicago wrote:
[after a paragraph on tabla, sitar, and ragas, which Ive helpfully not
included]
>There really is no connection between the Tabla and XTC's *Greenman,*
And yes, ladies and gentlemen, with this sentence we have finally
reached OFFICIAL XTC CONTENT. Woo-hoo, and here I thought this post
was just wanky tripe. Perish the thought.
>This brings up another song, ABACAB, by Genesis. This is a 6-part
binary ternary {I know, its' quite the pun!}
Oh dear. I like the part on "In the Air Tonight" when Phils drums
come in. Ba-bam, bubabamm, bubabumm, bububummm! It rocks. In a very
non-ternary sense, of course. Perish the hemiola!
>But Genesis's song *ABACAB* was based on the keys they were playing
therein. Nothing more!
Wow, so quickly youve contradicted yourself! Im more impressed by
this than by your wordy knowledge of musical form! Wank on, mate!
>I hope this helps, unless you were just goofing around!
...in which case it then becomes wanky tripe. Thank you for it,
though. I appreciate the effort.
Your friend,
Chris
ps. Oh, christ! I havent included any OFFICIAL XTC CONTENT myself!
Im so sorry! Okay, here goes: Andy Partridge for some reason thinks
we on the list are loonies because we go on and on about pointless
things. Discuss.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990430161536.22523.rocketmail@web122.yahoomail.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 09:15:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: while we're on the subject of British sitcoms... No one has mentioned Absolutely Fabulous yet. It had a fairly strong following in the U.S. for a while a couple of years ago. I could never figure out why, however. It was a horrid piece of shit, IMHO. The mother in that show basically emotionally abuses her daughter time and time again and it's supposed to be funny.I found it incredibally mean-spirited and cruel. Ranks right up there with the Honeymooners-a supposedly classic American sitcom in which the main charecter repeatedly threatens his wife with physical violence. A laugh riot, let me tell you. Who thinks this stuff up? And who thinks that one person's abuse of another is FUNNY?
------------------------------ From: dan@gge.com Message-ID: <3729D242.DCA79FFC@gge.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 08:54:46 -0700 Subject: last hurrah?! spare me! liz spencer said: >Digging this band is about digging growth. you said it! i was thinking the same thing last nite during my afterwork ritual of sitting in front of my stereo and shuffling thru my xtc discs to find that perfect musical moment for the day (yesterday it was 'chalkhills and children' that anchored my feet). i was thinking how much better xtc have gotten over the years & years & years & y-e-e-e-a-a-a-r-r-rs. since they stopped touring and began writing studio-only songs, their music has become so rich and painterly that i get vertigo sometimes when i listen. the word 'evolved' always comes to mind when i'm sitting there with a stack of their music in front of me and 'then she appeared' is swirling loudly about my room. alot of pop/rock music is like these naked, slope-headed knuckle draggers banging rocks together without knowing why, then one day a new tribe of straight standing men with metal tools shows up and builds a fire. xtc are aging quite nicely and i hope they keep making records and branching in new directions for a long, long time. apple venus is not the end, its a new beginning. give it a chance. i've never heard anyone say "i only like their early stuff" about xtc. And the clothes that were draped Was all that told man from ape Change must be earnt Sacrificial bonfire must reign, dan
------------------------------ From: JEFFREY.THOMAS.JT@bayer-ag.de Subject: "AV1" LP in Germany Message-Id: <0006800010816705000002L052*@MHS> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 18:50:41 +0200 Hi there all you "Kreideberger", I just wanted to say that I got my vinyl copy of "AV1" yesterday (and immediately sent off the postcard to get me on Cooking Vinyl's list - yeah!). Unfortunately, the sound of the LP is a bit "muddy" in comparison to the CD, but the big format is great for the feather, it looks good! And of course, as mentioned numerous times in Chalkhills, the inner gatefold pics are different from the ones in the CD. For all of you in or near Germany (where CDs etc. are cheapest in Western Europe), both CD and LP cost DM 24.90 (plus 6.90 P&P) from poplifemv@aol.com , the owner (?) of which (Dirk Lohmann) sent me a personal letter in response to my order saying he's a big fan, as are several others at Poplife. Anyway, look again at that price, it's pretty good! All the best from sunny Germany! - Jeff
------------------------------ From: "Robin Holden" <rhoblidnen@geocities.com> Subject: RE: Behind her bonnet Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 18:05:01 +0100 Message-ID: <000201be932b$95c5d640$8d1cac3e@FREE467871> > There seems to be some kind of artwork behind the disc tray on the Easter > Theatre digipak. Has anybody taken the plunge to steam the plastic tray > off to find out what's underneath? Or does anybody know what's underneath > anyway? Obviously, I don't want to risk finding out with my copy! It's just the middle of the peacock feather, the part that the egg is covering on the front of the single. It's only a little circle printed on the card, just viewable through the hole in the plastic. Robin Holden (rhoblidnen@geocities.com) Check out Pathogen's Website: http://listen.to/pathogen
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990430181139.13284.rocketmail@web801.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 11:11:39 -0700 (PDT) From: Chris Desmond <c_desmond@yahoo.com> Subject: Lust Hello darlings! It's confession time for Chris and at long last some XTC content. I was chatting with a friend and fellow XTC fan the other night when I made an admission (You're not going to like this Amanda), but always though Dave Gregory was really hot. I know, I know, I'm supposed to feign being an intellectual snob and pretend that I am above all this, but for fuck's sake, I'm only human. The fact remains, I think Dave is an incredibly attractive man and started drooling as soon as I saw that fantastic picture of him with the long hair on the Oranges and Lemons record sleeve. Be still my beating heart. Colin is pretty easy on the eyes as well, I might add. Come on ladies, fess up! Am I the only one here who has been harboring secret desires for our favorite band (Or in Amanda's case, not so secret desires), or are you all a bunch of prudes? It's your chance to come clean. Yours ever so truly, Chris
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990430180725.15045.rocketmail@web1.rocketmail.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 11:07:24 -0700 (PDT) From: nross <phoenixyellowrose@rocketmail.com> Subject: Dom is a bum!!! Dom wrote: >> Oh, and Nicole, I wasn't joking about Metallica. What a suckfest!<< What was it... a rhinoceros you were making friends with? I can hear him squealing right now. My question is... where is his horn? Oh! up your arse, I see! :-)! Iron Maiden? seriously... With pleasure, always, Nicole
------------------------------ From: mollyfa@juno.com Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 13:29:23 -0400 Subject: Re: British TV Message-ID: <19990430.163506.2934.2.MollyFa@juno.com> Okay okay I can't hold out anymore. I used to also love Are You Being Served? a lot more than I do now. I think it's because I grew out of it. I watched it over and over again. Now I get BBC America and they've played some good stuff like Black Adder and The Young Ones. I'm not a fan of Brilliant (The Fast Show) though. I still think British humor better than American. =o) Now let's go back to XTC. Molly http://www.angelfire.com/mn/mollyfa99/index.html ICQ # 37635413
------------------------------ From: mollyfa@juno.com Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 13:33:48 -0400 Subject: More British TV Message-ID: <19990430.163506.2934.3.MollyFa@juno.com> James said: <<the best British series that AFAIK hasn't made it to America is not a comedy, although it doesn have some great comedic moments. The Cop series "Hamish Macbeth" (starring current big name Robert Carlyle) was Britain's answer to Northern Exposure, and it was one of the best things I've seen on TV. If you get a chance to see it, do so. If you don't, write to your TV station and say that you want to.>> Hamish Macbeth is playing in the US. It's on BBC America, it's a cable station that shows shows from the BBC (EastEnders, Harry Enfield, etc). It's one of my fave stations. Molly http://www.angelfire.com/mn/mollyfa99/index.html ICQ # 37635413
------------------------------ From: Chauncy14@aol.com Message-ID: <df45c8c.245b7254@aol.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 16:53:40 EDT Subject: Andy Hey XTC Clan ~ Did you ever wonder, if Andy Partridge is in disguise as an *Andy* on this digest? You know, he refers to us Children on Chalkhills herein, in interviews, etc... Is he a lurker? Just a goofy thought, John Gardner Chicago
------------------------------ From: mollyfa@juno.com Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 16:44:22 -0400 Subject: Re: Message-ID: <19990430.164423.2934.4.MollyFa@juno.com> I just wanted to say thank you, Paul. I don't really like all the people bashing me. Do I have a bullseye target on my head or something? Nobody else gets picked on more thatn I do. I'm getting sick of it. I love this list, but I just don't like getting picked on for my comments. I know somebody will say, "Well you must be really thinned skinned", I have to admit it that I am. I don't take personal attacks to well. That's I'm going to say on this subject. Well, I'm off to Boston. So watch out you Boston area XTC Fans. =o) Molly http://www.angelfire.com/mn/mollyfa99/index.html ICQ # 37635413
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s729c588.024@tcwgroup.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 14:59:49 -0700 From: "Dane Pereslete" <peresd@tcwgroup.com> Subject: Re: May You Live in Interesting Times For any Chalkies interested in exploring what can be accom- plished with unusual time signatures, might I suggest what is possibly the best and most refined *crash-course* about odd meter on the planet: Dave Brubeck's classic "Time Out". Oh yeah, and Honourable Mention to: Don Ellis' "Tears of Joy" In Jazzbo Heaven on Cloud Eleven, Dane *------------------------------------------------------- Logging in from beautiful Glendale, CA USA "Waiting for AV2" daneperes@aol.com -or- bramage64@aol.com *-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Message-Id: <s729c987.069@tcwgroup.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 15:16:56 -0700 From: "Dane Pereslete" <peresd@tcwgroup.com> Subject: Sgt. Sherwood's Moldy Farts Glub Band? >From: Harrison Sherwood <sherwood@averstar.com> >Organization: Averstar, Inc. >**Subject: Squeezing Bacharach by the Nuts** Now *that's* what I call a great band name!! ;-) Just couldn't resist, Dane *------------------------------------------------------- Logging in from beautiful Glendale, CA USA "Waiting for AV2" daneperes@aol.com -or- bramage64@aol.com *-------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ From: dan@gge.com Message-ID: <372A3385.7DD18E98@gge.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 15:49:48 -0700 Subject: the nonsvch controversy +bonus feature for those of you who "just can't get into" nonsvch, i just want to say i'm sorry for you. i would hate to hate that album. i can't possibly try to cite references and give reasons why you "should" like it. this is my second posting where i've defended (for lack of a better word) this album. again, i'm not saying "this album kick ass and you assholes should like it!" i'm simply dumbfounded that it seems to be the most hated album since go2. * ---- bonus feature: ----- bad day in xtc fandom ----- i have the largest selection of cds of all my friends and the "worst" taste in music. last weekend i had a few people over. it was lovely, warm day; a few of beers, a little smoke, sitting around listening to tunes and cracking wise with some friends. my girlfriend (cherubim cheered then she appeared) asked me to play 'king for a day' cuz she wanted to hear it. the other people who were there didn't really know anything about xtc (big punk & indie-rock fans, my friends) but they were open to hearing it. so as i was putting it on i said "i think this might be a little saccharine for you guys". as the happy intro chords were playing i could hear every one of them thinking: this sucks. the vibe in the room was unbearable. all the talking and joking stopped and everyone just sat politely listening in agony, taking embarrassed swigs off their beer. i offered a few xtc fun facts and passed around my crown-shaped 'king for a day' single cover, which everyone wanted to hold (know thy enemy). as soon as the song was over i grabbed the most unlistenable kentucky hillbilly music i could find and put it on louder. "fuck them," i grinned inside "fuck them." climb aboard, dan
------------------------------ Message-ID: <372A3E68.6347@heraldonline.com> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 19:36:11 -0400 From: BPeschel@heraldonline.com (Bill Peschel) Organization: The Herald Subject: Burt and our parents music Greetings; Let me briefly drop a thought into Harrison's essay about Burt Bacharach and the New York Review essay about him. Since I'm at work, I downloaded the essay and will read it this weekend, so I can't comment about that just yet. It's Harrison's conclusion I rather minded and it goes something like this: (start snip) In Apocalyptic 1999, when both Marilyn Manson and Henry Mancini are brought to us by Seagram's, no music is any "better" or "worse" than any other music--there no longer *is* an Other. And after all this time, after what seems like hundreds of variations on the theme of Counterculture have uselessly waxed and waned...the Counter-Counterculture, c'est nous. We have finally crossed the Great Divide. We have become our parents. (end snip) Beautifully written with a lovely kick to the last line. And I believe totally dogheadedly wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. No, what I believe is this: we view the culture through who we are at the moment. As we grow older, we change, physically, spiritually, emotionally, acquiring (we hope) some wisdom, some common sense, some experience. This changes our attitude toward everything we hear and read. So when we first hear a song, we hear it through the filters we have at that time. Our prejudices are in place, in varying strengths, and so are our pleasure centers. If I was a teen-ager in the late '60s and listening to Hendryx, the Who, and Jim Morrison, what do you think my reaction will be to someone like "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" One guess. So flash forward to the present day. I'm older (of course), more settled, my tastes in music may have shifted and been affected by what I've heard. My prejudices against what I thought of as 'cocktail music' may have changed as well. At the very least, it would have softened, because I fought that battle back in '69. (For a more extreme example, if I was an anti-war protestor, I would have hated something like "Ballad of the Green Beret" back then. Would I hate it as much now? I seriously doubt it.) The result is, nowadays, the music I rejected has been stripped of many of its cultural associations. What was once a detested example of that smooth piece of crap is now . . . just a song. Music. Lyrics. The cultural assumptions it carried with it back in the '60s is no longer present (or if it is, it's no longer has burdensome). Bacharach's music is being reconsidered by a culture that has become more sophisticated, more discerning. His music has been repackaged and rereleased, and with his duet with Elvis Costello, he has built a neat platform for the usual "comeback" articles the media likes to write. Fortunately for him, his music stands up to the scrutiny. Would the same thing happen if it were another composer from the '60s? I doubt it. That's why Harrison's line that "no music is any "better" or "worse" than any other music" sticks in my craw. That's a simplistic reduction of a complex thought. I prefer to think of it as a bell curve. Some music sucked when it came out, sucked decades later, and will continue to suck for all eternity. Some music does not. The majority will shift along the continuum, battered about by the growth and dying of our cultural assumption, with the usual good and bad luck that plagues everything that's set on a material that will degrade with time. -- Bill Peschel Book page editor, Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald
------------------------------ From: Mitch McGlothlin <mcglothh@ecn.purdue.edu> Message-Id: <199904302337.SAA13297@min.ecn.purdue.edu> Subject: the single Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 18:37:38 -0500 (EST) Chalk, chalk, chalkers, I think the 'easter theatre' single is a very nice gift (besides being a good tool for revenue enhancement) to us from xtc and cooking vinyl. The quality of the packaging is exceptional compared to that of typical singles. Of course, the content is great, too. Real nice one, cooking vinyl! :) Seek it out. Mitch
------------------------------ Message-ID: <372A468E.CF28A9C9@usa.net> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 20:10:54 -0400 From: "Mark D. Irvin" <mdirvin@usa.net> Subject: XTC LIKES AND DISLIKES ya know....i am glad that so many people have voiced their opinions on which XTC albums they liked versus which ones they don't like. Now, grant it I do favor some XTC songs over others, but I must confess.....I like all of their albums....hell, I downright enjoy them to the bone. I bought Drums and Wires first (on 8-track no less) in early 1980, which was followed by White Album and Go2 (thanks to JEM imports) and my local "Homer's Record Shop". I awaited the release of Black Sea as well as the release of the many that followed.... shit man...this is a great band.....I have been enjoying XTC for 19 years now.......topped only by Elvis Costello (22 years).....my wife is sick of the both of them...LOL.....(listening to English Settlement right now, Yacht Dance - she has retreated to the back room)..... Anyway....still diggin' on my Apple Venus Volume One..... Anyone enjoying Adore by the Smashing Pumpkins?? Haven't really enjoyed them too much until this album......i think that this is awesome piece of work for Billy and Company.... hey everyone...be cool......ciao XTC song of the moment - All of a Sudden (It's Too Late) non XTC song of the moment - Annie Dog hey bradenton brian - How's life?? floating in Orlando and currently accepting donations, Mark
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199905010011.UAA12441@lima.epix.net> From: "Michael Davies" <miser17@epix.net> Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 20:09:02 -0500 Subject: Press > XTC Content: > I don't think I've seen it written here (for some reason I didn't get 5-182) > AV1 is featured in the May edition of Wired (the techie mag not the music > one), page 170. A somewhat short and lyric-heavy paragraph (lots of Fruit > Nut) but they only ever review stuff they like. It was reviewed in Esquire recently too. I don't think it was the newest issue but you can look at your library through this year's issues if you're desperate to see the review. The North will rise again, Michael davies miser17@epix.net
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #5-189 *******************************
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