Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 256
Date: Friday, 27 August 1999
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 256
Friday, 27 August 1999
Today's Topics:
Ack it's Zack
Re: Scathe On!
Re: Guided by Robyn
Quotable quotes
I'm in You...
Re: The Horse Takes The Prize
Milly Molly Money
German green men; 13th Floor Elevators
andrew partridge ate my anima
Soft & Wet
miscellaneous ramblings
Paul M.
No F**king Way
Earn enough to dance!
This post includes some XTC content
chalkbits
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Talk and let your mind loose.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 01:01:53 -0400 Subject: Ack it's Zack Message-ID: <19990826.010938.-297199.0.MollyFa@juno.com> From: Molly E Fanton <mollyfa@juno.com> Zack, why don't you just go away, it looks like you don't like XTC. How dare you attack people for liking Greenman, just expect a lot of people to flame you for your attacking post. I like Greenman NOT because it would be a good radio hit. And I would love to see one of the songs as a single. So why don't you go away, or your going to get a major flaming. I don't like the attitude of a lot of people here lately, and it's getting to me. I've been here for about a year, and I've seen a lot of changes. A lot of them good and a few bad, but lately it's been a bit bad. Maybe it's the frustration of AV2 not coming out and people have lost the ability to talk XTC, I'm including myself in this. I just wish someone would find out what's going on. I'm dying to know. I know I'll be bitched about this, but can we stop attacking some of the songs. You can hate the songs of course, but what's the reason in saying that a song sucks (I hate that word) or crap (another word I hate). I know a few of you like the arguements because you think it's fun, but I don't really. Yes, I'm opinionated, and I do seem to start to bitch a lot, but that doesn't mean I like arguing. I think if we argue it scares some people away. Well, that's all for now. Molly
------------------------------ From: WTDK@aol.com Message-ID: <49830af1.24f62aa4@aol.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 01:29:08 EDT Subject: Re: Scathe On! While I can see Dom's point, I have to disagree. Vigorously. Taking a business course, understanding contract and where the money comes and goes wouldn't necessarily jade musicians than they already are (particularly those that are unjustly ripped off). All you need to do is look at the variety of bands that, due to lack of business acumen, lost possession of their music and allowed others to exploit it even more. The Beatles don't own their music publishing. So, Michael Jackson (a good example of the vacant, vapid businessmen cum musicians that Doom so telling refers to in his post) owns the rights and sells the songs as commercial jingles. I wouldn't mind if it were The Beatles themselves (not that McCartney needs any more money) selling the material because, at least, it would be their decision. They would also be able to decide where and when their music would be used (according to McCartney he wouldn't allow any of it to be used for jingles. He wouldn't mind if that happened after he was dead, of course, since he's doing the same thing to Buddy Holly's catalog). Badfinger is another terrific band that is a good example of poor business sense. Living on 100 pounds a month at their peak (and I believe the estimate for the amount of money lost to their "manager" was somewhere around $21 million), they trusted that their money was being put into escrow accounts to protect them from taxes. Had they a little more business sense they might have read the contract, consulted a lawyer and actually made off with some of those millions themselves. Would have it have hurt their art? That's open to debate. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that they earned the right to at least profit from their artistic and commercial success and were robbed of that opportunity. What followed? Law suits, deeper debt and the unfortunate suicide of their best songwriter Pete Ham (followed some years later by band member Tom Evans). They still haven't got their finances straightened out. Meanwhile, these "suits" are profiting from their efforts without having to pay the surviving band members (and Ham and Evans heirs). Understanding the business doesn't mean it has to effect your art. There are very successful musicians who have been great businessmen like Frank Zappa (who retained the rights to his recordings), McCartney (likewise for his solo career), Ray Davies (again, later in his career after he was ripped off and learned a thing or two), Springsteen, Peter Gabriel...the list could go on. The list of musicians that didn't take any business course or learn from the business litter the airwaves of oldies and rock stations throughout the country. It's called protecting one's interest including their artistic integrity. Until artists learn to take control of their "career" they'll continue to be victimized by companies like Virgin. What happened with XTC and Virgin is a crime and it could have been prevented to some degree. That's why Andy and Colin set up their "record company" and licensed AV1 and AV2. They now have control. It came at great cost, but, ultimately, it did turn around for them. That isn't true of all musicians though. Wayne
------------------------------
From: fheaney@erols.com
Message-ID: <009601beef80$4f6dc980$01e27ad1@default>
Subject: Re: Guided by Robyn
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 01:03:11 -0400
Michael Davies opined:
> I think XTC songs are very occasionally overly clever, when they
> start combining extended metaphors with intricate time shifts and
> other things that make the music sound not spontaneous at all. You
> mentioned lines from two of the three songs I can think of to
> illustrate this failing ("Omnibus", "Great Fire", and "Jason and the
> Argonauts"), which just shows that there are all sorts of different
> reasons for people to like XTC.
Argh! Those three are all excellent XTC songs! None of them are the best
song from their individual album, perhaps, but if that's what being clever
does to a song you're writing, I say let's have more of it.
Some recent posts have referenced the new Guided By Voices and Robyn
Hitchcock...I have many friends who loooove GBV and I've never really
understood why. I decided to give their new CD a chance after every review
said "it's their best one ever" (and particularly after one of those
reviews called "Mag Earwhig" rather underwhelming...and I *really* didn't
like that album, so I knew this was a reviewer I was somewhat simpatico
with), and...it's okay. "Teenage FBI" is a fun song, and it's all catchy
enough, but it just doesn't add up to much for me. GBV lyrics aren't
exactly XTC quality, after all. Mr. Pollard doesn't really pick an idea
and stick with it, it's just stream of consciousness, basically. But,
dammit, I say there are varying levels of quality within the realm of
nonsensical lyrics! GBV's "Zoo pie / All I ever wanted by you / Was to be
a man. / Get by / Every cop I beg I will stand" just sounds like a bunch of
crap to me compared to, say, Brian Eno's "There was a senator from Ecuador
/ Who talked about a meteor / That crashed on a hill in the south of Peru /
And was found by a conquistador / Who took it to the Emperor / And he
passed it on to a Turkish Guru". (Whoops, more cleverness! See?)
And I don't think Robyn's latest is his best, but it's pretty good. Lately,
some of his wackier songs seem a little like eccentricity-by-the-numbers to
me, though. That said, "I Feel Beautiful" is really lovely.
-- Francis Heaney
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990826070641.29131.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Duncan Kimball" <dunks58@hotmail.com> Subject: Quotable quotes Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 00:06:40 PDT Dear Chorkers, I attributed that "Talking about music..." quote to Elvis because the first time I heard it was from Elvis, in an Australian TV interview. He might well have been quoting someone else, but he didn't say so, nor had I ever heard it attributed to another source. So far we have Elvis, Frank and Mingus as possible culprits. Any other contenders? XTC content: Is this just me? I'm *not* listening to AV1 at all right now. I haven't listened to it for months. And not because I don't like it - I think it's brilliant. All their albums are brilliant. Is this just a phase? Have I exhausted it's sonic possiblities? Time was when albums like 'Black Sea' were never off the turntable. Now ... I dunno ... I just don't feel any huge need to go listen to it again. Why might this be? It feels weird not being motivated to listen to XTC after so many years of being so heavily addicted. It might be, I confess, because I have myself ear-deep in big buckets of 60s/70s Australian rock music as P@ul Culnane and I slog away at creating our new Aussie music website (we'll tell when you can look). Maybe it's some form of belated patriotism manifesting itself? Who knows? Current fave listening (partly courtesy of the P@ul Culnane Archive)... *Company Caine: A Product of a Broken Reality (1971) - I have it on good authority (from the singer, no less) that this hidden classic of Australian rock (which is now as rare as rocking horse poo) is finally going to be released on CD. When it does, I'll tell you. Just get it. In the meantime, you can always beg Culnane for a tape. Totally, awesomely brilliant. One of the all-time classics. Possible reference points include King Crimson, Zappa, Dylan, Fats Domino and all points in between. My kids LOVE it too. *Hendrix: Live at the Fillmore - OK, I know Buddy Miles is no Mitch Mitchell, but Christ almighty there is some f***ing awesome guitar playing on this record. *Ben Folds Five: The Unauthorised Biography of Reinhold Messner - yet *another* real grower. These guys just get better and better. Finally - thanks *again* Todd, for putting me onto Upright Citizens Brigade. The 'Fairystory' episode had me in tears. I haven't laughed so much in years. Superlative comedy. Dunks
------------------------------ Message-ID: <D9E6CEC7734AD111BCF70090273C5D674B6405@user8.chemonics.net> From: Todd Bernhardt <TBernhardt@Chemonics.net> Subject: I'm in You... Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 05:28:04 -0400 Hi: Mr. Lawson mentioned: >and a really fantastic King Crimson tape, courtesy of Todd Burntarse, our man in Mali (don't drink the water!!!!)< Then there's been all this talk about Molly, so I got working me Brian and thinking, Mali ... Molly ... then a shocking realization hit me about exactly WHERE I AM. For the curious among you, it's very warm here ... hot, really. And wet (well, it _is_ the rainy season). Verdant and lush. There's the spicy funk of bodies pressed close together. Oh yeah. Constant activity, traffic moving in and out of intersections all day and all night until, spent, the vehicles wind down, looking for a place to rest their overheated and smoking engines. Wonderful and interesting place, overall, though there's not much money, and that seems to cause a lot of problems. Oh, and there's that pesky water/uncooked food thing. Unless you want to feel like your intestines have been a testing lab for Roto-Rooter -- and earn a pejorative nickname from Dom -- be careful. Be very, very careful. Michael Davies said: >At first I thought this was a reference to Serb Chalkers. Are there any Serb Chalkers?< There used to be, but you wouldn't _believe_ the kind of trouble they caused, so we forced them into a separate enclave over ... there, I think. Obligatory XTC content: Blue?!? No way, man. They're tan, with cool little artistic designs on them. Obligatory Nirvana content: Only by letting go of the c'hi can one truly find it. Oh, and Dave Grohl is a fucking good drummer. --Todd
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 11:00:36 +0100 From: Jon Alsbury <j.alsbury@unl.ac.uk> Subject: Re: The Horse Takes The Prize Message-id: <37C51044.CB8C230C@unl.ac.uk> Organization: Intranet Services, University of North London From: "May O'Mahoney" <may5272@gte.net> > > PS: I've always wondered where the nautical inspiration > found in early XTC music has sprung from. Any ideas? Any > insight into AP's sea salt songs? May, Andy's father was in the Royal Navy for several years (Andy was born in Malta whilst his father was stationed there in the early fifties). cheers, Jon.
------------------------------ From: Steve_Pitts@thesaurus-computers.co.uk Message-ID: <802567D9.003C2084.00@thesaurus-computers.co.uk> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 11:56:26 +0100 Subject: Milly Molly Money In #5-254 Bob Muller wrote: > Good Golly Miss Molly! I LOVE to hear other's recommendations; < This is about the third post along these lines, and I think you are being rather unfair on the lass. Molly did not complain about people recommending purchases, but about the post where someone (I forget who) suggested that we all go out and buy Homespun and give our copies of AV1 away to someone else. Not all of us are completists, and not everyone can afford to pay out for every XTC-related item that comes along. Fair enough, say I. David Seddon's favourite non-XTC lyric of the day was: > Stranger from another planet Welcome to our home Just strap on your guitar And we'll play some rock and roll. < Funny, I've always thought that it was 'welcome to our hole', after all, that rhymes <g> Tyler Hewitt wondered: > What are your favorite and least favorite XTC records based ONLY on the cover art? < On the vinyl front it has to be 'English Settlement', but that loses a little of its impact as just a CD insert. Of the CD covers I think I'd go for 'Fossil Fuel'. Least favourite would be one that I don't actually own, but have only seen on the racks, 'Upsy Daisy Assortment'. Of course, having said all that, I'm not really an arty person, so what do I know?? Cheers, Steve NP: King Crimson - Beat (when I started) and Siouxsie & The Banshees - juju (by the time I'd finished)
------------------------------ From: STakesh@aol.com Message-ID: <8c135444.24f68625@aol.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 07:59:33 EDT Subject: German green men; 13th Floor Elevators Hi, Chalkies, The September issue of "Smithsonian" magazine has a 6-page photographic assay of surviving German green men of assorted types: the Advent "Buttnmandl," the leafy "Pfingstkas" [and put an umlaut over that "a"!]; the French- influenced "Hisgier" in a straw costume with a tall French infantry hat (hey! that would be interesting to Andy P. for two reasons!); the Thuringian "Strohbar" [add umlaut] who collects goodies for the Pentecostal feast; the Hessian "Maimannen" or May men, who are well-camouflauged as bushes with a staff; and the hilariously thatched "Latzmannen". And last but not least, my personal fave, the Bavarian "Klausen" who "run wild, rattling windows and jostling villagers until Saint Nicholas arrives on December 6". This last character may remind you of the Monty Python "Knights Who Say 'Ni!'" from "Holy Grail," as the Klausen wear a sheepskin mask/helmet, replete with rams' horns, with or without a [stuffed? well-trained?] rook or crow perched on top of the whole shebang. Well, the horns are reminiscent of the barking-mad Knights, anyway... The Klausen would be well-cast as background extras in the next "Star Wars" flick, perhaps... Incidentally, "ni" is the extremely-familiar 2nd-person personal pronoun in Swedish, and traditionally is reserved for lovers and best buddies. The "Knights Who Say 'Ni'" routine comments on old-fashioned Swedish (and British) discomfort with undue and unwarranted terms of familiarity... it is literally excruciating for them to be addressed out of context in this manner. Although my source for this info dates back to around the time of the movie, and Swedish customs have probably loosened up a bit since then. Sorry, just thought it was worth the mention... ************ Thanks to all those who were sustaining the earlier thread on Roky Ericson and the 13th Floor Elevators, the legendary Austin, Texas psychedelic/blues rock band from 1965-6, resuscitated briefly in the early '80's. I just found a few boots on the "Collectibles" label in some local clearance bins. A hoot-and-a-half, those guys! You see, they have this unearthly sound effect, the "electric jug," adding this surreal strangeness to many of the songs and covers of classic rock songs, too. Welcome to the Garden of Earthly Delights, Stephanie Takeshita
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990826121017.23819.rocketmail@web203.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 05:10:17 -0700 (PDT) From: fflynt <fflynt@yahoo.com> Subject: andrew partridge ate my anima i'm not a fan of xtc. i used to be, but i've become a musician/songwriter myself and you can't be a fan and a musician/songwriter at the same time, because to every musician/songwriter all other musicians/songwriters are rivals. when i was a fan i played guitar on a stolen hockeystick in front of the mirror until i smashed the mirror during the 179th replay of radios in motion (i nicked white music from a friend who'd run off with my first real girlfriend, the endearing and wholly sexual one, she works for ibm now, that'll teach her). when go2 was released i went to the only record shop in town (town in the sense of herculaneum with boredom replacing the lava) and did a paul newman (put xtc record in abba sleeve nicked from new girlfriend in case the only record shop in town doesn't carry abba material and file under a, insert abba lp in xtc sleeve, present xtc sleeve/abba lp to sales artist and look hurt. sales artist will exchange abba lp for xtc record). masaii attacking lion with dinky spear as opposed to great white hunter with elephant gun. it would have been seriously misdemeaning to have lifted the loot without leaving the sales artist with an opportunity to defend itself. d&w was still mostly a listening pleasure, but by the time black sea came out i was able to play all guitar and bass parts on my 60# electric plywood guitar (thank you hondo.co) and i discovered i could outsing moulding. it took multiple bennies and a new girlfriend (and you know those two don't associate well, don't you?) to approach and surpass partridge vocal hysteria and several gigs on the continent (best audiences in the world for bands in ford edsel mode, nobody at home will be a witness to your adolescent antics) before i could proudly call my mum and tell him (i'm drunk) its son was now a musician and copulate fermat's last theorem (who needs hilbert when we got andrew wiles?). by this time i had become salieri and anxiously awaited wolfgang amadeus partridge's next fart and was blown away by moulding instead. it is good (i'm drunk). if you're a musician/songwriter (hello rival) you'll recollect the envy felt after hearing songs like runaways, and, later, vanishing girl. moulding is like harrison, not mccartney, because partridge is lennonandmccartney (and barry womble, inferno, i'm drunk). i can do partridge anytime, i'm just as feebly mad and an auto-didact (helps, true) too, but i can't do moulding. hey: you can call yourself the 69th dimension (i've made myself a t-shirt with a creators of the universe club logo), you can call yourself an anglo-saxon probability pattern (i've made myself a t-shirt with an end of the world tour logo) and play loud windmill teeth-shattering guitar, but you can't write i remember the sun. lennonandmcartney couldn't write something. i don't prefer moulding to partridge though. i'd like to punch partridge in the third eye for being a bit older than i am and having a record deal before i could pay the fare to london and get signed up myself, but i like him. he's a good egg. i occassionally read the trivia he dispenses regarding her (i'm drunk) private life and feel much sympathy. he needs to be left alone though. not too much exposure to the grand public for people like him or he'd be all over you (the same goes for friedrich the nietschze, btw). moulding is different. he can be managed and would play bass on your record, he would. if partridge were a woman he'd be that german au-pair with the wild hair you picked up at the sanday coconut fair who'd (the au-pair, not the coconut fair) want to meet your parents and wilfully embarrass them. moulding would be marriage material and cook great meals. anyway, xtc is such a great band, because they're real. they're just around the corner, they don't need your allegiance, they are your anima/animus and they eat it too. i hope they'll record forever (meaning until i'm dead, copulate those apres le deluge and all that). fflynt on the way to the slammer, writing on a borrowed laptop, thank you pc mcgregor.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199908261426.QAA04100@mail.coss.nl> From: "Mark R. Strijbos" <mast@coss.nl> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 16:29:09 +0200 Subject: Soft & Wet Dear Chalkers, Andy (nomen est omen) said: > Yes, I agree he's a fantastic musician- but . . let's face it, Dave just > wasn't happy with XTC anymore. His increasingly negative attitude was > very apparent and annoying. First of all: how do you know? did you experience this 'apparent attitude' first hand? In other words: did he annoy _you_ or are you just repeating the canonized Gospel according to St. Andrew of the Shed? Nobody here will ever know the entire truth about "the split" so let's not point fingers nor put any blame where it may not belong after all. You never know who might read it... And May asked: > I've always wondered where the nautical inspiration found in early > XTC music has sprung from. Any ideas? Any insight into AP's sea > salt songs? Lots ! Britian is still very much an "island nation" and saturated with naval vocabulary, imagery and history; his father was a Royal Navy man, he was consequently born in a naval hospital on yet another island and the famous chalkhills that anchor his feet were once the bottom of the sea. yours in xtc, Mark Strijbos @ The Little Lighthouse http://come.to/xtc
------------------------------ From: "Michael D. Myers" <mmyers@telcordia.com> Message-ID: <852567D9.00541496.00@notes950.cc.bellcore.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 11:18:15 -0400 Subject: miscellaneous ramblings Chalksters and Chalkettes; Long time, no post. I thought I'd try to get a thread going with the following bit of stuff: 7 reasons why Colin Moulding will never leave XTC: 1. This has been his job for his entire adult life. The band's been going for what, 23 years so far, and he and Andy were just kids when they started out. Others come and go but those 2 remain. After all, Colin's world consists of the band and his family/friends. 2. He needs a band scenario because he hardly writes songs anymore. If you read Andy's interviews just before AV1 came out, he said that Colin only wrote 5 songs in 7 years, and that one or two of these were pieces of songs that he wrote years before which needed to be rehashed and completed. In my mind, Colin could never come out with a solo album because his output is slowing incredibly. Now, I am not knocking him, because I love his stuff, but let's be honest, if there was no XTC, we would not hear anything from Colin. I don't know of a record label that would put out a single from an artist every 2-3 years without knowing that there would be a full CD as a follow-up. 3. He doesn't even do any session work to speak about. I think he's only guested on about 2 other artist's releases in the last 10-15 years. It's pretty amazing since he's such a gifted musician, but either the desire or the opportunities just don't seem to be there. 4. In XTC, almost all of the business and creative decisions as well as promotion are done by Andy. Colin doesn't have to worry as much about this stuff as people do who are in other bands where the members are more on an equal footing. 5. XTC is a powerful brand name and it is a good idea for him to remain associated with it; because of nutty fans like us, anything that is released will sell a certain modest level of copies. 6. Virtually 100% of Colin's income results from XTC record/CD releases and songwriting royalties. 7. Andy and Colin seem to be good friends, and it's nice to work with people who you really like. I was impressed by how much fun those guys seemed to be having when I saw them together at the NYC record-signing session. They often had a few moments to share a private thought, and they looked like they were enjoying each other's company. Now, to reiterate, I'm not trying to slam Colin, I'm just stating what seems to be obvious from an outsider's (i.e., someone who admires the band from a distance) perspective. I hope that he does stay with Andy for the next few decades, and I am not trying to start a rumor that he is leaving the band. Next thought: Molly said <<I get so sick of people bragging about all their stuff they have bought, and then tell other people to buy it. I always tell people who say this type of thing, to give me the money and I'll buy it. This is one of my biggest pet peeves.>> Oh Molly, Molly, Molly. Why do you let this stuff bother you? If I could just offer a gentle piece of advice - don't take this kind of thing personally. I'm sure that the original poster wasn't trying to brag; he was offering a good thought. All he said was along the lines of "Hey, since you need to buy the new release to get the demos, why don't you give your original AV1 to a friend to try to turn them on to the band." I don't think he meant, "I'm going to be really obnoxious and point out to those less-fortunate people that I can afford to blow cash twice on an XTC release." Rather, I think his intent was, "Hey, here's a way to turn some more fans on to our favorite group!" You know, you really don't have to agree with him or me if you so choose, but why let this kind of thing bother you for more than one second? Next up: you must go right now to www.guitargonauts.com and take a look at this great Website about the exploits of Dave Gregory. Debie and Mark deserve our ever-lasting appreciation and thanks for the hard work they did to make this site a reality. Last thought: I've liked Wilco's music for their entire career, and I must say that their new CD, "Summerteeth", is great. Their songwriting has matured, and the orchestration on this record is terrific; there's some old-timey keyboards, a bunch of different guitar sounds, and nice vocals. Since orchestration is one of the things that I appreciate so much about XTC, it's equally enjoyable when I consider other bands. Got to go. Speak amongst yourselves. Mike
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990826161004.96589.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Jason Garcia" <hhname@hotmail.com> Subject: Paul M. Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 09:10:03 PDT >Look at what McCartney did with Free As a Bird...that super bridge: >Whatever happened toThe place that we once knew. Well, as much as I myself like to toot McCartney's horn, that melody already existed in Lennon's demo; Paul just made up some words and reworked the chording a little. But I'll be the first to say Paul was a melodic genius! Jason
------------------------------ Message-ID: <000b01beefdf$9c3950e0$32c6b3d1@oemcomputer> From: "Aaron Pastula" <apastula@earthlink.net> Subject: No F**king Way Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 09:24:47 -0700 >Oh, and all this talk about Nirvana being one of the great bands of the >90's, remember this: Grunge is gone, and the only thing that the world got >out of that whole grunge movement was a few dead kids that looked up to >Kurt Cobain too much. I don't mean to keep a thread going that people are sick of, but this statement is just plain wrong. Love them or hate them, Nirvana reshaped the trend of music in the 90's - period. All of this "alternative going mainstream" stuff happened because Nirvana blew the doors open and took the focus away from the bad hair heavy metal and Paula Abdul/MC Hammer bullshit. They may seem trivial now, but Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, etc. all came to the front thanks to Nirvana, and this shift opened people's ears to other musical possibilities and paved the way for Beck and whatever else has followed. Grunge is over, but so are the Beatles - I'm not equating them in terms of talent, just trying to make the point that both bands irrevocably affected the course of music for years to come. You can certainly argue his abilities, but there's no way you can dispute Cobain's influence. When one band sets the trend for music, fashion and attitude in an *entire generation* of young people all over the planet - good or bad - you can't say that all the world got from it was a "few dead kids." Please.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19990826163822.46376.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Will Lewis" <will356@hotmail.com> Subject: Earn enough to dance! Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 16:38:22 GMT I don't know about anyone else, but Earn Enough for Us just makes me want to get up and dance my ass off. That's all... Will
------------------------------ From: JEFFREY.THOMAS.JT@bayer-ag.de Subject: This post includes some XTC content Message-Id: <0006800014500879000002L092*@MHS> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 18:40:07 +0200 Hi "Kreideberger", Re. off-topic (= non-XTC) discussions here on the Hills, I for one would like to say THANK YOU to all of you who go off in a tangent direction. If not for you I might never have bought Yazbek or Martin Newell and never have considered the roles of Nirvana in the world of music. I wouldn't have seen Woodstock or Brian Wilson in the same light. I could go on and on. Oh, okay, I wouldn't have seen a few overly sensitive people overreact and a few overly aggressive people...aggress. But the good far outweighs the bad. Keep this list interesting and varied -- the Hills are alive!! New topic. Ralph wrote: >God bless you and your post on the wonders of my favorite >(still) XTC album Mummer. If you don't get it, I don't >know what to say. However, Alan, you failed to mention >Colin's fantastic song Wonderland. Afraid of the flame- >throwers out there in Chalkhills land hmmm? I just don't >get some of you folks who hate that song. Also, I've >heard some people say a few things about I Can't Own Her >that are not very nice. I think the best songs on AV1 are: >Easter Theater, River of Orchids and Greenman. Oh, by the >way, I saw a book in the Barnes and Ignoble Mythology >section called "Green Man". It's all about our fine, covered >in clover, pagan icon. It traces the roots of his legend >through the ages. I forgot the author though... 1) Mummer is absolutely amazing. A huge turning point in their career, and definitely the point where the last hard-core new wavers will have jumped ship. Not a trace of "Go 2" left in that sound, anywhere, anyhow. Truly a new Wonderland, when I hear it I am still overcome by a feeling of love and engulfing bliss! 2) Ralph, you forgot to mention Colin's fantastic song "Deliver Us From the Elements". I have always loved that song to bits. (To me, the day they recorded that was the day the Dukes were born.) I'm not afraid of the flames, I like "Human Alchemy", too! "Me and the Wind", too. All the songs the Chalkhills Flamers hate! They're great! 3) For mythological figures of importance to XTC fans, try "Green Man: The Archetype of Our Oneness with the Earth" by William Anderson. Auf Wiedersehen, - Jeff
------------------------------ From: WillJ4comm@aol.com Message-ID: <a7fba332.24f6cd5c@aol.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 13:03:24 EDT Subject: chalkbits Chalktalkers! Andy B commented that he's looking forward to XTC without Dave, I agree completely, and I'm also very happy for Dave, who is absolutely one of my favorite musicians around (good chops too, Dave, listen to the backing vocals on Seasons Cycle!). Let everybody get into a more positive space. By the way, great job to Mark on Dave's web site, www.guitargonauts.com I was thrilled to see Oklahoma! on Dave's top ten albums, just bought it yesterday. I'm a big Roger's and Hammerstein fan, think they were an ingenious duo (AV1 has leanings in that direction methinks), The Sound of Music is pure genius IMHO. Maggie commented on Todd R.'s praise of AV1 as not too clever. I've never considered Andy or Colin burdened by an overt cleverness that has weakened some of Costello's stuff and others. Andy especially is just someone who delights in powerful lyrical metaphor, it thrills him and me as well, it sets my imagination spinning and sparks my perception in a most positive manner -- people wonder why I'm so outgoing and friendly rattling off phrases like "Why, aren't you the opulent pearl today, ma'am," not knowing that I just heard Andy roll "She's got six swans swimming in her sauna" off his tongue in the loopiest of styles-- that's infectious genius it is! Thanks to Bob Muller for that reminder: Steel Pulse's True Democracy is a great summer album, Chant a Psalm being my favorite track of the bunch: "Moses he did, chant chant!" Most overlooked XTC song candidates (meaning I don't hear them praised much although I love them): Desert Island, English Roundabout, Down in the Cockpit, Everyday Story of Smalltown, Ballet for a Rainy Day, Knights in Shining Karma, My Love Explodes, Bike Ride to the Moon, Brainiac's Daughter, Scarecrow People, Merely a Man, Crocodile, Paper & Iron, Rocket from a Bottle, When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty, Shake Your Donkey Up, Reign of Blows just off the top of my head... Now to add something else to the mix: One of my favorite aspects of Drums & Wires, which has been spending lots of time in my cd player (isn't it incredible how the collective consciousness works? Notice how many people are "into" Drums and Wires at the same time? My attention started a few days before anyone started mentioning it on the list, as it did with them as well). Anyway, back to one of my favorite aspects: The incredible use of rhythm, shuffle and guitar churning on "When You're Near Me" and "Life Begins at the Hop" that hints at the great double guitar currents so prevelant on Black Sea. That little shh shooka after the lines of verse in When You're Near me combined with Andy's bouncing vocals, the irresistable guitar rhythm stew concocted by Dave and Andy on Life Begins at the Hop -- gets me grooving down the street, rolling down the windows and filling the unsuspecting air and people with glorious and infectious sound and energy. Yes indeed, it's an XTC summer. I'm 16 again. Best, Will J
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