Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 265
Date: Wednesday, 8 September 1999
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 265
Wednesday, 8 September 1999
Today's Topics:
World Party and further musiclal suggestions
Krill
Richard Corey and The End of AV1
Ragbone
A pastiche of thoughts...
Cover cover ?
Re: World Party
Playing ketchup is hard to do
News (of sorts) from Andy and Dave
Re: XTC Online Questionnaire
That Wave
Yazbek's Last Gig (For Awhile)
RE: To Your Mother; + a modest proposal
Testimonial dinner poster
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <003501bef64b$27be0fe0$3e19063e@default> From: "David Seddon" <D.Seddon@btinternet.com> Subject: World Party and further musiclal suggestions Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:35:58 +0100 Molly said: I just heard this great non-XTC band, World Party. The album is Bang!. I just find this album very melodic and just fun to listen to. Karl Wallenger is another one of those artists that just get me going. This album has been out for a while, but I just put it in my CD player and started listening. I just love the songs: Giving It All Away and What Is Love All About?. What do you guys and gals think of World Party? Who said writing about recommendations is boring? They must be mad!! To state that you have no opinion or to have one and refuse to speak it is a form of inverted snobbery. Even your Gran has an opinion about pop, and why not?! The whole popular music phenomenon revolves around debate and opinion. Seemingly, only The Beatles have managed to place themselves above this. And so to more...Yo, Molly...well done, you've discovered one of the best of current British artists here. A friend of mine prefers the other ex-Waterboy's music, but I've always preferred Karl's. You should try Goodbye Jumbo and, in particular, Egyptology, which is full of very Beatlish melodies. Beautiful Dream,This World, Vanity Fair and the wonderful Rolling Off a Log are really good. There are one or two fillers in there, but you get 15 songs and most are worthy. He's a big Beatles fan and would love to write with Mc Cartney. I'd love to hear that, too! Others are making many musical suggestions, so I'll add these: Julian Cope (you'd probably like Fried especially, which is wonderfully melodic) Tim Buckley's Greetings from LA is one of the sexiest and raunchiest records ever made. His son was pretty good, too! On a more psychedelic path, The Thirteenth Floor Elevators are worth a big listen...The Psychedelic Sounds of The TFE's, especially. If you've never heard the Elevators, it's like entering a new world... awesomely different sonically, whilst remaining accessible in terms of melody and rhythm. The lyrics and sleeve notes are wonderful...Ah, sleeve-notes...a fine piece of artistic license that has disappeared. The finest I've read are... Yellow Submarine and The PS of The TFE's. What other sleeve notes do people recommend and could we have some awesome ones quoted in short measure? Sample Elevators lyric: "Let me take you to the Empty Place on my Fire Engine. It'll drive you out of your mind." This engine is no jolly Trumpton ride. You have to hear this to believe that he means it. These boys were tempestuous and completely off-the-wall. Never has the adage that genius is akin to madness been truer than in the person of Roky Erikson. They are one of the ultimate undiscovered-by-the-masses, cult bands. In another, perhaps better universe, where Kurt Cobain was just a bum (ouch!! Only kidding, honest!!), they were probably as big as The Beach Boys. The new Four Boxed set of Nuggets (It'll set you back forty three pounds) contains some of the best music by unknown artists that you'll ever hear and some of the weirdest lyrics that you'll ever encounter. If you like the 60s, this is the alternative version and has some great party music on it!! Well worth the money! Advert over.
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199909032059.QAA21506@lima.epix.net>
From: "Michael Davies" <miser17@epix.net>
Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 16:58:49 -0500
Subject: Krill
Most American alt-rockers have treated the whole subject of Vietnam
as more of a joke than anything else (witness Lee Harvey Oswald Band's
"Panic in Hanoi," Dead Milkmen's "Beach Party Vietnam," and Lotion's
"Marijuana Vietnam"). As for UK bands, there's "The Beatles and the
> Stones" by House of Love (they put the "V" in Vietnam, you see), and
> apparently Gary Numan put a song called "Hanoi" on the last disc of
> his box set, but I didn't feel like shelling out $70 to hear it, thank you.
Where was that Paul Hardcastle guy from? "N-n-n-n-nineteen.
N-n-n-n-nineteen."
Billy Joel did a song called "Goodbye Saigon", I think. I think that
was the title, I know he did the song. American musicians tend to
protest things in other ways than through music. Name one song that
mentions Tibet, anyone.
> Shriekback listed Vietnamese as one of the many languages they were
> speaking on their mega-smash hit "The Reptiles and I," though of
> course that had nothing to do with the war or American foreign policy.
> ("Living Through Another Cuba" is really about the conflict in Afghanistan,
> but you all knew that, of course.)
I always wondered what conflict that was about! That should be in
the FAQ to help people who were born two years after that song was
released.
Michael davies
miser17@epix.net
------------------------------ Message-ID: <003601bef64b$2b80e440$3e19063e@default> From: "David Seddon" <D.Seddon@btinternet.com> Subject: Richard Corey and The End of AV1 Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 21:22:27 +0100 John Fulton said: Bonus opinion: AV1 contains The Only Bad XTC Song (drumroll please): "I can't own her." I guess it had to happen sometime. What's bad about it: It sounds like a soundtrack reject. Who is this character Andy is playing? I don't like him. Yet he asks me to join him in despair at losing the girl. Perhaps he is purposely going "over the top," as in "1000 Umbrellas?" Good on you mate for saying it, even though I disagree with you 100%, It's good to debate this with you/others! To me, this is one of the 6 essential songs of AV1. When I first heard the album, I immediately appreciated the beauty of the last three songs. I don't think the band have ever closed an album better, and hard though I have tried to try these alternative track orders that were popular a while ago, I just can't get past the perfection of this close: We have... I Can't Own Her...a beautifully crafted big-band, swing-cum-soul ballad, that one such as Mick Hucknall (a marvellous singer, but average songwriter) would kill to write. This is a song that anyone from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra to Harold Melvin and Simply Red would love to have got a hold of. Harvest Festival...a practically perfect piece of music, in a simply gorgeous (and effortless) chugging slow march. The Last Balloon...a sad waltz that sounds as pure as Miles Davis at his best, and is in part almost classical as well (like a slow piece of Bach or Vivaldi). There all slow and they all possess a timeless quality. They show the diverse strength of Andy's gift more than any three contiguous songs I can think of right now. The other songs I couldn't be without are River of Orchids, Your Dictionary and Greenman. The other 5, fine though some of them are, don't affect me quite the same. Back to I Can't Own Her. I love driving in the rain at night with this song playing. It's at it's best then. It has an epic, melancholy, dramatic sweep, that rain on the road seems to bring out best. It reminded me lyrically, on first hearing, of Richard Corey (Simon and Garfunkel) : I own this river, I own this town All of it's climbers and its winos sliding down... But I can't own her They say that Richard Corey Owns one half of this old town... He had every thing a man could want Power, grace and style... Richard Corey went home last night And put a bullet through his head. Nevertheless, poor old RC, wasn't happy, just like the man in Andy's song (who is partly himself). Who is Andy being? Himself in disguise. Just like Lennon on Norwegian Wood, Andy is taking experience and extrapolating it to a different scene entirely. The pain is genuine, the events are fictional. Don't most novelists play this game constantly? What a good song it is! The swirling sky part is one of those celestial moments on the album, as many have said. The orchestration of strings and oboes is well written and the hammer dulcimer part is striking. The song has powerful chords and a finely counterpointed harmony. It ends with bitter-sweet strings and mocking oboes. It, like the next song, is full of longing and unfulfilled passion. What more could we want from a songwriter?
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199909032104.RAA22318@lima.epix.net> From: "Michael Davies" <miser17@epix.net> Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:03:51 -0500 Subject: Ragbone <<Also, I've been listening to Rag And Bone Buffet recently, and I wanted to know what everyone thought the best song on that "Album" is, as well the worst. >> That was my first XTC album and it soon became one of my favorite albums by anyone. 24 songs on one tape, and unlike Guided by Voices all the songs are complete and longish (except "History of Rock 'n' Roll" and "Pulsing Pulsing"). Favorite song is "Tissue Tigers", no question. That might be my favorite XTC song from any album. Least favorite - probably "Countdown to Christmas Party Time" or "Blame the Weather". "Thanks For Christmas" is at least catchy. "Countdown" is boring. Michael davies miser17@epix.net
------------------------------ Message-Id: <l03130300b3f8e5e760df@[208.252.69.194]> Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 23:56:58 -0400 From: MinerWerks <dminer@gte.net> Subject: A pastiche of thoughts... A couple stray ideas that I wanted to toss in the ring... While I brought up my "Pink Thing" story, I forgot to mention that I picked up a vinyl copy of "25 O'Clock" while in New Orleans as well. Unfortunately, I found every record in the shop to be severely overpriced. But, having never laid eyes on an actual copy of this in 12-inch form, I felt compelled to spend the $30 they commanded. So, the question is, was I gouged as badly as I suspect? The vinyl and sleeve are nearly spotless. Color is very bright on the sleeve, not faded in the least. I played it, and it sounded great on vinyl. Strangely enough, I can now claim to own this piece on vinyl AND cassette, after finding a tape of it in a used bin four or five years back. The box that tape came in had a typed piece of paper glued inside reading "This is actually XTC acting unusually psychedellic" with the catalog number underneath. This led me to believe the cassette came from either a radio station or it was a promotional issue... anyone have an idea? * * * * * Lately, I was musing on the old question of whether XTC should be popular or remain a cult favorite... I knew I saw something on this, so I dug back a few digests to #5-258. Ralph Simpson DeMarco <sawpit@hotmail.com> was responding to a previous digest. >In Aug 24 Chalkhills "Zack 'Vegetable & Mineral' Rock" wrote: ><"Why the hell would anyone here want ANY song on AV1 to be a hit? Do <you >know what that leads to? ><I don't know about the rest of you, but seeing just a tremendous <work of >art such as AV1 side-by-side with living, singing proof that <western >civilization is nose-diving straight into the deepest circle <of hell would >break my heart. Let AV1 alone. It's not an album for <the retarded masses. > >Ahh yes the retarded masses who would contradict your claims if they liked >AV1? Would that raise them in your eyes a bit, or lower the obviously >inflated view you have of yourself? I am sick and tired of the bullshit >elitist hyperbole I read on this site. You sound like an evangelical >Christian talking about the decline of Western Civilization. Gimme a break! >And only YOU know what music is, huh? You would think that the possible >success of AV1 would raise your spirits, not destroy them! When I heard AV1 >at the listening station of Barnes and Noble, I was happy, nay ecstatic that >our boys are getting some exposure. They even played them in the store! >Horrors! I got to thinking that, while I don't share the exact stance of Zack, I probably have an opinion that Ralph would find equally elitist. As much as I would like to think I'm a "non-judgmental" type, the general public's ignorance of XTC usually leaves me with a nasty distaste for the general public's taste. Deep down, I'm really wishing that the public was as intelligent as I like to think I am. I just wanted to kind of challenge some of you here to evaluate this and decide if, at least in part, this is one of your motivations when you try to get a new person to like XTC or wish that they sold more records... * * * * And lastly... a hearty welcome back to Harrison... how did I amuse myself while he was gone? = Derek =
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 19:29:13 +0200 Message-Id: <199909061729.TAA11412@serv1.ub.ntnu.no> From: Knut Egil Maseide <knut.maseide@ub.ntnu.no> Subject: Cover cover ? Good morning Chalkhills; Delurking now for the first time, after years and years of ... well, lurking through Chalkhills and environs. (For those of you interested in personal XTC history, I've been a happy fan since the dawning of 'Drums and Wires'. It all started ... <snip, snip> ... the present joy of 'Apple Venus, vol.1'. With all the energy and activity bursting here since the release of AV1, it is surely true: The 'hills ARE alive with the sound of music. ;^) Browsing through a norwegian bookshop not long ago, a book caught my attention, namely "The Jukebox Queen of Malta" by Nicholas Rinaldi. The reason for my interest was the cover; being an XTC fan, I could not help noticing the striking(?) resemblance between the cover of this book and the cover of AV1. I won't go into any guessing about whether it's a coincidence or not, but they do have a lot in common; both the motif and it's appearance (glossy and structured). Anyway, you can see it (but not touch it) here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/uk-covers/0/59/304/420/0593044207.l.gif Local trivia: AV1 has been selling well here in Trondheim (Norway*), probably approx. one in a thousand here owns it. (Now think world population ... :) Even the "Easter theatre" single can be found in some shops, but I haven't seen "I'd like that" yet. * (I feel an urge to apologize for the use of XTC <was it 'Dear God'?> in a clothing commercial on norwegian television. It felt just as stupid/tasteless as the use of Mozart's Requiem in the Gillette commercial, or Mahler's 5th Symphony in some car commercial I saw here.) Last, a little thought I have been thinking (not the only one, I am happy to say). I find it interesting, as a possible "key" to the song 'Fruit nut' - if it needs any more keys than the one it is written in, that is. As it is, I have come to think that the text 'Fruit nut' is Colin commenting on Andy's way of working, probably concen- trating on these last years of struggle (personal and musical). In my mind, this is Colin pulling Andy's leg in a friendly manner. Is this interesting? Decide for yourselves. Ah well, that's this mail over. Thanks for your time and brainspace. Knut Egil ps: thanks to Mark Strijbos for those demos. :::::::::::::::::: Knut Egil Maaseide Trondheim - Norway :::::::::::::::::: Lurk mode on.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <000201bef7b2$6a8b3560$2382b8d4@1und1/1015-852online> From: "Ingolf Pencz" <1015-852@online.de> Subject: Re: World Party Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 13:43:33 +0200 Funny that you speak of World Party, Molly... I once liked them very much. The album before BANG, called GOODBYE JUMBO is their best, IMO. Very Beatle-esque, very good songwriting by Karl Wallinger (formerly keyboard player with the waterboys). I remember the BANG TOUR when my band opened up for World Party in Hamburg/Germany. This was a really disappointing experience. The band was very arrogant and hostile and didn't let us do a soundcheck or even build up our drum kit in front of theirs. So we ended up playing a kind of "unplugged set" using a turned-around waste paper bin as a drum. The audience appreciated it though... An experience like that can spoil it all, I suppose, since then Wallingers efforts did nothing for me anymore... Ingolf Hamburg/Germany. >Subject: A recommendation >From: Molly E Fanton <mollyfa@juno.com> > >I just heard this great non-XTC band, World Party. The album is Bang!. >I just find this album very melodic and just fun to listen to. Karl >Wallenger is another one of those artists that just get me going. This >album has been out for a while, but I just put it in my CD player and >started listening. I just love the songs: Giving It All Away and What Is >Love All About?. What do you guys and gals think of World Party?
------------------------------ Message-ID: <009e01bef8b2$23615100$1abfa0d0@meridith-s> From: "squirrelgirl" <squirrelgirl@citrusonline.net> Subject: Playing ketchup is hard to do Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 17:52:37 -0400 Howdy 'Hillians! Geez, I go away for a few days and come back to find the old inbox full of new digests. BTW, if any of you are near or planning to visit Las Vegas in the remotely near future, you absolutely CAN NOT miss "O", the Cirque du Soleil show, at the Bellagio. The music (live!), costumes and choreography. Wow. Words can't describe the experience. Anyway, there are many posts just begging for replies, so here goes: >> What is the best XTC single that never was?... Outside World >> Which is the best XTC song to be more or less a hidden gem (ie: it doesn't >> receive the plaudits of other songs around it on an album etc)?... Scissor Man >> What is the best lyric on AV1?... Enter Easter and she's dressed in yellow yolk >> The worst lyric on AV1?... I'm not so sure of Santa or the buck-tooth fairy >> When you first heard the album, what did you think should have been the >> first single?... I'd Like That >> Which unreleased XTC song do you like best?... Broomstick Rhythm or Nicely Nicely Jane >> What are your 5 favourite XTC Songs (in no order)? For today, that would be: Omnibus, Burning with Optimism's Flames, Punch and Judy, Greenman, Gold In digest #255, Derek asked about our "takes" on Pink Thing. I know Andy swears it was meant doubly as an ode to his penis and a tribute to his son; however, unless there is some genetic anomaly of which I am not aware, it seems like the tears down in the singular "eye" would eliminate Harry as a subject of the song. Perhaps I am being too literal in my interpretation, but I only hear the sexual connotations in this song (not that I mind; it has always been one of my favorite "bawdy" tunes - my mom was visiting me when O & L came out and I made her listen - she thought it was great). Moving along to digest # 256, Mike thrashed Colin for his low volume of output in the years prior to AV1. Seems to me like Colin had other things on his plate at the time. His wife was seriously ill for a while and he still had all his other day-to-day obligations. Maybe Andy's main emotional outpouring is his music, but possibly Colin had other things demanding his energies during this time. Personally I am grateful for the offerings he has given and I can't wait to hear more. Next up was Melissa Reaves' "Life Begins on the Hill", in digest #258. Absolutely hilarious, Melissa. Very clever. But not *too* clever! Ha, ha. Last but not least, in #261, John Fulton stated that "I Can't Own Her" was XTC's only bad song. I beg to differ; I always keep the remote handy so I can skip "All Along the Watchtower". I usually pass by "Somnambulist", "Travels in Nihilon" and "That Wave", too. Of these, I think only "Watchtower" is really bad; the others just require the right mood to listen whereas in general, listening to XTC puts me in a certain mood (depending on which album/CD). So there. Squirrelgirl (and why, Mr. Strijbos, does the mind boggle?)
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v03007802b3f9f0f68948@[165.247.23.119]> Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 17:42:00 -0500 From: Mitch Friedman <mitchf@mindspring.com> Subject: News (of sorts) from Andy and Dave Hi ho, Just got off the phone with Andy and yes the album is coming along quite nicely. They are somewhere between one third and one half done with it. The drummer they have used is named Chuck Szabo. He's an American and was highly recommended by engineer/producer Nick Davis (who had worked with him in the past). Andy says that Chuck added lots of enthusiasm and energy to the songs and is quite thrilled with the grooves he played. The drums were recorded by a guy named Alan Douglas whose previous XTC claim to fame is that he engineered "White Music"! Andy described some interesting recording techniques that were utilized for Colin's song "In Another Life" involving miking and distorting the drum tracks and/or strumming of an unplugged electric guitar. He's confident that this album will sound more like The Monkees than XTC. Additionally, "Homespun" is set to come out in England in about 5 weeks. Contrary to what some were led to believe, it will only be a cd of the demos and not a double disc of the album and demos. The same kind of release will take place with the AV2 demos sometime after the album is out. The "Greenman" video was scrapped half way through due to TVT and XTC not being thrilled with the results and not wanting to fund the rest of it. The director hired for the job had previously only done tv commercial work and was not really ready for a music video project so the results weren't up to snuff. Nonetheless, XTC still has to pay about $20,000 for what was done but will never be seen. Oh well. And "Fuzzy Warbles" (the demos cds project) is still being worked on in spare moments of free time. Dave is busy working on his latest covers projects and answering email through his Guitargonauts site. He also has plans for two new home projects, one being an album of covers of unsuccessful and underappreciated songs by artists he likes from the 60s to the present. No word on the contents but it may be called "Dave Gregory Sings For Toffee". Mitch
------------------------------ From: "Kerry Chicoine" <KERRY-N-MARV@worldnet.att.net> Subject: Re: XTC Online Questionnaire Date: Mon, 6 Sep 1999 15:02:57 -0500 Message-ID: <01bef8a2$d070db00$a6cb480c@default> Out of lurker mode to briefly comment: > What is the best XTC single that never was? So many! I'd say 'Earn Enough for Us' if, in fact, it never *has* been released as a single. I can't be certain. > Which is the best XTC song to be more or less a hidden gem (ie: it doesn't > receive the plaudits of other songs around it on an album etc)?... Mermaid Smiled. Amazing lyrics, amazing music. Andy on acid. > What is the best lyric on AV1?... 'And what a year, when the exams and crops all failed...' > The worst lyric on AV1?... 'And when I say I can't own her I don't mean to buy her....' Fantastic song, though. > Which unreleased XTC song do you like best? Church of Women. Absolutely incredible guitar solo! Playground is a close second. > What are your 5 favourite XTC Songs (in no order)? Ladybird Humble Daisy Mermaid Smiled That Wave I Can't Own Her Seven and seven is, Kerry Kompost http://www.mp3.com/artists/15/kompost.html http://www.cdbaby.com/buy.kompost.htm
------------------------------
From: unna@worldmailer.com
Date: 7 Sep 1999 04:42:23 -0700
Message-ID: <19990907114223.9173.cpmta@c008.sfo.cp.net>
Subject: That Wave
Hello everyone,
Until 9/5/99 I had only heard/owned O&L and AV1. On that date
I purchased Black Sea and Nonsuch. I've only perused Black Sea, but
Nonsuch has blown me away. That Wave is
{dawn/sunset(GOD)sunrise/dusk}
and THAT is supposed to represent everything beautiful with
heart-aching love and total completeness or perfection. Its tough for
me to find the words to describe an open-soul massage.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v02140b00b3fb3376c549@[63.16.18.183]> Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 16:31:14 -0500 From: gloop@ntr.net (Yazbek) Subject: Yazbek's Last Gig (For Awhile) Hi. I'm working on this goddamn musical so I'm not going to do any shows for awhile. The oversized band and I will be playing at Knitting Factory on Thursday the 16th of Sept. at 10 p.m. We'd love the regular XTC-loving mob to show up for this, our last show for at least five months. I'll also be doing a few songs at a hopefully-not-idiotic songwriter circle at Baby Jupiter on 9/14 at about 8p.m. These venues are in NYC. Spoke to Partridge last week, who is very up on the drumtracks for the next album. This is a good thing. He seldom likes the drums. Thanks, Yazbek
------------------------------ Message-ID: <130CB597E04ED211B2A400104B93AAC47DF667@ESCORP1> From: "Wiencek, Dan" <dwiencek@crateandbarrel.com> Subject: RE: To Your Mother; + a modest proposal Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 17:50:31 -0500 Duncan Kimball said (in several parts): > Zappa remastered all his stuff for CD - which has to be done anyway if > you really care about how it sounds - and of course the purists threw > their hands up in horror. So what? Frank reckoned he was never all that > happy with the original mixes and masterings anyway. Likewise for > Lennon: I recall him saying in the 70s that he didn't like the quality > (pre-CD obviously) of a lot of the Beatles stuff and would have liked to > re-record some of the things like Pepper using better equipment. (George > Martin was a bit miffed of course.) George Martin and others involved in the original Beatles reissues thought it better to release the albums in their original mixes, or at least in a mix approximating the original as closely as possible. I for one am glad he did this, because I think it's important to hear the albums the way the Beatles' original audience heard them. Why? Pop music may not turn out to be the awesome force for historical change that Baby Boomer (and post-Boomer) critics are making it out to be; nevertheless, the Beatles' music is a small part of contemporary history, and when you consider how the advances in their art forced the entire recording industry to advance along with them, those original, limited productions take on added interest. The impurities and mistakes that got through make all the things that went right even more amazing. Oh, and John was wrong, by the way. Fact is the artist is not always the best judge of his/her work, and I think it's the nature of the artistic temperament to always remain a little unsatisfied, to imagine you could have got it right if you'd only had a little more time or money. A very perceptive person once observed: "A creative work is never finished, only abandoned." And keep in mind that John's last finished production was the extremely tinny, shitty-sounding Double Fantasy, recorded on better equipment than the Beatles ever had and sounding worse than anything they did. > ... I found an interesting page on a Beatles site the other day all about > why EMI > squashed a proposed re-release of the mono mix of Sgt Peppers. It's a very > interesting point, and really bears out my belief that the majors are > trying to squeeze every last cent out the Fab Franchise. <snip> > According to this article, only about 10 hours was devoted to mxing Sgt > Pepper for stereo, out of the 700-odd hours of recording and mixing on > that > album. <snip> Anyway - apparently EMI had the whole Pepper mono thing > ready and sent out > adverts and it was all going to come out in a nice limited edition box etc > etc - and then they inexplicably pulled the plug and no-one will now talk > about. Maybe the Beatles themselves objected to the release--you never know. > It really begs the question of what moneygrubbers EMI are. There is no > reason why they could not have issued the mono mixes of the LPs on the > same > CD (or even on a 'bonus' CD). It's not as if they haven't made their money > back ninety times over, and it's certainly not as if they need to be > worried about whether it will sell! I'm a little confused here. How does the fact that EMI *didn't* release a Beatles product indicative of what moneygrubbers they are? Not that I want to wear my ass out defending EMI, but when you consider what a bottomless money well the Beatles represent, I think the company has shown remarkable restraint. They haven't reissued any of the cash-in Beatles compilations of the 70s and 80s, like Rock and Roll Music or Love Songs (excepting only the red and blue albums, for which there was actually some demand). They released the Past Masters compilations, ensuring that the public needn't waste time and money collecting the (now out-of-print) CD singles (unless you're a completist, since the CD singles tended to favor the original mono mixes over the newer stereo ones). And for those who consider the Anthologies to be rip-offs ... well, I can think of enough rarities and off-cuts they *didn't* release to fill another 2-disk set, so I think that was pretty tastefully done, all things considered. And most of all, EMI has always maintained they would never remix the Beatles catalog precisely because they didn't want the fans to have to buy the material again. And you're saying that, by adhering to this policy, EMI shows themselves for the moneygrubbers they are? I don't get it. I'd love for them to issue remixes of the albums; they're welcome to my money. In fact, let me share a fantasy I've harbored ... I would love to see EMI issue an "Audiophile Collector's Edition" of all the Beatles albums. These wouldn't replace the existing versions; they'd be available at a price reflective of the extra work that had gone into them. My dream is that Geoff Emerick (we'll let George Martin off the hook since he's retired and doesn't hear so well anymore) prepares new, rich stereo mixes of all the old material, from Please Please Me to Let It Be. In doing so, he fixes a lot of mistakes from the old mixes: the guitar drop-out in Day Tripper, the voice leakage on Yesterday, the muffed double-tracking on Eleanor Rigby, and the bad vocal edit on Lucy in the Sky, for starters. He makes mixes so clear and beautiful that grown Beatle fans are reduced to tears. He then replicates all the original mono mixes and sticks them with the stereo on one CD (or two as space permits), just like the Pet Sounds reissue. Casual Beatle fans wouldn't care enough to bother buying them, and the fanatics (like me) would jump at the chance without caring whether or not they were being exploited. Fat chance of it ever happening, I know ... Lastly: > Which reminds me... speaking of marketing (where is the "Smile" box set, > please, Capitol? How about the Japan and XTC boxes please Virgin?) I thought the Smile box set was pretty much dead. Brian seems to have no interest in putting it out--in a recent documentary just broadcast here in the US, he claimed the tapes were destroyed, despite the fact that pretty much everyone knows they weren't. (Brian himself has previously admitted that most of the tapes still exist.) From what I understand, he knows how inflated Smile's reputation has become and is undoubtedly leery about releasing a product that will inevitably disappoint a lot of people. Personally, while the fragments I've heard are brilliant, I understand why he couldn't finish it; it would've taken more than even Brian's genius to corral all that material into a sensible whole. As for the XTC box set: we don't need it yet. What we need are reissues of all the original pre-CD albums, remixed under Andy's supervision and with the bonus tracks on the end where they %&*#ing belong. Oh yeah, and with extensive liner notes from Andy and Colin. Yes, I'd like that ... Happy to have ended w/ XTC content, Dan, eagerly awaiting the remixed YS.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19990907162105.006da480@pop.calweb.com> Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 16:21:05 -0700 From: Steven Reule <steven@obsessed-with-music.com> Subject: Testimonial dinner poster Hello and please excuse the ad but I think some fellow XTC fans may be interested. There is a XTC Testimonial Dinner tribute poster for sale on ebay for a few more days. Go to: http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/music@obsessed-with-music.com/ and click on the item number Thanks... Steven music@obsessed-with-music.com http://www.obsessed-with-music.com [note the AV1 cover on our home page!]
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