Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 34
Date: Monday, 7 December 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 34
Monday, 7 December 1998
Today's Topics:
Quick replies
AB-CD.com
Scuse me while I p*ss disguised!
One more TB attack
RE: Question for old people
Christmas songs
Fat women.
Tub thmpers.
3D-EP
Re: I wrote your FAQing book
Re: Terry and The Love Men
Political? How Crass..+College Radio- Bama
Zither Dither
BB vs. PC, T&tLM, IMVS, ETC.
Terry And The Lovemen
Transmission Blast Booklet??
'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Tuna....
Hey Mr Bassman
Shatner : The Musical
X tc Files
do you Brits say randy?
Albums and smells
Re: ChuChu Mc Millimeter
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <006f01be1fe7$45f45720$e31017d4@default> From: "Steve Jackson" <smj@zen.co.uk> Subject: Quick replies Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 00:35:35 -0000 >Hi Chalk people > >Anyone has got the drums and wireless album, can they please >inform/argue about/etc. who is speaking on the first track? Whoever >it is claims to be John Peel, but doesn't sound like him. I have >consulted avid peelsters and they all agree. Is it partridge or what? Yes I have...yes it is. Anway there's a good line >from the review which says "[Andy Partridge] manages to deliver his >lyrics without whining, a technique that has virtually been forgotten >in today's Manic music environment." I think the reviewer is >referring to the Manic Street Preachers here, so I couldn't agree >more. Evidently you have not heard much by them then. James Dean Bradfield and Co do many things, but whining is not one of them. You're either too fucking old (and I'm 30) or you have simply ignored one of Britain's most exciting and culturally significant bands. The whole point of XTC was that they made me FEEL SOMETHING and the Manics still do that. All this talk of Crash Test Dummies and Phil Collins....why are people bowing to the bland here? Go and play Complicated Game (or 'Faster',by the Manics ) and FEEL something.
------------------------------
Message-Id: <366886FF.217CC406@bowdoin.edu>
Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 20:06:35 -0500
From: Ben Gott/Loquacious Music <bgott@bowdoin.edu>
Organization: http://listen.to/loquacious
Subject: AB-CD.com
Chalkers,
The Norwalk, CT-based music store AB-CD is featuring XTC this month...Check
it out! http://www.ab-cd.com! They've got singles, the picture disc thingy,
"Transistor Blast," "Ice Cream Genius" (featuring Dave Gregory) and other
fun stuff. I've ordered from them before, and, although they're pricey,
they've got a stunning selection.
If anyone can get me a copy of Babybird's new album (released on Echo in the
UK), I'll love you forever. Let's talk.
-Ben
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine 04011
ICQ 7737594 :: Telephone (207) 721-5513 :: Mobile (207) 798-1859
All of my dreams just fall like rain / All upon a downtown train.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19981205013008.19096.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Amanda Owens" <daveizgod@hotmail.com> Subject: Scuse me while I p*ss disguised! Date: Fri, 04 Dec 1998 17:30:07 PST Let's hope another political pot isn't being simmered! Dominic said on the subject of Phil Collins: >(i) His records suck (like REALLY REALLY HARD) Tis your opinion, medear. I think he's pretty damn cool. >(ii) He is, bizarrely given his alleged upbringing, right-wing and a vocal >supporter of the Conservative party (should this affect how I view his >music? Damn right it should!). So if someone doesn't hold the same views as you you don't listen to their music? Even if, for the most part, said music doesn't really mention their beliefs? That's twisted. If I was like that I couldn't listen to 3/4 of the stuff I listen to, XTC included! Andy said: >Anyone has got the drums and wireless album, can they please >inform/argue about/etc. who is speaking on the first track? Whoever >it is claims to be John Peel, but doesn't sound like him. I have >consulted avid peelsters and they all agree. Is it partridge or what? Tis Sir Partridge doing a fine imitation of John Peel. Huw said: >I think Derek Miner makes a good point here. XTC have never really >been good at doing political/ issue songs which probably explains why >a lot of people hate songs such as "President Kill" and "The Smartest >Monkeys". The possible exception to this is "No Thugs in Our House" >which I think works rather well as a song. I've never been a fan of XTC's "issue songs", with the exception of This World Over. Thankfully, however, when they do make a song that has some sort of sociopolitical statement in it, it's pretty shrouded in metaphor. Tis all for now, Amanda C. Owens "People will always be tempted to wipe their feet on anything with welcome written on it."-Andy Partridge XTC song of the day-Knuckle Down non XTC song-True Colours-Phil Collins (sorry Dom, guess dome of us actually like the guy.)
------------------------------ Message-ID: <3668C14C.1DE874D6@vyo.org> Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 00:14:53 -0500 From: Troy Peters <troy@vyo.org> Subject: One more TB attack Hey, Chalk-friends! TVT actually seems to be doing a pretty decent job promoting Transistor Blast: the brand new "Entertainment Weekly" (#462, dated December 11) leads off its music section with a roundup of new box sets. Featured quite prominently, with a nifty photo of the box and its colored-jewel-box-encased CDs, is a positive review. The photo got me especially stoked, because it's by far the most detailed I've seen so far. Sure looks nice... Of course, I feel quite goofy getting excited over a _photo_ of a product. But even though TVT experienced no delays in charging my credit card *several weeks ago*, I'm still waiting to see my friendly UPS man coming up the path with the manna from Swindon. So I am easily excited right now... Here's the EntWeekly review (credited to Andrew Essex): [The article is from their "Holiday Gift Guide" which includes other box sets: Lennon, Tommy Boy, Judy Garland, Miles, Burt Bacharach, Coltrane, and Randy Newman] ===== XTC Transistor Blast (TVT, $44.99) Moments before a high-profile 1982 gig in Los Angeles, XTC frontman Andy Partridge told his band mates that he would never play live again (his paralyzing stage fright had grown into full-blown panic attacks). That night, XTC packed their bags, returned to England, and said goodbye to the stage. For most groups, this would have meant instant breakup, but for the past 16 years, Partridge and company have continued to produce quirkily brilliant music from the relative safety of the recording studio. Too bad. From 1997 to '82, it turns out that XTC were a pretty ferocious live band. This four-disc set features 52 rare performance culled from several hard-hitting London concerts and a handful of informal BBC radio gigs. Shaky, go-for-broke readings of new-wave anthems like "Life Begins at the Hop" and "Making Plans for Nigel" reveal XTC's early punk roots, while the band's dramatic attention to dynamics suggests future compositional sophistication. And no one sounds particularly nervous. Hardcore fans will probably have this material via illegal bootleg (though they'll want Partridge's liner note mea culpa), but if you're curious about a minor rock & roll tragedy, here's a sonic elegy for the world's most infamous prisoners of stage fright. B+ ===== Now, I *know* there's much to quibble with. * We'd all love to see an "A" at the end. * The history isn't quite accurate, is it? BUT it's a prominent, positive review in a big glossy high circulation, airport-newsstand-type magazine with a sexy photo. Promotionally, TVT seems to be working it. BTW, I wonder if Andrew Essex will get away with it: he *clearly* flaunts the federal law requiring the prominent use of the word "quirky" in every published piece of writing about XTC. Oh sure, he threw in "quirkily," but an adverb DOES NOT COMPLIANCE MAKE... Sorry, Troy Peters
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BE2038.F35146C0.monkman@coastnet.com> From: Martin & Jamie Monkman <monkman@coastnet.com> Subject: RE: Question for old people Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 10:20:17 -0800 In Chalkhills #5:30 Michael Davies <miser17@epix.net> asks >To anyone who was already an XTC fan in 1983.... > >Was there a lot of surprise among listeners when the ornately >arranged and produced "Mummer" came out after the guitar-bass-drums >"English Settlement"? Or was it expected since they were now known >to be a studio entity only? And on that topic, was it a surprise >when they suddenly stopped touring? > >Because I just listened to those two albums and they're very >different, and everything before "Mummer" is very different from >everything after "English Settlement". I'd really become aware of XTC in 1979 on the strength of the single "Nigel", and then hearing the whole "Drums and Wires" album at a friend's. "Black Sea" showed the group maturing, and moving even further beyond the walrus with prostrate troubles sound of the first two albums. But NOTHING prepared me for the brilliance of "English Settlement". The production of the album, the diversity of the material, the expansion of the group's expanded arsenal of musical instruments (notably Dave's Ric 12 string, Andy's acoustic guitar, and the Prophet synth)--the whole package--was so unexpected, and so much superior to what they'd done before. It all sounded so damn un-New Wave. Side One still blows me away--those songs are one of the most powerful LP sides ever waxed. So my prognosis then (and now) was that "Black Sea" was the last great album of the New Wave genre, and "English Settlement" marked the first evidence of the new maturity that marked subsequent releases by the pre-eminent New Wave artists: Elvis Costello's "Imperial Bedroom", The Police's "Synchronicity" and The Pretenders' "Learning To Crawl" all followed "English Settlement". And following "English Settlement", nothing XTC has recorded has come as much of shock to me, "Mummer" included. Martin Our homepage: http://www.coastnet.com/~monkman
------------------------------ From: Stroo@aol.com Message-ID: <3bf7316c.366979cb@aol.com> Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 13:22:03 EST Subject: Christmas songs While browsing along I came across a site that had lyrics for Christmas songs. Let's see...Away In A Manger...ALWAYS WINTER BUT NEVER CHRISTMAS? Yep, it's true. It also has Thanks for Christmas and Countdown to Christmas Party Time, but when I clicked on the latter it simply told me the number of days until Christmas. :-) The site is at http://www.primenet.com/~kringle. Bob
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BE2084.38D18660@robert> From: Robert Wood <wobbit@bigfoot.com> Subject: Fat women. Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 18:35:14 -0000 Or for the Americans, circumferentially challenged women. <g> Come ON! Alison Moyet. And the Weather Girls! *And* all others already mentioned, like Mama Cass etc. Just 'cos they're not recent, doesn't mean they don't count...
------------------------------ Message-ID: <01BE2084.3AB5FDD0@robert> From: Robert Wood <wobbit@bigfoot.com> Subject: Tub thmpers. Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 18:49:14 -0000 I *have* to agree with Mark Strijbos, Pat Mastelotto is far from the best drummer XTC ever had. Also agree with Mark that Terry was a really good drummer. He had a very distinctive way of playing. He may not have been the most technically gifted player that XTC ever had, but he fitted the music very well. The start of "Nigel" is really quite odd and not easy to play for example. The best drummers, IMHO are people like Pick Withers of Dire Straits and Stephen Irvine of Lloyd Cole's Commotions. People who aren't necessarily technically brilliant, but they're competent, play what's appropriate and occasionally put in something that's out of the ordinary and makes you pick up up your ears. Actually, I think most drummers that XTC have had over the years have been better than Pat Mastelotto, except for maybe Prarie Prince. <Dons asbestos suit>
------------------------------
Message-Id: <36699F5E.4799751B@bowdoin.edu>
Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 16:02:36 -0500
From: Ben Gott/Loquacious Music <bgott@bowdoin.edu>
Organization: http://listen.to/loquacious
Subject: 3D-EP
Hill-dwellers,
While I was Christmas shopping in Portland today, I picked up a shiny copy
of "3D-EP." It's showing its age, but it's in pretty good shape. The cost?
$4.50.
The guy who owns the store (Empire Records) is a fan, so I'll be stopping by
again to feast on more XTC treats -- unless Will Kreth gets there first!
-Ben
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine 04011
ICQ 7737594 :: Telephone (207) 721-5513 :: Mobile (207) 798-1859
All of my dreams just fall like rain / All upon a downtown train.
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 15:08:04 -0800 (PST) From: relph (John Relph) Message-Id: <9812051508.ZM159889@mando.engr.sgi.com> Subject: Re: I wrote your FAQing book "Leon X. Deggs" <ldeggs@excite.com> riddled us this: > >Is it entirely conceivable that the American releases of O&L came without >the lyrical sleeve insert? The original CD release definitely included lyrics. However, it is possible that the cassette and that later "Goldline" editions did not include lyrics. But I doubt it. >Because one of the FAQs was: Does Partridge really swear on 'Skeleton ...'? Actually, that's not a FAQ. Perhaps you were thinking of: 30) Does Andy sing the word "Fuck" in the song "Great Fire"? And I don't know if original US LP and cassette releases included lyrics. The UK CD includes lyrics, and I assume the other CD releases do as well... -- John
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 15:12:29 -0800 (PST) From: relph (John Relph) Message-Id: <9812051512.ZM170802@mando.engr.sgi.com> Subject: Re: Terry and The Love Men Brian Thomas Matthew <mattone@bhip.infi.net> asked: > >I'm certainly no XTC expert, but I do know what I heard - XTC didn't >record under 'Terry & The Lovemen', did they? According to the demo tape >I have (with Andy as guest on that radio show in London), T&TLM (almost) >merely did a cover of one of XTC's tunes. Isn't this correct, or have I >missed something? It would appear that you have missed something. A real appearance by Terry and The Lovemen performing "The Good Things" on *A Testimonial Dinner - The Songs of XTC*. The song was recorded, the cover was released. But the name comes from the *Black Sea* era -- it was a possible title for that album. -- John
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.32.19981205163537.006b1f7c@mail.halcyon.com> Date: Sat, 05 Dec 1998 16:51:20 -0800 From: "Lynn S." <nemaliand@halcyon.com> Subject: Political? How Crass..+College Radio- Bama Marshall, I'd like to add to your responses here... I can't think of any XTC song that *isn't* somehow issue related. All of the songs reflect AP and CM's world view. That's what I love about XTC, it's how I identify with the music. The songs reflect my world view too. I think this criticism most often arises out of disagreements with the issue at hand, rather than how a song works or doesn't work. People will put down an artist's work when they may like how it looks but not what it says. As artists, we create about those things in the world which disturbs us, it's one of our most important jobs. You may not like the message, but that doesn't necessarily mean the method was poor. Just my #cents, as a painter who paints about things that make people very uncomfortable, "Oh no, please don't show us that!" Hey Cory Berry, DJ from UA, I am dumbfounded to find an XTC fan from that state. Did you grow up there or just go to school there? I had the misfortune of spending quite a few of my growing up years in Birmingham. Beautiful land, ugly experiences. Of course it didn't help that I was moved there in the late sixties, as a small, naive child. Upon my arrival I ran around the neighborhood proclaiming my proud yankee heritage. It set the tone for all things to come. Well, things must be looking up by now, if the place has produced an XTC fan. Lynn S.
------------------------------ From: johnwilkens@earthlink.net Message-ID: <366A445E.F129438A@earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 06 Dec 1998 01:46:23 -0700 Subject: Zither Dither Telepathy with the Gods? > Partridge had presented a new project, songs he had written as > homage to the bubblegum-pop bands of the late Sixties to early > Seventies. He felt the idea was blissfully simple: "I wanted Virgin > to say that they'd bought this entire back-catalogue from this > imaginary label called Zither." Ever since discovering the Dukes in 1987 (and having Andy officially put them to rest after "Psonic Psunspot"), I new that Andy & Colin couldn't turn off the retro writing like it was a light switch. I always thought he'd come up with some unique way to deliver the goods without trampling the glory of the Dukes. Indeed, before I discovered Chalkhills (and the many folks with direct lines to the group), I pondered ways to deliver to the Gods the idea of a fake Ronco/K-Tel "greatest hits" package from the psychedelic era (tunes written by Andy & Colin), but performed in the bubblegum/pyschedelic style by current artists/groups they admired (so that the vocal/production quality differed on each track). Such an album would be like a backdoor version of "Testicular Dinner" but with new material (and Andy helming the project in order to ensure quality control on the retro sound). Designing the package and coming up with 14-18 fake group names would be very juicy. EXTRA CREDIT EXERCISE: Perhaps the Chalkhills crew can rough out the skeleton of such a project to keep us busy for the next digest or two (after all, Phil Collins and the bickering over O&L are getting stale). ** Zither Records' Greatest Hits ** Who are the present-day artists that Andy & Colin admire? What would be cool retro bubblegum/psychedelic band names for them? What possible track listngs can be compiled from A&C's demos? Album title suggestions? Perhaps the Gods will be listening and Idea/TVT will deliver the goodies in the next millennium... - john
------------------------------ Message-ID: <366A88DE.8C90071C@erols.com> Date: Sun, 06 Dec 1998 08:38:38 -0500 From: Todd and Jennifer Bernhardt <toddjenn@erols.com> Subject: BB vs. PC, T&tLM, IMVS, ETC. If you're going to talk the Chalk, you've got to walk the Chalk. Whatever that means. Neal Buck reappeared in grand style and said: > Phil Collins? <snip> I'd rather rave about Bill Bruford, thank you very much. You mean God, right? (Sorry, Dom.) Although you can combine the PC/BB thing by talking about how much fun it is to listen to BB kick PC's skinny little butt all over the stage (on a five-piece kit, compared with PC's 11-piece monster) when they play together on "Cinema Show" on the album Seconds Out. > I don't know much about Mark Isham's work, but I did see him once at the > Bayou, in Wash., DC with David Torn (and Mr. Bruford & Mick Karn). I was at that show. A good 'un. And yes, Brian Thomas Matthews, you missed something. T&tLM is XTC (and vice versa). Of Mummer, Harry Strole said: > It was wooden and synthetic and every thing English > Settlement wanted to be but was trapped in the constraints of having to tour > that record. Nice summing up, that. Love the album. A lot. And seriously folks, if you didn't know from reading the liner notes/various XTC books that it was recorded at different times, in different studios, with different producers, would you _really_ know, just by listening to it? I've never understood this bias against Mummer. Sounds organic enough to me (though the B-sides in the middle of the CD still break its flow, IMO -- but maybe that's just because I'm an old-timer and DON'T LIKE CHANGE, sonny!). > From: hiner1@uakron.edu: > I think Ted Nugent promised something similar in the U.S. if the Democrats > won the White House - Clinton's been around for 6 years, and unfortunately > Ted is still with us. Perhaps he and Phil could buy an island somewhere and > spend their days contemplating legalized cop killer guns and ways to cook > the poor. All while "chuffing" each other's "wankers." (Are these still > buzz words, or have we moved on?) Now _there's_ an image I'll call on whenever I want to eliminate all thoughts of an erotic nature from my mind! Ick. Re: Transistor Blast and the various posts about price/availability, I'd like to remind everyone about the tip from barb@velvet.com in #5-22 -- check out http://www.imvs.co.uk to get your own case of TB. I ordered mine from there, and though it hasn't arrived yet (I just ordered it a couple of days ago, and it's got to cross the pond), I haven't received any messages about delays. Plus, it was the best price by far that I've found -- I paid #20.46, which in American currency works out to ... let's see, carry the three ... $337.59. Oops, wait, got to move that pesky decimal (I was an English major, give me a break) -- it's $33.76, _including shipping_. The site's easy to use, too, and has good prices on other stuff -- I ordered the latest CD set from the Cardiacs the other day (yep, I couldn't resist Dom's charms, even if the first suggestion my spell-checker gives for his name is "Doom") from IMVS; they offered the best price by far, beating even the band's site by a long shot. Nobody can stop me from liking them, so I don't want any complaints. --Todd
------------------------------
Message-Id: <199812062022.VAA09040@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 21:29:17 +0000
Subject: Terry And The Lovemen
Dear Chalkers,
Brian Matthews asked:
> I'm certainly no XTC expert, but I do know what I heard - XTC
> didn't record under 'Terry & The Lovemen', did they?
Yes they did!
> According to the demo tape I have (with Andy as guest on that radio show
> in London), T&TLM (almost) merely did a cover of one of XTC's
> tunes. Isn't this correct, or have I missed something?
Listen again to that radio show... Andy is obviously pulling your leg
"the singer sounds remarkably like our Colin" (or words to that
effect) - yeah right, that's because he _is_ Colin!
Here's the story: XTC wanted to contribute a song to to the
Testimonial Dinner album but were unable to do so under their own
name, as all XTC output was under exclusive contract to Virgin.
And since they were on strike at the time Virgin wasn't going to give
them permission. So they used yet another nom-de-plume.
And "Terry And The Lovemen" is of course a bit of a giveaway... any
XTC trainspotter worth his or her salt would spot this one from a
mile away :)
yours in xtc,
Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
or http://come.to/xtc
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 17:06:00 -0500 From: Steve Pitts <Steve_Pitts@compuserve.com> Subject: Transmission Blast Booklet?? Message-ID: <199812061706_MC2-62AA-D791@compuserve.com> Morning Chalkhills, Not quite sure what the form is as far as newbies introducing themselves here, but I'll just say that I've been listening to XTC for what seems like forever (bought my first XTC artefact back in 1978 - 7" vinyl version of 'Are You Receiving Me'), am very fond of nearly everything they've ever done (including 'President Kill' <g>), find most of the analysis of the material here far too technical, and would put XTC in an elite group of quintessentially English music makers that are the heart and soul of my record collection (along with Roy Harper, Nick Drake, Squeeze, Ian Dury, The Fall and Billy Bragg) Anyway, enough of that, my main reason for posting is that I bought Transmission Blast a couple of days ago and noticed that it doesn't seem to come with anything other than the slip case and four strange-coloured slimline CD jewel cases with the four CDs in (which the shop assistant had great difficulty tracking down, and then dropped on the floor when putting the whole shebang into a bag <sigh>). No booklet or other information that I could see. Have I been ripped off or is that all there should be?? >> Are or were any of you fans of The Only Ones (now defunct)? << Dunno about 'fan' but I have a couple of their albums on CD and there are some gems in there, especially on the first album. Brian Matthews asked: >> XTC didn't record under 'Terry & The Lovemen', did they? << There is definitely a track on 'A Testimonial Dinner' under that monicker, so I'd say yes they did :) Harry Strole wrote: >> American censors are so oblivious to the word "wanker" << I remember a furore over this side of the pond because the seemingly ubiquitous Phil Collins used the word in a 'Miami Vice' episode back in the mid 80s (although the timeline may be as faulty as my memory) Cheers, Steve (Using OzWIN in Hemel Hempstead, England on 06-Dec-98 at 08:11:56)
------------------------------ From: Iain.Murray@hr-m.b-m.defence.gov.au Message-Id: <4A2566D2.007C9BEB.00@mta.hr-m.b-m.defence.gov.au> Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 08:44:33 +1000 Subject: 'Scuse Me While I Kiss This Tuna.... On the subject of misheard lyrics : I know of one person who will swear blind that the chorus of "Ten Feet Tall" actually says "I feel like I'm walking round a tuna fish roll". I think she might have been released into the community a little too soon..... Iain "If I melt dry ice, can I go swimming and not get wet?" - Steven Wright.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <000001be216a$c00bc780$983d63c3@default> From: "David McGuinness" <dmcg@btinternet.com> Subject: Hey Mr Bassman Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 22:35:32 -0000 Hello - >does Colin's bass work seem stronger on >"Drums and Wires" and "Nonsuch" than it does on other LPs? No - what he says about O&L in The Good Book is true. Just listen to the bass on Miniature Sun, if you can make it out over the crass drumming and emetic midi trumpet of course ;-) -David dmcg@btinternet.com
------------------------------ From: Iain.Murray@hr-m.b-m.defence.gov.au Message-Id: <4A2566D3.0019EDAF.00@mta.hr-m.b-m.defence.gov.au> Date: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 14:48:41 +1000 Subject: Shatner : The Musical >From Chalkhills #5-33, John Baldan informed us : >>I don't know whether it's credited to him or not (it's a collaboration on Ben Folds new solo album), but "In Love" is undoubtedly William Shatner's finest moment as a vocalist. Personally, I still lean towards his cringe-inducing take on "Mr. Tambourine Man" or the more overtly ridiculous "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", but that's just my opinion. While we're on the subject of Star Trek-associated "musical" careers, does anyone else agree that Leonard Nimoy's version of "Proud Mary" is one of the most hilarious tracks ever recorded? Iain "Smoking kills - and when you're killed, you've lost an important part of your life" - Brooke Shields.
------------------------------ From: Adamette1@aol.com Message-ID: <32e2f86f.366b5e85@aol.com> Date: Sun, 6 Dec 1998 23:50:13 EST Subject: X tc Files Scare-Chalk People, I utilized a city wide power outage and the battery in my laptop to catch up on the previous 4 issues which were saved in my download file. Jim Slade writes: It's funny that you see Mummer as being much different. I think that it flows nicely from ES tracks like "Yacht Dance" and "Senses Working Overtime". I hear both albums as being very "wooden," unlike Black Sea, which is metallic, O&L, which is vinyl, or Nonsuch, which is more like driftwood:-P to which "Robert Wood" wrote: Ooooh, no! Can't agree with that! O&L is very CD, not vinyl, 'cos it's very, very toppy and harsh. Nonsuch, is more of a pearl album, beautfully smooth and desirable! Like the idea of what you're saying though, and agree with Black Sea being metallic. Think Mummer is more pastoral and Skylarking choked... ES would be metal plated pastoral! I too, like this idea of using analogy (or is it simile?) to describe the different albums because of the wide range of qualities that they all have. I especially identified with the metallic Black Sea but would suggest a pillowy quality (Funk Pop a Roll excluded) to Mummer. Skylarking (although I'm not clear on what "choked" might mean) has always reminded me of organic or natural images (O.K., grass). O&L strictly digital and Nonsuch like the plastic that CD jewel boxes are made of. Since I'm on a roll, White Music is like your first bicycle (unpolished, dated, but full of great memories). Go2 is a collection of quirky circus acts. Drums and Wires is ... an excellently titled album...it is exactly that for me (I might only add the description of "boxy"). ES was always like a 12 string acoustic (not the most imaginative comparison but I cannot think of anything else), I'd go for the comparison to "wooden". Andisheh Nouraee asked: Has anyone here picked up the 30th Anniv. edition of The Beatles (white album)? Does it sound better than the original CD release? After hearing how good Anthology II & III sound compared to the original 1987 CD releases, I'm anxious to hear one of the original albums given the same treatment. Yes, I did. As near as my ears can tell, there is no difference whatsoever between this new version and the original CD release. All of the advertisements promoting the 30th anniversary release make no mention of "remastering" or any such attempt at improving the sound. It appears that the packaging is the only improvement (good enough for "white album" fanatics such as myself. Furthermore, I seem to recall that when the original albums were released on CD there was a general announcement made that there would be no further re-mastering of the albums. I'm guessing that this was stated to dissuade fears that people update their LP collection with the CDs and then a year later a better version comes out. Well, the power is back up which means I no longer have an excuse for being late for work tomorrow. Go Go2 Patrick
------------------------------ Message-ID: <366B7C62.B0D76634@gte.net> Date: Sun, 06 Dec 1998 22:57:41 -0800 From: Randy Hiatt <rhiatt@gte.net> Subject: do you Brits say randy? Now you've done it and woke me from my sleepless slumber... I know this is all over now but I've been away, Doug Terrell said: > I think I'm getting turned on (or do you brits say "randy"?) Thanks for putting the X back in XTC< It's like this.... Jesus is Lord, Lord is God, Lord played Organ in a rock band, an Organ is a Penis, Penis is God! (and I'll always be) Randy p.s. someone was speaking of female music talent and didn't mention my fav... Kate Bush. also just heard the entire CD from Soul Coughing... it was a pleasent suprize sonically, anyone know their story?
------------------------------ From: "Leon X. Deggs" <ldeggs@excite.com> Subject: Albums and smells Message-Id: <913019226.1644.265@excite.com> Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 00:27:06 PST Chalky, I think it's absolutely fanstically amusing that the majority of posters to Chalkhills are debating what these particular XTC albums mean to them. THIS IS WRONG. And for some reasons too. It's not important which XTC album is more XTC, YTC or ZTC. Someone claimed that O&L is the epitome of what Partridge intended XTC to be. How so? Surely people have understood the whole Partridge/Studio problems issue by now. Partridge is a sufferer for his art. He writes his songs and people constantly try to tweak them into something else. Speaking as a songwriter myself, there is nothing more offensive than when someone takes your 'baby' and makes it grow up in a different way. Has there been anything of Partridge's that didn't come under the producer's knife? NO!!! It doesn't matter whether O&L is what Partridge claims XTC should be, they weren't O&L in 1979, were they? Does that mean that Partridge was musically way ahead of his time but forced to write and produce exactly that trite muck we were forced to hear from others at the time? Concerning Gregory's departure: it was an obvious happening waiting in the wings. In the first official biog. he tells of having to take a job as a window cleaner to make ends meet. It was going to happen cos he was closed out of the writing circle by the other two guys. Sorry to see him go, but creativity needs an outlet somewhere. and window cleaning isn't it. As far as I am concerned, people can hate Collins, Prince, and several others. They can even hate XTC. But I don't see the point in discussing the finer subtleties of 'Sussidio' when it has no meaning in the larger sense. Collins is crap and will die crap. Prince is crap and will also die crap. Has Prince actually written ONE good song? Answers on a postcard to ... Leon. _____________ Leon X. Deggs
------------------------------ Message-ID: <366BAF6E.AE4442AC@geocities.com> Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 11:35:26 +0100 From: dieling <lemoncurry@geocities.com> Subject: Re: ChuChu Mc Millimeter In CHD #5-31, Jason Hauser wrote: One more thing. lemoncurry said: By the way, though I'm male, all this wanking is a bit tiresome, isn't it ? -literally, or figuratively? Erm, more like yoghurt ?
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #5-34 ******************************
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