Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 42
Date: Thursday, 17 December 1998
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 42
Thursday, 17 December 1998
Today's Topics:
favorites of '98 (zero XTC content)
Does Andy Know of This?!?!
Boston, New York, Victoria, Nanaimo....every body loves Pop Music
There's Too Much Language In Your Lungs
Best of 98?/Introducing, Me.
Komeda
Voyeur no more
Andy is Everywhere!
Best of 98!!!!!
"Apple" Record(s)
Re: TB: Enough for all of us?
(almost) phil free content. also, RE David Oh
el Greco
Astrophobia Revelations
No jacket required....
Re: transistor blast popularity
Transistor Blast
Re: Career Opportunities (the ones that never knock)
Top 9 of 98
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About their leader with the famous face?
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Message-ID: <71118473695DD211967A0060B06805D46587A0@MSGBOS629NTS.fmr.com>
From: "Sawyer, Keith" <Keith.Sawyer@fmr.com>
Subject: favorites of '98 (zero XTC content)
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 13:39:47 -0500
While many will not recognize the artists I'm listing here, that's never
stopped me from spouting off at length about them. So without further
self-gratification ...
1. Joel RL Phelps - _The Downer Trio: 3_ and _The Downer Trio_ ep
While the individual songs radically differ in tempo, Joel melds these
things together as a whole. Half the cuts are radically sparse dirges
featuring the immense power of Phelps' voice, the other half are addictive
country rock tunes infected with smoothly urgent emotional impact. "At El
Paso" is my #1 song of the year.
2. Various Artists - This is Mod (The Best of)
A collection of late 70's/early 80's British bands in the early Jam/XTC vein
that were only able to muster a single or one full length before folding.
These songs are hard-hitting pop gems burbling with excessive enthusiasm and
reeking of energetic live gig experience. The Letters, The Accidents, The
Rage, Amber Squad ... all long dissolved bands worth remembering.
3. Robert Pollard - _Waved Out_
After his first lightweight solo release and the disappointment of the last
GBV album, doubters like myself were wondering if Pollard's ego was
subverting his talent. This spectacular effort has restored my faith. The
true surprises are the songs that wander into gentler pop environs ("People
Are Leaving") and polished urgent arena rock ("Subspace Biographies"), two
areas he's never competently explored.
4. Belle & Sebastian - _The Boy With the Arab Strap_
Each subsequent release by these guys unearths another facet of their
overall brilliance. The soaring strings and the huge band feel of "Dirty
Dream Number Two" and the pulsating "Sleep the Clock Around" display more
unknown strengths ... while lyrically the accuracy continues with more
deadly teenaged tales of guilt, depression and misguided ardor.
5. Wheat - _Medieros_
Soaring guitar-based songs that excel in evoking the emotion of being in a
certain time, a certain place. For example, "Summer" is almost arid with
implied lethargy and "Death Car" shambles along like a sentenced convict.
Lyrically sparse ... but just enough to transport the listener into the
idealized past or humid present.
6. Cornelius - _Fantasma_
While I have a great deal of respect for Beck, in my ledger Cornelius is the
real genius when it comes to seamlessly melding beats with other musical
genres. His collaboration with Apples in Stereo adds 8-track clacks and
shimmering synths, while "Count Five or Six" uses a few numerical samples
and powerful slashes of guitar to propel us well past the speed limit.
7. Bevis Frond - _North Circular_
A honest two disc set with just about nil in the filler department. Nick
Saloman excels at various styles, from Byrds-like seamless pop tunes to
lick-happy rock songs. The excessive yearning in his voice in "He Had You"
displays the former, while the urgency of "Blew Me Out" will beckon for the
repeat button.
8. Komeda - _What Makes It Go?_
It took me awhile to warm up to this release. The Stereolab swipes are very
noticeable, but Komeda is much more interested in energetic fun than the
placid Stereolab releases of late. The bouncy beat of "Happyment" opened
the door to trickier cuts like the latent "Curious" and the delightfully
busy "Binario."
Other great records (AKA I can't quite break the tie for the last two spots)
Mark Eitzel - _Caught in a Trap and I Can't Back Out Cause I Love You Too
Much Baby_
Spinanes - _Arches & Aisles_
Richard Buckner - _Since_
Trembling Blue Stars - _Lips That Taste of Tears_
Cat Power - _Moon Pix_
Versus - _Two Cents Plus Tax_
Guilty Pleasure of the Year
Gerty Farish - _Bulks Up_
A minimally talented guitarist with the fuzz pedal all the way up teams with
a keyboardist who uses two fingers at most and some cheesy drums tracks. 18
panicked songs in about 22 minutes covering subjects like shark attacks and
Robert Parrish.
Novelty Song of the Year
DeeJay Punk-Roc - "I Hate Everybody"
Great beats mixed with samples from the punk rock episode of Quincy. You
*need* to hear Jack Klugman rap "Get a job working for the man/blow his
brains out fast as you can/tell the judge you didn't like his face/no
garbage like the human race."
Other great songs not noted above
Motion Picture - "Who You Are is Not Who You Were"
Pedro the Lion - "When They Really Get to Know You They Will Run"
Sloan - "Money City Maniacs"
Asteroid #4 - "What a Sorry Way to Go"
Green Pajamas - "If I Lived in a Picture"
Beatnik Filmstars - "Life Amongst the Cowboys"
Monorchid - "A Was for Anarchy"
Long Fin Killie - "Sugar Helping"
... and if you've made it down this far you are beyond my help. Those
actually interested enough to desire a sample of these artists please
contact me and I'll be glad to create a compilation for you.
Otherwise ... send all comments & questions to:
keith [james@wmbr.mit.edu]
------------------------------
Message-Id: <s6778e3e.040@tcwgroup.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 10:40:25 -0800
From: "Dane Pereslete" <peresd@tcwgroup.com>
Subject: Does Andy Know of This?!?!
There is a grave travesty now being committed in the
name of almighty Commerce...(pun intended)
See www.jazzkc.org/covers/ExhumingBird.htm for
the full debate. I am honestly shocked that_anyone_,
much less the likes of respected trumpeter Mike Metheny
could condone this!
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Logging in from beautiful Glendale, CA USA
"The birthplace of Don Van Vliet"
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------ Message-ID: <EB3FE924F73DD11187E400805FEA8E81010A675B@BCBCMAIL.bcbc.bc.ca> From: "Macdonald, Robert " <RMacdonald@bcbc.bc.ca> Subject: Boston, New York, Victoria, Nanaimo....every body loves Pop Music Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 11:09:55 -0800 Hey folks. At long last a post from me. I know, I know you've all been waiting patiently. It's been a crazy but good fall season. First my wife and I went on a wonderful vacation to Boston and New York. Thanks to Keith Sawyer I spent a many good hours scouring through CD stores in Boston and came away with many treasures including His Name is Alive, Air Miami, the latest Blue Nile, Elliot Smith n Roman Candle, latest Dada, Belle and Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister, latest Nick Heyward, and finally got myself a Yazbek cd which is a little hard to find up in Canada. I wish there was a Newbury Comics store in my hometown! Then we were off to New York for a week where there were good intentions to meet up with Ira Lieman and Mitch Friedman but time just wouldn't allow it so phone calls had to make do. Next visit. New York blew us away.... We went non-stop for seven days and nights and had a blast. Then it was back to Boston to see the Belle and Sebastian show at Boston College. Thanks again to Keith who let me know about the show weeks before we arrived in Boston allowing us to get tickets to what was a sold out show. Wow...what a night. It was held in an old synagogue and the sound was great and the band was tight although incredibly shy. The crowd was reverential...tremendous applause and then dead quiet waiting for the next delicate morsel. One of the best shows I've seen for years. Then it was time to head back home to Canada. A few months ago in this forum I bemoaned the disintegration of my band...Well I arrived home to a great surprise. I walked into our basement and there was a drum kit set up there! Seems my former bandmate who was house sitting for us had (like a fairy godfather) gotten a new band together for me while I was away. He then bowed out citing too many other commitments. The new band has been jamming twice a week ever since. What kind of music you ask...let's just say Art, Noise, Indie pop, Post-Rock, Ambient, Electronica with a fair amount of improvisation. I know what you're all saying...Trendy! The other great thing about new bandmates is access to new music. Anyone out there listening to Gastr del Sol? Other news... A friend of mine has opened a New/Used Record store in the city of Nanaimo which is about 2 hours up island from Victoria. It's a city of strip malls but now it has Blackball Records! Went up last weekend for a 20% off sale held because some guy said the world was going to be destroyed by aliens. My friend didn't want to be overstocked if it was indeed the end. At the store they played Sun Ra continuously all day in an effort to appease the alien invaders. It looks like it worked! My wife (who is truly wonderful ) waited patiently as I went through A-Z in the Indie Pop section, the Japanese Noise Section, the Kraut Rock section, the Punk Rock section, the Electronic section, and the plain old Rock section. I came away with cd's by Number One Cup, Lambchop, Bettie Serveert, Pram, Wannadies, an interesting compilation called slow death in the metronome factory featuring electronic and pop stuff, and finally a CD that I can't recommend highly enough for you Beatle (Revolver/Rubber Soul) fixated indie rock types who like a little taste of electronic bubbles blown into the mix. Olivia Tremor Control's Dusk at Cubist Castle. Seventy four minutes of pure pop invention. Yesterday I finally went out to look for Transistor Blast. First store they said they had one copy. It was gone. They thought it was on order and that they sold it for $69.95. Second store they said it was in their computer but they had no idea if it would be ordered or not. No price. Third store...I got my hot little hands on it. Looked carefully at the outer packaging from all sides. It is very cleverly done. I want it. Price: $83.79. Sorry...not today. Yes this is a long post...but I must go on. Last night my wife's sister came over from Vancouver and we set up and decorated our Christmas tree in time for a bash we are hosting this weekend. While putting the lights on the tree we listened to the usual seasonal tunes but after a while I put on Fossil Fuel and we bopped around putting too many decorations on the tree. Then later when Love On A Farmboy's Wages came on my sister in law, who I never took as much of a fan, came out with the fact that she felt an odd spiritual feeling (her words) whenever she heard that song. We played it through again nice and loud so you could hear all of the intricate percussion. It was a great evening. I told them that I might be sending an email today and that I'd mention it and they laughed heartily thinking how endearingly pathetic! I think they're just jealous. Actually they asked me to say hi and wish you all a Merry Christmas. And so I will. I wish you a truly wonderful holiday season and look forward to hearing from you in the new year (as long as you don't mention phil collins). Cheers to you all. Rob. Rob Macdonald Victoria, BC PS I love seeing peoples best cd's of the year lists....so post away.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <199812161601.LAA26256@smtp-gw.vma.verio.net> Subject: There's Too Much Language In Your Lungs Date: Wed, 16 Dec 98 11:01:35 -0500 From: Constantine Pappas <locp@clark.net> Chalktalkers, >Paul@pi-design.com wrote: >Regarding Dom and hitting Page Down: >It would be awfully nice if some of the more verbal posters restricted >themselves a bit. >May be it would be worth setting up another list of XTC news? I agree with this completely. I have had three very close friends (one of whom got me into XTC in the first place) join and quit Chalkhills after a few weeks simply because some of you folks aren't exercising enough restraint. I didn't, and I'll go out on a limb to guess that most of the readers didn't join this group to debate the mechanics of capitalism. Same applies to religion and about a jillion other things some of you harp on. I don't believe in censorship and I am NOT trying to discourage people from posting their views on the band or related topics, but it merits mentioning that some of you are scaring away both new and old readers and are hurting Chalkhills in the process, imho. Having said all that, I want to say how much I love this group as a whole. It's a great source of inside XTC info, and I've bought a lot of great music as the result of the recommendations you folks post. I don't plan on canceling my subscription anytime soon, but I have to admit on days when I receive 5 digests (like I did one day in November) I am severely tempted. I also feel that being flippantly told to just scroll down is a bit insulting. Man, when Apple Venus Vol. 1 comes out, some of you are going to be ranting about how it's the best XTC album ever, and others will rant about how it's the worst now that Dave is gone, and that Black Sea and English Settlement could never ever be topped. You'll debate fiercely about the cover art, recording quality, order of songs, similarity of some songs to other XTC songs, AND I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT TO READ IT ALL. Please, though, leave stream of conscious essays to James Joyce. I AM THE AUDIENCE Thanks for listening, Constantine Pappas p.s. Flaming me will more likely than not prove that you take yourself too seriously and are more concerned with spitting out every crappy half-thought that appears in your head. As for myself, I'd rather see Chalkhills as a valuable source of information, as well as intelligent concise, and RELEVANT discussions. Thanks again. --- ctp
------------------------------ Message-ID: <19981216211633.4953.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Chris Crouch" <chriscrouch@hotmail.com> Subject: Best of 98?/Introducing, Me. Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 15:16:32 CST I've been lurking here for about two weeks now and have decided to post. I suppose I'm obligated to say how I found out about XTC. I'm new to the scene here, having only discovered the band after purchasing Testimonial Dinner (I needed the TMBG cover of 25o'clock). Shortly after opening the cd, I determined that I must get the original versions of all of the songs and whatever else I could find by XTC. Having said that, and reserving the right to revise and extend my remarks, three of my favorite releases of '98 have been (in no paticular order): Air: Moon Safari Belle & Sebastian: The Boy With the Arab Strap Smashing Pumpkins: Adore Well, I guess they ended up being in alphabetical order, so I lied. Chris from Illinois (who is currently at school at Iowa State)
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 17:41:36 -0500 (EST) From: BEAULAC MARIO <d246274@er.uqam.ca> Subject: Komeda Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.95.981216163231.824A-100000@nobel.si.uqam.ca> Hi Chalkhills denizens, John Irvine's recent post on his selection for best of 98 spurs me to comment on one of his choices : Komeda's "What Makes It Go?" A splendid album indeed! I lend it an ear following the advice of a Chalkhillian many months ago (the Chalkhillian in question might even have been John, I haven't dug up that old e-mail message as of this writing) ; I couldn't find a copy of their first album on their american label, so I ended up waiting for their subsequent release. It was well worth the wait. For anyone who enjoys the neo-psychedelic strain in XTC's music, as updated with (post?)modern electronics, this is highly recommended. While on the subject of psychedelia, how many of you on the list have given a listen to the "Nuggets" boxed-set reissue from Rhino? Many of the "original artyfacts from the first [american] psychedelic era [1965-1968]" included evidently partake of the zonked-out, acid-drenched sound the Dukes of Stratosphear pinned down so well (in fact, not a few of them are direct influences on the Dukes' output, as is well known). For those intent on travelling farther down that river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, the "Psychedelia at Abbey Road 1965 to 1969" compilation from EMI is also recommended; it includes The Moles' single romp "We Are the Moles (Part 1)", a must-listen for anyone interested in the genesis of "The Mole From the Ministry", of course. Before I come off as some 1968-era drug casualty -- "not that there's anything wrong with that" --, I might mention that I would be too young for that, and that I also acquired in 1998 a few contemporary, and a bit more contemporary sounding, albums... (Lauryn Hill's comes to mind, as does P J Harvey's.) Before signing off, thanks to Iain Murray for the Fawlty quote, which brought back fond memories of that hilarious "The Germans" episode. Looking forward to biting from 99's Apple Venus (or being bitten by?), Holiday Cheers to all Mario Beaulac
------------------------------ From: KingJeffe@aol.com Message-ID: <541f7a22.367855d2@aol.com> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 19:52:34 EST Subject: Voyeur no more Hello Chalkies, this is my first post after 2 years of "listening in". Just heard "Thanks For Christmas" at the local CVS pharmacy, among the usual array of yuletide tunes that are playing over every speaker system of every convenience store across America. That might just have made my holiday. By the time the song was over, I found I'd been staring blankly at the feminine hygiene products, completely immersed. Now that I've shared that warm bit of fuzziness, here's the shameless begging. If I could impose upon the kindness of some giving soul who might be able to get a copy of the Apple Venus demos for a poor, unfortunate XTC fanatic, that humble fan would surely make a most joyful sound! That extremely grateful, poor, unfortunate XTC fanatic would also be happy to reciprocate in some way with copies of his own XTC demos ( said individual....um..OK, it's me!...has five or six XTC demos of his own...not so poor and unfortunate it would seem ) or some sort of monetary recompense, a small child perhaps....whatever. Alright, enough of that. "You've been saving all your love up....let it out." Happy Holidays all! Jeff Fariello (kingjeffe@aol.com)
------------------------------
Message-ID: <367865C9.17B5@heraldonline.com>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 21:00:43 -0500
From: BPeschel@heraldonline.com (Bill Peschel)
Organization: The Herald
Subject: Andy is Everywhere!
Greetings;
Here's a synchronocity story that I wouldn't tell you if it wasn't true.
It just happened as I write this. All this talk on the list about
recommending bands reminded me of a group I had heard a few years back,
called Voice of the Beehive.
A friend had given me the tape of "Honey Lingers." Two women lead the
group, and they sing pop songs that sound like a mix of Go-Gos with the
wittiness of early Squeeze. Clever wordplay, ringing guitar chords,
biting songs about love and loss. That sort of thing.
I didn't know squat about them, so (now that my workplace has joined the
Information Highway), I looked them up on CDNOW.COM. I'll spare you the
details, look them up yerself.
Here's the point, and I'll quote this comment about their latest (e.g.,
1996) album "Sex & Misery" that I found on the link to imusic.com:
Ahem, "The album is slated for release on April 1, to be preluded with
the single, 'Scary Kisses.' It was produced by Pete Vetesse (Seal, Annie
Lennox, Sophie B. Hawkins, Go West), and contains a co-write between
Tracey and one of her heroes, XTC's Andy Partridge ('Blue In
Paradise.')"
Andy, man. Even when you're not looking for him, he's there.
-- Bill Peschel
Book page editor, Rock Hill (S.C.) Herald
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 20:46:11 -0500 Subject: Best of 98!!!!! Message-ID: <19981216.204955.-294475.1.skybar80@juno.com> From: skybar80@juno.com (Bar From The Sky) [We see an old, rusty cage. Duct-taped right above the door is a sign that says: "Lurker". The Mistress of Lurking/Posting opens the door to the cage, and out crawls Ken. He, as usual, has something to say to the dwellers of the land of Chalkhills. Also, as usual, it is something not worth listening to, and very meaningless. However, it, according to Ken, "just has to be said."] Fellow Dwellers of the Land of Chakhills, On Tuesday, December 15, our fellow Chalkhillian John Irvine asked all of us if we could share with the rest of the Chalkhillians what albums we have bought in the year 1998. Or, in his words, "What did y'all buy that floated yer boats?" I have made the decision to answer this tough, but fun-to-answer question. Allow me, fellow Chalkhillians, to declare the following albums, my Best of '98. 1.)Placebo -- "Without You I'm Nothing" Our boys/she-male from Placebo have once again impressed me with their musical wizardry. From the wise-ass anecdotes of "Pure Morning", to the bizarre "Burger Queen", Brian Molko and his partners in crime have once again proven themselves worthy of being included in my Sacred Book Of OK Bands. Let us give a round of applause for Placebo. 2.)Clutch -- "The Elephant Riders" Their 3rd, and in my opinion, best album since their 1st full-length "Transnational Speedway League...", has to be the most mature and best-written album Clutch have recorded. The songs that have earned a special place in my heart are the hilarious "Wishbone" and the ever-so-sad-yet-amusing "Muchas Veces". Now let us give a round of applause for Clutch. Thank you, my fellow Chalkhillians. I must now return to my Prison of Lurking. Until my next unimportant thought pops up in my mind, farewell. [The Mistress of Lurking/Posting leads Ken back to his rusty Lurker cage. After he has crawled back inside, she closes the door, and locks it up.] --Ken ___________________________________ "Ignore the ignorance just one last first time. You'll never get used to it, but you will." --------Mister Misanthrope-------
------------------------------
Message-Id: <3678872A.FFE5476A@bowdoin.edu>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 23:23:24 -0500
From: Ben Gott/Loquacious Music <bgott@bowdoin.edu>
Organization: http://listen.to/loquacious
Subject: "Apple" Record(s)
Chalkers,
Yay! Two more days until my yummy five-week vacation! College is fun. All I
have to do is plod through a Milton midterm (that Comus is quite a wanker,
eh?), and finish a big paper on "A Raisin in the Sun."
Now, to the XTC...
"Apple Venus" -- Frankly, I don't really care if it's a commercial
success. This might seem completely self-absorbed, but *I* want the album
*now*, because it will certainly be a Ben success. As to its commercial
potential, though: if The Verve can release a six-minute song with no
chorus, no bridge, and the same ostinato repeated over and over, I think
that songs like "Easter Theatre" will be well received. My roommate Curtis
(who is a huge R.E.M./Toad the Wet Sprocket fan) thinks that "Easter
Theatre" is one of the best songs he's ever heard (and both of us can't wait
to hear the finished version!)
Drummers: I think we can pretty much all agree that Terry was stunning...But
could you imagine that heavy-handed hi-hat on "Mayor of Simpleton"? Or
"Omnibus"? Or "Ballet for a Rainy Day"? I think that they should've begged
him to come back for "The Big Express" (because it seems like SUCH his
style), but I'm glad that he's not been around for the last few
records. Now, please don't flame -- I think that the band's music/sound has
changed, and I think that a lot of that change has been for the better. I
mean, imagine if Barry had stayed on? That crazy keyboard playing would've
had no place in "English Settlement," would it? And as to the comment that
Barry's choice of keyboards was annoying: sometimes, I agree. They fit on
"Heatwave," but I find them obnoxious on some of the other tracks. Of
course, my favourite part of Gary Numan's "Cars" is the tambourine, so I
claim no vintage keyboard expertise. (Speaking of which: I saw a picture of
the Moog that whatsisname played on the "Switched on Bach" record. It's
bigger than my damn *house*. Has anyone ever played one? What are they like?
E-mail me privately, 'k?)
Albums of the year:
Grant Lee Buffalo - "Jubilee" -- Paul Fox did an excellent job producing
this. Crunching guitars, layered vox...Simple and interestingly complex at
the same time.
Morrissey - "My Early Burglary Years" -- Yeah, I know I've been kinda
obsessed with this album, but "Swallow on my Neck" is worth the price of
admission alone. (As an interesting aside: my roommate Curtis dreamt that
he got into a fight with Morrissey...over a woman! Apparently, Curtis had
thoroughly kicked Morrissey's butt...but then, when Curtis's back was
turned, Morrissey kicked him in the head. This must mean something.)
Costello/Bacharach - "Painted from Memory" -- At first, I thought that it
was *really* cheesy, until I realized that it was actually endearing. Hey,
Mitch: their "Sessions at West 54th" appearance was released on video.
Seal - "Human Beings" -- OK, sure. It sounds like Mike Oldfield's "Tubular
Bells II." That's because of Trevor Horn, who did a pretty good job
producing this record (and a great job on "Tubular Bells II," which is my #1
album of all time). There are some real standout songs on the Seal CD --
especially the title track, which has a GREAT chorus. He's getting a little
obnoxious (the entire leaf is plastered with e-mail messages), but this
album works fine. (Strangely enough, I might add, none of these albums look
like they'll make my "keep it in the car for repeated listenings"
list...Hmmm...)
My "get the hell on with it!" award goes to R.E.M., for "Up." I guess that
"Up" means that they increased the length of their songs, eh?. Gee whiz,
Michael. Would you *please* grow your hair back and play nice pop music
again? Peter Buck's guitar was conspicuously absent from this album -- a
real shame, in my opinion. Bill Berry's absence was also conspicuous. RIP,
R.E.M.
Barenaked Ladies' "Stunt" was also a nice try, as was Better Than Ezra's
"How Does Your Garden Grow?" Unfortunately, they've made their way to the
back burner...They just don't stand up after repeated listenings (at least
for me...)
Oh, and "Transistor Blast" was great, too!
-Ben
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+
Benjamin Gott :: Bowdoin College :: Brunswick, Maine 04011
ICQ 7737594 :: Telephone (207) 721-5513 :: Mobile (207) 798-1859
You've got to nail it down / That ultra-unbelievable love...
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------------------------------ From: Thynk2much@aol.com Message-ID: <a86f1834.36788c80@aol.com> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 23:45:52 EST Subject: Re: TB: Enough for all of us? >> Hey. I'm just curious: does it seem as if the initial demand for the Transistor Blast set was underestimated, at least here in the States, or is it that TVT is just having a hell of a time getting them distributed? << I called and visited several retail stores in the L.A. area today and couldn't find a single damn copy of the thing. More than one store had it "on order" so it doesn't seem to be a misevaluation of the demand. A Tower Records employee told me that this poor distribution is a common problem with TVT releases. The online delay for an order seems to range from a week to eight weeks. (???) Bad luck for our heroes, in my opinion.... because ya hate to lose those Xmas sales due to lack of availability... people just buy something else instead. Leslie
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.2.32.19981217001234.006b3b4c@mail.interlog.com> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 00:12:34 -0500 From: David Oh <davidoh@interlog.com> Subject: (almost) phil free content. also, RE David Oh hello chalkmarks, >Subject: zappa is the best >Perdon por no escribir en ingles. Yo adoro la musica de Zappa, XTC pardon for no scribbles in espanola. yo, me adore la musica de zappa & xtc, dos! :-D >2) Pat M. played with Mr. Mister - one of the most justifiably maligned >bands of the late 80's. "Take these Beatles lyrics and learn to make a >mint." Gimme a freaking break. That band was so lame it totally taints our >view of poor Pat. it is unfortunate that pat is probably "better" known 4 mr.mr. than xtc. "take this broken wind" indeed! makes me appreciate his playing on "o&l" even more! >Subject: Best of 98? >Here are the discs I bought that I actually like: > >Transistor Blast (duh) anybody heard the barenaked ladies' "stunt"? they're pretty good 4 a canadian band (i can say that as i am canadian - they sure move me more than cryin adams ever has, or ever will!). i find that their songwriting, & humour, is kinda xtc-ish. any1 else agree? disagree? indifferent? >Obligatory Phil Collins content: > >anagram: Chillin' Slop awesum anagram! >Amanda C. Owens >non XTC song-Don't Let Me Down-The Beatles (I have been on an incredible Beatles kick since the >anniversary of John's death passed. "It was 18years ago today, that fucking xxxxxxx took a >genius >away.....") every1, please, as a favour 2 me, anytime any1 mentions john's tragic passing in the future, can u never, ever mention the name of the perpetrator? i can't even bring myself 2 think of that selfish asshole, & i hate that i even have 2 refer 2 that incident here! >Someone please tell me that I am nuts, and that AV1 is going to thrive in the marketplace... i can't tell whether u r, or r not, nutz, but the answer is probably no, it won't thrive in the marketplace. unfortunately, the marketplace, & radio, is 2 saturated with mariah, phil, whitney, garth, celine, spice goils, etc, etc, etc. i really can't c, & personally i don't wanna c, xtc becoming mega-stars @ this point in their careers. i would b nice in a perfect world, but nothing is perfect in this world over! >From: "Steve Jackson" <smj@zen.co.uk> >Subject: RE David Oh >David wrote... >What do you suggest we should be using this forum for then...? It'd be a very dull newgroup >indeed. discussion is great, but all this "my dad's 'better' than yer dad" crap is just pissing in the wind... >David continues<yes, prairie's playing was very good, especially on >Errr yes. Billie (UK only) is 'unique in (her) style' therefore, your logic dictates that she is >as good as a songwriter as AP. Cher is unique in her style also...it doesn't make her any good. huh? i don't get yer line of thought here... ><i saw xtc twice in 1980. terry's drumming was very interesting indeed. again, "meat & >potatoes"; > >Which album is that one on? ;-) i believe it wuz on a bootleg, "drumsticks & walnuts"! :-) >Is "Peasoup" on the same album as "Meat and Potatoes"? yes, as a matter of fact, it is! it was the b-side, i think?!? :-D >the sound signal is run thru an electronic device call a gate, > >Called a gated reverb actually i sit corrected! i forgot the reverb, but then i usually do! >BTW I'm a bit of a smart-arse) really, i hadn't noticed! we'll get along just fine; my arse smarts, 2! btw, if u shorten davidoh, u get d'oh! how appropriate!:-D >"Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side" touche! u've sussed out that i am a little ugly on the side? actually, more than a little ugly... "they call it the earth, which is a dum kinda name, but they named it right 'cause we behave just the same, we r dum all over!" - fz. th-that's all, folks! davidoh
------------------------------ From: "Wesley Hanks" <whanks@earthlink.net> Subject: el Greco Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 20:18:18 -0800 Message-ID: <000001be2974$462927c0$a11c1d26@wes> If I may ask the court's indulgence, m'lord: Seeking a copy of "el Greco" by Vangelis. Guidance via the electric mailopotrodium in a private fashion,if you please. Thanks Wes
------------------------------ From: "Leon X. Deggs" <ldeggs@excite.com> Subject: Astrophobia Revelations Message-Id: <913881321.24855.14@excite.com> Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 23:55:21 PST Morrow Pheeble, Anyhoo, I was stumbling through some Digest or other and someone had wanted ideas concerning lyrical references to stars and ... stuff! How about: See The Constellation - TMBG? 'I stare at the sky all painted black. See the constellation, right across the sky. No cigar, no lady on his arms. Just a guy made of dots and lines' And did we already mention 'Another Satellite'? Or am I Doof? _____________ Leon X. Deggs
------------------------------ Date: 17 Dec 98 15:09:54 AED From: Paul.Culnane@dcita.gov.au Subject: No jacket required.... Message-ID: <0000sgmcgwis.0000phdffffp@dcita.gov.au> ...yep, I'll be able to don the shorts and singlet and start pottering around in my sussudio throughout January. At that tempting prospect I'll probably be comin' in the air tonight. Whoops, sorry! I thought this was the Phil Collins mailing list. Just wanted to wish you all the best for this festive season and I'll see you on t'other side, hopefully with Apple Venus at hand. Shameless plug: if you haven't already done so, check the full-length interviews with Andy Partridge and Terry Chambers at: http://come.to/xtc ...great holiday reading IMNSVHO! Cheers all ~p@ul
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 09:32:52 +0000 (GMT) From: Chris Clee <cmc@sanger.ac.uk> Subject: Re: transistor blast popularity Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.00.9812170931001.29801-100000@piranha> well, according to Andy's records in Cambridge, the album actually charted in the UK, which all goes to show that the band are a lot more popular than most may believe ttfn chris ****************************************** Chris Clee Team 55 The Sanger Centre
------------------------------ From: Holger.Loeschner@mkjff.rlp.de Message-ID: <048208B9F651D21192EA0000F877AAD604CCDB@ns3.mbk.rpl> Subject: Transistor Blast Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 11:05:57 +0100 Hi there I read all the comments about TB and found nothing but praise. Well I cant fully agree. No question, the box is excellent and so are the songs. But the choice will ever be a secret of AP. We have four CD, but: CD One: only 3 out of 13 tracks and on CD Two: only 5 out of 13 tracks, so totally we have 8 of those 26 BBC tracks which were never before on records. Thats less than a third, or around 30 percent of new material and that's very weak in my opinion. CD Three has a running time of only around 39 minutes. Thats around half the capacity of a normal CD - and thats not agreeable in my opinion, a lot has been wasted. And least: there are around 3 CD in official and bootleg versions that contain the Hammersmith concert. So why the hell has this one been chosen again????? Is there no other stuff available in the archives??? Plus: the booklet only contains the same liner notes of AP that appeared in the single BBC CD. I am a great fan, chalkers, really - but that has a bad smell of just X-mas business. I am a bit disappointed. Holger
------------------------------ From: CCooli9575@aol.com Message-ID: <aa6a95ab.3678e9e9@aol.com> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 06:24:25 EST Subject: Re: Career Opportunities (the ones that never knock) >>Critics Pets: Artists Critics Believe Can Do No Wrong >>1. Arrested Development 5. The Clash >>2. The Beatles 6. Elvis Costello >>3. James Brown 38. XTC >>4. Butthole Surfers 40. Neil Young > >Hmm... call me a skeptic, but I'd have a hard time believing >that none of the above artists have ever done wrong. In fact, >if I sit still and think about it for a while, I can come up with >countless examples of them doing wrong. Examples of doing wrong: 1. Don't know their material well enough to comment. 2. Magical Mystery Tour(the movie), "Octopus's Garden," "You Know My Name(Look Up The Number)," letting Phil Spector butcher Let It Be 3. Getting his ass thrown in jail and coasting creatively since 1976. 4. Everything they've done is so damn weird in varying degrees, I could maybe quibble with John Paul Jones overproducing Independent Worm Saloon, but that's about it. 5. The mid-80's line-up that featured three young new guys I have never heard of before or since. Should have been great(I hear the live shows were)but the resulting album Cut The Crap was overproduced, noisy and silly with maybe one and a half decent songs on the whole album. Big mistake. 6. The Juliet Letters. Most of the covers he recorded over the years were rather dodgy. (notable exceptions: "My Funny Valentine," "Eisenhower Blues," "Psycho")I hear the album with Burt Bacharach wasn't as good as it should have been, haven't heard it yet. 38. I'm tempted to say "can't argue with that," though I'd quibble with Andy's decision to stop touring, letting Terry Chambers get away, letting Virgin screw them up the ass, not taking the time to rewrite "Dear God," the studio cover of "All Along The Watchtower," suffice to say that XTC's shit stinks like everybody else's!(Ah, but it's GOOD shit!) 40. They've gotta be joking. Neil practically wrote the book on weird-ass bloodyminded career moves, not all of them entirely without merit. Big mistakes: the 80's CSNY reunion, Journey Through The Past, Everybody's Rockin'. Noble but weird: Trans, Weld(the accompanying disc of nothing but guitar feedback, specifically; Neil's Metal Machine Music), Old Ways, his grunged-out cover of "On Broadway." Chris
------------------------------ Message-Id: <v01540b00b29e87e7ce44@[158.152.74.66]> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 10:28:37 +0000 From: yukio@orgone.demon.co.uk (yukio yung) Subject: Top 9 of 98 As long as everyone else is playing... 9. Alain Baschung - Fantaisie Militaire (inscrutible Frenchman who's been going for hundreds of years) 8. Dogbowl - The Zeppelin Record (not Mr T's finest, but good to have him back) 7. Flick - The Perfect Kellulight (embarrassingly good - embarrassingly young) 6. Various - Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures (best compilation ever made) 5. Roy Vedas - Fragments of Life (EP) (desperate - Cher's producers obviously thought it was a good idea) 4. Cotton Mather - Kontiki (incredibly good left-field beatlesy pop - groovy tunes) 3. Loud Family - Day For Day (goes without saying...) 2. Eels - Electro Shock Blues (hope he's got it out of his system - best gig of 98 or any other year) and obviously... 1. Jason Falkner - 17A (THE uberpopmeister of the late 90s - in a league of his own)
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #5-42 ******************************
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