Chalkhills Digest Volume 5, Issue 45
Date: Monday, 21 December 1998

          Chalkhills Digest, Volume 5, Number 45

                 Monday, 21 December 1998

Today's Topics:

           2 requests to Chalkhills subscibers
                    AV 1 release date
               Apple Venus I Release Date?
                          Oops!
                          Lennon
              AUTOreverse Online radio show
                         Re: 1998
                  My Wife And Air Supply
                    Re: Boats Floating
                       John Lennon
                Thanks, that Beatles Post
                         Drummers
                        Re: Top n
                  The Hills Are Alive...
                     Re: John Lennon
                      Best Of 1998??
                     Top Of The Pops
                  An important message!
                        On Strike?
                   Re: JOL and 12.8.80
            Life is good in the greenhouse. :)
               Oranges and lemons question
                         Roundup
                    My turn! My turn!
                   Re: Transistor Blast

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Countdown . . . 4 days!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jdmack01@aol.com
Message-ID: <ce95ea31.367b28a0@aol.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 23:16:32 EST
Subject: 2 requests to Chalkhills subscibers

Tim wrote:

<<WOW!  I can't believe it - a review of APPLE VENUS has
already been published.>>

O.K., this means that there are advance copies of the album officially
floating around out there now (most likely CD's).  So my first request to
everyone on Chalkhills - if you come across one of these babies before the
official release, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF!  Please don't taunt everyone else on
the list by submitting your song by song review of the album before the rest
of us get to hear it.

Request number 2: In America, the main magazine for charts is Billboard, and
Billboard bases its album chart on actual album sales as scanned at the cash
registers.  I remember being astonished when the Primus album "Pork Soda"
debuted at number 7, but it was able to do so because every fan ran out to
buy the album within a couple of days of its release.  Let's do the same for
"Apple Venus, Volume 1."  If every XTC fan buys the album right when it
comes out, we can certainly give XTC their highest chart position ever for
one of their albums.

Oh, and a note to TVT records: don't you DARE release "Apple Venus" at a
later date than the rest of the world!  I promise you that the die hard fans
will rush to buy it as an import, and US sales will be virtually
nonexistent.

J.D.

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199812190424.UAA06183@sgi.sgi.com>
Subject: AV 1 release date
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 98 22:24:03 -0600
From: steve <schiavo@home.com>

Just got the new ICE today, *tentative* release date for AV 1 is February
23, 1999.

BTW, Prairie Prince is now in Jefferson Starship, along with Kantner,
Balin, and Casady.

- Steve

------------------------------

Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19981218233906.006a7a6c@pop.calweb.com>
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 23:39:06 -0800
From: Steven Reule <steven@obsessed-with-music.com>
Subject: Apple Venus I Release Date?

Greetings fellow fanatics:

ICE now lists the release date of Apple Venus (Volume One) as Feb 23.

Will this waiting never end???!!!

Steve

steven@obsessed-with-music.com
http://www.obsessed-with-music.com

------------------------------

Message-ID: <367C1900.4DA8@schoollink.net>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 13:22:08 -0800
From: Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net>
Organization: CIC
Subject: Oops!

In my previous post re: JB's pinheaded
opinion on JL's murder, I inadvertantly
began it with --

> Jackie Brown in CH5_43 was on crack evidently
> when he wrote:

I realize now that the dude's name is
Jason, not Jackie!  Must give proper
"credit" where it's due, eh?  Hmmm...

Think about it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net>

"Imagination like a muscle will
 increase with exercise."
(Peter Blegvad)

------------------------------

From: GFROBE@aol.com
Message-ID: <1af6e500.367c151d@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 16:05:33 EST
Subject: Lennon

To John B, who wrote that John Lennon was "just a songwriter"... I'm not
really sure how someone could so painfully miss how much more Lennon was and
will continue to be to generations of people.  I could sit here and write
for two days trying to explain it to you but it's pretty clear that you just
wouldn't get it...

------------------------------

Message-ID: <367C3DC4.995C28F4@hotmail.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 18:59:00 -0500
From: AUTOreverse <autoreverse@hotmail.com>
Organization: http://come.to/autoreverse
Subject: AUTOreverse Online radio show

Is it a radio show? An online mix tape? A complete waste of 25 minutes?
Or all of that and more...

featuring "Bright Spot" by Chalkhillrocker JASON GARCIA (aka TOP 40).

_AUTOreverse_ music magazine comes to life, NPR-style, in streaming
Real Audio.

http://www.netwalk.com/~stewart/CLUBAUTO.ram

Hear tracks by JAMES CALL, C BROWNE JR, TOP 40, PUSH BUTTON, SMARTYPANTS,
HO TU, COOKIEPUSHER and MARKUS REUTER!

John Peel ain't got nothin' on CLUB AUTO!

------------------------------

From: Nudeants@aol.com
Message-ID: <1478cd57.367c63fe@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 21:42:06 EST
Subject: Re: 1998

I forgot a couple of purchases I made this year that were meant to go on
the list, but they inexplicably slipped my mind:

1)The artist formerly known as Prince: Crystal Ball.  Some things are
better than others in this set, but its all at least good in my opinion,
some things are stunning.

2) The Miles Davis Quintet Complete Studio Recordings '65-'68: All the main
albums I had before, but the 1.5 hours of new stuff, packaging, and the
bonus of having it all in one package made it worthwhile.

3) Boredoms: Super ae Just got this one, and its great.  Long, very trippy,
more slowly paced than previous efforts, but GREAT.

OK, that's really it.

matt

------------------------------

From: CCooli9575@aol.com
Message-ID: <71eb88c2.367c77cd@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 23:06:37 EST
Subject: My Wife And Air Supply

>I'll end this ramble for now; sometime I'd also like to ask about
>whether XTC possibly appeals more to males than females (and don't tell
>me there aren't gender gaps in music - or why is the ratio of men to
>women so high at Jean Luc Ponty or Pat Metheny concerts?)
>
>Any suggestions appreciated...thank you!
>
>PHIL

  Didn't see the point in quoting the whole thing; suffice to say I
understand the challenge of great musical differences. You can't get much
different than my wife and me; her favorite band is Air Supply. You get the
idea already, I'm sure. Her most important criteria in music is how it
makes her feel, and Air Supply sets her ever-loving heart all
a-flutter. But believe it or not, I have no problem with it, because it's
part of who she is. She has every single one of their albums(including
their early Australian releases)and is as serious a fan as we are of
XTC. Not just someone who heard their hits a few times in the 80's. I can
appreciate someone being a REALLY serious fan of ANYTHING, even if it's
something I have no use for myself. I'm more interested in that than people
who just shallowly listen to what's popular because it's popular. I mean,
she stuck with them after they stopped having hits. As for other music
she's into, her next favorites include Carly Simon, Billy Joel, Whitney
Houston, Phil Collins(BOOGA BOOGA! IT'S HIM AGAIN!), really mainstream
stuff.  But since she met me, out of all the stuff I've played her what's
stuck has been more folk-oriented stuff like Christine Lavin, Jonathan
Richman, Loudon Wainwright III, and really off-the-wall stuff like Wild Man
Fischer and The Shaggs. I guess the innocence of the latter two and the
candor and good humor of the former are what did it. My wife appreciates
genuineness and sincerity in musicians, and I must admit Air Supply has it
in spades, though I still find their music impossibly sugary. They really
love their fans though.

   For some reason, most of the XTC fans I knew in college in the 80's were
female and highly intelligent. I found that significant. With one
exception, I didn't go out with any of them either. Just as well; my wife's
and my difference keep us from getting bored.

Chris

------------------------------

From: CCooli9575@aol.com
Message-ID: <fa22394f.367c77dd@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 23:06:53 EST
Subject: Re: Boats Floating

>  I bought some stuff that sucked, but I won't go
>into that here.  What did y'all buy that floated yer boats?
>
>-John Irvine

  It was a pretty sucky year for new releases for me; I brought a fair
amount of musis this year, but mostly in the bargain bin at Pure Pop
Records; they had a surprising number of $1 cassettes and $1-3 CDs this
year that were worth getting at full price that I might not have taken a
chance on otherwise.  Practically all of these weren't 1998 releases,
though. Only a few 1998 releases I brought were truly essential as in rush
out and get it right now.

They are as follows:
Car Wheels On A Gravel Road-Lucinda Williams
Between Us-Jules Shear
The Horse Whisperer(Soundtrack)-Various

Flawed but enjoyable:
Abandon-Deep Purple(I wasn't expecting it from those old farts either!)
Imagination-Brian Wilson
Vertical Man-Ringo Starr
Let's Go Do What Happens-Francis Dunnery

That's really all I can think of.

Chris

------------------------------

Message-ID: <MAPI.Id.0016.00746166666f72643030303830303038@MAPI.to.RFC822>
From: "Stafford" <stafford@gtii.com>
Subject: John Lennon
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 98 23:25:53 PST

I recently have read XTC's Song Stories and some of the posts in here.
Andy Partridge speaks of playing Rain on the night of John Lennon's death,
powerful memory.  My memory is of my mother waking me up on my 12th
birthday by telling me someone had shot John Lennon.  I was already quite
into music by then, played 3 or 4 instruments and Lennon was just about my
favorite musician at the time.  I was inconsolable that day, I spent most
of it in my room with my records.  Every year on my birthday I will hear
some news bite about how John Lennon died in 1980, and I will flash back to
how my mother awoke me that day.  I was angry with her for weeks, like it
was partially her fault.  So for me celebrating John Lennon's music has
become a part of my birthday celebration.  Maybe this is not interesting to
any of you but it is something I thought I would share...something like
Andy crying as he sang Rain in Liverpool.  A memory that sticks with you
always...

Lisa Stafford

The sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace, where
hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees.
Yo-ho it's hot, the sun is not a place where we could live, but here on
earth there'd be no life without the light it gives.  We need it's light,
we need it's heat, we need it's energy.  Without the sun without a doubt
there'd be no you and me.
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/studio/3403

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199812200428.XAA10960@fs.IConNet.NET>
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 23:28:28 -0500
Subject: Thanks, that Beatles Post
From: "John Irvine" <jirvine@bellatlantic.net>

First off, thanks to all for all yer top o' 98 lists.  THIS is the place I
get tips on bands from.  Lord knows I never hear nuthin' decent on the god
damned radio.  Other band/fan net lists and sites are also real useful, and
I don't consider finding out what other fans are listening to remotely off
topic.  Thank you all.  Here's the off topic part:

That post about the Beatles was insensitive and entirely beneath contempt.
I am shocked, and I simply cannot stand by and let ANYONE tell me that You
Know My Name, Look Up the Number is anything less than STELLAR.  Play it
now.  Listen to it.  Love it.  Hello and welcome to slaggers...

John Irvine

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199812200452.UAA22164@law-f98.hotmail.com>
From: "Molly Fanton" <mollyfa@hotmail.com>
Subject: Drummers
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1998 20:52:48 PST

Michael Davis said:
<<i've read dozens of posts about which XTC drummer was the best,
and i wonder if anyone else honestly never notices the drums when
listening to music.>>

I agree, I don't pay attention to the drumming.  I don't really care who
the drummer is.  I just think all this harping on who is the best XTC
drummer is, but hey I think they are all great.

Molly

------------------------------

Message-ID: <367CE38A.18CB@bhip.infi.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 07:46:21 -0400
From: Brian <mattone@bhip.infi.net>
Subject: Re: Top n

Tschalkgerz!

>1) Django Bates: Quiet Nights Unbelivable arrangements of mostly standard
tunes, with a Scandinavian singer, Josefine Cronholm, who sounds
wonderful. Worth getting for anyone who has even slightly adventurous
tastes.<

I recall a Dave Stewart column in a past issue of Keyboard magazine
where he (in his amusing Brit style) went about describing Django Bates'
interpretation of the Frank Sinatra classic "New York, New York"... I've
kinda been on the lookout for it ever since.

--
 BRIAN THOMAS MATTHEWS
* Digital & traditional illustration/animation
* Caricaturist-for-hire
* RENDERMAN ~ One-Man Band Ordinaire
SAPRINGER CENTRAL ~ http://www.angelfire.com/fl/sapringer
mailto:mattone@bhip.infi.net

------------------------------

Message-ID: <367CB1C2.E7E5E978@erols.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 08:13:53 +0000
From: "Neal H. Buck" <nealhbuck@erols.com>
Subject: The Hills Are Alive...

Hello Hill-billys,

I just wanna weigh in a'fore the Holidays. Guess I'll start by saying
that though the political/social commentary gets a bit too verbose and
antagonistic sometimes, its just a sign that we are vital and alive (ah!
the subject tie-in!). No, I don't want a separate digest for non-XTC
views. It may taste like bitter medicine, but as long as I still get my
XTC and other musical content, its good for me to hear other views and
realize how different we who like the same band are. How can so many
different people be weird?

Like many posters (tacked to a wall & curling at the edges), my top
album list is not restricted to '98 releases:

1) Jimmy's Chicken Shack, "Pushing the Salmonella Envelope" - I just LUV
"High"
2) Soundtrack to "Spawn" - Amazing pairings/mix of "punk" & "techno"
artists. LUV "Trip Like I Do." I need a dose of old, pop XTC after this
one to avoid killing myself, however.

As an aside, while I was in Reno, I saw 2 great shows: Carlene Carter at
a glitzy, hi-tech casino; and Crystal Method at a country/western bar -
go figure.

3) Kula Shaker "K" - I'm not sure what the deal is with this guy's rep.
I've heard something about him making pro-Nazi remarks, though I don't
know whether this is another "Bigger than Jesus" flap or the real thing.
All I know is that there's some real hot jamming going on this album.
Better psuedo-60's than Lenny K. IMHO. "Hey Dude" ROCKS!
4) Prodigy, "The Fat of the Land" - Especially "Pressure"
5) Third Eye Blind - Sorry folks, I think they're worthy.

For archive's sake:
Time Zone "World Destruction" CD single
Soundtrack to "Wild in the Streets" LP
Be-Bop Deluxe "Futurama" LP
Bill Nelson's Red Noise "Sound on Sound" LP (I have an old tape, and I'm
still waiting on a CD re-issue)

In my last post, I didn't go into WHY I liked the Purple P. Obviously,
the music appeals to me, but the thing that blows me away is his live
performance. I'm amazed that a guy can play that well AND do all those
acrobatics at the same time! I'm not into his Holy/Profane rap, and I
only have one CD ("Purple Rain") and one tape ("Around the World in a
Day"), but I've liked what I've heard of his other stuff.

There are plenty of artists/groups whom I respect, but don't "collect."
Since we were on an FZ kick, I think it's fair that I bring up George
Clinton/P-Funk, often referred to as the "Black Zappa." Some of the
music I've dug (esp. "Flashlight"), but a lot of the rest seems to
suffer from the same gross-out factor as FZ's.

BTW, how many are into the comedian Eddie Izzard? I know that you in the
UK esp. are aware of him, but that he's relatively unknown here in the
US of A. I just bought a British music mag "Select," which featured a CD
of new music, incl. a bit from "Dressed to Kill." It included a
reference to our boy's hometown, while not neccessarily flattering (not
that the lads are always flattering, either), is still sort of relevant.
I don't know a lot about Eddie (my mother actually introduced me to his
work via "Glorious," but then again, she was into the Beatles before me,
too), but he's always described as a transvestite. Yet whenever I've
seen pictures of him, he's dressed "glam," rather than like, say,
RuPaul. What's the deal?

This has gone on long enough,
Merry Merry and a Happy New One,
(I think XTC should have a fan club and send us Christmas CDs like the
Fab 4 used to)
Neal

------------------------------

From: Nudeants@aol.com
Message-ID: <87e02306.367d2409@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 11:21:29 EST
Subject: Re: John Lennon

Concerning the Lennon/Christ issue.

Not bad, but somehow I suspect Christ didn't go through a phase when he
beat the women he was with, or was repeatedly unfaithful to his wife, or
abused hard drugs like heroin.  (I know, it was the sixties, mahhn...
whatever.  I didn't live then anyway, so what do I know.  I DO know that
there are many dumbass musicians today that still fall into the same trap)
Keep in mind how he helped along the alienation process that was the
Beatles unfolding with the whole Yoko thing.

I usually don't want to make grand sweeping statements like that.  After
all, what the fuck do I, some 23-year-old male originally from Philadelphia
who first loved XTC when he heard the sequence on Big Express from
'Smalltown' to 'You're the Wish You Are I Had,' know?  Nothing, besides
what I read, and these are all facts that appear in various places.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE John Lennon's music, mostly as it manifests
itself through the Beatles.  I have no desire to slander him or deify him.
Again, the things I said are commonly known facts, at least among 3rd-rate
Beatles- heads.  He was a MAN, a HUMAN BEING, who had the 'failings' and
'shortcomings' common to every human being; that's not to say his
particular things were common to everyone, of course.  I just don't
associate Christ-like figures with having anything remotely negative about
their being.  Maybe I'll outgrow that concept, who knows.

I also hope that I won't be accused of having 'balls for brains' for having
this opinion.

matt mitchell

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 15:44:42 -0500
From: Steve Pitts <Steve_Pitts@compuserve.com>
Subject: Best Of 1998??
Message-ID: <199812201545_MC2-6447-FE76@compuserve.com>

Chalkfolks,

> Not going to try and slip in a a top-10 list before Mr. Relph shuts that
down <

Surely not <g>

FWIW I've not been solvent enough this year (sad what effect three
children, a mortgage and countless problems with an eight year old car can
have on one's record buying habits) to buy much new (or old, come to that)
music, but my choice of album of 1998 would be Roy Harper's
'thedreamsociety'. It would seem that that has me completely out of sync
with the vast majority of posters of lists, but what da heck.

One thing that both Roy and XTC have in common would have to be that
they're much loved amongst a very vocal group of fans but largely
unrecognised by the mainstream. Also, they've both had major disagreements
with their record companies, and it might be an interesting tidbit that Roy
has managed to buy back the rights to pretty much all of his considerable
output (18 'studio' albums plus 10 or so 'live' ones) and resorted to
'self-publishing' it all in order that it be available to his fan base.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the 'season of goodwill' delivering (at
least <G>) 'Transistor Blast', Squeeze's 'Domino' and Billy Bragg's
'Mermaid Avenue', so my album of 1998 may have changed come the end of
January

Cheers, Steve

------------------------------

Message-Id: <199812202125.WAA27296@mail.knoware.nl>
From: "Mark Strijbos" <mmello@knoware.nl>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 22:33:38 +0000
Subject: Top Of The Pops

Dear Chalkers,

Best three albums of 1998? Easy...

(1) XTC - Transistor Blast
(2) XTC - The Greatest (japanese compilation)
(3) XTC - Live At The Paradiso 1982

Am I kidding? Most certainly not!

yours in xtc,

Mark Strijbos at The Little Lighthouse
 http://www.knoware.nl/users/mmello/
     or http://come.to/xtc

------------------------------

Message-ID: <367DA60C.1AEE@schoollink.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 17:36:12 -0800
From: Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net>
Organization: CIC
Subject: An important message!

Hey all --

Just wanted to wish everyone on
the mailing list here a wonderful
Christmas and hope it really rocks
for you all!!  Much continued success
in whatever you do in the new year
as well.

Here's to a new XTC album release in
1999!!!  :-)

Peace --

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/Dan Phipps <phipps@schoollink.net>

"Imagination like a muscle will
 increase with exercise."
(Peter Blegvad)

------------------------------

From: "Michael Harvey" <mdharvey@home.com>
Subject: On Strike?
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 16:51:20 -0500
Message-ID: <000001be2c62$e1b1dde0$8dfe0218@cc321554-a.mcmb1.mi.home.com>

Eric Bittingham wrote: "I have gone online and to local stores, and everyone
is preaching the gospel of the 'backorder'."

At the store where I purchased my copy of Transistor Blast the owner told
how lucky I was to get one of his only two copies since the plant where they
are being produced has been shut down due to a strike. So, if this is true
I'm sure you can hang in there for labor. I know no details but am passing
on what the distributor told the owner of my local CD store
"Rock-a-Billy's".

As this is my first posting after lurking for 3 weeks, I'd like to say hello
to all in Chalkhills. I have been an XTC fan for countless years and it is
unbelievable how much hearing about you all has reignited my XTC fires.

M Harvey

------------------------------

Message-ID: <367D7839.A244D8FB@pobox.com>
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 17:20:41 -0500
From: Jefferson Ogata <ogata@pobox.com>
Subject: Re: JOL and 12.8.80

Well, I wouldn't have thought this needed to be said, but I haven't
seen it said yet, and there's at least one person out there who
doesn't understand this simple fact, so:

The reason John Lennon's death was profoundly significant is that
it terminated any hope of a Beatles reunion.

If you don't see the significance of that, not only in music, but
across a broad cultural context, try free association on the
following word list: Nixon, Hoffa, Sonny and Cher, herpes, AIDS,
Phil Collins, nuclear stockpiling, and a happy new year.

--
smtp: Jefferson Ogata <ogata@pobox.com>
http://www.pobox.com/~ogata/
$ whois -h whois.internic.net jo317

------------------------------

Message-ID: <19981221042337.29503.qmail@hotmail.com>
From: "Amanda Owens" <daveizgod@hotmail.com>
Subject: Life is good in the greenhouse. :)
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 20:23:36 PST

Sorry I don't have anything to add to the list of Best of 98, but the
only new album I bought this year was Cherry Poppin Daddies. Nothing
else really caught my eye, so most of my money was spent on building up
my Beatles collection.

Just dropping the line that Dave called me tonight. (Sunday, 8 PM, about
midnight Swindon time.)

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-Rocket From a Bottle
non XTC song-Goodbye-Spice Girls(Shoot me if you will, I love this
song.)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 10:38 +0100
Message-id: <199812210938.VcHF@memo.volvo.se    >
From: PAR NILSSON <VCC2.PARN@MEMO.VOLVO.SE>
Subject: Oranges and lemons question

I'm forwarding this query from my girlfriend. Feel free to reply
to her directly at molle.kanmert@swipnet.se.

Cheers,

Par

*------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi there, all you XTC buffs!

I'm a Swedish translator seeking some wisdom, and figured
Chalkhills would be just about the right place to look for it.

In a translation I'm currently working on, I've come across the
expression 'Oranges and lemons' (as in, '...say the bells of St
Clement...'), and it occurred to me that it can be found in the
XTC mythology. My question is, What does it mean? I mean, I know
it's a nursery rhyme or something that kids sing in the school
choir -- but for a native English speaking person, what comes to
mind when s/he hears it? What does it stand for, or imply? What
kind of feelings does it bring about?

Hopefully, some of you will see what I'm grasping at here. I'm not
quite sure myself, but it would really be helpful to know a bit
more. In the book, this tune is the score in people's dreams of
the world's end, so I figure it's important to know why the author
would use that particular song.

TIA,
Molle Kanmert

---- 98-12-21 10:38 ---- Sant till     ---------------------------
  -> chalkhills(a)mando.engr.sgi.com

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 12:25:01 +0100 (MET)
From: Martin van Rappard <rappard@dds.nl>
Subject: Roundup
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.90.981221115426.25135A-100000@fatima.dds.nl>

Dear Chalkers,

My apologies for a) not discussing Phil Collins, tax systems or politics
and b) being long, windy, pompous and verbose, but hey, so are Dom &
Sherwood, the Tweedledum & Tweedledee of this list.

1) In #5-32 Paul.Culnane@dcita.gov.au discussed Primus' covers of Making
Plans For Nigel and Scissor Man. Those two songs turned me to examine
XTC's work more closely, so I'm grateful to Les Claypool for that, but
IMHO the covers don't really add much to the original songs - they're
faithful reproductions, no more, no less.

2) My kissthisguy moment: mistaking "amount of tears" for "a mound of
tears" (in Dear God) - how very poetic, and how very barmy.

3) Zappa & Prince: they both put out an amazing amount of rubbish, and an
amazing amount of good songs - anyone doubting their musical genius must
be insane.

4a) Transistor Blast: I finally got my copy in the mail through Action
Records (www.action-records.co.uk) - shops here stocked it as well, but I
didn't want to take any chances. Highlights for me are
Disc 1: the John Peel imitation, Scarecrow People, the lovely childlike
and nimble (almost wrote "quirky") percussion in Ten Feet Tall, Another
Satellite.
Disc 2: Snowman, Nigel, Jason and The Argonauts.
Disc 3: I'm sorry to say that I'm mildly disappointed by this one - it
sounds a bit flat and all the same to my ears.
Disc 4: the crowd chanting at the beginning of Respectable Street and the
staccato singing of Are You Receiving Me?
  I can understand people complaining about the scarcity of new material
on TB, but if you're new at XTC (like me) this box set is a great way to
start. Like most, I'm somewhat disappointed by the weak liner notes and
the rather fragile slimline cases.
  I also requested on the Cooking Vinyl postcard that came with the CD that
they put out collections of B-sides and Demos. Hey, I can dream...

4b) Aan Mark: De Volkskrant had een goede bespreking van TB afgelopen
vrijdag - laat het me even weten als je een kopie hiervan wilt.

5) SeamusII@webtv.net (Nanette & Phil Smith) wrote:
> 2.) What songs/albums would you suggest as most likely to interest her
> (before you say 'how should I know?' see more details below.)
I always suggest (to American friends, at least) to start with Upsy Daisy
Assortment - if they hate that, they certainly won't like the albums.
Only problem is that when listening I find the sequence of songs on UDA
rather weird, but it's simply chronological, so it's just me.

6) Could someone e-mail me privately with the digest number that contained
the brilliant analysis of Helicopter - I lost it, and don't have the time to
wade through previous digests.

7) My favourites of 1998 (in no particular order):
Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing
Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves
Bob Mould - The Last Dog And Pony Show
Transistor Blast (obvious)
Beck - Mutations
Soul Coughing - El Oso
Eels - Electro-Shock Blues
Elliot Smith - XO
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
Jimi Hendrix - BBC Sessions (was this brought out in 1998?)

8) And of course happy holidays to everyone on this list!

Sincerely,

Martin

------------------------------

Message-ID: <003301be2cdc$ad4a2f60$1700000a@andy-pii>
From: "Andy Miller" <andymiller@4thestate.co.uk>
Subject: My turn! My turn!
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 12:23:12 -0000

Top quality pop polity, class of 98 -

1. Rufus Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright

2. Either/Or - Elliott Smith

3. Breaking God's Heart - Hefner

4. Here We Go/Trippy - Arab Strap

5. This is Hardcore - Pulp

6. More You Becomes You - Plush

7. Moon Safari - Air

8. Through the Trees - The Handsome Family

9. The Surveillance - Trans Am

10. Guilty: 30 Years of... - Randy Newman

Merry Christmas everybody - see you in the dying months of the century (oh
yes).

Best wishes
Andy

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 09:28:45 -0500
From: Cooking Vinyl <Cooking_Vinyl@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Transistor Blast
Message-ID: <199812210929_MC2-6459-2A38@compuserve.com>

>From: "Damian Foulger" <damian@imclaser.com>
>
>> :) The flimsy neon cd-cases are very cheezy though. One would expect
>> slightly sturdier construction for $40+, but I'm glad I have it
>
>I must have a different version of the above mentioned set.  I
>thought that the flimsy neon cd-cases were great value for the $23
>that I paid for TB.

they cost a fortune to make!!! We thought they were very special(:

------------------------------

End of Chalkhills Digest #5-45
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Go back to Volume 5.

21 December 1998 / Feedback