Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 158
Date: Thursday, 8 June 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 158
Thursday, 8 June 2000
Topics:
spacious oddities
Andy's guitar lesson
jukebox ju ju (no xtc)
Comments on AV2
Colin's Beach Boys influence
wether ?
XTC video tapes
Post-Modern
Colin
Boarded Up no more
More Waspish Moments
Re: An Open Letter To TVT Records.
A little Clearasil
He Can Play Everyday
Pronunciation
Barn door shut; horse *long* gone...
The poison pen
One Wasp Buzzing.
Guitar Lesson on guitar.com
Beatown
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If I could see you, I'd complain about the noise.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 14:47:35 EDT From: Jeff Rosedale <rosedale@columbia.edu> Subject: spacious oddities Message-ID: <CMM.0.90.4.960403655.rosedale@aloha> Dangerous territory, first-listening impressions with XTC. Here are a few, because they can't go anywhere else. Yes, it's still them- which says a lot! But... I find the album an odd mosaic of sounds and ideas. There's so much clipping, chopping, layering. There seems to be an effort to insert lots of empty space in the middle of things, making it kind of like looking at a stainless steel sculpture in a funhouse mirror. And speaking of metal, those gorgeous silvery guitar tones seem to be gone forever. Dave's Rickenbacker 12 string has been relegated to the dustbin of history along with the clapped steam organ and dungeon-echoed snare of earlier days. Can't help thinking about what happened to the drums and wires. Mummer also sounded like a mutant on first listening and I now love it, so AV2 must get more plays. But like that album, the stress appears to be on differentiating new from old. They say every new relationship seeks to fix the problems of the old one. Maybe too many dials were twiddled. The music certainly matches the font on the cover art! Somehow Tim Finn's Say it is So does it a little more gracefully. I can't stand Colin's voice on Standing in for Joe, but Boarded Up is the runaway best tune on the album. Frankly, I like almost all of the demos better than the album tracks- meaning that they are great songs, but the treatment leaves me baffled. Had to get that out of my system. Bring on the flatbed tour. It's the perfect foil. --Jeff
------------------------------ Date: 07 Jun 2000 15:49:33 -0500 From: blindowl@sympatico.ca Subject: Andy's guitar lesson Message-ID: <20000607194454.VYAT18673.tomts2-srv.bellnexxia.net@[209.226.184.131]> Go to the website as suggested by Jan Harris http://www.guitar.com/features/viewfeature.asp?featureID=81 Two streaming videos with sound of Andy Partridge giving guitar lessons using songs from Wasp Star. Plus an article. Fantastic. Chalkhills has been a great venue for sending me to this, the Strawberry Fields demo, and various other great sites. Thanks ~~~ Derek C.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 12:29:50 -0700 (PDT) From: brown <mb2@deltanet.com> Subject: jukebox ju ju (no xtc) Message-ID: <200006071929.MAA18871@mail2.deltanet.com> ..all this chitter-chatter about the jukebox 'pariah' selection... here's mine- About ten years ago, while drinking with some childhood pals at the local watering hole, I decided to pop my change into the music machine and fire up Foghat's Slowride... it wasn't 30 seconds before I got up and left... Debora 'fool for the city' Brown
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 16:01:49 -0400 From: Dempsey Elks <elksdw@aur.alcatel.com> Subject: Comments on AV2 Message-ID: <393EAA2D.61E0D738@aur.alcatel.com> Organization: Alcatel USA Inc, Raleigh NC Ok, sufficient time has gone buy to give my assessment of AV vol II and other things. First I must say that I have been listening to XTC since White Music. With the release of each recording I initially get the same feeling. At first it seems a little disappointing mostly because I have dreamed up in my imagination something that could only exist in my head. Then I start to hear the new recording and realize it is even better than I had imagined. I have always been impressed with Andy's lyrics, the interplay between the guitars, (Drums and Wires - to - Nonesuch) and Colin's brilliantly melodic bass lines. From early on I was hooked. I really like the sound of Wasp Star. To me it has more of a band sound than anything they have done in a long time. I like the open feel of the recording. It doesn't seem like it was recorded in a totally dead environment. There is a live, room feel to the overall sound. The vocals seem clear to me as well. There is space in the music. As for the songs, I didn't listen to the Demo's so the songs are all new and fresh to me. Songs of note that surprise me are: "Boarded Up" The first thing that came to mind is Daniel Lanois for some reason. Probably the ambience of the recording. "Wounded Horse" Just when I think I have him pegged Andy pops up with this gem. I think it is great how he uses the style of the song combined with vocalization to convey mood and meaning. "The Man Wo Murdered Love" What can I say? I just think is is a great song. I think Wasp Star is a great record. I liked AV1 and thought it was a stellar work but I'm a fan of the electric pop sound and Wasp Star appeals to that side of me. To comment on recent posts: > > In > 6-152, Bob O'Bannon said something that's just not on: > "I am willing to bet that later converts to XTCism are more > excited about Wasp Star than, say, pre-Skylarking converts are, and I think > this is largely because of the point I am trying to make." Not for me. > Brett Said: > Lastly, the whole thing is then placed onto a CD which is actually a digital > "sample" of the original recording. As amazing as our technology is, a > little known fact is that they still don't quite hold up to the fidelity of > vinyl records. Digital formats make music much like a projector makes > movies. Pictures of the music (samples) are taken at very short intervals > and mathematically grafted together to give the illusion of continuous play. > The stuff you miss in-between these samples also takes an emotional toll on > the music.<<<<< I don't want to start one of those vinyl vs Digital recordings arguments but I don't quite agree. Digital recordings can, given the proper equipment and technique, sound better than vinyl. I still have a turntable and plenty of records and some of them do sound very good but I don't miss the fact that every time I play one I am reducing its sound quality. I don't miss tape hiss and crack and pop. I don't miss turning the records over and I don't miss all the tracking setup and cleaning I did with records. What I do miss is the size of the artwork and the smell of opening a new record and sliding it out of the sleeve for the first time. I think 16 bit audio CD's are going to go away in the near future and be replaced with something like the audio on DVD's and this I will welcome. > Is there anybody out there who can download the guitar.com videos and > save them as a QuickTime 3 or AVI movie so that I can watch them? My > poor machine just can't deal with all this new technology. This would be cool... I'll go back to lurk mode now. Dempsey -- Dempsey Elks Alcatel USA Raleigh N.C. elksdw@aur.alcatel.com
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 17:29:24 -0400 From: fagnello@ascap.com Subject: Colin's Beach Boys influence Message-ID: <852568F7.007631E2.00@notessmtp1.ascap.com> Hello Chalksters: Jim Hinchman wrote: Has anyone besides me noticed the (harmonium) on Boarded Up? It sounds extremely reminiscent of "Fall Breaks Then Back To Winter..." by the Beach Boys (from Smiley Smile).... Yes, and it's not the only instance of Colin's Beach Boys influence. Compare the clarinet on "War Dance" to the clarinets on the coda (long fadeout) of the alternate "Heroes and Villains" (the one with the "in the cantina" segment) on the Good Vibrations box. It's nearly the same line. Also compare the last choruses of "Cynical Days," (where they really pile on the vocals) to, say, "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times." Not as close, but definitely of the same family. Any more? Cheers, F.A.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 23:01:33 +0000 From: Jayne Myrone <myrone@tesco.net> Subject: wether ? Message-ID: <393ED445.65C8809C@tesco.net> Rory "Any resemblance to a rational statement is entirely coincidental" Wilsher wrote >p.s. there's a typo on my inlay booklet in YATC: wether instead of whether is this also on the US release?< Useless info - I was checking that it wasn't my spelling, and came across a definition for "wether": "A castrated ram" Is there something I'm missing here? Re Latin & "axis mundi" - I thought that the Vactican used Latin still & had/has a radio station that broadcasts in Latin. A quick review of WS: If this CD was a man I'd want to take it home & have it's children - & I make cuckoos look maternal. wondering if CDs wear out Jayne the Worrier Queen please take a minute & visit the site below. By clicking on the donate button money is given to the UN's World Food Programme. http://www.thehungersite.com/index.html "Nothing is meaningless if one likes to do it" Gertrude Stein
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 18:01:54 -0400 From: "Ian C Stewart" <ian@AUTOreverse.net> Subject: XTC video tapes Message-ID: <200006072206.SAA23506@mail.netwalk.com> Hello Many people have posted lately about the availablilty of XTC videos on tape. Peep my list, y'all. It's all there... http://www.netwalk.com/~stewart/xtcvideo.htm disclaimer: NTSC VHS ONLY, there is no possibility of me doing PAL dubs since I just don't have the machinery! Sorry everyone in Europe (unless you have one of those snazzy NTSC/PAL VCRs)! laterness, Ian C Stewart np: Gene Simmons "See You Tonite" awfully Beatley for the bat-liz...
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 23:51:04 +0100 (BST) From: Rory Wilsher <rory_wilsher@yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Post-Modern Message-ID: <20000607225104.8729.qmail@web1505.mail.yahoo.com> Ah, c'mon guys! Don't you think that it's totally appropriate for an XTC list to have an irony-free zone? Kind of like the non-smoking (flaming? ;-0) area? Maybe she's secretly taking the piss out of your reactions! Rory "Who knows? We certainly don't!" Wilsher
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 16:18:19 -0700 (PDT) From: James Reimer <halo_sugar@yahoo.com> Subject: Colin Message-ID: <20000607231819.4290.qmail@web1611.mail.yahoo.com> Radios In Motion wrote: Oh, I know someone mentioned this before but I had to say something again. A lot of people talk about how good Andy is, but Collin is a damn fine musician. I am only learning now how to play guitar and bass, but I have to admibt some of the most mesmerizing bass I have ever heard has been from Collin's playing. He is an esential part to the XTC sound. ==================================================== I couldn't agree more. This will give me the platform for yet another XTC fan to explain his first encounter with the band. I am only 26, but the first XTC song I remember hearing was "Mayor of Simpleton" I was in High School at the time and exploring new music, and I liked what I heard. I was already a huge Beatles fan, so this was perfect. I bought Oranges and Lemons first, and was quite dumbfounded by the "Garden of Earthly Delights", but found it tolerable at the time. Then on to "Mayor" What captivated me about this song in particular was Colin's bass. It's busy but simple; and I still can't get it out of my head to this day! Even throughout that album, the bass is simply wonderful. Then I read the lyrics, and I was hooked. They were brilliant, their musicianship was superior, and I slowly started collecting, and what an iceberg I uncovered. Which is also probably the reason I didn't like White Music and Go 2 all that much at first. I had all the newer albums by the time I got these, and they seemed a bit silly, and I didn't care much for Colin's songs (I have since grown to appreciate them; some still grate on me a little). I have burned a CD for myself called "Colin Mouldings Greatest Hits". It's not that I am favourable to him; I just sometimes like to hear his songs taken out by themselves. They're not as edgy lyrically and sometimes I need that. Still, perhaps not normally, it was Colin, not Andy,(or Dave) that originally brought me to love XTC. Alright enough of this rambling; it's silly. Now let's see something decent and military. On my cue, ready? James
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 19:15:54 EDT From: Decdaniel18@aol.com Subject: Boarded Up no more Message-ID: <a7.491cf2b.267031aa@aol.com> This being my first posting to chalkhills after eons of reading I feel a bit nervous but here goes. Just when was boarded up written. I have been to Swindon myself as a youth and my Mother who was born and raised there just came back from an extended visit. For the record, Swindon did indeed go through a period of economic downturn that turned the downtown area into a bit of a plywood garden, but in the last several years the area has been turned into a pedestrian mall with rail works machinery adorning the walks and shops. The closing of the rail works themselves was believed to be the death of Swindon but the arrival of Auto giant Honda with it's huge assembly plant has brought most Swindoners great job security and wealth to some degree or another. Although Swindon will never be mistaken for some folksy English cottage town, It's still the place that gave our young lads the inspiration to write many of my favorite songs. I absolutely love "English Roundabout" which hit home so strongly upon my last visit to find old Copse Avenue, which was always the dead end street my Mum grew up on, to have a new roundabout at the end that defied every attempt to navigate safely! In any event, "Boarded Up" must have been written early in the strike period. Any thoughts or solid facts about this are welcome, of course
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 19:53:35 -0400 From: "squirrelgirl" <squirrelgirl@hitter.net> Subject: More Waspish Moments Message-ID: <001501bfd0db$c21da080$5d49c0cf@meredith-s> Howdy 'Hillians! Please bear with me while I share some more Waspish moments: I had the pleasure this past weekend of driving the 2 1/2 hours across this great peninsula we call Florida, to visit friends. Of course, I made a WS cassette to bring in the car. On the 3rd time through, my long-suffering husband said, out of the blue, "They have nice voices." Imagine my surprise when, on the way home, he commented on the placement of SIFJ and WH. He had actually been listening and not just humoring me as usual! For me, after 8 years together and his totally ignoring XTC despite my nearly constant attempts at indoctrination, it was like winning the Ironman Triathlon. I believe this indicates a better shot at "mass appeal" for WS compared with other XTC offerings. Wow! ------------------ Some Favorite Waspish Moments (not all-inclusive, and in no particular order): * "Laying waiting naked for you" * The way Andy says "reverberate". And, of course, the famous "hiccup" (or "guitar") on SH. * The entire last 30-45 sec. of WAL * The musical transition in the middle of TWATM. * "Men have gargoyles round their hearts" * Holly's contribution on Playground. * The way the vocals start at just a slightly different place in relation to the drums on each verse of WAL ----------------------- Some Waspy Questions: Who is Spoofy? What is Andy saying at the end of "YATC" (...From your pretty little mouth...?) I have sleeve art and "portraits" of Andy & Colin in between ITMWML and WAL, but what are "playground pictures"? ----------------------------- Klaus, I'm the one who said TWATM reminded "him" of Fly on the Wall. And for the record, it's "SquirrelGIRL". That's it for now; hope all my sarcasm hasn't gone unnoticed :-) SG
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 19:30:04 +0000 From: d-erelict <magmound@texas.net> Subject: Re: An Open Letter To TVT Records. Message-ID: <393EA2BC.A525DCA0@texas.net> > From: "vee tube" <veetube@hotmail.com> > > The last time I checked your website,you didn't list > one store in the entire state of Texas that I could spend > $$$$$$ at and get the 'bonus'CD. THANK!YOU! Funny, but I got the bonus single at Waterloo Records here in Austin, and I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure I got the info from the TVT site (I could be wrong)... > (Please note: I'm not a native and I'm not into the whole > > YEE! HAR! WE'RE! TEXAN! SHIT!) So, you think it's cool to berate other Texans? Yer kewl... > So, if I want the 'bonus'CD I have to SCREW! my local stores? How are you "screwing your local indy store"? But not giving them the $2 they'd make on the cd if you purchased it there? Get real... While it IS of my opinion that TVT is one of the worst label in existance right now, I think your arguement is pretty convoluted... YEEHAR!! d-erek
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 20:31:13 EDT
From: Blueruins@aol.com
Subject: A little Clearasil
Message-ID: <8e.615003c.26704351@aol.com>
There seems to be a little confusion stemming from my comments about the
fidelity of records vs. CD's. I am stating a fact of physics that records
reproduce a higher fidelity signal than CD's. Due to the sampling rate,
commercial CD's cannot present sound above 22k which is thought to be about
the highest pitch that humans can hear. As an analog source a record can
produce a much wider range of sound than a CD can. The only sound advantage
a CD has over a record is a lower noise floor. From a technical standpoint,
a record kicks butt on a CD.
That being said I still listen to CD's. They are easier to transport,
much easier to care for, and the random access thing makes them clearly
superior from a practicality standpoint.
I personally don't have a problem with this and was only putting it out
as something to think about. Whatever tools XTC use to make their albums, it
is still the composition and performance that shine through. If it makes a
good song I don't care if they twiddle paper clips and yodel through a garden
hose.
By the way, I wanted to mention that this is a great little list here and
thank John Relph for making it possible. What a bunch of lunatics! I like
that.
Brett Reeves
"What do you call that noise that you put on?"
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 21:03:06 -0400 From: "Michael Versaci" <stormymonday@sprintmail.com> Subject: He Can Play Everyday Message-ID: <000101bfd0e5$4efb6650$6401a8c0@mtwe50004> Folxtc, The first time I heard the "solo" in "I'm The Man Who Murdered Love," it brought to mind the instrumental phrasings of "The Garden of Earthy Delights." I thought, "This sounds like Dave!" Remember when AVI came out? Many people falsely believed that the guitar solo in "Easter Theater" was Dave. I would guess that had the band kept Dave's departure a secret, we would have assumed that at least half of the guitars were played by him. I could easily imagine Mr. Strijbos chiming in, "Look at what Dave did to 'Church of Women!' What an improvement!" For years I was certain that the solo guitars in "I Remember The Sun" and "The World Is Full of Angry Young Men" were played by Dave, because they were so sophisticated. My good friend Todd Bernhardt gently set me straight, informing me that they were indeed the work of Mr. Partridge. That was when I began to realize that while Dave complemented XTC rather nicely, he wasn't the *only* great guitarist in the band. The guitars on "Wasp Star" are exceptional, dripping with Andy's eccentric personality. Andy doesn't play the guitar on "You and the Clouds Will Still Be Beautiful" - he IS the guitar. One of the highpoints of XTC for me has always been the way the music aurally represents the lyrics and how the lyrics fit so perfectly with the music. Some songwriters set their words to music; others add words to the song. Andy's songs appear to have been born whole. A fine example of this is the exquisite "Across This Antheap." Music and lyrics are symbiotic. Once you "get" the song, you think, "Of course! How else would it go?" Dave's influence and contributions to XTC are incalculable and no doubt still felt today. Who can listen to the strings in "1000 Umbrellas" or the arrangement of "Wrapped in Gray" and not be moved? We can only guess what "Wasp Star" would have sounded like had he and Andy worked out their differences. Having said that though, Andy is a fantastic guitar player, no doubt better than many that are hailed by the masses as such. He doesn't fancy himself a fine guitarist; that definition would be too narrow. Andy is a composer using instruments as vehicles for the lovely melodies that he weaves into and around his compositions, and out of his guitar flows some of the best music that these ears have ever heard. Michael Versaci
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 21:36:20 EDT From: Saints3Den@aol.com Subject: Pronunciation Message-ID: <11.4c0a505.26705294@aol.com> wasp listeners << > OK, looky here. When Sting sings 'mundi', he pronounces it "MOON-di", > as heard on the Synchronicity album, which I haven't heard in 15 > years. I recall him singing "spiritus mundi" at one point. When Andy > sings it, he pronounces it "MUN-di", like the day of the > week. Undoubtedly there will be a Chalker who will know which > pronuciation is correct. > > Jim >> Let none of us forget, he uses "mundi" to rhyme with "one day". Much like "umbil-eye-cal" --- "cycle" so, it could be a purposeful mispronunciation.. what is Mr. Sting rhyming "spiritus moon-di" with? eddie st.martin ps. here is a spelling/ pronunciation quiz. 1)What is the one word, which, if correctly spelled, is pronounced wrong? 2)Which word is always spelled correctly? 3)Which word is always misspelled? 4)What is the longest word in the english language? 5)Which three words are always pronounced right?
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 21:39:57 -0400 (EDT) From: Dorothy Spirito <spiritod@TECHMAIL.GDC.COM> Subject: Barn door shut; horse *long* gone... Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.4.00.10006072133340.24478-100000@esun1006> MyCDnow.com just auto-emailed me to let me know that XTC have a new release out. No kidding; I was listening to it when their email hit my inbox. ::snicker!:: --Dorothy. (Now playing: "We're All Light".)
------------------------------ Date: 8 Jun 00 11:20:18 AES From: Paul.Culnane@dcita.gov.au Subject: The poison pen Message-ID: <0005cucwyous.0004zvtzxxrp@dcita.gov.au> Hi folks I was most amused to pick up today's local newspaper, The Canberra Times, to find possibly the most poisonous and outright nasty review I think I have ever read on XtC, anywhere. Just exactly what point the reviewer was trying to make I'm not sure, but it was putrid! So there ya go. Might account in some small part for this very same organ not returning my phonecalls after I provided them with a fully-researched, balanced report on Wasp Star, replete with authentic interview excerpts and official photos. It doesn't worry me though. This rag obviously prefers to go with the bile and the banal. ~~ p @ u l [ http://chalkhills.org/articles/WaspStar.html#tct000608 ]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 21:39:19 CDT
From: "vee tube" <veetube@hotmail.com>
Subject: One Wasp Buzzing.
Message-ID: <20000608023919.5298.qmail@hotmail.com>
"Weedhopper,what have you learned?"
"Well,Master Gill-Moron!, I've heard vinyl,acetate,
shellac's,78's,45's,CDs,DATs,Edison Cylinders,and,well,
this one wasp buzz be weird!
"Ah,you have tuned your audio receptacles well!"
"Glub On! Young One!"
}---:)
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 22:36:15 -0500 From: "joe" <sendto_joe@hotmail.com> Subject: Guitar Lesson on guitar.com Message-ID: <20000608033615.95713.qmail@hotmail.com> In #155, John Relph wrote: > Is there anybody out there who can download the guitar.com videos > and save them as a QuickTime 3 or AVI movie so that I can watch > them? My poor machine just can't deal with all this new technology. I hear the gang at TVT is having a blast with vids. No problems reported there. Not Standing In For, Joe
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Jun 2000 21:03:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Rob Hill <squidriver@yahoo.com> Subject: Beatown Message-ID: <20000608040352.23050.qmail@web1302.mail.yahoo.com> Attention Boston-based Chalkhillers! I've just joined your midst as of this weekend. So if you have any advice as to what a fellow with very little money but a whole wad of taste can do in this town, or if you just wanna meet up to compare our collections of Andy Partridge toenail clippings, give me a ring offlist. Rob
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #6-158 *******************************
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