Chalkhills Digest Volume 6, Issue 31
Date: Tuesday, 22 February 2000
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 6, Number 31
Tuesday, 22 February 2000
Today's Topics:
Premonitions of AV2
Greenman needlework design
Calling all drummers...
Re: AV2 vinyl?
Contest Update
Monkees/XTC
Feb issue of Mojo
spam, eggs, sausage and spam
Fuzzy
gcwf; plus, welcome!
AV2 Vinyl??? YES!!!!!
Pepperflowers
Amazing new discovery!
XTC Vinyl!!!!
Village Voice Online/VH1 Top 100
Re: early jazz recordings
d'oh!
Robert Crumb CD
guesting
winky fish... you called?
RE: XtC on its own
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Man that lady clippie rip your ticket.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message-ID: <019601bf7c98$4dae3940$596e1cac@sdt.com> From: "Joe Perez" <joseph.perez@sabre.com> Subject: Premonitions of AV2 Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 12:20:15 -0600 From a March 1992 interview with Les Inrockupitbles, Andy Partridge said: "When I was adolescent, if a girl talked to me, I would shake all over and lose my tongue. I would like to found the religion of the admiration of women, entirely devoted to the cult of women, with breast-shaped churches with vaginal doors." Fast forward to 2000, and we get "Church Of Women". Submitted for your consternation, Joe
------------------------------ Message-ID: <6E907C017E81D211AEB900AA0033C1267893A9@godzilla.tamu.edu> From: Legett - Lore Guilmartin <loreg@godzilla.tamu.edu> Subject: Greenman needlework design Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 17:06:59 -0600 Hello, all, I thought of you when, looking through a needlework supply catalog the other day, I came across a cross stitch chart of the Greenman! If you do needlework, or know someone you can sucker into doing some for you, you may want to check it out at www.witchesstitches.com. I ordered it, so can confirm that the picture is very attractive. If and when I get the time to stitch the thing I think I may run some of the song's lyrics around the design as a border, or possibly a pattern in the background. Lore G.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <38B1BDC9.1CE3E125@enterworks.com> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 16:35:53 -0600 From: "Todd Bernhardt" <todd.bernhardt@enterworks.com> Organization: Enterworks, Inc. Subject: Calling all drummers... ...Or people who just like intelligent, melodic music: Bill Bruford is on the Web at http://www.billbruford.co.uk/ Why is this important to Chalkhills? Well, I know there are a number of fans here, plus I'd never pass up the opportunity to proselytize. Mr. B is a great example of a musician who has -- like some Swindonians we know and love -- consistently followed his muse, sometimes to the detriment of his pocketbook. But, in the end it's worked out. He's managed to survive quite well and is now in control of his artistic output (which is stunning, btw). He's even come up with a nifty little Web site that's well designed and manages to avoid most of the pitfalls associated with musician sites. Another reason that this is significant to Chalkhills is that Bruford is a notorious cyberphobe. If he's finally come around, can Andy be far behind? --Todd "You bet your ass he can!" Bernhardt
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 17:28:06 -0800 (PST) From: relph (John Relph) Message-Id: <10002211728.ZM383182@mando.engr.sgi.com> Subject: Re: AV2 vinyl? "Per Aronsson" <per@aron.pp.se> asks: > >Does anybody know if AV2 will be released on vinyl? I think that Cooking >Vinyl listened to the voices on Chalkhills and decided to release AV1 on >vinyl. According to the catalog at CD Zone (http://www.cdzone.co.uk), AV2 will be released on both CD and vinyl. You can preorder now. -- John
------------------------------
Message-ID: <20000222033512.4199.qmail@wwcst271.netaddress.usa.net>
Date: 21 Feb 00 19:35:12 PST
From: vee tube <veetube@netscape.net>
Subject: Contest Update
Contest? What contest? (see Vol.6. # 25, 6 Feb,2000)
C'mon kids! I know the 'Hill took a break for a week but,
You can do better than this! Show me yer under-gills!
I can hear you now,"a free copy of the 'Bull; who cares?!"
Ok, I can pick up on this, butt, I also made too many copies
of 'Acoustic Tales'
So, put yer werms down! keep BOTH HANDS on the keyboard!
And make a 'funny' on the 'Hill!
}---:)
P.S. Keep yer gills open for 'Flyswater' by the Eels!
This is the most-ut OOOps (sorry Jetson fans) most
Ultra-Way-Mega-Cool Hook in years!
TROUT!OUT!
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000222032156.8203.qmail@web1304.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 19:21:56 -0800 (PST) From: Molly Fanton <mfanton99@yahoo.com> Subject: Monkees/XTC I'm back from my trip to Toronto, and I got The Monkees Anthology, and I read the thing Andy wrote. I was thinking while listening to this album how a lot of XTC's songs have a Monkee quality to it. Like right now, I'm listening to Porpoise Song, and it sounds like a song that could have been on either The Dukes album or Skylarking. Has anybody else come up with this thought? Molly Molly's Pages http://www.angelfire.com/mn/mollyfa99/index.html
------------------------------ From: WTDK@aol.com Message-ID: <26.22806c9.25e36acd@aol.com> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 23:30:05 EST Subject: Feb issue of Mojo I haven't seen this mentioned in the latest posts (but then I've been scanning them lately not really reading them in depth), but the latest issue of Mojo highlights the 100 essential cult heroes. Among those mentioned are Big Star, The La's and a certain Mary Margaret O'Hara. Ms. O'Hara hired both Andy and John Leckie to produce her album before discovering that the former was an atheist and the latter because he supposedly believed in "free love". Being a good Catholic, Ms. O'Hara sacked both of them. This led to John Leckie producing the Dukes album. Judee Sill is also mentioned in the same issue. Who is Judde Sill? Well, she recorded one of Andy's favorite records "Kiss." Oh, by the way, XTC is not mentioned as one of the 100 essential cult heroes. They've probably sold too many albums to qualify.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000222061951.15307.qmail@web2104.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 22:19:51 -0800 (PST) From: Tyler Hewitt <tahewitt@yahoo.com> Subject: spam, eggs, sausage and spam RE: >Since I joined this list, I have received about 10 spams a day. Spam, spam, spam, spam, wondrful spam! wonderful spam! That's why I use Yahoo e-mail for all my fun stuff and for online ordering (this isn't my REAL address, kiddies! although I don't mind if individuals use it.) Yahoo seems to have a get tough on spam policy-I havent recieved any at all on this e-mail account. I left an internet provider a few months ago for hideous amounts of spam, so I can relate. The standard disclaimer: I don't work for or have any financial interest in Yahoo. It was the first freebie e-mail service I thought of. Tyler "at least I don't use a psuedonym" Hewitt
------------------------------ Message-ID: <001701bf7cf7$d5312f80$0200a8c0@digitalpc> From: "Digitalmaster" <digitalmaster@earthlink.net> Subject: Fuzzy Date: Mon, 21 Feb 2000 21:44:05 -0800 Has anyone heard about what's going on with Fuzzy Warbles? Also, what videos did XTC do after 1982 (I have everything prior to that). I remember Mayor of Simpleton, and Dear God, but that's it. If anyone is interested in a trade, I will give you a CD with 11 Videos prior to 1982 in MPEG 1 Format 352X240. All I want in exchange is the videos (on CD or High Quality VHS) after that period and maybe any interviews, and other things of interest. I wonder if TVT would release a video compilation if we emailed them enough? Oh, thanks to John for responding. It may have not been from the list (many people who have been on here longer than I said they were not getting Spam) but still, its a good measure because I am sure it could happen eventually.
------------------------------ Message-Id: <3.0.2.32.20000222060528.0084d9d0@pop3.passport.ca> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 06:05:28 -0500 From: David Oh <davidoh@passport.ca> Subject: gcwf; plus, welcome! just a quick reminder: entries for the great chalkhillian wank fest, otherwise known as the chalkhills musical equipment list, _must_ be submitted by february 29, 2000 (aka leap-day). anything submitted after that will be ignored. you have been warned... well, informed... er, cautioned... for those who missed it, if you own any guitars, keyboards, drums or whatever, please send me the details (make, model, year, options, quantity, etc.) in private. i repeat, please send it to me off-list, as it is much easier for me to compile the stats that way. send your details to: davidoh@passport.ca ---------- also, a great big hello and welcome to ed and pledge (isn't that a furniture polish?). it was interesting to read both posts and the differing ways each of you came to discover xtc's music. welcome aboard. is it me, or has the membership to this list grown by leaps and bounds lately? there does seem to be quite a few newbies and de-lurkers of late... peace & xtc, davidoh
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000222141902.15912.qmail@web125.yahoomail.com> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 06:19:02 -0800 (PST) From: Jon Rosenberger <wile1coyote@yahoo.com> Subject: AV2 Vinyl??? YES!!!!! Greetings Per And all of our other fellow Vinyl Junkies. Yes AV2 will be released on Vinyl and it can already be pre-ordered at some On-Line Record Stores. I paid $22 for mine so it will probably be in that range. For all those interested the Cooking Vinyl Music Club is a great way to get all new UK XTC Releases inexpensivly. You get a great newsletter 4 times a year and a CD Sampler of Label artists once a year. Check it out! You will find a link on www.chalkhills.org The usual disclaimer about my non-affiliation with this company. I don't work for them I just buy their stuff. Cheers The Mole Current Spin: Frivolous Tonight
------------------------------ Message-ID: <004b01bf7d37$b2ab3060$8c8443d4@sigta> From: "Chris" <bonyking@sniffout.com> Subject: Pepperflowers Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 13:20:44 -0000 Hi all... In 6-30 Tom wrote regarding the comparison between Pepper and Skylarking, which he couldn't follow. Hmmm.... both albums start off with a superb first half, trail off with an incredibly dull second half only to be saved by a final track which may be the best thing either band ever recorded. Works for me, anyway ; ) By the way, anyone who wants to know what XTC are going to be up against at the end of the year for the best album gong could do worse than to get a copy of the new Cure album 'Bloodflowers'. I know, the last album was awful but this is easily my favourite of all their stuff (replacing 'Pornography') helped immeasurably by the best set of lyrics Robert Smith has ever written. Honest. chris2
------------------------------ Message-ID: <38B2B205.C3597F37@enterworks.com> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 09:57:57 -0600 From: "Todd Bernhardt" <todd.bernhardt@enterworks.com> Organization: Enterworks, Inc. Subject: Amazing new discovery! Hi: People have been asking about collaborations between the members of XTC and other bands/artists. To find the answers to your questions, check out: http://chalkhills.org/discog/ Rumor has it that the site also contains other information about the band. --Todd [Attachment omitted, unknown MIME type or encoding (text/x-vcard)]
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000222145647.20485.qmail@web119.yahoomail.com> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 06:56:47 -0800 (PST) From: Jon Rosenberger <wile1coyote@yahoo.com> Subject: XTC Vinyl!!!! Greetings Fellow XTC Fanatics Someone was querying on Chalkhills about Nonsuch Vinyl and Mark quickly responded that it had of course been released on Vinyl. And I got to thinking a bit. They have ALL been released on Vinyl White Music Go2 Go+ Drums and Wires Take Away Black Sea English Settlement Mummer Big Express Skylarking Oranges and Lemons Nonsuch Apple Venus Volume 1 Home Spun Waxworks The Colonel The Wisemen The Viz Comics 45 Even Colin's Hermit's !!!!! And all the singles that are on the various Greatest hits things. Even the Radio Station tour stuff has shown up on bootleg Vinyl. There are Vinyl bootlegs of XTC In Concert as well. I even have pirate vinyl bootlegs of their actual lps from asia. I mean there is a lot of XTC vinyl out there!!! So here is my question. Does anybody know of any XTC Song that hasn't been released on vinyl? The only items I could find were the "Demo Tracks" Material from Japan. These were all issued on Cassette and CD with either the "Disappointed" or "Ballad of Peter Pumkinhead" singles but not on Vinyl. The Good Things by Terry and the Lovemen has not been released on Vinyl yet to the best of my knowledge but that might be the only one. Are there any actual finished XTC Songs that have only appeared on CD? Contributions to other peoples music albums are not included for the purpose of this search, I know there are many there. Cheers all The Mole
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000222171801.98352.qmail@hotmail.com> From: "Ralph Simpson DeMarco" <sawpit@hotmail.com> Subject: Village Voice Online/VH1 Top 100 Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 09:18:01 PST Affiliated Members: Thanks to Harrison Sherwood for correcting me. The Village Voice list was compiled from 489 critics, not "dozens" which I had originally stated. I should have included the website in case some folks want to check out the entire list: http://villagevoice.com/ Oh, did anyone see the VH1 top 100 rock songs of all time? What did you think? Of course I didn't expect to see any XTC, but I certainly didn't expect to see Michael Jackson (no Jackson 5!?). Oh, and what baffled me was the noticeable absence of Pink Floyd! Nothing from Dark Side of the Moon which one of the best selling rock albums of all time. Strange. Oh, and I think that You Really Got Me blows Satisfaction out of the water - but Satisfaction was #1 and YRGM was like, #26!? As far as Stones songs go, I think that Gimme Shelter is far superior to Satisfaction. Oh, and no Lola or Sunny Afternoon either (at least I don't remember them being listed). Ralph
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 10:59:52 -0800 (PST) From: Stephen Mahoney <stephenm@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us> Subject: Re: early jazz recordings Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.10.10002221048510.11489-100000@nethost.multnomah.lib.or.us> I am another xtc fan who has a deep devotion to early jazz recordings like: django rheinhart and his hot club quintet including stephane grappelli and or joe south louis armstrong and the hot fives early ella fitzgerald and the chick webb orchestra and all of ellingtons output from 27-40. but especially the early ellington- I am addicted to it! I wish I had an ealry record player so I could play those original 78's there is something geniune in these performances and in the compositions that I cannot hear in later jazz recordings although I also like bebop and ornette coleman another thing from the '20's worth checking out are recordings of tango artists.........spectacular stuff!!!! I would not be surprised if andy liked this stuff as well. stephen. ***************************************************************************** computers are useless they can only give you answers. -picasso #####################################%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%######################## stephen mahoney Multnomah County Library at Rockwood branch clerk
------------------------------ Message-ID: <38B2F342.5F1E22ED@enterworks.com> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 14:36:18 -0600 From: "Todd Bernhardt" <todd.bernhardt@enterworks.com> Organization: Enterworks, Inc. Subject: d'oh! > i have found an xtc related item that i think - i believe - that i am the > first one to discover this little bit of information. Nope. Check out http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~nonsuch/articles/albums1.htm --Todd
------------------------------ Message-ID: <002801bf7db1$569741e0$e60701d5@bean1> From: "Jonathan Bean" <j_bean@talk21.com> Subject: Robert Crumb CD Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 19:51:12 -0800 Wow, what a coincidence to see the mention to the Robert Crumb CD selection "Now Thats What I Call Sweet Music". I have had this on a lot lately, in fact I sent my dad a copy and have one put aside for my brothers birthday also. Its a great selection, and part of a really great series of CD's by writers/artists of their favourite music. Some of them are pretty eclectic, but most have some interesting bits on them. Check out the Hunter S Thompson collection "Where were you when the fun stopped?". I thought the series were pretty hard to find. I am a Bookshop Manager, so they were interesting material for me - Iain Banks chooses Magazine, Sex Pistols, Waterboys, Bowie etc and Clive Barker's is pretty weird, what you'd expect I guess. Worth a listen if you fancy something a little different while you wait for AV2. BTW my local HMV gives April 24th as release date in the UK. Cheerio friends. Johnny Bean.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <00bf01bf7d77$c5762de0$1c9501d5@default> From: "David Seddon" <D.Seddon@btinternet.com> Subject: guesting Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 20:46:29 -0000 <<Which brings up my question: Has XTC ever recorded with any other big named artist or used anyone as backup vocals>> Well, I've got a bootleg of various outtakes and unreleased stuff post Nonsuch. There a track on it called I'm the Kind of Girl. One assumes it's XTC, because all the rest of the stuff on it is, but...there's a female singer. I don't know who it is, or who wrote the song, but it is rather good. Wonder if it'l be on Fuzzy Warbles. Regarding FW; When will it be out? If they do a single from it (not much chance) I hope that it is Ship Trapped in The Ice, which I love. Should be on AV2, IMHO.
------------------------------ Message-ID: <20000222214810.27890.qmail@web2905.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 13:48:10 -0800 (PST) From: nross <PhoenixYellowRose@rocketmail.com> Subject: winky fish... you called? Oy! I hope this has not been done before, I hate to be un original. I wouldn't be surprised if this somehow slipped into my head, however as I've not had time to really pay attention to what I'm reading in the digests. One can still take in bits of she is reading without realizing it (otherwise, I don't think I would have gotten through high school). Mister Winky, you called? You said you had burnt cds to give away? My Entry: The Donner Party Our ancestors were fish. Believe that, if you wish. If you do, beware. Do not catch one in your snare. I've been eating a lot of fish lately. Hmm, maybe that's not the most politically correct thing to do. No wonder prices have been rising. Are we related to petrol, too? Obligatory XTC? Did I mention I finally bought Oranges and Lemons? What a great cd. Now THAT is one Jazzy set of pop music. and... Pink thing, damn! Finally heard that song! I think my favorite song from the record is Miniature sun. Reason? Anyone seen the movie I married an axe murderer? Some of the scenes contain stupid poetry readings... jazzy or avant guard or whatever... the kind of poetry I really do not like. That song reminds me of it. Instead of cringing from the thought, it makes me smile. Its also just an all around good song. Au Revoir, Nicole ===== Nicole's internet music station: http://www.imagineradio.com/mymusiclisten.asp?name=phoenixyellowrose
------------------------------ Message-ID: <08B5DDC2BABCD311BFC6005004A884B013B506@mgcservices.com> From: Ed Kedzierski <ed.kedzierski@blvdmedia.com> Subject: RE: XtC on its own Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 15:31:51 -0800 In 6-30, Tom said (including a quote from me): >"In a message dated 02/19/2000 1:35:01 >> A lot of reviewers comparing Skylarking to Sgt Pepper at the time >> (perhaps this is what DavidOh's referring to - I remember quite a >> few reviews of this album containing lines like "trying to re-make >> Sgt. Pepper > >OK people help me out. I've been an XTC fan for over a dozen years and can >never understand why people make this >connection. I own all major releases >from them. Frankly, in my opinion I find them very much unlike each other >with >the exception of a few songs, and this IMHO just a passing similarity >that you can say about many bands. The phrase >"Beatlesque" thoroughly >confuses me. They fit in much better with bands of their own genre such as >Dolby, Joe, Elvis, >Heads, etc." This seems like quite the can of worms, and one which I feel slightly apprehensive about opening, but somehow I feel obligated after having been quoted... (why do I get the feeling that the whole "Beatlesque - yes or no?" debate must have happened before?) First of all, just to clarify, I was of course just referring to what I'd read: I wasn't trying myself to pigeonhole Skylarking as some kind of Sgt. Pepper clone. I was noting that there does seem to be a bit of a perception that the album is in some way "Pepperesque" at least on the part of a number of music journalists at the time. I mentioned this because there seemed to be a bit of a misunderstanding back when DavidOh referred to this perception (or misperception if you prefer), and got a lot of flack for it, as though he'd stood up and said "Skylarking IS Sgt. Pepper!" There is a temptation to turn this into a "music journalists are stupid" type thread, but I really don't feel up to that right now. Sure, some are lazy, and we've all had to read something wildly off-base about our favourite band at one point or another, but as much as my blood has boiled in the past at something written seemingly by someone who can't even be bothered to glance at liner notes, I'm not going to waste my time slagging off anyone's livelihood - there are a few decent ones out there, some of whom might even be reading this. Also, I don't think that the "Sgt. Pepper" and "Beatlesque" debates are necessarily one and the same. There is a tendency, when a band or artist releases their big "go-all-out-in-the-studio" album, to think of it as that artist's "Sgt. Pepper". This has more to do with the album's place in the artist's own history or discography than any actual resemblence to a particular Beatles album. It just marks the place in an artists' career when they decided to really take advantage of the power of the studio and the opportunity for experimentation that the studio can provide, without necessarily worrying about the practicality of performing the pieces live. Using this definition, you could for instance say that "Imperial Bedroom" is "Elvis Costello's Sgt. Pepper". I think that this might be closer to what is meant by Skylarking's "Pepperness" than it actually being an echo of that album. I realize that this doesn't hold up 100 percent, since if we just mean "going nuts in the studio", then Big Express is just as valid a candidate. Perhaps the reviewers at the time just thought "hmm... flashily produced studio album... not like other highly produced stuff out right now - too pastoral... cohesive, concept-album type feel..." and couldn't think of anything else to compare it to but the most popular early example of the studio-wizardry oriented "concept album" (whether Sgt. Pepper is really a concept album or just a cohesive-sounding one is a completely separate, ancient, and never-ending debate). As for the Beatlesque tag, I think we're getting into a much more subjective area, though many people see it that way, and not just journalists - many hard core XTC fans do as well, I'm pretty sure (not that I would in any way whatsoever attempt to cast doubt on the "fan cred" of anyone who felt differently). For me, it's definitely there, but not in any slavishly imitative way. It's more to do with textural touches and sheer quality than being able to point to individual songs as having clear-cut Beatle ancestors. Andy's ability to come up with songs that make you go "why can't McCartney do something this good on his solo stuff anymore?" also comes to mind. (that was my first thought upon hearing "Ballet for a Rainy Day", and I noticed Dom said something similar about another song [I'd Like That?] on his web site when I was checking out everyone's sites during my lurk period). Not to mention Colin's continued development (not imitation) of the school of melodic bass playing that McCartney pioneered (or at least popularized) and inexplicably abandoned. What it boils down to for me is that they're a staggeringly original and inventive band (especially compared to the hordes of pseudo-alternatroid clones found on so-called "modern rock/commercial alternative" radio), but nobody is completely influence-free. The Beatles themselves had plenty of influences which they forged into something distinctly new. XTC have plenty of other influences besides the Fab Four, but the traces are definitely to be found in the unique alloy that they've forged as they've worked their way from those influences. Of course, there's the old career parallel argument: that the Beatles started as lovable mop-tops and evolved into sophisticated studio artistes, and XTC started as lovable new-wave quirkmeisters and evolved into sophisticated studio artistes (apologies for use of the "q" word, but you know what I mean.) There are of course as many differences as there are similarities, not the least of which is that one band made huge amounts of money and one didn't. As far as XTC fitting into a "genre" with "Dolby, Joe, Elvis, Heads, etc.", I'm really not sure what genre you mean, unless it's the genre of "artists who came into the spotlight roughly around the same time, were often (mis)identified as new wave, are as different from one another as they are from anyone else, and have all evolved beyond these origins to varying degrees". I'm honestly not trying to mock or piss you (or anyone who feels the same) off here; perhaps we just hear different things (which just makes XTC better as far as I'm concerned, if so many different people can have so many different takes on things). Sorry if I haven't helped you out to the degree you asked, and sorry to everyone if I've been running off at the mouth again. I may have more to add, depending on other feedback or comments if this thread should continue... Looking forward to rational responses and an engaging debate... Fearing flame. Ed K.
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #6-31 ******************************
Go back to Volume 6.
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