Chalkhills Digest Volume 7, Issue 43
Date: Wednesday, 25 July 2001
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 7, Number 43
Wednesday, 25 July 2001
Topics:
The John Relph Christmas Fund Drive.
Remasters and Ween
fgth....
Liverpool?
Southern fried XTC
Antipodeans creatures
Parttridge Family Values
XTC song on an Argentine TV ad
Will Virgin also re-issue the royalties?
Chalkie spotted
XTC @ Sea
H Band tickets available
Judge Roy Bean Rides Again!!!
the one called the Greenman
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The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.
Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.7d (John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>).
When she's here it makes up for the time she's not and it's all forgotten.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 19:42:28 -0500
From: "vee tube" <veetube@hotmail.com>
Subject: The John Relph Christmas Fund Drive.
Message-ID: <F77YP0QzBxhJTANZwwP00000f62@hotmail.com>
I quote,
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 10:53:32 -0000
From: "Tim Brooks"
Hope he doesn't mind this posting as the below is extracted from a private
mail, but how the hell the guy manages to maintain Chalkhills (and many
other sites) in the below scenario :
" I don't even own a PC. I do all my work on a borrowed UNIX box. Soon.
Really soon I gotta get a PC."
Don't 'spose anyone has a spare PC for a man we are all indebted to?
We are not worthy
TMB Over and out!!
End Quote!
I (veetube) have noticed similar
comments from Mr. Relph. And, frankly, I'm SICK of it!
It's time to END THE MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's my plan.
1. E me at my NETSCAPE ADDRESS!
veetube@netscape.net
2. Pledge $10 (money order) or $15. NO pledges
over $20 will be accepted! None! Zero! Nada!
I will create a J.Relph Christmas folder and
when I receive 60 pledges, I will send you Mr.
Relphs address.
Then, when I say "Mail" we will all send our
money orders to John. I (veetube) will also
send Mr. Relph several $$1'000$$ of some Kick-
ass software.
I know we can do this! Why?
The MP3 concerts Sir Demon Brown and I have up-
loaded, have *all* received more than 600 hits!
Some are over 900 hits!
You can buy a damn fine PC for $600 these days.
You can get a 633MHz E machine w/monitor/printer
for $500. If we come up with $700, Mr. Relph will
never again ask "anybody know how I can see the
'Diffapointed' video at Launch.com. on a unix?"
---------------Legal disclaimer----------------
If you are reading this,
1. Mr.Relph agrees to buy a FREAKIN' PC from
funds garnered though the 'John Relph Christmas
pledge drive'.
2. There is no # 2.
3. Only pledges sent to http://www.veetube@netscape.net
will be accepted.
4. Do NOT send me money! When we get enough, we'll
send it to john.
}---:)
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 13:00:25 -0500 From: Ben Gott <Ben_Gott@firstclass.choate.edu> Subject: Remasters and Ween Message-ID: <B77C8A69.4A9B%Ben_Gott@firstclass.choate.edu> Gang, I've been enjoying the remastered version of "English Settlement," especially "Yacht Dance," which sounds sweet. And, continuing on the "remasters" front, I've just bought Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," "Ommadawn," "Incantations," and "Exposed," all of which were remastered a last year in HDCD (which I believe stands for something like "high-definition compatible digital.") They tell me that the only way I can really enjoy these HDCDs is if I have a CD player that supports HDCDs, but I'm having a jolly time on my own. It's really amazing what a little work can do. You know what's a great song? "Freedom of '76," by Ween. Who else but Ween would write a verse like: My girl Sasha Lookin' good on the street "Mannequin" was filmed at Woolworth's Boyz II Men still keepin' up the beat... Good stuff. -Ben, whose birthday is tomorrow! Yeah, 22!
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 16:41:48 -0400 From: "Danny Phipps" <phipps@schoollink.net> Subject: fgth.... Message-ID: <web-9561762@schoollink.net> the world is my oyster...hahahahahahahaha!! /danny
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 18:22:03 -0500 From: Andrew Boyle <uscolor@uscolor.com> Subject: Liverpool? Message-ID: <v04210101b77d18096910@[192.168.181.93]> Quick clear up: In Chalkhills #7-42 David pondered over: >And friend Andrew Boyle: > > > Gee, I seem to remember this when some other band came out of > > Liverpool. No! Oasis. Blah. I would pay to see them fight and not > > play. > >Oasis? Liverpool? Shurely shome mishtake . . . Here, in lovely FLA anyway, Oasis was almost always mentioned with some reference to Liverpool. "...like those other lads, from Liverpool..." "...claim they will be the biggest thing since 4 kids from Liverpool..." "...Ooh, look. Liam's tooth is now in Liverpool after that wicked right cross from Noel..." on and on. Always heard Oasis and Liverpool in the same breath. Never really saying their actual origin (of which I care not, their absence warms me more). That's how I have them referenced in my cluttered brain-pan. All this after listening to my Beatles remasters all day. Yeesh. *** Rocket from a Bottle will not get out of my head after hearing it on the Black Sea remaster. Don't help me. Andrew Boyle Orlando, FL
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 22:56:35 -0700 From: "John Keel" <jbkxtc@ev1.net> Subject: Southern fried XTC Message-ID: <00ce01c110e0$bd6d2510$59525d3f@xtc> Hi all, I just got back from a trip down South (Tennessee & Alabama) and have small XTC vacation notes. In Nashville, two separate used CD stores had a six disc collection of XTC demos on CD-R. The heat & humidity was affecting my brain so badly that it wasn't until days later that I realized that this may have been a look at what "Fuzzy Warbles" is to come. Given that fact that it was CD-R and around $60, I decided not to get it, but I thought it odd that it was at two different shops. I did, however, end up purchasing a CD-R (labeled as an Import) of XTC live in Philadelphia from the "Black Sea" tour. The quality is amazingly good given it's age and I love hearing Andy introduce "Ball & Chain" as a "new song"! There is no hint of any stress from Andy and it's a kick-ass show. Man, oh man, if I could go back in time I would follow those guys from coast to coast. Lastly, I only have the remastered "Black Sea" left to complete my set of the new re-releases, all of them the lovely Japanese mini-albums, with the exception of the Dukes disc. Once it arrives, I fully plan on listening to them one by one, in chronological order, through headphones all in one day. From what I've heard from some of the other fine folks here that have the re-issues, maybe I'll finally like "Mummer" (sorry, Deb, had to throw that one out at you). Also, for you folks in L.A. and the general Southern California area, I saw where the play "The Full Monty", written by XTC friend David Yazbek, is going to be playing at the new Kodak Theater on Hollywood Blvd., next to Mann's Chinese, sometime next year once it opens. Now THAT would be an idea for a fancy Chalkhills gathering, eh? One last note that has nothing to do with anything really, but I saw that the horror classic "The Wicker Man" is coming out on DVD in a director's cut, and I couldn't help but think how cool it would have been if XTC had done the music for it (could "Green Man" be re-worked so the syllables would allow for Wicker Man instead?). Okay, bye. John
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 15:19:38 +0200 From: art et affiche <art.affiche@wanadoo.fr> Subject: Antipodeans creatures Message-ID: <3B582FE9.8F4D3C76@wanadoo.fr> Bonjour, Chalkhillers! A little aside : Dear Duncan, first, hat off to you, considering your knowledge of the 60's rock! >Don't know how much does it cost in the USA? In France, 490 FF, >about 74 >euros. <74 euros? Are they *really* called that? That's kinda funny for us antipodeans -- down here, a euro is a species of small wallaby. (Kinda like saying 74 bucks, I guess)> Well, we don't have buckshere in Europe, but francs, pounds, deutchmarks, pesosO The Euro will become the new and unique european currency unit for all the nations that belong to the European Community, from 1st january 2002. It's a little revolution here, on this side of the globe, economicaly and socially. And can you imagine : it's new year's day, and suddenly the inhabitants of the 15 countries get wallabies in their pockets! Thousands of wallabies jumping through the banks, from the safesO Pouring out our kids' moneyboxes, and from ladies bags! Aaaaaah, Hell! XTC content: Listening to "Homegrown", I hear at the end of the "Lie for a lie" cassette demo (#16) the noise of the "stop" or the "record" key of the tape recorder, and then Andy's voice again saying something. I understand "O told you". I'm curious. Can anybody tell me what it is exactly? Marie "drowning here in summer cauldron" Omnibus.
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 07:35:10 -0500 From: "Jamie Lowe" <jamielowe@msn.com> Subject: Parttridge Family Values Message-ID: <001701c11373$eaf0c920$ca75393f@unlpm> Dear Chalkholders: Please point your browser towards this link http://www.eqmag.com/0009/columns3.shtml for a great interview with the lads in EQ Magazine. A friend of mine is a recording engineer and EQ subscriber who knows how much XTC means to me, and turned me on to this article albeit a bit late, it is from the September 2000 issue. Andy and Colin both discuss the instruments and recording techniques they employed recording WS in their new studio, which is located in Colin's garage. Enjoy, Jamie Lowe Chicago
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 22:03:56 -0300 From: "=?iso-8859-1?B?U2ViYXN0aeFuIEFk+nJpeg==?=" <sebasaduriz@movi.com.ar> Subject: XTC song on an Argentine TV ad Message-ID: <004001c113dc$8a068320$33c831c8@sebas> Chalkhillers: This is really a surprise. A recent argentine TV ad features a tiny bit of XTC's song, Generals & Majors. The advertisement belongs to Telefonica, one of the big communication's companies of this country, and the product is Advance, an Internet service. The story shows a guy with an unusual and funny name - Abelardo - who wants to buy some product with his name stuck on it - like a bracelet or a coffee cup -. He fruitlessly looks for it through his life until he's an adult and subscribes to this Telefonica Internet service, that allows to put your name in the domain. General & Majors, basically it's guitar opening, is on a scene placed on his teens, in the early eighties, when he is looking in a shop to some kind of metal posters. You know, to hear an XTC song in local TV or even in radio is as easy as finding a palm tree in the Patagonia. The last radio show that aired XTC was the mythical "El Tren Fantasma" - The Ghost Train -, an early eighties audition where you could listen some of the Black Sea tracks. The most enjoyable part of it, was when the announcer pronounced XTC, which he did in Spanish, with a slow, really low voice: equis - te - se- ( pronounce all the e letters as in the word fresh). That's it. Hope you understand my English and greetings to you all. Sebastian
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 14:15:19 -0400 From: Tony Picco <tpicco@iesna.org> Subject: Will Virgin also re-issue the royalties? Message-ID: <B7833376.16D6%tpicco@iesna.org> I'm glad to know the XTC albums have been re-mastered and re-issued, but in light of all the band's legal and financial problems with Virgin, what about the royalties? Will buying these albums in the re-mastered versions just screw Andy & Colin? If so, I advocate a boycott! Tony Picco
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 15:23:48 -0400 From: "Amari, Richard" <RAmari@penguinputnam.com> Subject: Chalkie spotted Message-ID: <0325F31466C9D111A76D00A0C99DD269028CDC80@MSXCHNY2> I saw someone on the Block Island ferry last Sunday wearing a Chalkhills (white horse) logo on his hat. Which one of you was it?
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2001 20:51:48 -0500 From: "Jamie Lowe" <jamielowe@msn.com> Subject: XTC @ Sea Message-ID: <003301c114ac$795aaa80$8d83303f@unlpm> Dear Chalkholders, One of the things that has endeared me to the music of our favorite band through all these years is their mention of sailors and their attention to the sea, boats and sailing. And I have found myself singing many XTC tunes to myself as I sailed the Great Lakes and the Seven Seas. Which got me thinking about making a compilation of XTC songs that have some connection to the aforementioned subjects before my last 333 mile sail/race between Chicago and Mackinaw Island. And here is what I've come up with so far: XTC music with reference to or inspired by things nautical... 1) Jason and the Argonauts 2) Yacht Dance 3) Desert Island 4) All You Pretty Girls 5) Seagulls Screaming Kiss her, Kiss Her 6) Wait till Your Boat Goes Down 7) Mermaid Smiled 8) Blame The Weather 9) Little Lighthouse 10) Summer's Cauldron 11) The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul 12) One of the Millions 13) That Wave 14) Then She Appeared 15) The Ship Trapped in Ice 16) Statue of Liberty 17) Kaleidoscope 18) I'd Like That 19) No Language in our Lungs If any of you can add to this line up I would really appreciate your help, in return a seafaring compilation maybe in your future. Cheers Mates, Jamie Lowe Chicago
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 17:01:18 +0100 From: "Percival, Edward" <Edward.Percival@compaq.com> Subject: H Band tickets available Message-ID: <EE21D9F0CA472F4E8CFBA64638A15D542EFFCC@gblexc01.emea.cpqcorp.net> Due to last minute changes in my holiday plans I have 2 tickets available for the 8th August gig at Camden Dingwalls, featuring Dave Gregory. First reasonable offer secures (they cost me #34 for the pair), but I need an email to reach me by 11pm GMT Friday 26th July. Please send responses to noddy@flaminslade.co.uk Ed Percival
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 13:32:07 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jon Rosenberger <wile1coyote@yahoo.com>
Subject: Judge Roy Bean Rides Again!!!
Message-ID: <20010725203207.64869.qmail@web13402.mail.yahoo.com>
Back in Chalk Vol7 #5 Jan 27th 2001.
I asked this perplexing question.....
So I wondered if anyone knew where Todd Rundgren originally planned to
place Dear God when he planned out the album before XTC came over to
the states to record it. In Chalkhills Children, Twomey relates that
Todd had the whole thing planned and they started recording the songs
"in the order that Todd, had laid them out" Anyone know what the
original order was?
******
Dr. C Coolidge Shortly Replied:
My understanding is Todd had no plans to put "Dear God" on the album
at all, the record company pushed both Todd and Andy to add it when it
became an unexpected hit as a single B-side. Andy didn't consider the
song finished or successful in what he was trying to express, so he
didn't want it on the album anyway and Todd may have not considered it
as part of the flow of the album.
*******
And then Dr. S Harrison Replied...
This is a really interesting question! I've searched high & low, and
not found the answer. Certainly Rundgren had a very clear conception
for Side Two at the beginning of the sessions (hence that bizarre
"booking the tape" practice), and Andy's insistence after the mixing
was done that Dear God had to go and be replaced by Another Satellite
would have changed that original intention subtly.
What we *do* know is that there was never a version of Skylarking that
was as Todd Rundgren originally intended.
>>From a radio interview with Rundgren, 1986:
When we first started the XTC album they sent me a lot of songs,
they sent me probably at least 30-35 songs between Colin and Andy.
Maybe a month or two before the band even came to America to
start the record, I developed an overall concept, with a running
order and everything, for the whole record. And when we started
the record we set about to kind of fill in the concept. And with
very few changes, that's the way the record is now.
One of the changes was that Andy came up with a song that I didn't
feel fit necessarily into the concept but that Andy wanted to have
on the record, and that song was called "Another Satellite." And
to get it onto the record we had to remove a song. And the song
that got removed was "Dear God." Not by my choice but by, er,
other powers decided that Dear God would be removed from the
album. But alternatively they used it as a B-side to a single,
and the single appeared here as an import, and suddenly everybody
started playing the B-side of the single, which was Dear God.
Now this would appear to imply that Another Satellite *replaced* Dear
God in the running order, but that's not necessarily so--they could
have shifted other songs around as well. And it doesn't make sense
thematically to have Another Satellite follow Mermaid Smiled. I'm
guessing, here, based on my interpretation of Rundgren's "Day Passes"
concept, that the original running order was:
Earn Enough for Us
Big Day
Mermaid Smiled
Dear God
The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
Dying
Sacrificial Bonfire
But that's just a guess. Anybody else have anything more reliable?
*******
And Ed K from upaNorth chimed in...
Good question! I remember wondering the same thing when I read the
Twomey book, but forgot about it until you brought it up. Especially in
light of some of the changes like swapping "Another Satelite" in. And
didn't Todd also not plan on including "2000 Umbrellas" until presented
with Dave's string arrangement? Didn't I read that somewhere as well?
*******
And The Downunder Man hiself Dr. Dom Van Abbe added...
I have a CDR (nee tape) which has "Skylarking in Progress" sessions,
which are presumably "Board mixes" from the Skylarking sessions. The
songs have guide vocals, guitar bits that didn't make the final
mixdown, songs started but never completed etc. etc.
The "in-process" version of "Dear God" has the "tick-tock" from the
start of "Dying" already on it, so my guess is The Runt had it
sequenced as it appears on the US Skylarking issues (i.e. immediately
prior to, and seguing into, "Dying").
Cheers all,
Dom
*******
And Ombean tossed another limb on the pyre with
And I answer------ Page 192 in Song Stories. In describing 1000
Umbrellas, Dave says " Todd had only heard the demo with acoustic
guitars and he had put "Dear God" in that slot on the album. The
string arrangement ,which took for ages, with Andys help persuaded him
to record it." Now you know the rest.....of the story. Goood Day.
*******
OK so that should bring all of the interested parties up to speed on
this critical question in XTC's history. I have spent the last few
months investigating the manner further and I hit a gem the other day.
On the Skylarking Interview LP that was released by Geffen where George
Gimarc interviews Andy about the Various Songs on Sky. There is one
brief snippet about Dear God where someone (not George I don't think,
George chime in if you are here) interviews Todd about Dear God, I
assume this made the LP since Dear God was a late Add to Skylarking and
The Andy interview was probably already done and George didn't want to
jet to Swindon again just for this one track SO......
they got Todd to talk about it.
AND He says very clearly that the only tune on the LP that was not in
his original order was "Another Satellite" apparently Andy had recently
written it and was ardently adamant that it be included on the LP. So
Dear God was replaced by Another Satellite since Andy wasn't happy with
that tune anyway and did not want it to be included. This jives with
what Harrison said earlier.
And then, Todd talks about what a great tune Dear God was and what a
waste he thought it would be to toss it and how happy he is that they
at least use it for a b-side. etc..etc..
Until it starts getting played and hits the charts and Geffen records
adds it back into the running order...
Where? Well you can't take off Andy's new Favorite song so they removed
the next one in order to try to return it to where it went in the
original order. Todd relates this on the LP.
So here is what we have..
*****Original Todd Order
Summer's Cauldron
Grass
The Meeting Place
That's Really Super
Supergirl
Ballet for a Rainy Day
1000 Umbrellas
Season Cycle
Earn Enough for Us
Big Day
Dear God
Mermaid Smiled
The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
Dying
Sacrificial Bonfire.
First (and only UK) Release
Summer's Cauldron
Grass
The Meeting Place
That's Really Super
Supergirl
Ballet for a Rainy Day
1000 Umbrellas
Season Cycle
Earn Enough for Us
Big Day
Another Satellite
Mermaid Smiled
The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
Dying
Sacrificial Bonfire.
And then the second US release.
Summer's Cauldron
Grass
The Meeting Place
That's Really Super
Supergirl
Ballet for a Rainy Day
1000 Umbrellas
Season Cycle
Earn Enough for Us
Big Day
Another Satellite
Dear God
The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul
Dying
Sacrificial Bonfire.
Tada! The only thing that is strange is Dom's version of DG with Dying
starting next. The only explanation I have for that is that perhaps it
is an interim tape from Geffen while they are deciding what order to
use for the second release??? Still working on that part of things.
One other note, I find it very interesting that Andy comes over to
America, undoubtably sees Erica in NY before heading up to Todd's place
in Woodstock. Thinks about whether or not he wants to get involved with
her and cheat on Marianne. Writes "Another Satellite" as his answer (or
possibly as part of his decision making process) and then makes sure it
gets put on the LP so it will be heard. I wonder if Andy taked with
Erica again before she heard it?..........
Cheers all
Mole
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 15:59:22 +0100 From: The Worrier Queen <myrone@tesco.net> Subject: the one called the Greenman Message-ID: <3B5EDECB.24D6BE3D@tesco.net> This is at a high resolution so you can read it: http://salmagundi.0catch.com/greenman.html Her Improper Majesty Jayne The Worrier Queen Knocked off her axis mundi to Friday - weekends by arrangement
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #7-43 ******************************
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