Chalkhills Digest Volume 7, Issue 60
Date: Tuesday, 27 November 2001
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 7, Number 60
Tuesday, 27 November 2001
Topics:
XTC intro/DCFC outro
Re: Take the Plunge
radioxtc is me
All That Jazz
SFA + White Stripes
We can play, every day...
46 yrs old and just getting started!!
The Definitive Biography
Surviviors
Spocks Beard
This, that and the other thing...
Death Cab
A list for CDR (I think I'll burn this for myself as well)
One Of The Millions Glitch
Mitch & R.Stevie O&L 1989
Death Cab For Cutie/XTC connection
Chomsky in New York!
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Your love was so big / It made New York look small.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 01:31:00 EST From: Windowlizard@aol.com Subject: XTC intro/DCFC outro Message-ID: <5a.2272dc3.292f4724@aol.com> I once threw the following out as XTC bait-- That's Really Super, Supergirl Making Plans for Nigel Senses Working Overtime Love on a Farmboy's Wages Meccanic Dancing Respectable Street Ten Feet Tall Tissue Tigers Seagulls Screaming, Kiss Her, Kiss Her I'm the Man Who Murdered Love Earn Enough for Us 1000 Umbrellas 25 O'Clock I'd Like That Greenman Hold Me My Daddy Harvest Festival The Wheel & the Maypole The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead I believe I may have replaced one of the above with Garden of Earthly Delights, but I'm not sure which. I tried to personalize the complilation to suit the individual's musical sensibilities as much as possible. Also included were songs I had mentioned or quoted in the past to him. Some songs struck a chord (Greenman, Nigel, Senses) while others fell flat (Seagulls, Supergirl, Meccanic Dancing). The end result? I failed to turn him into an XTC freaky freak, but he now has a cursory knowledge and superficial appreciation for the band. Oh well, I tried. The moral of the story: I know nothing about fishing. I'll take ya flat feet Well if you'll take my habits ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks, Ben, for the Death Cab quote on XTC. Very interesting.... DCFC is pop, just like XTC but the fanbase doesn't appear to overlap as much as you'd think it would. Red wine & cigarettes Leave your bad habits underneath the patio.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 04:39:35 EST From: ROBMSTEEN@cs.com Subject: Re: Take the Plunge Message-ID: <69.1e636c77.292f7357@cs.com> So Huw Davies commends "Garden of Earthly Delights" as THE prime seductress for those hitherto resistant to the charms of Messrs P & M. Sound chap. That, indeed, was my own experience - sort of. Back in the middish-Eighties, lazing on my sister's couch in the Washington DC suburbs (on a deserved holiday from London's dole queues), I read that Todd Rundgren, my idol, had produced the latest XTC album. While familiar with the early singles, and fond of them, I'd always deemed the band too clever by half (a bit rich coming from a besotted fan of the man who brought the world Deface The Music, but there you go). But hey, I'd bought albums by The Tubes and even Hall & Oates purely because Todd was twiddling the knobs. So I took the plunge. And came up with diamonds in the souls of my feet. From the opening chords of GOED I was hooked. That fusion of Byrdsian psychedelic-acid rock-with-a-splash-of-Shankar did pretty much the same to me as Viv Richards was doing to England's bowlers around that time. In the immortal words of Gary's Gang, you really knocked me out, guys. King for a Day proved the clincher, ensuring a place on my personal Olympus alongside Todd, Van, Joni, Brooce, Don 'n' Walter, Rickie Lee and Laura N. Had it not been for GOED, I'd never have got that far. Only now, interestingly, have I begun to delve back (bought Mummer, Black Sea and TBE last week). Which is half the fun. Oh, and my son (5) has been grooving to The Greenman since he was two. What was that about force-feeding? I turned 44 today. Forgive the nostalgic excesses, please. The Dook of Cornwall PS You're not THE Huw Davies (England rugger full-back of the 80s) are you?
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 10:54:29 -0500 From: Ian C Stewart <iancstewart@columbus.rr.com> Subject: radioxtc is me Message-ID: <3BFE7135.7000701@columbus.rr.com> the RADIOXTC live365 is mine. I started it about 2-3 years ago after sort of maxing-out a Xoom account with real audio (and video at one point) files for other fans to check out and download. I had over 300MB of files up, pretty much every XTC (and related) song I had. Then the account mysteriously disappeared and so did my interest in reviving it. Then along came live365 with their free 365MB of free space for MP3s. Gotta love 'em. I haven't listened to radioxtc in quite a while but I do check back in every so often just to make sure it's still on. The sound quality is somewhat lacking in my opinion. I can upgrade it to near-CD quality sound but I'm afraid it might lose anyone who doesn't have a high-speed connection. any thoughts on this? here's the direct link, pretty much set in stone. unless and until live365 turns into a pay site. RADIOXTC: http://www.live365.com/stations/96998 cheers Ian C Stewart http://bizarredepiction.batcave.net/xtcvideo.htm
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 10:04:06 -0700 From: "Steve Johnson" <sjohnson@co.missoula.mt.us> Subject: All That Jazz Message-ID: <sbfe1f1d.061@mail.co.missoula.mt.us> I have enjoyed the many fine and thoughtful responses to my purposefully provacative "I Hate Jazz" note from my alter-e-mail "simpleton_01" address. I promise to keep an open mind and listen to some of the early three-minute stuff that folks have recommended. (There's at least one practical reason for this--as a "pop-rock" songwriter, I'm always looking for ideas to steal!) Now, let me refine my thinking a bit. It is true, as many of you have pointed out, that the term "jazz" is amorphous. At least one of you challenged me to think more precisely about what it is that bugs me. So here's my attempt to do that. When I was in high school, many of my fellow musician friends were really into the "let's see how many notes we can cram into a measure" school of song-writing. Chick Corea comes to mind. I always felt that this was music written and performed for other musicians. While I appreciated the musicians' proficiency on their instruments, I did not really like the songs. I bought some of the records but didn't play them. While I tried to be sophisticated and listen to the "serious" music that others enjoyed, once I got home, I put on 10cc while my Mahavishnu Orchestra record sat in the corner collecting dust. I just preferred songs with simpler musical structures, thought-provoking lyrics, catchy melodies and abundant vocal harmonies. (Okay, I have to admit, I went through a Yes/Genesis/Crimson period.) When it came right down do it, how could you top the Beatles? It wasn't any kind of a value judgment about any particular form of music being "better" than any other--it was just what I liked. Some people like peas and some like carrots. Wasn't it Louis Armstrong who said "if you like it, it's good music"? Then, in about '78, I discovered XtC. Here was a group that had everything I wanted! They made you want to think and dance at the same time. They could be angry and aggressive one moment, delicate and pastoral the next. They made serious music, but unlike King Crimson, did not take themselves too seriously. To me, "Mayor of Simpleton" was and still is a perfect song. (You want to introduce someone to XtC? Play her "Mayor of Simpleton." If that doesn't persuade her, nothing will.) Yeah, I like Joe Jackson and Steely Dan and others with strong jazz or classical influences. But I think I'll always like them better than their influences. My brother plays in a major metropolitan symphony. Now don't get me started on classical... :)
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 17:27:02 +0000 From: "Tim Brooks" <bridgered@hotmail.com> Subject: SFA + White Stripes Message-ID: <F212hUxzLGl1I5Ia06x00014c93@hotmail.com> >I know that people are in the habit of recommending other artists on this >list so I must tell everyone to go out and buy Rings Around the World by >Super Furry Animals now. It is a superb album and would be the sort of >thing that fans of XTC would like, especially those who like XTC in their >more psychadelic/Beach Boys-esque moments. SFA are almost like a Welsh XTC >(if such a thing is possible). >Cheers. Wrote Huw Davies (who sounds like he may well hail from SFA country?) who is spot on, this album especially the first half is amazing, well worth checking out to all Skylarking lovers esp. SFA have rather like our heroes never made a bad album. Indeed it was my definite album of the year until I bought the much hyped (in the UK at least) White Stripes album last week - for once believe the hype - AWESOME, can this guy play guitar - a sort of blues/punk experience!!! Tim currently browsing http://www.xtcidearecords.co.uk/ for the first time!! :) :)
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 19:01:28 +0100 From: art et affiche <art.affiche@wanadoo.fr> Subject: We can play, every day... Message-ID: <3BFE8EF5.4BBDB777@wanadoo.fr> XTC site is alive! I've just received the e-mail from xtcidearecords.co.uk. Great to check the "News" page! This will be beautifully complementary with our dear Chalkhills site, and, hopefully, will enlarge our nice community through the hills! And for those who like memorabilia, (especially if you live in Orlando...), while surfing the web, I stumbled across this : http://www.hardrock.com/memorabilia/Gallery/IGA65606.asp Oh dear... his brown guitar! Marie Omnibus.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2001 22:33:39 -0000 From: "Reginard Nabbs" <R.Nabbs@btinternet.com> Subject: 46 yrs old and just getting started!! Message-ID: <MABBLNAAABOPEFIMHGNNMEAMCAAA.R.Nabbs@btinternet.com> Hi, Just wanted to let any intersted parties that as a newbie (?) to all this posting malarkey ( that's "fun and games" to our American friends), I would put on record my opinions as to why we all like XTC! As an Englishman who likes to think we "own" the band, I look at their musical output as an ongoing parody/comment on the english condition. We're very big on self-mockery in the UK, and a lot of XTC's lyrics are succinctly English in both style and content. I can't pretend to have liked all their punk-era stuff ( singles withstanding). I first of all had The Compact XTC CD, and then there was a long gap until I picked up on Oranges & Lemons ( being a bit of an old hippy it struck a chord), and it was another gap until Apple Venus 1 came along, and by then I was blown away! So I guess I'm one of those who likes the more thoughtful XTC... Have been busy back catalouging ( is that spelt right?) and I now have Mummer, Skylarking English Settlement, Nonsuch, The Dukes compilation and Wasp Star( as well as both the demo CD's of WS & AV). So why do I like XTC? Because they NEVER give up producing their personal choice in sounds and styles, and haven't caved-in to crass commercialism. They are true English poets for the 21st century. The only thing I find irksome is that America likes them more than we do ( by looking at the majority of postings etc), still I'm glad to say I can't stop listening to XTC, and I don't want to... Cheers ( mines a large JD!)
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 00:28:46 -0500 From: "Brian" <mattone@bhip.infi.net> Subject: The Definitive Biography Message-ID: <006101c174a8$e4816ea0$d511193f@brian> Tschalkgerz! One weekend and some 'fall' cleaning later, my wife turns up a box containing books I had been looking for for a very long time... including the aforementioned XTC biography. Interesting how lightweight the book is - in actual weight, that is. I have since re-read it - and I sense that something has gotten lost along the way. The book is not exactly how I remember it. Mayhaps a bit 'lightweight' in areas (?). Not to be mean. I enjoyed reading it again (I went straight through it a few short days), but the feeling of being all caught up in the lives of the principles as before was simply not as it was. I vividly recall how big of a deal Andy's supposed 'stage fright' was as a focal point all through the book, but this aspect seemed so watered down upon re-reading it. Odd. Has anyone else experienced this? Also found was Irving Stone's Vincent Van Gogh biography 'Lust For Life', which I read fifteen years ago... and I am still as stunned by it as I was then. Recommended. -Brian Matthews http://www.stonetrek.com
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 01:35:56 -0700 From: "DHF2000" <dhf2000@home.com> Subject: Surviviors Message-ID: <003501c174c3$09721240$3780ff18@boulder1.co.home.com> Mr. Olesen asked: "I can' think of another band that has survived all these years and flourished as XTC has. Can any of you?" Only Los Lobos. Some may say Sting but he's sorta boring. Los Lobos reached a peak of growth with the album "Kiko", which I have on vinyl, lucky me. They still do great work. Dan
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 11:05:48 EST From: BobB22@aol.com Subject: Spocks Beard Message-ID: <136.520804c.29311f5c@aol.com> Hi guys and gals........it's been a while but while we all await NEW XTC material I highly recommend you all go out over the weekend and pick up a copy of Spocks Beard CD titled V...........if you like the late and great Kevin Gilbert this CD was recorded at his studio at Lawnmower in LA...........ENjoy !!!!!! Peace.......Bob Bianco........ Bob Bianco's Beatles Page...........take a magical mystery tour at my updated Beatles site and all you Chalkhills Children please visit and sign my guestbook..........Happy Holidays to all and I heard McCartney is making a new version of Band on the Run.........Taliban on the Run...........: )
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 13:07:09 -0500 From: "Purrsia Kat" <thunderien@hotmail.com> Subject: This, that and the other thing... Message-ID: <F233yVnztvfLVoeQ6DA000090bf@hotmail.com> Greetings and salutations, fellow Hillers... Just thought I'd toss my musings into the mix regarding recent Hill conversation... **As for what to start a potential XtC fan out with, I haven't much of a clue. It's a crap shoot, really. I'd always fancied myself as being rather good at pegging someone's musical tastes based on what they already like. Good enough to make mix tapes of unknown songs for friends that they end up digging. But when it comes to XtC, that "talent" of mine seems to vortex straight down the crapper. For instance, I outright gave a copy of Skylarking to a friend who seemed to fancy similar music (early R.E.M., etc) and she *hated* it. And I figure if someone is going to detest Skylarking, there's no other recourse really. That seems to be my luck regarding XTC anyhow. I've yet to influence anyone to get into them, even folks who expressed an initial interest, heehee. In fact, an ex-boyfriend of mine described their music as "Charlie Brown Music" (we were listening to "...Angry young Men" at the time, which didn't help, I know. Well, I think it's a fab song, but I can see how it can inspire that kind of description, haha). **Speaking of Go2, I have the fondest place in my heart for that album. The highschool friend who got me into XtC in the first place also introduced me to Go2 first. It was an album unlike any other Xtc I'd purchased to date (the earliest I owned then was the Waxworks compilation), and I loved it. To this day, it reminds me of my friend. If you put his personality to music, you'd be hearing Go2...he was just wild and wacky, and oddly enjoyable...just like Go2. **As for musically backgrounds of Chalkers, I'm afraid I have no true talent of my own, although I do come from a musical family. Seems those genes decided to skip me, however. The best I can do is appreciate the hell outta music :-) Can't say I branch out too much outside the pop/rock vein, but I do like a smattering of this and that. Anyhow, this is a list of some of my all time fave bands. In no particular order, as ranking them would likely cause my head to implode... *XTC (that's a given, but I'll state the obvious) *R.E.M. (the earlier, the better) *E/Eels *Drivin n Cryin *The JudyBats *Pearl Jam *They Might Be Giants *Buffalo Tom *Husker Du/Bob Mould/Sugar *Pixies/Frank Black *King Missile (heehee) *Genesis (mid-70s thru mid-80s is just brilliant!) *Smiths/Morrissey (the wry humor overrides Morrissey's melodramatic singing heh heh) *Def Leppard (Purely a nostalgia thing for me. DL is like the security blanket I still cuddle with in private) Aw, heck, I'm sure there's more, but I'm having a brain cramp. Not terribly diverse, I know...but I like what I like, heehee. Angie.
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 13:13:20 -0800 (PST) From: Mike Davidson <tattoodetective@yahoo.com> Subject: Death Cab Message-ID: <20011124211320.24076.qmail@web20403.mail.yahoo.com> Happened to be watching a video of Magical Mystery Tour last week (in between a pretty good Genesis documentary and the last of the Beatles Anthology videos). What to my wondering ears did appear but a burlesque number that the moptops and their tourmates were enjoying. The title of the tune? Death Cab for Cutie, of late posting fame. Said to myself, damn, I saw that on chalkhills, and none of those 'hillians had made mention of it. Well there ya go. Point (plug) two - Great band for those in the Baltimore/DC/Philadelphia corridor - Starbelly. Learn about them at starbelly.tv and bryanewald.com . No, I'm not a stakeholder, just a fan. New release "Everyday and then Some" coming out 2/02 and they do "Let 'em In" on the new McCartney tribute album. British-influenced pop par excellence. Oh yeah, almost forgot the XTC content. Like a bug in brandy, tattoodetective NP Walter Becker "Surf and/or Die"
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 00:24:20 EST From: WTDK@aol.com Subject: A list for CDR (I think I'll burn this for myself as well) Message-ID: <90.1d71d783.2931da84@aol.com> In a message dated 11/22/01 9:42:13 PM Pacific Standard Time, <owner-chalkhills@chalkhills.org> writes: > > Anyway, I got a problem. I promised a very good friend of mine a > > compilation of XTC. Just because I've told her I was on this list, she > > asked me naively "Oh, so you must really like this band, I'd really fancy > > to listen to their music, will you burn me a CD?", and just because she is > > my friend, I mumbled "Errrrr - (terrible blank) - yes, of course". > > > > I am in the shit. Horrible person that I am I don't recall who wrote this and am too lazy to look it up. I'd suggest the catchy stuff as follows-- Mayor of Simpleton Generals and Majors Senses Working Overtime Cherry in Your Tree Love on a Farm Boy's Wages Earn Enough for Us The Meeting Place Battery Brides Are You Receiving me? Hold Me My Daddy Mermaid Smiled I Remember the Sun Seagulls Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her Dear Madam Barnum Greenman English Rounabout Snowman I'd Like That Vanishing Girl Rook Playground The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul Standing in for Joe Chalkhills and Children Not necessarily in that order. Strange thing is that I've been listening to a lot less Xtc over the last month. I've actually been listening to a compilation CD of McCartney's stuff which--oddly enough--compliments the listing of Xtc stuff above. That along with Richard Thompson's (remastered) Dangerous Adventures (which is pretty strange in and of itself because although I like a lot of the songs, it's far from his best album. It' s sort of his Mummer if you will--great moments but inconsistent at least for me). Anyhow, back to lurker mode. It's back to McCartney-Echo and the Bunnymen-Richard Thompson and Brinsley Schwarz with a touch of Suzanne Vega thrown in for good measure. Wayne
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 11:46:58 -0800 (PST) From: DANIEL B <alteration_x10@yahoo.com> Subject: One Of The Millions Glitch Message-ID: <20011125194658.25788.qmail@web14208.mail.yahoo.com> At around 2:56, you can hear a fairly loud glitch which I believe serves to disrupt the song. Has anyone else noticed this or do I have a defective cd? This is the Oranges & Lemons Japanese remaster btw.
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 18:57:21 -0500 (EST) From: RSMko@webtv.net (R. Stevie Moore) Subject: Mitch & R.Stevie O&L 1989 Message-ID: <6565-3C018561-3045@storefull-251.iap.bryant.webtv.net> Manhattan Rumble! The Terrible Two bite the Big Apple! http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/cdrsmclub/live/mitchxtc.html rock off, RSM www.rsteviemoore.com
------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 22:26:16 EST From: GnXn282@aol.com Subject: Death Cab For Cutie/XTC connection Message-ID: <145.53060ce.29331058@aol.com> I found it interesting to see some discussion about Death Cab For Cutie here on Chalkhills. I just started getting into the band and saw them live in concert about two week ago. About halfway into the band's set, the guitar player held his guitar up when he played it so you could see the back of it, and as he did I noticed a HUGE XTC drums and wires-era sticker on it. Sure the show was good, but that was the high point of it. Everyone buy "Something About Airplanes" at least out of loyalty to XTC! Justin L. Abrotsky P.S.: Am I the only one who doesn't really dig Oranges and Lemons as much as they feel they should? I mean, it has some brilliant lyrics, but the songs hardly deliver them with justice (in my twisted opinion).
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 23:10:47 -0600 From: "Richard" <rjpa1@home.com> Subject: Chomsky in New York! Message-ID: <04d101c17701$e0486cc0$02081fac@verisity.com> New Yorkers! Go see Chomsky this Wednesday at Lion's Den! Chomsky is catchy, polished, guitar-driven pop-rock with a modicum of quirk. Infectious and fun. Check them out at MP3.com (those are tracks from their first CD). I saw them play last Friday and I'm still buzzing about it (even thought the venue was a pit). The opening act, "Koufax" (www.koufaxmusic.com) was some nice pop-rock too. Chomsky doesn't get up north very often. This gig is a "showcase" so they'll be in top performance mode. Friday night they were having some trouble with the sound check (one bad cable and a mislabelled mic or two at the mixer) and broke into an impromtu version of "Burning With Optimisms Flame" to give the soundman some puzzle pieces. They have contributed a pumping, Chomskified version of "Earn Enough For Us" for the long lost King For A Day tribute (mastering is done and the CDs are on their way back, Mr. Peabody). Check out http://www.cegmusic.com/lionsden.html for Chomsky gig details (I just hope that the Busby Berkeley Memorial Semaphore Club at Friday's gig don't make the journey to NYCNY - they were a bit... odd.) At the URL you'll find schedules, directions and ticket purchase info. Wednesday, November 28 Creative Entertainment Group presents Big Stone 4 (10pm) / Better Days (9pm) / Rules of the Fort (8pm) / Chomsky (7pm) U.S.$8.00 Lion's Den 214 Sullivan Street (Between Bleecker and West 3rd Street) New York City 212/477-2782 I hope this gets posted in time for some Chalkies to show! Cheers, Richard p.s. Mention my name and if they don't say, "Who?" you'll save $1 per CD!!
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #7-60 ******************************
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