Chalkhills, Number 113

                 Friday, 26 October 1990
Today's Topics:
                   Re: Chalkhills #112
                 English Settlement Disc
        Help with "Guitar Chord" Chalkhill Issues
            Thoughts on _Rag & Bone_ and more
              Some ?'s on XTC's Album Titles

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Date: Tue, 23 Oct 90 11:01:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chap Godbey <cg47+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #112

Here's a typing in of the Little Express, the quarterly (?) pub from
Canada.  I forget what the rates are, but single issues are $4 and the
address is:
	The Little Express
	Box 1072
	Barrie, Ontario L4M 5E1
	Canada.

Reproduced w/o permission...here's the first part.

Dear Friends,
	First of all-our sincere apologies for the absence of a Summer issue -
circumstances beyond our control led to the initial delay and then all
of a sudden we find the paste-up boards bare/ All of a sudden we find L.
E. not there/ All of a sudden we find the typewriter's cold/ All of a
sudden we find we're more than old!  However, we hope this newsheet will
help alleviate that empty feeling that occurs between XTC releases,
promo tours, etc., and bring you up to date with some of the band's
recent activities.

	In general, Colin, Dave, and Andy have been very active; with some
session and production work for Dave, songwriting and a rare live
performance by Colin, and studio projects for the increasingly popular
"producer of the '90's", Andy Partridge.

*Colin's New Tunes*

	When we last spoke to Colin, he reported that he had six or
seven songs finished and is eager to get into the studio.  He
commented on some of the titles:
	"There's one called 'Where did the ordinary people go'.  I'm
quite keen on that one.  There's one called 'My Bird Performs', that's
rather sexy.  There is also a track that never really got any further
than demo for the Big Express called 'War Dance'.  I thought the
lyrics were quite good and I wanted to do it in some fashion so I took
the lyrics and wrote completely different music to it and it seemed to
work.  I offered it up and the guys sort of said it's got
possibilities, so 'War Dance' is making a reappearance.  Another is
'Didn't Hurt a Bit', and also there's one called 'Bungalow' which is a
strange song about old people retiring to the coast in a bungalow; so
I guess it's pretty straightforward 'old-people stuff' (laughter).
It's probably a relation of 'Dying'; I like that stuff, totally
mundane and noncommercial.  I've just got a penchant for writing those
sort of songs, and Andy and Dave seem to love it, 'cause when I came
up with it I wasn't too sure and I wondered what they'd think of it
because it was so English mundane.  But the guys liked it so I thought
I'd go ahead and write the rest of the lyrics.  So I'm reasonably
happy with what I've done."

*Down At The Pub*

	During the last few months there have been rumors that XTC would be
touring.  These were unfounded, but on May 5th a few lucky British fans
came very close to this elusive experience when a surprise gig took
place at a Swindon pub, "The Queen's Tap", featuring local musician
David Marx, assisted by his friend Barry Andrews (yes, _the_ Barry
Andrews) and on bass, the one and only Colin Moulding.  By all accounts
it was a great evening and we'll have details in the next L.E.

	Some recent activities for Andy include he and Peter Blegvad locking
themselves away in Andy's shed improvising some music, poetry, jingles
etc. for a promo CD "Peter Who" to be given to radio stations, as well
as remixing some of the Peter Blegvad album "King Strut and Other
Stories" for Silvertone Records.  Nex Blegvad/Partridge project will be
an album of poetry and music; three tracks have been completed of Andy's
music and Peter's poetry.

	A quick visit to New York to be photographed for an Amaretto Saronno
magazine ad--"Terrible hypocrisy because I've never even drunk the stuff
and after smelling it I don't think I will!  I did it purely for
mercenary reasons."

(I would say "More to come", but there isn't much more to spew out--just
Paris Promotions getting their act together, the CD comps we know about,
and Dave working with Cud, the band.  They're itching to get the next
album out, but can't find a producer.  Any suggestions, besides Steve
Albini please?  --Chap.)
 ________________________________________________________
|                                                        |
|        Chap Godbey (WACK@DRYCAS.CLUB.CC.CMU.EDU)       |
|                    (cg47+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU)              |
|========================================================|
|                                                        |
|                 Un! Znqr lbh ybbx!                     |
|________________________________________________________|

<FLAME ON>
What? The letter is finished? Darn..
<fizzle>

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Date: Wed, 24 Oct 90 14:00:17 -0700
From: tarim@ucscb.ucsc.edu (71128000)
Subject: English Settlement Disc

Okay, I've been convinced that I won't be happy unless I get the NEW,
Improved import remastered compact disc of English Settlement.  Hopefully
this isn't something that's already been mentioned and I missed, but:
when I go down and order it, does it have a new catalog number which
differentiates it from the old unimproved version?  I'd hate to shell
out the money for an import only to get the same thing I could get in
the states for $8 less.  How do I insure that I get the correct version?

New English Settlement and Rag 'n' Bone Buffet in one week; bye-bye,
scholarship money, rent money, food money...

The Jester off Win Way
tarim@ucscb.ucsc.edu
No siggie, I'm late for class...

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Date: Thu, 25 Oct 90 05:29:50 PDT
From: "All the kids are complaining that the songs are too slow." <wilson@pneuma.enet.dec.com>
Subject: Help with "Guitar Chord" Chalkhill Issues

I'm wondering if someone can send me or maybe tell me the issue
numbers of "Chalkhills" that contain the chords for XTC songs?

I remember seeing the chords for "Mayor of Simpleton," and I would
like those, but I'm thinking there may be other songs covered as
well.

Thanks much,

Wes

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Date: Fri, 26 Oct 90 11:24:16 CDT
From: oconnor!siouxsie!jtl@oddjob.uchicago.edu (Joe Lynn)
Subject: Thoughts on _Rag & Bone_ and more

Unless my ears are playing tricks on me, the version of
"Extrovert" on _Rag & Bone Buffet_ is a little different
>from the one on the "Dear God" 12-incher (Geffen 0-20630):
the horns start in a lot earlier on the Geffen version.
(I've been listening to _Rag & Bone_ for a couple of days
now, and I keep meaning to take out "Dear God" to compare.)
Has anyone else noticed this?

Also on _R&BB_, they mention that "Mermaid Smiled" was on
early US releases of _Skylarking_.  Why are they singling out
the US?  The early UK pressings of the album had the song as well,
didn't they?

Another (obvious) observation was the similarity of the Three
Wise Men's "Countdown..." to Nick Lowe's "(I Love The Sound Of)
Breaking Glass."  I guess it's the similar instrumental effects.

A friend of mine just went to Tokyo, so (of course) he got
a list of CD and LP "wants" from me.  One of the things on the
list was the elusive Hiroyasu Yaguchi album _Gastronomic_.
He went to two record stores, and it was sold out.  (There
goes my chance of making it to the Chalkhills discography...:-) I had
also given him instructions to look for the video _Best Hits_,
and it was not to be found, either.

Well, that's about it from here...

			--Joe "I feel like someone else" Lynn

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Date: Fri, 26 Oct 90 09:36:13 PDT
From: wilson@psylo.enet.dec.com
Subject: Some ?'s on XTC's Album Titles

I continue to wonder:

What does "Go 2" mean?
What does "Mummer" mean?

We've covered the probable origin of "Black Sea"'s title. And (I don;t
think this has been mentioned yet), "Oranges and Lemons" refers to
Andy Partridge's feeling that he sees colors coming out of the music
that XTC produces now, colors that he claims he didn't start seeing
until "English Settlement."

Wes

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