Chalkhills, Number 192

                 Thursday, 9 January 1992
                   Happy New Year Issue
Today's Topics:
                     Chalkhills #191
                      Re: The Dukes
                     This Is Shopping
                   Re: Chalkhills #191
                 Will XTC play a wedding?
   king for a day art,fiction,trashcan sinatras mention
                      Sunny Jim...?
             Take Away / The Lure of Salvage

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Subject: Chalkhills #191
From: Desi The Three-Armed Wonder Comic <jondr@sco.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 91 15:50:02 PST

the one and only Ben Trumbore <wbt@beauty.graphics.cornell.edu>:
>Some things stand out more to me, but I'm sure that I've missed many subtle
>things.  The Oranges and Lemons cover screams Beatles for me.  At the end
>of one one song (without my collection I can't recall which one!) Andy
>quotes "Feelin' Groovy," and that reminds me very much of the end of "All
>You Need is Love," in which the beatles quote half a dozen songs, including
>their own "She Loves You."

I think you're reaching on this one.  The "feelin' groovy" at the
fade-out of "Jump" harks to Simon and Garfunkel's "51st St Bridge Song
(Feelin Groovy)."  I may have the street number wrong - I hate Simon
and Garfunkel.

>Of course, the continuity of Skylarking can
>be compared to that of "Sgt. Peppers" or "Abbey Road."

Not to mention that a lot of the MUSIC on Skylarking has huge beatle
influence.  Like that metallic whack on the snare drum - complete
Ringoness.  Like the string arrangement on 1000 Umbrellas - Eleanor
Rigby me to the max.

>So, I guess I'm asking for opinions about the extent and importance of
>XTC - Beatles similarities.  Also, is it likely that XTC was influenced
>in most cases, or did they just come to some of the same artistic conclusions
>at the Beatles did.  Whew - that should be enough typing for today!

I think its a case of rather overt influencing.  Andy mentioned in the
NME interview at the time of O&L that he appeared to have sampled the
entire White Album into the bridge of Here Comes President Kill Again.
I burst out laughing during the Magical Mystery Trumpet break in
"Merely A Man."

And let us not forget the Dukes Of Stratosphear...

-------
postively Matthew Mashyna <mm5l+@andrew.cmu.edu>:
>As usual, this time of year, I made the rounds to see if any of the
>off-beat record stores here had a copy of "Thanks for Christmas" and, of
>course, they didn't.
>
>I've never heard the song, even though I have a pile of obscure XTC
>singles.

Why don't you buy the CD "Rag And Bone Buffet"?  It has both sides of
the Three Wise Men single along with lots of other wonderful XTC
rarities!  Now that Geffen have issued it, you can find it for $10 at
used record stores all over the country.  Get with the program,
daddio.

Jon Drukman (finely honed machine)              uunet!sco!jondr   jondr@sco.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With hungered flesh obscurely, he mutely craved to adore.

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Date: Tue, 31 Dec 91 13:53:37 PST
From: "John M. Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: The Dukes

In Issue #188 Timothy O'Connor <T8800568@phillip.edu.au> asked about
The Dukes of Stratosphear.  I forgot to mention one cut by The Dukes,
and that's the song "It's Snowing Angels" on the _Window Box_
cassette, available only to attendees of the First North American XTC
Convention in Toronto this past September.  Good song.

	-- John

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Date: 03 Jan 92 21:05:53 EST
From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com>
Subject: This Is Shopping

Happy New Year, one and all! And it looks to be a goooood one for
all XTC fans, with the NEW ALBUM set to arrive around the THIRD
anniversary of the last one's release! Let's all hope really
hard that it won't be delayed...
   My, my, Mrs. Progress, what will you be telling us next???

Well, it seems that after all these years there is still XTC to
be bought in the stores. Maya and I went shopping again, we found:
   A "radio play - not for sale" CD single of The Lilac Time's
"All For Love" (7 bucks), the 7-inch singles of "Mole/My Love
Explodes" (3.5 bucks) and "Wait 'Til Your Boat/Ten Feet Tall
(3 bucks), and the 12-inch single of The Woodentops "Well Well Well"
with 5 trax produced by ole' Animal Jesus his'self (8 bucks).
   It would be interesting to know what people are seeing and
buying in their local record stores, we've had great luck in
the Toronto area! Are we strange? Oh, I forgot that we saw the
double 7-inch single of "Farmboys Wages" (6 bucks), but didn't
but it (got it already).

   Our son, Teddy, (soon to be 6) just loves XTC, he attended the
Barrie Convention and loved seeing all the videos. He often hums
XTC songs around the house! His faves seem to be "Take This Town",
"Paper and Iron", and something he calls "SESAME Street" (Don't you
realize, that this is Sesame Street?).

   'bye for now, and tell us what ya bought 'n where ya bought it!
--> Steve

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Date:         Tue, 07 Jan 92 17:08:57 EDT
From: Emmanuel Marin <MARINP92@frecp12.bitnet>
Subject:      Re: Chalkhills #191

>Limelight: Why do you think that you received a hostile reaction in
>France?

>Terry: They don't understand us. As a result they feel alienated and
>afraid to look into it. They seem in general a neurotic race and,
>unfortunately for us, we have to be listened to more than once to be
>appreciated, which they don't seem prepared to do. Most other places
>seem very keen and enthusiastic. Maybe it's because the French are just
>French.

Ahem... hum... Could anyone here can explain me what happened ???

BTW, I have finally seen for the first time a XTC video clip , on MTV Europe
(as announced here). A bit disappointed, by the fact they did not choose
something more recent. Anyway, not enough money it seemed... Looks like
"Let's Make A Clip" just for fun...Oh it was "Nigel", btw....

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Date: Wed, 8 Jan 92 18:48 MST
From: "Robert A. Dagnall" <DAGNALL@ccit.arizona.edu>
Subject: Will XTC play a wedding?

	Since my fiancee's mother has offered to pay for the band at our
wedding, I thought it would be a good idea to get the very best.  It would
be marvelous to have Andy et al. play our wedding; if they'll be in the
States promoting their upcoming album this summer, the timing will be
about right.  Silly as it may seem, I'd like to inquire--maybe it'll catch
their fancy.  Hopefully they won't insist on playing "Big Day", though!

	Robert Dagnall
	dagnall@ccit.arizona.edu

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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 92 12:01:43 -0800
From: Kevin Carhart <ukevc@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu>
Subject: king for a day art,fiction,trashcan sinatras mention

- I found the cover art for the "king for a day" single in a middle ages
history book.  It's the sack of Jerusalem c. 1000 AD or so.
- Next time you all have a chance to interview the boys, somebody should
ask them (Andy especially) who their favorite authors of fiction are.  I'd
be terrifically interested to find out.   Or does anyone know?
- Someone did an interview with one member of the Trashcan Sinatras,
(its now in the archives for the Manchester mailing list) and they specifically
say they admire XTC for keeping at it, making albums for years and not being
overly concerned with acclaim
- wow, this tribute tape seems to be gathering speed.  Or how bout some
PARODIES!?   I know how to tap out the ocharina solo from Braniac's Daughter...
provided you put a casio keyboard in front of me with a pre set "ocharina"
instrument.  :)
Kevin

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From: wilson@psylo.enet.dec.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jan 92 12:02:32 PST
Subject: Sunny Jim...?

Someone asked a while back about the meaning of "Sunny Jim" in
1000 Umbrellas.

Well, the same term is mentioned in the Cud song, "Robinson
Crusoe" (produced by Dave Gregory).

Did we ever get an answer on who or what "Sunny Jim" is?

Curious in Cleveland,

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Date: Thu, 9 Jan 92 12:12:42 PST
From: Chalkhills Administration <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>
Subject: Take Away / The Lure of Salvage
Organisation: Chalkhills Anonymous

From: Marcus Deininger <deining@bruessel.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de>

Andy Partridge Comments Take Away, Limelight Issue 2, Autumn 1982

Andy adds the following comments about Take Away:

"Commerciality (Signal Ad.) was based on an unfinished and unreleased
track from White Music called Refrigeration Blues.  The lyrics are a
poem called Signal Ad. (Saleable futurity).

"The first part of Work Away Tokyo Day is original and that's joined to
all of the sax parts of Red played at once and then Day In Day Out sped
up very fast and with a new bass Iine.

"Mr. Ditko is an American cartoonist who produced some extremely moral
comic books called `Mr. A.'  According to Steve Ditko there is only
right and wrong, no grey areas.  Mr. A. was the uncorruptable central
figure of these books.

"My favourite track from the album is possibly Rotary which is
improvised singing / yelling over stripped down Helicopter."

This then is our key to the Lure of Salvage, although Mr. Partridge will
doubtless have something more to add.....

Commerciality (Signal Ad.) - Refrigeration Blues.
The Day The Pulled The North Pole Down - Heatwave.
The Forgotten Language of Light - Millions.
Steam First Futurist - Real by Reel.
Shore Leave Ornithology (Another 1950) - Pulsing, Pulsing.
Cairo - Homo Safari.
The Rotary - Helicopter.
Madhattan - That Is The Way.
I Sit In The Snow - Roads Girdle the Globe.
Work Away Tokyo Day - Red/Day In, Day Out.
New Broom - Making Plans For Nigel.

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9 January 1992 / Feedback