Chalkhills, Number 284

                   Monday, 19 July 1993
Today's Topics:
                    Cole-Burning Stove
                   Re: Chalkhills #283
                   Re: Chalkhills #283
                         ro-terry
                      Martin Newell
                 Mayor of Simpleton query
                upcoming XTC radio concert

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Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 19:42:03 -0400
From: merlin@freenet.scri.fsu.edu (Merlin Mann)
Subject: Cole-Burning Stove

>Andy Partridge is the Cole Porter of rock & roll.

Hmm.  Gimme a minute on this....

If      Bruce Springsteen = the new Frank Sinatra
and     SEBADOH = the new Robert Johnson,
then    Andy Partridge = the new Bruce Springsteen.

Oh, I don't know, I just never get these syllogism things right.  ;-)

        Yeah, I just might agree with you, Andrew.  In terms of lyrical
complexity, playfulness, and melodic lilt, he's a contender with Mr.
McCartney.

        In terms of reflecting (God, forgive my Prom Night pretention) "a
moment in time" or a specific social scene, I think Lou Reed gets a tip of
the hat.

        Other people Mr. Partridge brings to mind? Greta Garbo ("I vant to
be left alone"), Steely Dan (paucity of live shows), and the Buddha (cheap
shot, but he looks beatific sometimes).

        On all counts though, I think he's probably the all-around best
candidate for the job.  Decent guy he is, though, I'm sure he'd deny it.
That's an awful lot to live up to.  8-)

_________________________________
Merlin D. Mann
merlin@freenet.scri.fsu.edu
New College, '90
_________________________________

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Subject: Re: Chalkhills #283
From: kevin@sys6626.bison.mb.ca (Kevin Scott)
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 93 01:28:14 CST
Organization: System 6626 BBS, Winnipeg Manitoba Canada

Just wondering about The Little Express...

I haven't subscribed since before Nonsuch came out, but I'm wondering if
issues are still clogged with "how XTC changed my life" stories in the
letters section.

Kevin

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Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1993 02:57:36 +0501 (EDT)
From: Ian Williams <ecstasy@gibbs.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #283

I'm not sure if this is the proper way to add to this great mailing list,
but I'm sure I'll be reprimanded accordingly if I'm wrong.
I've been an XTC fan since I was twelve, when English Settlement came out
and changed the way I looked at popular music for good. Three things I'd
like to say:
1. Someone is asking how to get the XTC biography when their town is sold
out; I would recommend trying small American college towns. They don't
have any here in Chapel Hill where I live, but I have seen them in the
better record stores of Iowa City, Austin and Norman, Okla. Especially
Iowa - us Iowans are noted for exceptional musical taste, and the music
scene in Iowa City is inchoate but thriving.
2. I recently co-wrote a book called "13th-GEN" (out now in yer local
store) all about the music, movies and sociological problems of my
generation of young people (born mostly in the '60s and early '70s). This
twentysomething book has gotten lots of good press and was a sneaky way  of
inflicting my musical tastes on the countryside. Check it out for some sly
XTC references, along with a quote from "Earn Enough For Us."
3. Has anyone noticed that Andy has been giving clues to his next album
titles in preceding albums? Off Skylarking, in "Ballet For a Rainy Day" he
starts of by singing "Orange and lemons..." Off Oranges and Lemons, in
"Chalkhills and Children" he mentions a "nonesuch net holds me aloft..."
Perhaps everyone has noticed it, but I thought it was somewhat cool.
Thanks, everybody!
Ian Williams
220 McCauley St. Chapel Hill, NC 27516

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Date: Wed, 14 Jul 93 11:25:35 EDT
From: Jeff Rosedale <rosedale@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Subject: ro-terry

Gangway, electric guitar is coming through

I'm new to this list, so "hi" to all!

        I'm sure this is on the lists FAQ, but there's this bit of XTC
passion that's bursting at the seams and I've ben dying to tewll
someone for years...

        It's one of my favorite pieces of guitar work on an XTC album.
While I adore Dave Gregory's melodic flights (Reel by Real) and Colin's
innard-pounding bass chords (All You Pretty Girls), it's Andy who comes
through with the twisted mocking persona in sonic terms that makes my
head spin.  It's the three "sick chords" at the end of "The Rotary" on
the Take Away/Lure of Salvage LP that will stay with me forever.

        Why?  Perfectly normal people have sat with me and listened,
wrinkled their brows and said "that's not music!", but I adore those
chords.  They are mocking and derisive, like the virtual image of a
Helicopter crashing into the La Brea tar pits, with the resulting
explosion captured and frozen in full color for all time.

        What's wrong with me?  Why does this stuff stick to my soul?

        By the way, the re-processed Reel by Real guitar solo on Steam
Fist Futurist is another all time classic, a musical high speed car
wreck with shattered glass flying and twisted metal puncturing the
upholstery...and yet the song goes on- has anyone read Valentin
Kataev's "Time Forward"?

        I had to buy an original Mr. Partridge LP, and gave away my
first copy which was a reprint (one of those OVED catalog numbers, you
know)...because it is a true original.

        Don't get me wrong- the melody and syncopation of the
unmanipulated music is masterful and the lyrics are the pinnacle of pop
(the rhythm of the subway brings "Day in Day out" right to the
foreground.

        Anyway, I'm rambling.  Hope this is appropriate material for
posting to the list.  Even if it isn't, I'm glad I got it out of my
system.

                Hello again                                     --Jeff

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Date: Wed, 14 Jul 93 16:43 BST
From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer)
Subject: Martin Newell

> From: Retro Cop <ukevc@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu>
> Subject: Newell
>
> - It's really sad that Wes is going.  Thanks for adding a lot to the
> list, Wes.
>
> I'm quoting Robert Sutton, who posted to the 4ad list that Martin Newell
> has been working with Captain Sensible of the Damned.  The Greatest
> Living Englishman, huh?  This should be interesting!  Robert says Newell
> figures heavily on the Captain's newest CD..
> I didn't know there was one, but Revolution Now! was really excellent.

and...

> dss@minster.york.ac.uk writes:
> >
> >I see in the latest list of forthcoming album releases in rec.music.misc
> >that an album entitled "The Greatest Living Englishman" by
> >Andy Partridge/Martin Newell is due for release in July.
> >
> >Anyone know anything about this?
>
> Martin Newell, leader of Cleaners From Venus and Brotherhood Of
> Lizards, a gardener by trade, pop music hero during his off hours, has
> been making records for quite a few years now.  You may have read
> about the Brotherhood's ``Green Tour'' of England in The Little
> Express; The Brotherhood Of Lizards toured England with only bicycles
> and acoustic instruments.  Martin Newell has been working with Captain
> Sensible for a few years now, appearing and co-writing material on the
> Captain's last two albums, _Revolution Now_ and _The Universe of
> Geoffrey Brown_.  Nelson, the other member of Brotherhood Of Lizards,
> left the band a few years ago to join New Model Army.  Martin Newell
> claims XTC to be a big influence.
>
> According to The Little Express, Andy Partridge claims that Martin
> Newell is in fact _The Greatest Living Englishman_, but I'm willing to
> be that Martin thinks that Andy is the one.  Martin says he may cover
> an Andy Partridge song on the album, barring Martin writing a better
> one.

All the above is true. We've just had a Newell thread on Fegmaniax (Hi Jim!).
Fans of XTC would almost certainly like Martin's stuff. Martin used
to be my next-door neighbour, so I can attest that he was *nuts* about
XTC.

In recent years Newell has been making a career as a ranting poet. He has two
collections published, "I Hank Marvinned" and "Under Milk Float". Warmly
reccomended.

An excerpt:
"You may find the music business
To be very very bad
As surprising and as welcome
As a blow-job from your dad..."

Also look out for stuff by Martin's previous band, The Cleaners from Venus
(especially the very rare second album, whose name I forgot. I never saw
a copy for sale: I borrowed Martins copy of the CD and like a fool, never
taped it :-( )

-And

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Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1993 15:42:29 -0400 (EDT)
From: CANEVIT@utkvx.utcc.utk.edu
Subject: Mayor of Simpleton query

        Just out of curiousity, how *do* you tell the weight of the
sun?

--Craig E. Canevit

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Date: Sun, 18 Jul 93 19:46:49 PDT
From: ruppen@qal.berkeley.edu (Andy Ruppenstein)
Subject: upcoming XTC radio concert

you may want to pass on to chalkhills members in the Berkeley-Oakland
vicinity that KALX (90.7) will be broadcasting an XTC concert next
weekend as part of their "cabinet tape" series. Saturday, at midnight
(i.e. Sunday morning).  Should run for nearly an hour. Unfortunately
they didn't say when the concert was originally broadcast, but was
likely late 70's or early 80's, as that is when most of the cabinet
tapes were originally done.

I'll be taping it, and will be happy to dub off copies if no one on
chalkhills can get it. (KALX is only 500 watts, and reception is
kind of dicey outside of Berkeley and Oakland.)

Cheers,

Andy

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