Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 301
Date: Friday, 12 November 1993

                  Chalkhills, Number 301

                 Friday, 12 November 1993
Today's Topics:
                         Dear God
                   Re: Chalkhills #300
                    gigi introduction
                   Re: Chalkhills #300
             Re: Where to find Martin Newell
            In defense of _Explode Together_:
                    Re: Martin Newell
               Aimee Mann and Dave Gregory
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From: dhgpa!adkoning@hvgtw.att.com
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 11:08 MET
Subject: Dear God

Hi Chalkhillians.

It was mentioned by someone in the last issue of chalkhills: The Dear God
CD-single. I want to have it (have been looking for too long already). If
anyone on the list is willing to part with it or knows it somewhere
available, please get in contact with me. I'm sure we can work out a deal or
a trade.

Thanks for any help,
        ,
--  Andre de Koning
    email: adkoning@dhgpa.ns-nl.att.com

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Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 16:20:25 EST
From: robertk@lotatg.lotus.com (Robert Krajewski)
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #300

In Chalkhills #300, John Relph writes...

     but they [the cuts on _Explode Together] are interesting
     in that they are very early examples of "dub" techniques,

Well, they are early examples of "arty" or "rock" use of
dub techniques. Dub was already at least five years old

(if we're talking about the first King Tubby "versions")
when the UK indie/punk/whatever scene began to borrow it from
reggae. On the more polished side of things, producer Steve
Lillywhite was often assigned to produce reggae artists for
Virgin in the late 70s, and that might have had something
to with Andy's fascination with the stuff. Or the enthusiasm
could have been mutually reinforced. Meanwhile, other,
noisier and more experimental parts of the UK scene were also
being inspired by dub; the most obvious end-product of this
was _Metal Box_ by PiL, but it also lead to fusion of rock
with dub practiced by the On-U family of artists (Mark
Stewart + Maffia, Tackhead, &c.).

And now, non-reggae interest in dub is being revived by use
of samples and occasionally actual dub tecnhniques in modern
dance music such as house and ambient techno. (Prime example:
much of the Orb's second album and their remixes for YMO.)

Anyway, I like _Explode Together_ as a sonic journey, and I
really think that Andy "got" dub in a way that a lot of
today's revivalists don't. I think that Andy's infusion of
rigorous noise might turn some people off, but I think in
a lot of ways he was just experimenting with various
processes and seeing where they would take the music.

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From: GianLuigi Alari <alari@crs4.it>
Subject: gigi introduction
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 93 10:02:11 +0100

Hi, i am gigi.
I live and work (computer scientist) in Sardinia (wonderful
italian island). In the free time I try to play guitar, play
tennis and swim.
I heard about XTC from a Peter Gabriel TV interview (i like
P.G. also) back in the late 70's and sometime later I saw in
a music store "English Settlement"; it was a sparkle in my head.

I am happy to join this wonderland!

ciao

-gigi

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Date: 10 Nov 93 08:46:25 EST
From: Kyle Skrinak <70702.3054@compuserve.com>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #300

To those of you who slight Explode together, I say, and I quote a one of
Senator Packwood's acusers, "you just don't get it!"

It's not a technological marvel, nor is it throw-away whim. It's one of the
best things they (Andy?) has ever produced! It's not pop, it's a sideways
look at pop. So, if you're looking for pop here, well then, YOU JUST DON'T
GET IT! It's a deconstructionist way to look at pop. Besides, Rotary is a
hilarious song! It makes me go spastic!

I only regret that we don't have more of this type of work!

Sometime ago, someone wondered whether you can place yourself as a type of
fan, depending on what you liked. I wonder where us Explode Together fans
fit?

Thanks, John R, for clarifying what the original songs were.

re:>>The work that the fellow from Mister Mister did on Orange and Lemons was
splendid.

Sorry. Not on par with Nonsuch.

"There's a mob of angry philanthropists chasing my cat!" Phil Rizzuto

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Date: Wed, 10 Nov 93 11:13:26 PST
From: david.duran@supermac.com (david duran)
Subject: Re: Where to find Martin Newell

> I picked up the "Greatest Living Englishman" CD yesterday, with the
> limited edition (and hilarious!) live poetry CD. The sound/feel of
> the album itself is _very_ Andy/Dukes. You can tell it was recorded
> on Andy's 8-track digital in the shed at the bottom of the garden.
> The whole feel of the thing is a state-of-the-art "demo". And I
> mean that kindly. All I can say to Chalkhillians is: BUY THIS!
>
> And the CD sleeve says: "Featuring the new, improved Andy
> Partridge". According to the notes, Andy does one guitar solo and
> almost all drums/percussion, and some keyboard.

OK great, now does anyone know where I can find this CD? I went to my
local Tower Records and they told me they did not have it and it was
only available on cassette tape.  Being very skeptical of this (:-/)
I called Tower's 800 number in New York.  They could not get if for
me either.  So how about a record label and ID or a cd store
recommendation in the bay area? Anyone?

-dd

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Date: Thu, 11 Nov 1993 14:09:19 -0500 (EST)
From: MOWDER@acfcluster.nyu.edu
Subject: In defense of _Explode Together_:

        What follows are the highly subjective comments of an aging
        New Waver.

        I love these albums (the ones on _E.T._) cos I have some
        personal nostalgia for the historical and musical moment
        that they came from.  "Dance With Me Germany" was one of the
        first "punk" tunes I ever heard, floating in over a radio
        station that I picked up by accident, way past my bed-time
        at age 12.  It was sandwiched in between, I think, an early
        Pere Ubu cut and Devo's version of "Satisfaction" (with the
        "babybaby"s that went on, it seemed, for like 10 minutes).

        This punk stuff was, at the time, totally novel and scary
        music for me, but it was also like a life preserver.  Prior
        to that, my hometown (and household!) had given me the
        impression that the only cultural food  (music-wise) that life
        would have to offer would be repressed, suburban pop tranquil-
        izers like Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" (which had been
        # 1 on the charts for, like, 2 years at that point), and James
        Taylor's version of "Handy Man".  Oh, actually, I guess if you
        *really* wanted to be 'avant-garde', there was Linda Rondstadt!

        So, I'm happy that XTC made those records, and that they sounded
        much more like totally uncooperative "noise" than like conven-
        tional music.

        The other thing I'd like to say is that, in 1978 or 1979, I think
        that no one really knew what would happen with XTC (or punk, or
        rock'n'roll) 15 years down the road.  So, a lot of the makers of
        that strange, old music (early Cabaret Voltaire, Wire, the Rain-
        coats?) meant it to sound new, adventurous and optimistic, rather
        than like tired, old studio out-takes scraped from the bottom of
        te barrel.

        That being said, a lot of the "Homo Safari" series still leaves
        me cold.

        Jamie in NYC

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Date: Thu, 11 Nov 93 14:16:36 PST
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Martin Newell

Toby Howard <toby@cs.man.ac.uk> writes:
>
>I picked up the "Greatest Living Englishman" CD yesterday, with the limited
>edition (and hilarious!) live poetry CD. The sound/feel of the album itself
>is _very_ Andy/Dukes. You can tell it was recorded on Andy's 8-track
>digital in the shed at the bottom of the garden. The whole feel of the
>thing is a state-of-the-art "demo". And I mean that kindly. All I can say
>to Chalkhillians is: BUY THIS!

I want this CD and I can't find it anywhere!  If you can find this
(double) CD for me, I will trade you for something.  Let me know what
this something should be.

        -- John

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Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1993 08:40:12 -0500 (EST)
From: CANEVIT@utkvx.utcc.utk.edu
Subject: Aimee Mann and Dave Gregory

Hello!
        This was clipped from the Knoxville News-Sentinel, um,
about two weeks ago (sorry!):
                [Aimee] Mann's touring band--with Bostonians
                Clayton Scobel, Milt Sutton and Brian Stevens--
                has also just been augmented by Britisher Dave
                Gregory of XTC fame. "He sat in when we played
                in London," says Mann.  "He's out with us for
                the next two months.  He's been great. The band
                is really rocking now."
it was originally printed in the Boston Globe. If it's already
commonly known, I apologize--Knoxville is a few years behind the
times: grunge is still in here!

BTW, has anyone heard the Rutles tribute _Rutles Highway Revisited_?
It   covers of the soundtrack by a number of alternative bands, most
popular among them Galaxie 500 and Bongwater. It not only sounds like
these bands had listened to the soundtrack and the Beatles, but they've
also been drinking quite heavily from the same well that the Dukes of
Stratosphere drank from.  Penn Jillette appears on it as well!

bye, bye!
Craig E. Canevit

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Wow, issue number 301!  The first in another century.
Chalkhills has nearly 450 subscribers as of this writing.
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