Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 315
Date: Thursday, 30 December 1993
Chalkhills, Number 315
Thursday, 30 December 1993
Sacrificial Bonfire Issue
Today's Topics:
Making Plans for Nigel
New BLUR song
Re: Chalkhills #314
Buy XTC
3 wise men
XTC Videos
_Greatest_Living_Englishman_
Questions
The Edge
A New Member Speaks!
Introduction
Greetings Chalkhillians
Whence The Cleaners?
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Date: Wed, 22 Dec 93 12:59:14 PST
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Making Plans for Nigel
I was just checking the CD Europe catalogue and I noticed that they have
a Digital Compact Cassette listed for "Making Plans For Nigel" on the
Old Gold label out of Germany. Has anybody seen this hot little item?
If so, can we get the discographical details? Thanks!
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 22 Dec 93 19:28:26 EST From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com> Subject: New BLUR song Merlin Mann mentioned the new "BLUR" song sounding like XTC in the previous Chalkhills. The song (called "Chemical World", BTW) does seem to have some XTC influence to it. Love the tune, and it's been getting lots of airplay up here in The Great White North. Maybe "BLUR" is easily influenced: I thought that their last single "Tomorrow" sounded just like an outtake from David Bowie's "Hunky Dory". At one point Andy Partridge was lined up to produce a "BLUR" album, wasn't he? I was thinking that it would be a combination that works, but perhaps the personalities got in the way (again). ---> Steve
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1993 19:44:28 -0400 (EDT) From: "Say, what's the big idea?" <MELINDA@delphi.com> Subject: Re: Chalkhills #314 James Robert Campbell said, among other things: > the greatest XTC song in the catalogue. Also, Paul Fox is my > favorite XTC producer. This album (and many of his others) I'm glad I'm not the only one who ADORES "Mayor of Simpleton" I don't know if it's because _Black_Sea_ is my favorite album in the history of music or just because I was in high school in the 80s, but I love Steve Lillywhite. Seems like several bands of the 80s had that signature Lillywhite sound (Big Country comes to mind) then Jason Langley said: > However I wouldn't mind if "Cynical Days" and "Smartest Monkeys" were > not included, the lyrics are a tad bit to obvious. this I also agree with. Everyone loves these songs (especially "Monkeys") and I generally love Colin's songs, but I just think these are too...yeah, obvious. I've gotten to where I don't skip over "Cynical Days" because I like some of the melodic line particularly the backing vocal of "a YYEEEEEEAR goes byyyyy...etc.", but I still skip over "Monkeys" (and "War Dance", for that matter) > how are the other releases? Is anyone willing to dub _Window Box_ > or _Jules Verne_ for me? Quantity vs. Quality in XTC's case I'll > take both. me too me too (please dub tapes for me!) > Videos: A few years ago I bought a "XTC - STUDIOS SONGS 1-11" > video. On it Jason, do you have video dubbing capability?? I will do ANYTHING. Well, within reason ;) > So you see, Mummer just has to be my favorite XTC album. It's that ol' > innocence lost thang. When I ponder the big question of whether it might We've had this conversation before, though I still think it's interesting. I do have an irrational love for _Black_Sea_ and I definitely think that it's largely because it introduced me to music like NOTHING I'd ever heard (to use a cliche'). I was 12 (As I mention on here all the time, and I'm sure you're all sick of hearing) and had had lots of records before -- Beatles & ELO & Todd Rundgren & stuff like that -- but _Black_Sea_ turned my head inside out! First I heard "Generals and Majors" which woke me up, then I bought the album and heard "Respectable Street" and that *SHOOK* me! Come to think of it, I think I used to play "RS" really quietly and then turn the rest of the album up until "Nihilon", because I was afraid my mother would be less than thrilled with those two :). after that, J.Ross said: > Only King Relph knows ALL the sources. But I suspect that half of them > came from old Kinks or Beatles tunes anyways. I just wonder how that guy yeah, I was astounding my sisters with how many of them I knew, but some of them did baffle me. I not only want to know where they came from, I want someone to tape me the stuff I don't have! Kyle Skrinak corrects himself on something I meant to reply to at the time: >Oh boy, bombs away on me for a recent mistake of mine. I said that Colin's >attempt at using jazz influences were less successful. Whoops! "Blame the I thought immediately of "The Affiliated", which no one talks about, but which I think is really really great. Jeff Rosedale said: > Where to begin? You could easily start with "Runaways"- > although much of the reason I like it is because it introduces you to > the ambient sound of the whole "album". yeah, I love the way it sort of slides you into the album, too. It reminds me of the beginning of CSNY's "Deja Vu" > For a while the philosophy of my entire life was "people will always be > tempted to wipe their feet/on anything with Welcome written on it"... ha ha! yeah, I went through that phase, too. > (not much talk on this list about videos-what's your favorite???). I've been a fan for a really long time, but I'm only just recently able to get ahold of "stuff", partially because I'm a grownup with money now, and partially because I grew up in Kentucky. My point is I'M INCREDIBLY JEALOUS OF ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE XTC VIDEOS!! I remember MTV used to play "Senses" every once in a while, and I *vaguely* remember seeing "Ball and Chain" one time. I think I also saw "Mayor" once and thought it was terrible. > No Thugs in Our House (Great destruction song, XTC's Won't be fooled > again) HAH! that's great! > I think Dave should play Rickenbacker (sp?) 12 string all the time. > It sends shivers up my spine. Also Andy on (semi-) acoustic simply > kicks ass. There is no polite or sublte way to express this. AMEN, brothah! Melinda
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 22 Dec 93 19:44:55 EST From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com> Subject: Buy XTC Anyone in the Toronto (Canada) area who is looking for hard-to-find XTC stuff should hustle on down to VORTEX RECORDS. I went there yesterday and bought the 7" single that was originally given away free inside early copies of "Drums & Wires"; the 7" single of "Senses Working Overtime", and the Cleaners From Venus LP called "Living With Victoria Grey" that another Chalkhillian said was good. Still at the store (got 'em already) are "GO+", the 12" single of "Ball And Chain", and a 7" "Mayor Of Simpleton". Oh yeah, I also bought the 7" single of "Are You Receiving Me?" with the "?" picture sleeve. Chaaaarrrrge it!!, ---> Steve
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Pkunk! <ukevc@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu> Subject: 3 wise men Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 01:00:22 -0800 (PST) When Robert said: >Are you out there, Kevin? you didn't mean me, did you? ----- I heard Countdown to Christmas Party Time tonight on Live 105, the SF alternative station. So just when you think they're all subsumed by Pearl Jam/Stone Temple Pilots hard rock alternative garbage, it's nice to know someone out there is still thinking. Kevin (I haven't been following the thread, but my hearing Skylarking first was definitely a defining experience-- I went buying Go 2, English Settlement, Black Sea hoping and praying for more of the same, and it's taken me years to like everything & get a new distinct appreciation for White Music.)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "Greg O'Rear" <OREAR@ise.ufl.edu> Organization: Industrial and Systems Engineering Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 07:54:33 EST5EDT Subject: XTC Videos Jeff comments about there not being much discussion about XTC videos. Well, here's my discussion: "Where can I get a hold of XTC videos?!" I have never seen a video collection from XTC. The only vids I have are ones I taped from MTV or David Letterman or wherever. I say it's about time that two of my favorite artists, The Beatles and XTC, released video compilations. Do I hear a second? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Greg O'Rear E-mail: orear@ise.ufl.edu Industrial and Systems Engineering Department Phone: (904) 392-3389 University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida FAX: (904) 392-3537 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 23 Dec 1993 08:54:14 U From: "Venverloh Jeff" <venverloh_jeff@po.gis.prc.com> Subject: _Greatest_Living_Englishman_ I scored a promo copy of this CD for $5.99 last weekend. Sadly, it lacks an insert. Could someone please send me the credit info (i.e.- who plays what, who produced, who wrote the songs, etc)? Thanks in advance & Happy Families Christmas Partytime, Jeff
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: bdegrande@aol.com Date: Fri, 24 Dec 93 08:59:07 EST Subject: Questions My vote is for quantity over quality. Ultimately, they will be judged by their best work, and I don't think the release of additional material has much effect one way or the other. Some of the songs mentioned as filler by others are among my favorites - this is HIGHLY subjective. I am in favor of releasing everything - I'm willing to sift through it to find what I like. As to whether the order you listened to the albums determines your favorites, I don't think so in my case. Drums and Wires, which I heard first, remains one of my favorites, but so are English Settlement and Oranges and Lemons, both of which I heard much later.
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Date: 29 Dec 1993 18:20:00 -0500 (EST)
From: WWWGPYA@grove.iup.edu
Subject: The Edge
Organization: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Hey folks,
First off, I'm still interested in finding out what
anybody knows about the _Psonic Psunspot_ marble vinyl limited
edition. And I repeat my hope that I didn't sound too mercenary
in my original posting. Still getting a feel for this electronic
environment stuff. So, again, any information would be most
helpful.
Secondly and to the point, another question, this time about
something that I don't have, a phantom I've been seeking out for
quite a while. Does anybody know if an album, or anything, by
XTC was ever released titled _The Edge_? A quick background: A
friend of mine brought me a button, way back in 1982, which he
had purchased in Canada. It was small, with a black background.
There were lots of little boxes which contained small, simple
illustrations, like something from a government publication on
traffic signs or the dangers of not following directions. Over
this was the XTC logo as it appears on _drums and wires_ only in
red. As I tried to figure out what the button represented I
learned that it was designed by Andy (forget where I heard that).
Also, I heard that it might have been a live album, maybe or maybe
not a bootleg. Oh, the button did say "THE EDGE" on it, under the
XTC logo.
That's about it. Does anyone know what the heck this
all means? Was there an album? Was it just a cute button? Nothing
that I have encountered in the XTC catalogue suggests any possible
meaning for this button. If an album exists, I can't say I'm really
even trying to find it anymore. I'm just trying to solve a long-
lasting curiosity. I don't even have the button anymore; it was
on a leather jacket that decided, one day, to find a new home. So,
can someone please, please fill me in on what "The Edge" signifies?
If anything.
-Mr. Ed
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
wwwgpya@oak.grove.iup.edu
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Date: Thu, 30 Dec 93 08:29:50 GMT
From: "Steve Moore" <smoore@uk.oracle.com>
Subject: A New Member Speaks!
Morning all...
Just thought I'd make an initial posting to introduce myself. I'm Steve
Moore from Reading, Berkshire, England (40 miles from Swindon!). I've been
an XTC fan since I heard 'Are You Receiving Me' back in '77/78 and have been
following them ever since. I guess you could describe me as a 'serious but
not obsessive' fan - that's to say, I've got all the albums on CD (and most
on vinyl), but I don't really care about collecting singles, different
sleeve artwork etc, etc.
That's it, really!
__Steve__
Oramail : smoore.uk |
Internet : smoore@uk.oracle.com | 'Questions are a burden to others
skmoore@cix.compulink.co.uk | Answers, a prison for oneself'
Phone : (0344) 383722 |
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 30 Dec 93 09:50:17 CST From: BLAIR@printing.uwex.edu Subject: Introduction Organization: University of Wisconsin-Extension I'm happy to be a part of discussions about XTC. I'm sure I'm not the only female interested in XTC but I don't recall seeing many...except Patti. I credit my musical attraction to XTC to a couple of people I knew in the early '80's during my college days that steered me away from the top 40 caca and towards such individuals and groups as Brian Eno, King Crimson, Pete Townshend, Talking Heads, blah, blah, blah. Later, a dear friend of mine(who owns Pachyderm Discs in Cannon Falls, Minnesota)introduced me to Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Daniel Lanois, Trip Shakespeare, Bob Moulding,and XTC. The first album I heard, and find to be my fave is English Settlement. I absolutely love Yacht Dance. Really cool guitaring in it. I'm really happy that XTC is not music played everyday on the radio (at least not here in Madison "Rose Bowl" Wisconsin) because when you do hear them, it's a special treat. The way I found chalkhills was through the gopher network. I'm always interested in musical happenings, and I kept digging and found chalkhills amongst other musical mailing/discussion groups. I must also excuse myself for lack of internet etiquette as I am also new to this. Could any of you reading this tell me about The Dukes of Stratosphere??? I've heard of them but have not purchased any of the music. Is it a totally different style than XTC???? Oh well, that's it for now. Thanks for all the great tidbits. Lynn Blair (no relation to Linda Blair, the heretic)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1993 15:05:41 CST From: "douglas a. dickson" <ddickson@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Subject: Greetings Chalkhillians Hello All, Well, it's taken me a while to get around to it, but here is my introductory post to Chalkhills. I've been a fan of XTC since Drums & Wires, which impressed me as an amazingly adventurous piece of work for a group so early in their career. Black Sea further increased my liking for the band, but it was English Settlement that completely floored me ( the first track I heard was No Thugs, has there ever been a more aggressive pairing of acoustic guitar and drums ? ) English Settlement remains a favorite, but i have a real hard time picking any one album as * the * best. To me they are all like books, each with its own atmosphere , characters etc., to which I love to return and visit again and again. Happy New Year to my fellow Chalkhillians, and may 1994 be a good one for XTC and all of us! Doug Dickson < ddickson@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu >
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Date: Thu, 30 Dec 93 12:19:39 PST
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Whence The Cleaners?
Bryan Askew <askewb@hamlet.uncg.edu> asks:
>
>I've read mention of The Cleaners, and The Cleaners from Venus...but I
>don't know who The Cleaners are/were. Could someone clue me in?
>
>A band one of XTC's members was/is in? A band one of XTC's members has
>produced?
The Cleaners From Venus (aka The Cleaners) were Martin Newell and
Giles Smith. They made records from circa 1985 to 1987. Giles Smith
is now music editor of The Independent (thanks to Andy Holyer for this
information). Martin Newell went on to form The Brotherhood Of
Lizards with Nelson. TBOL embarked on a "green tour" of England,
which was reported in The Little Express (the XTC magazine).
Recently, Andy Partridge produced _The Greatest Living Englishman_, a
solo album by Martin Newell. The Cleaners' music sounds much the same
as Martin Newell's solo album. And therefore may be of interest to
XTC fans. There is ONE CD currently available of The Cleaners' work,
a compilation entitled _Golden Cleaners_.
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Happy New Year! For all administrative issues, such as change of address, withdrawal from the list, fan club addresses, discography requests (last update 7 December), back issues, FAQ list, etc., send a message to the following address: <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> The Chalkhills archives are available at "http://chalkhills.org/". All views expressed in Chalkhills are those of the individual contributors only. Burn up the old...
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