Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 316
Date: Thursday, 6 January 1994
Chalkhills, Number 316
Thursday, 6 January 1994
Today's Topics:
Take me to your cleaners
XTC live album
Re: Chalkhills #315
XTC video
Andy Partridge live appearance!
new news from L'il Xpress
Re: Blur the Edge
new member posting
The Big Takeover (Part Two)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: patty@gdb.org (Patty Haley) Subject: Take me to your cleaners Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1993 02:58:50 -0500 (EST) > Sacrificial Bonfire Issue I guess Andy and company would recommend Todd Rungren, and make it a slow burn, at that. > > From: "Say, what's the big idea?" <MELINDA@delphi.com> > 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) Just had to add that she is dead on about the "Cynical Days" backing vocals, and that "Smartest Monkeys" and "War Dance" didn't make it on the tape I made of "Nonsuch", which is the length of an EP. > > 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 > I haven't piped up on "Mummer" yet, but I really, really enjoy this record. Took me a long time, but it is well worth listening to. Now I listen to it quite a bit to make up for all those times I pushed it aside in favor of something else. I think I didn't like it at first because it was so atmospheric. No immediate hum-along songs for me, which put me off. My loss. Records like these prove artists who are willing to do something different instead of the same-old, same-old, especially when the same-old is really great. > Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Daniel Lanois, Trip Shakespeare, Bob > Moulding,and XTC. The first album I heard, and find to be my fave is The above "Bob Moulding" seems to be a Freudian slip from Lynn Blair. Bob Mould and Colin Moulding merged into one person--coolness! My only concern is, will Bob Moulding prefer XTC over Sugar? Sure hope so. . . (Don't tell my fellow Sugar list members I said that). > 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???? You know it's XTC, but it isn't XTC. Think of all your favorite 60's songs done one better. Where for art thou, Sir John Johns? > From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com> > Subject: Whence The Cleaners? > > >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, Nelson who, John? I know you don't mean those blond Scandinavian brothers (thankfully), but who this Nelson be? > 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_. Where to find this, please? All leads gratefully accepted. > individual contributors only. Burn up the old... > I'm still waiting for the answers to that quiz, she says, tapping her foot impatiently. Now I gotta go listen to the record to confirm the next line. Let XTC tour in '94! A miracle would do us all good! -Patty
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 31 Dec 1993 12:46:15 -0600 From: j karnia hermanson <karnia@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu> Subject: XTC live album I just purchased a live XTC album from 1980. It's a BBC Radio 1 concert on Windsong . Can anybody give me more info about this CD other than Andy's crazed linernotes about the concert. How rare is the CD? Any history? etc. Pretty good live band if I do say so myself. Hossjon
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: Re: Chalkhills #315 From: twgl@chanel0.clark.net (Joseph Kopera) Date: Fri, 31 Dec 93 15:20:12 EST Organization: Channel Zero - +1 410 426 7737 - 1400+ .TXTs Hmmm....I don't know about you all, but I think Nonsuch is XTC's worst album...I think all of the songs on it basically sound the same, and they've lost some originality in it....ah well...I hardly listen to it anymore....Except when I'm in the mood for Peter Pumpkinhead or Madam Barnum. Ah well...Happy New Year to ya'all! -=( The World`s Green Laughter )=-
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sat, 1 Jan 1994 14:16:42 CST From: "douglas a. dickson" <ddickson@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> Subject: XTC video I have a couple XTC video tapes, one of which is the officially - released Look Look, which I purchased at the London Virgin Megastore for the princely sum of 10 pounds. It has eleven videos, ranging from "This Is Pop" through "Senses Working Overtime". Only problem is, I have never seen it, as it is in a different format than the one used in the U.S. and I haven't gotten around to having it converted. I am checking with some people I know in the vid biz this week to see if they can get it converted for me. The other item I have is an amateur - compiled collection of European TV performances which has some great stuff on it, including Andy doing a guest VJ gig on a show and talking with Barry Andrews, Thomas Dolby, Jerry Dammers and a talking robot! There are lots of clips of XTC performing "live" on various shows, utilising the curious European method of lip - synching, which apparently is to sing live to a pre-recorded backing track (the origin of karaoke?), so all the vocals are different. Most of the performances are >from the English Settlement era, with afew from earlier and later periods. Quality is wildly variable as some of this stuff looks like has been copied a few times already. Also (though it's not on video) I have a tape of XTC's 1980 show at My Father's Place in NYC. A * great * performance, though the sound is a little muddy. I believe the tape originated from the soundboard. Being new to Chalkhills, I don't know if any of this stuff is obscure enough to be of interest to anyone or not, but if so, let me know. Happy New Year! Doug Dickson < ddickson@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu >
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Date: Wed, 5 Jan 94 13:25:41 GMT
From: "Steve Moore" <smoore@uk.oracle.com>
Subject: Andy Partridge live appearance!
Just seen a review of an Aimee Mann gig where Andy Partridge got up to sing!
This story appeared in the Jan '94 issue of Q Magazine (UK). I haven't got it
to hand so I can't quote verbatim but the gist is as follows...
Dave Gregory is in her touring band at the moment and, so the story goes, they
rehearsed the Dukes song 'Collideascope'. Andy was in town and they persuaded
him to go on stage and play tambourine with them when they did it as an encore.
Aimee Mann said 'I hoped that once I started singing he'd push me out of the
way and take over the vocals. Of course, he did.'
It's good to see he can still do it. Perhaps a few pub gigs in the Swindon area
in the near future please Andy. (Said in the smug tone of someone living 30
minutes from Swindon :-)
__Steve__
---------------------------------[Steve Moore]---------------------------------
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 |
--------------------------------------o0o--------------------------------------
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 06 Jan 94 19:29:21 EST From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com> Subject: new news from L'il Xpress Hi & Happy New Year, Chalkhills chums! We just received an Xmas card from June & Peter of the (long awaited ) Little Express. They said that the next issue of the fanzine was delayed due to some photos from England which were lost or late arriving. June did say that Colin has joined Andy in New York to do a "bubble gum" style song for the forthcoming "Carmen Sandiego" CD. As for Andy, divorce proceedings are proceeding, the reason for the split up being that Marianne has left him for another man! Andy has been very upset, his main concern being for the children. However, his new female companion is an old friend, and has some connection to the music business. Many projects are being sent Andy's way because of this. Andy is now writing songs for the next XTC album, perhaps to be ready this year! As for Dave, he said that the tour with Aimee Mann went very well, and he is romantically involved with Aimee. I'm sure the above news and more will be reported in the next Little Express, hopefully coming soon. June and Peter say that they have received a ton of mail from Japan, where the Japanese translation of "Chalkhills And Children" has been released and is reportedly selling very well! "... Oh run a, oh run a oh run away; please come home..." ---> Steve
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Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 20:33:44 PST
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Blur the Edge
Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com> writes:
>
> 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).
Wasn't this covered in The Little Express? And I quote:
BLURRED VISION
. . . Andy donned his producer's cap to work with the
young Manchester group BLUR. Three or four tracks were
successfully layed down to the group and recording
company's liking, but during Andy's absence, BLUR had
second thoughts and Andy's services were not recalled.
In the end, they'll probably use all his ideas with
another producer!
Mr. Ed <WWWGPYA@grove.iup.edu> writes:
>
> 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.
Limited edition of 5,000 on "cosmic coloured vinyl". As of 1990 this
original gatefold was worth 10 pounds Sterling, about 20 bucks US (the
gospel according to _Record Collector_ magazine). Which is about what
I'd expect to pay nowadays. Perhaps US$25.
> Does anybody know if an album, or anything, by
>XTC was ever released titled _The Edge_?
> Does anyone know what the heck this
>all means? Was there an album? Was it just a cute button?
>So,
>can someone please, please fill me in on what "The Edge" signifies?
>If anything.
First I've heard of anything of the sort. I'll bet it was just a cute
badge. Really designed by Mr Partridge? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
There exists no such album, that's for sure.
-- John
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Date: Thu, 06 Jan 1994 23:40:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: NEUMANN%KSUVXD@ksuvxa.kent.edu
Subject: new member posting
Hi,
> Please post a message to Chalkhills introducing yourself and
> perhaps explaining how you heard about XTC (and Chalkhills).
Sounds like an AA meeting.
I'm a new member of Chalkhills, and I've been listening to XTC since
1988 when my friend lent me a tape of "Skylarking".
I remember going to the store
with my friends and buying "Oranges and Lemons" and listening to it in the car
on the way home thinking, "Wow, this is even better than 'Skylarking'!". Then I
bought "Nonesuch" the week it came out, and I actually dreamed of the song
"Omnibus" the next two nights, it made such an impression on me. I guess that's
the thing I like most about XTC: they keep coming up with surprises, and good
ones at that.
Now, I'd like someone to answer a question I have. I've seen the
expression "Catherine Wheel" 3 times recently: it's in the lyrics of "Then She
Appeared", it was the name of a David Byrne musical, and now I think there is
a rock group by that name. What is a "Catherine Wheel"? Is this some British
thing we Yankees have never heard of? None of my friends seem to be able to
answer this for me.
By the way, I like the name "Chalkhills" for this board. It reminds me
of one of the most soothing songs I know. Good choice, John.
Oh yes, I heard about Chalkhills on something called the Cleveland
freenet in a file called "Musical List of all Lists". It's address is:
mlol-request@wariat.org
and there are lots of neat things similar to this. Some of them, like the
jane siberry (my musical girlfriend- anybody know of any j.s. mailing lists?)
list, seem to be out of service. Updates of the MLoL can be obtained by sending
mail to the above address.
Thanks,
John Neumann,
Kent, Ohio
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Date: Thu, 6 Jan 94 20:49:58 PST
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: The Big Takeover (Part Two)
Thanks to Patty Haley for sending me the photocopy of the Andy
Partridge interview from _The Big Takeover_: ``A Conversation in Two
Acts'', Act Two. Here are some bits I thought interesting.
(The interviewers are Jack, Richard, and Dave, all XTC
fans.)
Dave: You ever hear his Utopia record _Deface the Music_?
Andy: Uh. . . yes. (whispers conspiratorially) Do you
think it was as good as the Dukes "Mole From The
Ministry?"
JR: No. But it was better than the Rutles. Vaguely.
Andy: Yeah. . . yeah.
Richard: It was closer to the Rutles when Todd did it.
Andy: We actually used, I just remembered, we got the
master tapes of _Deface the Music_ out of the cupboard
at his studio, because we wanted a really ringing tin
can snare drum and he said, "Ah, we have one of those on
a track on _Deface the Music_". And we went through
them and found it and sampled it, and Prairie Prince
ends up playing the sample on "That's Really Super,
Supergirl" -- that real offensive tin can snare drum is
a sample off of _Deface the Music_. (sings) Donk!
Du-du-be-da-bum. . . donk! Buh-dah-duhn. . . donk!
That's a little sample.
. . .
Andy: Yeah, well, we used lots of sampled sounds and
messed with them in ways. Like all the little bits of
percussion on "Seagulls Screaming" are all things like
milk bottles, thumb pianos. . . all odd natural things,
like Pyrex dishes, plates, just stuff that was in the
kitchen, struck.
. . .
Andy: And we dressed up in the gear, and we had a dummy
piano painted in psychadelic swirls, and just made every
pop promotional film from 1967 all together in one film.
Including this cod Pathe News voiceover at the start
which said (plummy newsreel voice) "Here we see
Chittingfold House, home of the Frobisher-Harrises since
1667. Some three hundred years later, the English pop
group The Dukes of Stratosphear have decided to perform
their latest pop recording, `The Mole From The
Ministry'." And then it went into this piece of cod.
And we were so happy with it, cause it was the only
video to that date where we'd had total input and we'd
been listed to instead of, oh no, we're gonna do it my
way instead. Cause that always happened on our videos,
we just had to shut up and do as we were told. But that
one came out great. And then Virgin Records said no,
we're not going to spend any money on it. We said,
look, it already exists! You just pay two thousand
pounds to the BBC and you can buy it from them! And
they wouldn't do it. So there is a video in existence
-- it's quite long, it's about five minutes long. . .
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 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. In a pool of mercury.
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