Chalkhills, Number 330

                   Monday, 7 March 1994
Today's Topics:
                   Re: Chalkhills #329
             article for the next chalkhills
                   Re: Chalkhills #329
                   Re: phish difficulty
                    Self introduction
                    Todd and the Tubes
                Introductions Are In Order
                          Videos
                          Hello.
                      siberry, Rook
                 Introduction of Andreas
                    Just a question...
                   Partridge's project
                   KLAATU verata nicto!

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date:         Mon, 28 Feb 94 08:44:10 EST
From: Karen <AP201155@brownvm.brown.edu>
Subject:      Re: Chalkhills #329

In reply to Miles' comparison of XTC with the Kinks, I have to say YES!
YES! YES! The influence is very obvious. I'm ashamed of myself for not
mentioning Ray 'n' Dave more often when describing XTC to non-fans. I
think all Chalkhillians would appreciate those wonderful late 60's to early
70's Kinks albums.

A dedicated follower of Ray 'n' Dave,
Karen

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

From: seanbe@microsoft.com
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 94 09:52:09 PST
Subject: article for the next chalkhills

cheers all
i'm a brand new subscriber but an oooold :) xtc head.   at least old
enough that i know a good many of the references in the Dukes records
(39) (of which:  more, more, i still want more!).   among other things
i'm a technical editor at the tyrannosaurus of the computer industry,
microsoft.
        the  first xtc song i heard was "This is Pop," which a very hip friend
gave me on a homemeade compilation tape right after D&W came out.   i
was hooked.   i quickly became aware of the miles of difference between
the first couple LPs and those following D&W.  i still enjoy White
Music and Go, despite barry's caterwauling fingers and andy's peculiar
vocal style.
         and though the Kinks konnection is an interesting point...yes,
Beatles... xtc's evolution reminds me of the progress from the raucous
Hamburg days to the studio finesse of the white album ( O&L. in a
parallel universe).    i've always wondered what the old songs would
sound like played by the current lineup.   maybe we'll have to wait
until andy et al get to be Chuck Berry's age and start recycling their
old songs on nostalgia tours.
        funnily enough that same friend of mine has now become disaffected
with xtc, comparing their latest work with Steely Dan of all people
(well, ok, there are some VERY superficial resemblances--like complex
chords, whoa!)  however i have only become more and more convinced of
the genius of these guys and grown to love them as people rather than
mere pop icons, which i suspect might please them.

morbid curiosity dept.:   why on earth has the Beeswax" portion of
"Waxworks" not been rereleased??   i was lucky enough to find a
cassette version that included it but you'd think it would be just the
thing for CD rerelease.    weird.   case in point the cool rare
Costello material now coming out.  speaking of whom:
re: OLIVER@slais.ubc.ca
>>How many people on the list are musicians?
i was in a power trio for 10 years (on guitar/vocals) and we tackled a
whole lot of Costello and Squeeze but only one xtc because of its
difficulty -- at least on my part!! -- and that was "Senses Working
Overtime."  We, shall we say, stripped down the song into chords we
could manage and gave it sort of a DIY spin.  but we didn't feel like
desecrating any other songs.
and one last third-party reference: does anyone else think that Robyn
Hitchcock should sub for John Lennon at the rumored Beatles reunion?
he's vocally a dead ringer as far as i'm concerned--did a great version
of Cold Turkey.

so...anyone been to Swindon lately?  i'm hoping to visit the Cotswolds
in May and will be within striking distance... be fun to take the map
from the liner notes of White Music (i think it was) and do an xtc tour.

cheers
sean

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Mon, 28 Feb 94 11:41:45 PST
From: Al.Handa@corp.sun.com (Albert Handa)
Subject: Re: Chalkhills #329

RE:  Kinks Influence versus Beatles influence.

Miles Goosens made an interesting, and the potentially pleasing debate point
about the Kinks influence on XTC.  Personally, I would take a Kinks record
over a Beatles one (although I like both), and an omission of the Kinks as
an influence is probably inadvertent.

However, a lot of the Beatles influences that show are the ones from their
psychedelic period, of which the Kinks were by choice excluded.  Remember,
their classic Village Green stuff was done at the height of the love and
beads era.  They rocked when everyone else acted cute, sang of sunsets and
school snobs when others wanted to ban the bomb, and then sang of Lola
just in time for T-Rexmania (a rare concurrence).

If one wants to draw any parallels, a good one would be that Ray Davies
always pursued an extremely idiosyncratic and personal vision while the
world eagerly aped the latest Beatle fashions (or deliberately counter-
programmed like the Stones), and never really seemed to care if he fit into
the mainstream.  That could be said about XTC.  However their gradual atten-
tion to Baroque detailing could easily be said to be Beatle-influenced.

The Beatles could write a song as complex and beautiful as "Penny Lane,"
but could they ever have been able to create a "You Really Got Me"?  It
wouldn't hurt XTC to be more like the Kinks, actually.

Al Handa

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: 28 Feb 1994 21:46:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Kurt <KRAE3757@splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu>
Subject: Re: phish difficulty
Organization: SUNY at Plattsburgh, New York, USA

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Did I just see someone write in that listening
to phish is difficult? Since you listen to XTC, I have to respect your
view. However, if you find songs like, well some stuff from the Homo
Safari Series or, lets see, well any stange time signature songs by
them, you need to spend more time with phish.
  For those of you how don't know of phish, an explaination is needed.
They are a group of 4 who hail from Burlington, VT. The music IS very
complicated, but all the more interesting. In many songs, they play
Classical music, which they wrote, but it with rock instruments. They
also combine art pop, jazz, fusion, funk, blue-grass(yes,yes!), and
even do barbershop quartets! In concert, these guys are down right
silly. The drummer sings with a vacuum, the guitarist and bassist play
while doing synchonized dancing on trampolines, and even have a secret
language (involving instuments) that can comunicate to everyone in the
AUD to do things like fall down, sing a random note, or point to the
drunk idiot in the front row. I know I may not have the most objective
view; I'm a tape tree administrator on the phish.net (which gets about
50 messages a day) but I know other people on this net that agree with
me (HIGH jeff + korzo).
  Anyway, they can't be all that bad, phish used to cover Melt the Guns.
+ yes, phish does like XTC. If you are still reading this, I am new on
this net + was wondering the over all view of taping XTC's studio stuff.
Am I breaking the law by asking if anyone would want to do a trade? I
need that new Andy Partridge album under Martin Newell or something like
that. I have some rare XTC stuff and of course plenty of live phish
(over 70 hrs.) including some crispy SBD analog masters. BTW, don't tell
anyone on the phish.net (like you really would), but XTC is still my
fav. band. So, try phish. It may be strange, but XTC is too 8*)
                                            Kurt
                                   krae3757@splava.cc.plattsburgh.edu

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Tue, 1 Mar 94 00:22:49 CST
From: treleven@vms2.macc.wisc.edu
Subject: Self introduction

Good day fellow XTC fanatics...(and forgive me while I pause and consider
what to say next).

This is my first foray into UseNet, so if I screw something up or say
something uncouth, have a heart.  My name is Ed, I'm a newspaper reporter
>from Madison, Wis. (with employer-paid (!) Internet access through the
University of Wisconsin) and a new subcriber to Chalkhills.  I gratefully
welcome the opportunity to learn from all of you more about this group
I've come rather lately to love.  I managed to track Chalkhills down through
a few Veronica searches, having heard that such a group existed but not
knowing its name or address.  It took awhile, but here I am.

As I mentioned, XTC has only been a part of my CD (at first tape) collection
for a relatively short time, since about 1986 or so.  Still, there are gaps
in my knowledge of the band that I hope to fill here, since it seems like
there is so little information out there about XTC, which seems known only
to its fans.  Thus my interest in Chalkhills.

So, thanks for the opportunity and I eagerly await the fun that follows.

-- Ed

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Tue,  1 Mar 1994 11:52:37 -0500 (EST)
From: Stephan Greene <greene@monster.umd.edu>
Subject: Todd and the Tubes

The Tubes are probably best known for their '70s  hit "White Punks on
Dope" but also songs like "Don't Touch me There" and "Mondo Bondage."
They were pretty outlandish in their time, and their individual players
were quite talented. I've always thought of them as Frank Zappa if he
had been a group from San Francisco rather than an individual from LA
via Baltimore.

The obvious connection to XTC is that Rundgren produced several Tubes
albums, which must have something to do with the Tubes' equipment credit
on Skylarking.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: 01 Mar 94 22:17:12 EST
From: Joe Caparula <72600.3713@compuserve.com>
Subject: Introductions Are In Order

As a new subscriber, here is the obligatory intro.  I am 32 years old,
married, and have been listening to the boys from Swindon since I first
heard English Settlement at Rasputin's Records in Berkely, California.
I had heard bits of XTC previously and had erroneously dismissed them as
"another new wave punk band" but English Settlement deeply impressed me
and I've been hooked ever since. I think Nonsuch is their finest work to
date and am anxious to see if they can top it (I'm sure they can).

I attended last year's Music & Friends Convention with mixed success (I did ge
get a copy of Bull With The Golden Guts, which is terrific).  I subscribe
to Little Express, but haven't seen an issue since last May (any info on
this?). I'm intrigued by the rumor that this year's convention may be in
Madison, Wisconsin, since that is where I live.

The only question I'd like to throw out is: has anyone heard Martin Newell's
disc "The Greatest Living Englishman," and, if so, do you think it is as
wonderful as I do?

Later, folks . . .
JMC

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 94 11:39:01 GMT
From: mike@miller.demon.co.uk (Mike Cooper)
Subject: Videos

Apologies if this is an FAQ, or bringing up something you've already
exhausted, but I'm new here!

Has anyone any info on XTC videos? All I've got is Look Look, and that's
well old now. In the last Chalkhills, a compilation was mentioned along
with the name Derek Miner - could this be a clue?

Also, I'll add my vote for more CD inserts....

--
:) no sig, I'm trying to give them up

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Wed, 02 Mar 1994 12:35:08 -0500 (EST)
From: Goats and Monkeys! <HALEME@earlham.edu>
Subject: Hello.

Hi!  My name is Meredith Hale.  I'm 19, and I'm a Theatre, Music, Public
Relations major at Earlham College.  I adore XTC and my favorites are
Black Sea, selections from Skylarking and The Dukes stuff.
Just wanted to let you know I was here. :)

Meredith ;)

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Thu, 3 Mar 94 09:51:19 -0500
From: jneumann@mcs.kent.edu (John Neumann)
Subject: siberry, Rook

Regarding  OLIVER@slais.ubc.ca 's comment that jane siberry is Canada's answer
to Kate Bush, I say, what an understatement! I am in love with her music. All
hail the Goddess of Guelph! I only wish that more of us here in the US knew
about her, I mean, she sounds a little like Kate (my roommate and I used to
argue about who was better) but I think her music is less forced; she doesn't
have to try to be quirky. If there are any other siberry fans out there, please
write me! I think I'm the only one in town here.
        Yes, occasionally I take the time to sit down and learn XTC songs, and
I find some of them very difficult.  The above-mentioned person wanted  to
learn "Rook", which would be a nice solo piano piece. I have the bass line for
"Mayor of Simpleton" worked out, as well as bits of other songs. I don't have
the patience to put these things in tablature form, but if you contact me
personally maybe we could split the work of transcribing "Rook".  I would love
to know the exact arrangement of "That Wave", which has some really neat guitar
chords in it, and the bass/drum groove is incredible- it really sounds like
being carried by a wave. I'm really running short on time, with working towards
a Ph.D. and trying to put together a tape of my music on the side, so I don't
see myself sitting down to work out new XTC charts. But I'd like to discuss the
details of the music with anyone who wishes.

                                                        JOhn

"One time I saw Canada fall through a hole in the sky
 I do not know if I was really sad to see her go
For in her place there was a herd of early morning cows
 They moved in one direction
They know where, when , how, why not"
        - The Strange Well-  jane, 1st album

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

From: Andreas Spreen <andi@pippin.cadlab.de>
Subject: Introduction of Andreas
Date: Thu, 3 Mar 94 19:11:37 MET

Hi all!

This is me, Andreas Spreen. I am new to this mailing list
and so I would like to introduce myself:

My name is (yes you are right) Andreas Spreen (29 years old)
and I'm from Germany (Paderborn), working at a Software Company.
If I feel boring about writing Databasestuff, I like to
hear something about more interesting items, like the
wonderful music of XTC for example via this mailing list.

My first XTC-experiences were made by listening to
Seargent and Majors from the BlackSea album.
My favorite LP is Oranges and Lemons. When Andrew Partridge
is going with a sort of Beatles Style and his lyrics are
so good that even a german can have fun with it, well then
I drown in total extacy, am washed away by that waves and
simply have a good time between my headphones.

The funny thing about it is that (except my girlfriend)
nobody I know knows XTC. They are almost unknown, although
their records are available everywhere. I think they
are economically not a big deal here in germany.

Musicians I also love:
Paul McCartney, CheapTrick, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello

Things I also do:
-synthesizing on a KorgM1 and via MIDI
-computing (programming, computer playing) with my Amiga
-recording on a 4 track taperecoder
-singing so that everybody hides away
-writing songs noone ever listens to

My EMail address:
andi@pippin.cadlab.uni-paderborn.de

Andreas.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Thu, 03 Mar 1994 13:22:50 -0500 (EST)
From: AJG0551@acfcluster.nyu.edu
Subject: Just a question...

        What is Fox Talbots Gel?

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: Thu, 3 Mar 1994 16:44:27 -0500 (EST)
From: Wesley Van Kilgore <trout@pinn.net>
Subject: Partridge's project

What's the new side project of Andy Partridge. (I think it was released
about a month ago). also Will we hear any more of the Dukes?

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Date: 05 Mar 94 17:53:39 EST
From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com>
Subject: KLAATU verata nicto!

   Thanx to Mike Faulkner for mentioning one of my all-time
fave bands, KLAATU! They did tend to get kind of lovey-dub mushy
toward the end of their run, but the first four albums are filled
with hooks, juicy riffs, and superb production.
   The band members, for unknown reasons, didn't reveal their real
names or include any photos in their albums. This, plus the sound
of the material, led to a rumour that they were really The Beatles
making an anonymous comeback!
   Their first two albums, "3:47 EST"  and "Hope", are available on CD,
both individually and as a compilation. I've been waiting since the
dawn of the CD age for their third ("Sir Army Suit") and fourth
("Magentalane") to be re-released. Has anyone seen these?
   ---> Steve

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

For all administrative issues, such as change of address,
withdrawal from the list, fan club addresses, discography
requests (last update 3 March), 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/".

The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.

Instead of quiet and shy I'm really dying to flirt.

---

Go back to Volume 1.

7 March 1994 / Feedback