Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 350
Date: Thursday, 19 May 1994
Chalkhills, Number 350
Thursday, 19 May 1994
Today's Topics:
Re: Bubblegum
Re: Chalkhills #349
Re: Little Pink Thing
Re: Bootlegs
Re: Chalkhills #349
Heaven/Internet Yellow Pages
Re: League of Gentlemen
O&L acoustic tour boot
Re: Chalkhills #349
b-52s
Hello, folks
English Settlement/Carmen
JELLYFISH
Nonsuch T-shirt
Bull With the Golden Guts fan club tape
Bubblegum Set Available
Re: St. Etienne
Hello!
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Date: Mon, 16 May 94 17:29:30 PDT
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Bubblegum
"Neil D. Bernstein" <0004361918@mcimail.com> writes:
>A big question: IS BUBBLEGUM DEAD? Is anyone making bubblegum music
>in earnest anymore?
It depends on your definition. I think the Pooh Sticks are making
some great "bubblegum" music, check out their albums _The Great White
Wonder_ and _Million Seller_, both of which are excellent. The latter
is a little less "gummy" but is still one of the best albums I've
heard in the last few years. I still listen to it more often than
_Nonsvch_ (blasphemy, I know).
Also, the eponymous album from Vanessa Paradis, produced by the
seventies-meister himself Lenny Kravitz, has some excellent
neo-bubblegum stuff. But it also crosses genre boundaries by
including some fake gospel, Motown, and vocal rock inspired by The
Mamas And The Papas and The Cowsills. Also an excellent album.
(Lenny doesn't have to take himself seriously on this album, his
downfall on his own LPs.)
In some ways The Pooh Sticks are a bit like The Dukes: they
continually make references to songs by other bands, but they don't do
cover songs.
"Steve Moore" <smoore@uk.oracle.com> writes to ask:
>Does anyone else out there remember the Barry Andrews solo single 'Rossmore
>Road'/'Win A Night Out With A Well Known Paranoic'?
I know what it looks like but I don't know the music. I *might* have
it on tape somewhere...
jdevans@athena.mit.edu (John D. Evans) provided some Sam Phillips tour
dates but no word about who is in her backing band, and no dates in
the San Francisco area (I don't want to drive to Fresno).
Andrew McDonald <ALDVAM0@nuacvm.acns.nwu.edu> opines:
>Actually, the Kinks lp is about as good as the series gets
> Cud, who Dave Gregory went on to produce, chips in
>with an unremarkable version of "Lola".
Cud's "Lola" is nowhere near as good as their cover of Queen's
"Bohemian Rhapsody" from the _Alvin Lives In Leeds_ anti poll tax
cover album (and of course Robyn Hitchcock does "Kung Fu Fighting".
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 20:46:37 -0500 (CDT) From: Tad Kepley <tkepley@bigcat.missouri.edu> Subject: Re: Chalkhills #349 Hello- I'm Tad. I ran across XTC cause I'd read about them in Trouser Press. In 1980 I visited Manhattan, KS and went to a little sort-of indie record store. I bought two things I'd read were cool- "Drums and Wires" and the Dead Kennedys' "Fresh Fruit...". I immediately hated the DK's (it was the first hardcore I'd ever heard) but really got into XTC. I subsequently really got into hardcore, for better or worse- but was never ashamed to admit my appreciation for XTC- gone on nearly fifteen years now. My first really heavy pot-smoking experiences were had sitting in the dark, listening to a cassette that had "Waxworks" on one side and "Beeswax" on the other, over and over while drinking coke and eating fruit rollups. It was one of those deals where I'd get up to flip the tape and forget what I was doing half-way across the room... anyway. Glad to be here. If you like Big Dipper, you'll love The Embarrassment, Tad Kepley
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 23:06:04 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jason C. Langley" <jlangley@nynexst.com> Subject: Re: Little Pink Thing Wade Thompson writes: > "Because she thinks you're talking about your penis." > Andy was shocked, as if he'd NEVER heard this before, but then he laughed, > looking down at his pants, and said "Did you hear that?" > He reiterated at this point that it was about his son ... > So he signed "It's about my son - Andy Partridge" on my cd. IMO, it's about both, definately the double entendre. I find it hard to defend Andy Partridge on this, especially after finally getting a chance to hear Johnny Japes and His Jesticles, Bags of Fun With Buster/Scrotal Scratch. A real guilty pleasure to listen to, sounds like a spoof of Madness and/or Bad Manners. Ahem, assuming the subject is not too offensive I'm interested in anyone elses impressions of JJs. Jason
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Date: Mon, 16 May 94 23:16:25 PDT
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Bootlegs
John.J.Pinto@dartmouth.edu (John J. Pinto) writes:
>I have been thinking about the following since it appeared in #345:
>
>"But I think the bootleggers have a right to income from the actual
>bootlegs because these people DID put in the effort to tape the shows,
>to make liner notes, and to press CDs. They don't get something for
>nothing. And quality sells."
>
>John Relph's apologia for Bootleggers is a nice thought but simply
>not true. It is theft plain and simple when personal profit is the only
>apparent motive to release discs. Where are the recordings that really pay
>tribute to XTC? They don't exist! Take for example the KROQ, Turtle Records
>disc. Interesting package, almost acceptable sound and pathetic graphics.
So you take issue only with the fact that some people sell shit? Of
course some people sell shit. If they can make a buck. However, as I
said, "quality sells". If there is a piece of shit available, and
there is a NICE bootleg available, I'll take the NICE one every time.
And I don't tend to buy bootlegs just because they exist. So there
are a LOT of XTC bootlegs that I do not own (and I'm willing to sell
my copy of _This is Live!_) because I have heard that the quality
lacks.
The bootleggers operate in a pure-profit environment. It's called
capitalism. If there is a market, then they operate to provide goods
to that market. I will only buy goods from the bootleg market if they
are quality goods. If everybody only bought quality bootlegs, then
the market for shit would dry up. (I know, I know, you can't listen
before you buy -- but perhaps someone has listened before you, ask
first, buy later.) I subscribe to mailing lists for the information
that is disseminated. I have found some EXCELLENT bootlegs by
`listening' to people and their reviews. I do not buy bootlegs sound
unheard. Perhaps I take a risk by not buying an unheard bootleg, the
risk of missing out on something great, but as you point out, MOST XTC
bootlegs are shit. So the risk is great that an unheard XTC bootleg
will suck. Just say no.
>It amazes me that there hasn't
>even been an John Peel compilation for XTC. I'll bet it isn't even that
>difficult to licence the tapes.
Apparently efforts have been made in this direction and Virgin Records
is against it. Since Virgin owns the publishing rights they can stop
XTC Peel Sessions from being issued.
>To defend the Bootleggers "right to income" is ludicrous.
I also believe that import albums should be freely available in this
country. If a US record company wants to protect its "right to
income" from recordings for which it holds the US rights, then it
should issue those recordings and it should do so in a quality
package. Buying imported recordings (for example, *most* XTC CD
singles) is technically illegal. So what is the difference between
buying imported recordings and bootlegs? Not very much, except that
perhaps the artist gets a few cents from each non-bootleg CD sold.
Perhaps.
But the discussion of the pros and cons of bootlegging should not
continue in this forum, unless of course it is directly XTC-related.
(Please understand that I am not attempting to quell dissenting
opinions, but rather I submit that this discussion is not directly
XTC-related.)
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 17 May 94 05:00:09 EDT From: "Gene (Sp00n) Yoon" <ST004422@brownvm.brown.edu> Subject: Re: Chalkhills #349 >Thing" had shown. Does anyone else in XTC-land have some comments on the >B-52's or the "Cosmic Thing" album in particular? > >Derek Miner Though it is true that the B-52's haven't "matured" half as much during their seventeen-year career as did XTC in the scant four years between "White Music" and "Black Sea", they have shown incremental strides in musical ability with each successive album, and I'd have to agree that "Cosmic Thing" was the pinnacle of this development. Lyrically, they're still shouting/harmonizing about the same old absurdities (notable exceptions including eco-songs "Juicy Jungle" "Channel Z" and "Revolution Earth"), but musically they're light years ahead of the smoke alarms and toy pianos and walkie-talkie sound affects of their first album. But the reason they haven't matured is because it is their immaturity which made them so popular in the first place. Whereas insightful and intelligent lyrics are key to a group like XTC, goofing off is inherent to the B's. It is sad that the few glimmers of maturity seen on "Cosmic Thing", like on the song "Deadbeat Club", left along with the best vocalist of the group, Cindy Wilson, who was probably tired of being perky all the time. Incidentally, Sarah Lee, bassist for Barry Andrews' post-XTC project The League of Gentlemen, supplied bass for the Cosmic Thing album and tour after Kate Pierson decided to abandon her keyboard bass. I'm going to be away for three months to work overseas for the summer, so I'm not going to be subscribed for a while. Not that anyone cares. Have a great summer everybody. Gene
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 17 May 94 08:44:37 EDT From: patty@gdb.org (Patty Haley) Subject: Heaven/Internet Yellow Pages Hi everyone: Relphie-boy (think of Ed Norton saying this, and hopefully you'll get the joke): > 27) What released songs have yet to be compiled on albums? > > The following released songs are not available on any album or XTC > compilation album: > > Heaven Is Paved With Broken Glass But what about the version that appears on _Rag and Bone Buffet_, or are you talking about another version? Capnbizaro writes: > Had tickets to see them tour when Andy had his breakdown. Bummer. > Anyway, I lost a little track of them during law school, but did > buy Mummer, Skylarking, and Rag a Bones. When I moved to Chicago > they had just released Nonesuch. Great album. My brother is really > into them too, but he isn't on the net. Anyway, I heard about > your mailing list in The Internet Yellow Pages by Harley Hahn. > (btw, great resource!). What are these Internet Yellow Pages and where to find them, please? I have seen them mentioned here several times, but none of my other computer-savvy friends seems to know about it. I was also due to see XTC before Andy kissed touring goodbye. Bummer is right. -Patty
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Date: Tue, 17 May 94 9:16:47 PDT
From: "John Relph" <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: League of Gentlemen
"Jason C. Langley" <jlangley@nynexst.com> writes:
>Barry Andrews did after XTC was The League of Gentlemen w/ Robert Fripp
>and Sarah Lee (she replaced Dave Allen in Gang of Four) on bass, and Jonny
That's "Sara Lee".
>you can find the record, I'd recommend it, the best Robert Fripp solo
>project IMHO.
Definitely a great album. I prefer the recently re-mixed version
available on CD over the original mixes on vinyl. Some great stuff,
and Andrews' organ playing is pretty wild, in perfect counterpoint to
Fripp's high-energy ostinatos.
-- John
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 17 May 1994 12:02:25 -0400 (EDT) From: Who I Am <SBA4316@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu> Subject: O&L acoustic tour boot John mentions a CD of an XRT benefit disc having some of the XTC tour on it. The one I have, though, has about 18 songs, many of them duplictes, from *both* the XRT and WBCN shows, which were recorded the same day, along with tasty interview chunks. It's called _Kings for a Day_ and was bought in the street in Camden Town, London. Hope this helps, Ben
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 17 May 1994 12:28:24 -0400 (EDT) From: "S--A--T-U-R--D-A-Y...NIGHT!!" <MELINDA@delphi.com> Subject: Re: Chalkhills #349 John, a question: > Wait Till Your Boat Goes Down > Original version from the single of the same name. Is this different from the version on the "5 Senses" EP? Melinda
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: b-52s Date: Tue, 17 May 1994 10:38:49 -0600 From: Marshall V Pierce <piercem@cs.itc.hp.com> From Derek Miner: > I would take exception to the mention of the B-52's. > Unfortunately, I was disappointed when their > follow-up, "Good Stuff" failed to even approach the promise "Cosmic > Thing" had shown. Does anyone else in XTC-land have some comments on the > B-52's or the "Cosmic Thing" album in particular? I had their first on LP and gave it away after a bit. They did show the beginnings of the non-kitschy material (Dirty Back Road was one of the songs?). I picked up "Cosmic" on cd for the same tunes you mention. However, "Revolution Earth" alone caused me to get "Good Thing". I was disappointed with the rest of the album, although it is my wife's favorite (read: I get to hear it a lot). It is the fantastic harmonies of the ladies which make these songs stand out for me. Marshall
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 17 May 94 13:57:18 EDT From: "mark allen" <mallen@rosedale.org> Subject: Hello, folks Hi John, and XTC fans. My name is Mark Allen and I'm probably your newest member. Thanx for the quick welcome, John! XTC have been one of my faves for a looong time. I got turned on to them by a friend of mine back around "Black Sea". In fact, I saw the boys on their last tour of America (1980) at the old Latin Casino, near Cherry Hill, N.J. 'Twas a great show! Question - I've been unable to find a copy of "The Greatest Living Englishman" in the stores. Any idea how else to get a copy?
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From: Boojum1660@aol.com
Date: Tue, 17 May 94 16:11:10 EDT
Subject: English Settlement/Carmen
>>I have been directing Boojum's XTC education lately, and he still seems
>>somewhat skeptical about how urgently he needs to find ENGLISH SETTLEMENT.
>I second the motion: that is ~the~ quintessential XTC album.
>Period. I don't consider anyone a true XTC fan without this in
>his or her collection.
Okay, okay, I bought it, get off my back.
I must say, it is great: very experimental, a logical progression from _Black
Sea_ while still remaining completely diverse & unpredictable. It also
helped me realize (as I was telling Melinda) why _Mummer_ doesn't rank all
that high in XTC fans' public opinion: it's a decent album, but after
_English Settlement_, it's decidedly underwhelming.
While I've stopped lurking: i think it's definitely Andy Partridge singing on
"Change My World", but I doubt Linnell is involved. Incidentally, does
anyone have the first Carmen Sandiego CD, and is it worth buying? I'm
tempted because of the awesome Rockapella theme song ("run a scam in
scandinavia") and because it has an unreleased track by Brian Dewan, folk
weirdo and electric zither player extraordinaire (and coincidentally, John
Linnell's roommate).
- Boojum
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Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 15:55:24 -0500 (EST)
From: 6705115@sunybroome.edu
Subject: JELLYFISH
Organization: Broome Community College, Binghamton, NY, USA
I finally got a hold of Jellyfish's latest release "Spilt Milk".
Wow. I fell in love at first listen! The lyrics are mostly bubblegum, but
interesting none the less. Are there any other fans on this band on the net?
I highly recommend this album to XTC fans.
Secondly, does anybody know where I could attain a copy of the
biography 'Chalkhills' (nice title)? Is it worth a read? Sorry if this
is an old thread, like I imagine it to be.
jkp
ps. Any chance of Andy overcoming his condition to play Woodstock II? 8v)
pps. There is a good article in this month's Newsweek on stage fright.
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Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 17:41:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Derek Miner <ind00163@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>
Subject: Nonsuch T-shirt
Howdy, Chalkhillians...
I made an interesting discovery recently, a Nonsuch T-shirt. The
store had two of them, and I got one, so if someone wants to get the
other one, I'm willing to get it for the first person to send the money.
Here's what the shirt is like:
Bright red with gold, black and blue print. The front has an old
book with buckles open to two pages. One page has the word "Nonsuch" and
the album art. Page two has the song icons and titles. The pages are
gold/light brown with the icons black on red. The back of the shirt has
the album cover art in gold with a big XTC (like on the album cover) on the
top in gold and blue.
If you're interested in getting this shirt, e-mail me:
Ind00163@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu
Derek Miner
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 18:33:51 -0400 (EDT) From: AHABER@delphi.com Subject: Bull With the Golden Guts fan club tape Does anybody on this list know how I can get a copy of the Bull With the Golden Guts fan club tape? I would appreciate any help anybody can give me. Thanks.
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Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 10:58:28 -0400 (EDT)
From: WWWGPYA@grove.iup.edu
Subject: Bubblegum Set Available
Organization: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Hey Folks,
I haven't posted a reply here in several months but
have enjoyed lurking among the past issues. The string on
the Carmen Sandiego cd (which I've yet to hear due to end of
the semester lack of cash flow) has brought out some cool
info on bubblegum bands, etc. Just got the new ish of _Stereo
Review_ and thought I'd pass along what should be interesting
to a number of participants of that string. I'll just quote
verbatum:
THE BUDDAH BOX. Essex Entertainment 7060. Forty Five
hits and near hits (on three CDs) from the pioneering
bubblegum label of the Seventies.
This is from their "Now on Cd" section which just provides short
blurbs, as evidenced above, on new re-releases that they deem
worth note. I recall a number of people asking about bubblegum
band availability and such so I figured this info would be
worthwhile.
Take it easy, but take it.
-Mr. Ed
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 19 May 94 14:21:52 EDT From: Wesley Wilson <WWILSON@forumbos.mhs.compuserve.com> Subject: Re: St. Etienne Hi, Stephen Duffy (really brill songwriter whom Andy produced once) sings background vocals on the new St. Etienne album. Can anyone tell me about St. Etienne? (Send e-mail.) Thanks, Wes
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From: Jim Hinchman-contract <jhin@core.rose.hp.com>
Subject: Hello!
Date: Thu, 19 May 94 10:25:38 PDT
Hi Guys,
I am new to the group and just wanted to introduce myself.
I was first initiated into the world of XTC when "Skylarking"
was released. Being a major Todd Rundgren fan since about 1975, I kept
hearing about this new production wonder from the Runt man. I got more than
I expected upon my first listening. I wasn't prepared for how much I would
be taken in by the composition aspect of Mr. Partridge and co.
After that, I started backtracking and found an old vinyl copy of
"The Big Express" in my roommates record collection. I was now on my way
and couldn't wait for the next release. Needless to say, I haven't been
one bit disappointed with the subsequent outings, especially "Nonsuch".
It's an incredible collection of aural paintings.
I have read about the release of a single cut on the Carmen Sandiego
album and talk of Andy's work on an album with some other chap outside of
XTC. But what of XTC themselves? "Rumors" are that they are in NYC doing
pre-production work on the next release. Can anyone clue me in?
I hope these are not repetitious requests for tidbits, but as I said,
I AM new to the group. Look forward to the exchange of ideas and info. Thanks!
"Awaken you dreamers asleep at your desks..."
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] If you are replying to a message in the digest, please try to edit it down to the minimum necessary to convey the gist of what you wish to reply to. The full message can always be retrieved from an earlier digest, and all digests are archived. For all administrative issues, such as change of address, withdrawal from the list, fan club addresses, discography requests (last update 9 May), 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 Chalkhills home page is available at "http://chalkhills.org/". The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. Cannabis in tea. What in the world. Acid is free.
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