Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 364
Date: Tuesday, 26 July 1994
Chalkhills, Number 364
Tuesday, 26 July 1994
Today's Topics:
Re: The Greys/Toad the Wet Sprocket
Blur & Andy P.
Hi!
Re: real Dukes influences
Something for the discography ?
Nihilon
real Dukes influences: YGD
Misc. ramblings
just a little introduction
New Blur CD
thanks for dukes-mas!/partridge-budd
How I discovered XTC
Best dream I've had in ages
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: Re: The Greys/Toad the Wet Sprocket Date: Wed, 20 Jul 1994 14:29:19 -0600 From: Marshall V Pierce <piercem@cs.itc.hp.com> Kim Ericksen <erickke@wkuvx1.wku.edu> writes: > Got to see the Grays this Friday. The show was awesome! They were the > opening band for Toad the Wet Sprocket. Ack! You just can't post something like this and not say a) where they were or B) nothing at all about Toad! Sigh, what a night this must have been - two of the best new bands I've heard in a long time. BTW, Jason didn't mention if they would be reaching CO on tour? Any other Toad fans out there? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Marshall V Pierce piercem@cs.itc.hp.com
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 20 Jul 94 22:34 BST-1 From: joeo@cix.compulink.co.uk (Psion plc Joe Odukoya) Subject: Blur & Andy P. >The band was "Blur," and the store was playing "Parklife," the new album. >The song I heard was very catchy; alas, I remember but one line, "I walk >around naked," or something like that. :-) For some reason none of my messages have appeared in chalhills yet - can anyone tell me why this is - too boring maybe? Anyway... The track, by Blur, you are referring to is called "Tracey Jacks" and is brilliant as is the whole LP. I recommend it to anyone (it does have some XTCish over(under)tones). I too would have liked to have heard what it sounded like under Andy's production, particularly after the excellent work he did on the Liliac Time's 3rd LP (...And love for all). Apparently demo's do exist from the Andy produced sessions so who knows... - Joeo -
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 20 Jul 1994 19:19:58 -0400 (EDT) From: Barbarita <campanha@virtu.sar.usf.edu> Subject: Hi! Hi! I've never posted to this mailing list before, but decided to come forward and ask if anyone would be interested in buying my extra copy of 'Nonsuch'...it's just gathering dust on my cd rack...thanx! Barbara *************************campanha@virtu.sar.usf.edu************************** "Back off man. I'm a scientist." Dr. Peter Venkman Ghostbusters *****************************************************************************
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Wed, 20 Jul 1994 18:53:16 -0700 (PDT) From: Steve Johnson <steve-j@teleport.com> Subject: Re: real Dukes influences By the way, if you want a sample of the Woody Allen sound-alike guy saying "That is the most obscene abomination of a song..." >from a copy of the original source, there's a .WAV file of it on net.bio.net in the 'Sounds' directory (I think that's what John named it anyway) -- a ~20kHz, 8-bit mono sample -- and I think John has it available ZIP'ed or non-compressed (the filenames being WOODY20K.WAV and WOODY20K.ZIP). Incidentally, there's also a ~25kHz, 8-bit stereo sample there of Andy singing "You've got a shavin' brush stuck right up your rectum" followed by a guitar lick. This is from the XTC 'Drunk in the Studio' tapes from a song called "Shavin' Brush Boogie." Sorry they're in non-standard sample rates (not 22050Hz or other more standard rate). Steve
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From: Hans.Malm@eua.ericsson.se (Hans Malm)
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 94 12:15:31 +0200
Subject: Something for the discography ?
I found this in an article titled rec.music.marketplace
in (you've guessed it!) rec.music.marketplace:
Power of Positive Listening ('92 release).......................$2.
XTC - "Dear Madam Barnum"
Arc Angels - "Sent By Angels"
Pat Metheny - "Facing West"
Steve Forbert - "The American in Me"
Spent Poets - "Your Existential Past"
Peter Case (ex-Plimsouls) - "Never Comin' Home"
Kitaro - "Island of Life"
but I didn't find it in my copy of the discography.
Could someone please email the latest one to me ?!
/Hans
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Date: Thu, 21 Jul 1994 13:02:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: "it says `Two Eggs, ANY Style'..." <MELINDA@delphi.com>
Subject: Nihilon
Well, yes, I suppose I have given up on the "rain-as-redemption"
idea -- that's why I was disturbed enough to write to y'all. Call
me naive, call me an idealist ("you naive idealist!" "thanks"), but
I'm disappointed that Andy would have ended this album on a song
about hopelessness. It's so UN-ANDY. I wonder what he would think
of that song now (if he ever thinks of it)? Maybe he had some sort
of personal revelation between "Travels In Nihilon" and "Knuckle
Down" and "Beating of Hearts" and stuff like that. I mean, even
"Funk Pop a Roll", though angry and frustrated, is not hopeless.
Then again, what do you expect from a song called "Travels In Nihilon"?
If I saw this title on anyone else's album, I'd just laugh at it.
Melinda
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 22 Jul 94 20:29:42 EDT From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com> Subject: real Dukes influences: YGD ...now continuing with the XTC interview in which they discuss the Dukes' albums "25 O'Clock" and "Psonic Psunspot"... ANDY: Right, on to "Your Gold Dress", which I think is possibly the duffest riff! It's sort of a fetish song 'cause there were lots of fetish songs around in '67, you know, people would get fetishistic about clothes, boutiques in general were raising their ugly heads up. COLIN: A lot of people like that track. DAVE: That was the first track to be written. ANDY: Yeah, that was the very first thing to be written, in fact, most of it was put together at Crescent Studios while we were putting the finishing touches to The Big Express. I'd had the idea to do this psychedelic tribute and "Your Gold Dress" was the first number to come out; and that was all due to borrowing a cheap rancid fuzz box down at Crescent Studios, and coming up with this wasp-tone. The sitar playing on "Your Gold Dress" is actually one or two notes from an Indo-jazz LP. There were a couple of exposed sitar notes which we lifted off this LP and made a tape loop of and they just kept going round and round, and we faded them up in the mix when it was necessary to sound like a sitar, and if you listen closely, it's the same few notes going round and round. ...next time, the dirt on the Mole... ---> Steve
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 22 Jul 94 20:52:48 EDT From: Steve Levenstein <70750.1117@compuserve.com> Subject: Misc. ramblings Hello fellow Chalkhillites! Reading John Relph's closing quote in Chalkhills #363 was kind of strange 'cause I was just listening to my English Settlement CD in the truck this morning on my way to work. It had been a while since I last played EngSet, and did it sound great! It's still my favourite XTC disc, and "Jason" is my fave song on it. A few days ago while listening to CFNY-fm's "All Request Breakfast", some (cool) dude calls in and requests "Complicated Game". And they actually played it!! Heard Blur's "Girls & Boys" on the radio today. If they aren't influenced by XTC, no one is! "Girls & Boys" sounds like a cross between "Helicopter" and "Roads Girdle The Globe", and if Andy did the vocals it wouldn't seem out of place on _Black Sea_. To Derek Miner, e-mail me your address and I'll mail you a dub of my "drunken Studio Sessions" tape. ...bye all, ---> Steve
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Date: Sat, 23 Jul 1994 00:44:55 -0400
From: mattt@hookup.net (Matt Thompson)
Subject: just a little introduction
hi
Anyways, just a little intro at the request of Relph. I heard my first XTC
album about a year ago and have since gone fanatic...well, almost
imediately, really. I just got onto the Internet from home (I had it at
school, but really didn't have a clue), and thought that my first mailing
list should be something to do with XTC. But alas, there is no USENET group
or mailing list for "XTC", so I was feeling a little defeated.
I work at the Canadian Music Reproduction Rights Agency (oooo, fancy), as
a summer-data-entry-type-dude (ooo, not-so-fancy), and who's desk sits
across from me (usually)? Paul Myers, head Gravel of the Gravelberries,
known to do an XTC cover tune or two (for a fan comp. of this list, I
think). And wouldn't you just know he would have the Chalkhills mailing list
address.
cool.
So hello everyone!
~~ ========================
C-OO Matt Thompson
- mattt@hookup.net
/"""\ 73613.3122@compuserve.com
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 26 Jul 1994 08:43:29 U From: "Wesley Wilson" <Wesley_Wilson@iegate.mitre.org> Subject: New Blur CD Well, I went for broke and bought the new Blur CD, "Parklife." It's actually a very good CD. Stephen Street ended up being the producer. I think he has produced many an alternative band (Mighty Lemon Drops?). I'm still getting used to the CD, but I will say that "Tracy Jacks" has a punchy, The Jam/Beatles' "Taxman" percussive feel, with some XTC "Oooh ooh ooh ohhs" (a la "Limelight", e.g.) Definitely a great track, a pick to hit! Includes obligatory Dave Gregory string arrangement. :-) I wonder if it is just me or if others would hear XTC influences throughout this CD? Other noteworthy tune: "Parklife" (reminds me strongly of Barry Andrews!). Other tunes are loaded with 60's-style keyboards. All in all, a very good CD with a lot of different sounds and styles. Listen to it with headphones! I'd recommend it, if only for "Tracy Jacks." Wes
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: "Smith, Daniel R." <DRS@dc4.hhlaw.com> Subject: thanks for dukes-mas!/partridge-budd Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 13:02:00 edt Thanks Steve Levenstein for all the wonderful articles on "real dukes influences," kindly reproduced for our viewing pleasure! It is very appreciated here! I picked up a copy of the Partridge-Budd CD. I finally had to breakdown and get it from Tower as you cannot trust sales clerks at the smaller stores who say "who? what?" to come through with the goodies. Unless, of course, you don't mind a little torture. I think it is very good, and much more satisfied with it than I was with _Nonsvch._ I wasn't sure what to expect with _Nonsvch,_ but by and by, I've grown to really like the whole thing. I got a little better feeling of what to expect this time, so even though I was completely shocked at the material, it is fantastic. I'm ready for the rumoured new XTC CD now! Although, I'd really like to see something along the "Cherry in Your Tree" line, this branch is a nice one to progress to. Now, it seems even crazier to look back at the stuff they were doing with _White Music_ and _Go2_ to what Andy P. has done now. Quite a collection of thoughts they must have swimming in their brains, eh? Let's try poking it. --dans
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From: CurtissH@aol.com
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 16:11:08 EDT
Subject: How I discovered XTC
Hi there, everyone. I'm new around here and thought, at the risk of boring
you, I'd briefly introduce myself and tell the story of how I came to be an
XTC fan.
I only started listening to XTC about a year ago. I'd heard of them before,
of course, not being a *complete* cultural illiterate. A friend of mine
several years back was quite keen on them, and I'd seen a video or three (I
remember respecting them for doing "Dear God," as it largely reflected my own
sentiments). But I never got around to buying any of their records.
I used to write music myself, and even had a band for a while, and several
people who heard my songs said that they reminded them of XTC. I didn't know
enough about the band to agree or disagree, but a small seed was planted.
Then, last year, a friend at work (who used to manage a record store) brought
in a bunch of CDs he was selling real cheap to raise some money in a hurry.
Among them was "Rag & Bone Buffet." At $2, I could hardly turn it down.
And let me tell you, my friends, my eyes were opened.
I've always appreciated diversity in a band's music (some of my favorites are
known for that trait, like the Beatles and Bowie), and here I was with a disk
that could have been ten or fifteen different bands, if it hadn't said
otherwise. I was really blown away. The first song, "Extrovert," has moved
into a position in my list of all-time favorite songs.
Curiously enough, they *did* sound a little like me.
And that was just the beginning. Slowly, I began to collect XTC albums.
"Drums and Wires" came next, on recommendation of my friend (he's not a fan,
but knows something about XTC), and not too much longer I found "Chips From a
Chocolate Fireball" at a used CD store. I was well and truly amazed, and my
only regret was that I had discovered them after they had broken up (more on
this later).
Eventually, I owned all of the "main" CDs. Most I loved with a passion,
though there were a couple ("Black Sea," "Oranges and Lemons" and "Mummer")
that, beyond a few choice songs, didn't do much for me. But those were in
the minority, and XTC ascended in my musical hierarchy to the number two
spot, just behind the Beatles and just in front of Yes (Yes lost that spot
because of "Symphonic Yes," the most disappointing abomination I've ever
heard).
Then, a couple of months ago, I bought this computer and started messing
around on the Internet (yes, I'm a newby). One of the first things I looked
for was XTC lyrics, since I'd heard there were some good music servers out
there. Lo and behold, I found a whole XTC Archive, the Chalkhills. I
downloaded some lyrics, and the excellent "Radios in Motion," and thought my
life was complete.
I even started listening to the albums that hadn't struck me upon first
hearing them, and all of a sudden they sounded great.
Which about brings us up to date. I just received my first "Chalkhills
Digest," and only yesterday found out that XTC is working on a new album.
Maybe there *is* a God, after all.
So anyway, I'm sorry about taking up so much space. I'm glad to be here,
though, and consider myself in good company.
Curtiss Hammock
Atlanta, GA, USA
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 17:00:20 -0400 From: Jon Allen <jon@unx.sas.com> Subject: Best dream I've had in ages Well, I don't read Chalkhills these days, but I had this dream last night that I have to share with you. Make of it what you will. I was sitting in a crowd of people, and up front were Andy and Colin playing Dukes songs on acoustic guitars. Everyone was really happy, and most were singing along (everyone knew all the words, of course). Andy and Colin were wearing these fake Pinocchio noses about a foot long, and everyone thought they were their real noses. Every few minutes, one of them would go over and tickle a member of the audience on the neck with this long nose, and then a nice old English lady would take some tea and dessert to that person. Best dream I've had in ages. Jon Allen
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] There's a new unmoderated mailing list for discussion of the American rock quartet the Smithereens. To subscribe, send a message to: Smithereens-request@hookup.net To unsubscribe from the list, send a message to: <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> For all other administrative issues, send a message to: <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> The Chalkhills archives were once available using FTP from "net.bio.net". The Chalkhills home page is available at "http://chalkhills.org/". The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors. But you're leaving me skint...
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29 September 1994 / Feedback