Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 380
Date: Friday, 23 September 1994
Chalkhills, Number 380
Friday, 23 September 1994
Today's Topics:
Re: Your favorite song
XTC Questions
60's influences
Swindon's Twin Towns
"Clever" doesn't Sell in the 90s
Faves and Non-faves
tops and bottoms
Fave Songs, The Cops, Stink,er..Sting
Upcoming XTC Stuff
Answers to the three question quiz...
Paul Simon/Watchtower
HoMo SaFarI...
Favourite song, album etc
Re:Colin is NOT better than Andy
Chalkhills #379
XTC vs Police
My 2 cents and other random commentary
Re: Urgh!
Favorite XTC Song
Wait, I want to change my answer!
Representative songs
XTC and spirituality
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Date: Wed, 21 Sep 94 21:54:07 PDT
From: John Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Your favorite song
Greg Langmead <gcl@math.sunysb.edu> asks:
Oh no! The Chalkhills Survey is on-line!
>1) What is your favorite XTC song?
"Wake Up!" Hard-hitting, sonically brilliant, heavy bass rumble at
the end, great drumming, and pointed lyrics. And it's by Colin!
>2) If you had to give a friend a song recmmendation for XTC
"Seagulls Screaming, Kiss Her Kiss Her"
> If this song is
>different from the first, why do you think that is so?
Because I can remember more than "Wake Up" can get across. "Seagulls"
covers more ground, but is not as brutal.
> Do you understand
>them so well that more obscure songs sound better than representative ones?
Oh yes. I *like* "Leisure". "Cherry In Your Tree" is the best thing
they've done in years. "My Paint Heroes" is excellent. "Living in a
Haunted Heart" is haunting.
>3) XTC Lemons. Is there a song, or whole album, that you listen to and
>say to yourself, "Self, where the hell did this come from? What were they
>thinking?"
Most of them, but in a good way. "What were they thinking? Where did
they find this stuff?" But yeah, "War Dance", "The Smartest Monkeys"?
Is this supposed to be enlightening? More of the same. "Ladybird"?
Soppy, sappy, cheesy, basically dumb. (I simplify for sake of
argument. Really, I like almost all XTC songs at various times.
Tomorrow I'll tell you something else.)
-- John
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Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 01:04:38 -0400 (EDT)
From: James Paul Bach <BACH1@MUVMS6.MU.WVNET.EDU>
Subject: XTC Questions
Favorite song: Statue of Liberty, or Making Plans For Nigel (the song
that got me into XTC in the first place)
Song I would recommend: Making Plans For Nigel (It worked for me!) or
the much mentioned Senses Working Overtime
Lemon: The entire Skylarking Album
James Paul Bach bach1@muvms6.mu.wvnet.edu
< or >
James.Bach@lambada.oit.unc.edu
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 09:07:41 GMT+10 Organization: Twister II - Sydney, Australia. +612-30-3513 From: Jon.flynn@twister.apana.org.au (Jon Flynn) Subject: 60's influences I've just been listening to my "Nuggets" compilation of 60's music, and the best song on it IMO is "Open My Eyes" by the Nazz. I've alo got the video to this song on a VHS tape somewhere and it's superb 60's pop. The group features a young Todd Rundgren, which I'm sure is one of the reasons XTC were interested in working with him...good pedigree. I'm also very fond of Flowers in the Rain by the Move. Again, the video (or should I say film clip) is great. The look and feel of it is very like the video for Grass. Anyone have any other recommendations for 60's gems worth chasing up by an XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear fan? -- Via Xenolink 1.90
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 09:50:28 +0100 From: John Nicholls <nicholls@case.co.uk> Subject: Swindon's Twin Towns Town twinning is a very common English phenomenon whereby a town makes culutural links with another (usually European) town. This gives local dignitaries the opportunity to swan off on council-funded "fact-finding" missions e.g. spending 5 weeks in rural Spain in June investigating the local transport system to see if anything can be learned and applied back in Manchester. Thus a council will typically try to twin their town with a highly exotic foreign location. A friend came back from a holiday in France, where he noticed that a sign on the approach to a quaint, sleepy town in the Loire Valley proudly announced "Twinned with Basingstoke, England". I know who got the best deal there. (I'm sorry Basingstoke, but it's not exactly Bath or Edinburgh, is it!?!). I'm being cynical - twinning is a Good Thing. As for Swindon, my little chamber in the Antheap is twin-towned with at least two overseas towns - Salzgitter in Germany (in the old West Germany near the East German border), and Ocotal in Nicaragua. We have roads named _Ocotal Way_, etc, and there are occasional gigs to raise money for charitable concerns in Ocotal. I've no idea how the Nicaraguan connection came about, this is a fairly exotic twinning by English standards. Probably in support of the Sandinista government - the whole Nicaraguan situation was perceived TOTALLY DIFFERENTLY over here compared to the US (at least in the way the media portrayed public opinion) and some left-wing councils in particular raised money for Nicaraugan hospitals, education programmes, etc. I have something a little bit special planned for the list but it might take a couple of months to set up - watch this space. JP
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Tim Szeliga <tim@snow.nohrsc.nws.gov> Subject: "Clever" doesn't Sell in the 90s Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 7:02:42 CDT > Patrick, > I wouldn't call XTC a "supergroup" yet. I don't think that they have > any platinum albums, but I may be wrong. Their cult success has been > tremendous considering that they don't tour. Believe it or not, I think > the thing that may hurt by the fact that their lyrics are brilliant. > Their lyrics are over most Americans' heads, and therefore people avoid > what they can't understand. > The way to become a "supergroup" is to write sell-out, made for radio > lyrics ala U2. Don't get me wrong, U2 are all great musicians, but their > songs are obviously commercially oriented. > > Brandon - "Freeze" I've noticed for years that many British lyricists are intentionally "clever", mixing wordplay with jarring images that demand attention. Consider Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, etc. I love "And the Rubbish tip is a valid form of nutrition", "My hands were clammy and cunning/ She looked unsuitably stunning" "Train Running Low on Soul Coal", "The Viliage Green Preservation Society". Americans, on the whole, in the mass, the fifteen million who have to hear and like your song to get one million to actually buy it, they don't reward lyrical complexity or originality. If you manage to string cliches in a tuneful way, like in "If you Love Somebody...", yes you can reach them, and after you have their attention, maybe get them to listen to some of your other, more interesting work. However, pandering to the masses means you give up small halls and clubs for arenas and lose any chance of intimacy. Heck, look what happened to Randy Newman after "Short People". The mass audience has been characterized as a giant baby, who sees a new toy and wants it and nothing else, plays with it a bit, then quickly loses interest and moves on to something else. Tim Szeliga "Old Fart in Training"
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 09:03:14 EDT From: Karen Bouchard <AP201155@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU> Subject: Faves and Non-faves My desert island XTC song is also "Senses Working Overtime." I thought of it immediately when I saw the question and was surprised at how many others agreed. Song to recommend: I don't think it'd be "Senses". Although very catchy, I think it may be a little too offbeat for some. I'd go with something more like "Mayor of Simpleton." Lemon: Pat said "All Along the Watchtower." Yes! I agree with this one. I first heard it on an alternative radio program. A friend and I were saying "Who is doing this horrible version of this song and is it ever going to end?" We were absolutely horrified to find it was XTC! In general, there is at least one song I hate on every album. I'd add "Human Alchemy," "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul," "Here Comes President Kill Again," for starters. Karen B.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 10:48:20 EDT From: Jeff Rosedale <rosedale@columbia.edu> Subject: tops and bottoms Don't you hate people who ask wuations like "what's the best pizza place in New York?", or "What's your favorite XTC song?"??? But sensibiliy be damned, I can't help but be drawn into this impossible corner. I'd probably want to choose a best and worst by the album, but that's cheating- just like the rating scale of 1-10 that I used for XTC songs on a "best-of" compilation was shattered with the assignation of an 11, then a 24, then 50, etc..... (will you please get to the point?) The worst is an easy one for me. It's "Mermaid Smiled". Something about the muted trumpets and bouncy rhythm makes me convinced that this song is a thinly veiled ripoff of the theme to "Bewitched". So toweringly inferior to "Dear God" which replaced it on later pressings of Skylarking that I was actually somewhat sorry to have the original...of course I bought the 12" single of Dear God to make up the gap and then some... The best... that is not easy at all. I also love "All of a Sudden" because of that famous weltanschauung (pardon my german speling, please) "people will always be tempted to wipre their feet / on anything with welcome written on it". But then there is the triumphant crescendo of Battery Brides live, misspelled Battery Bridges on the album cover of a fair to middling bootleg. The Helicopter bass line leading to crashing cymbals and a sort of XTC power chord euphoria is enough to give me a head rush. Ten Feet Tall is unique in the XTC catalog- at least the LP version. It's untouched by the dischord that permeates some part of almost everything that XTC touches, and in that way shines as a sort of gemstone in the midst of twisted metal sculpture (motorcycle landscape?). But if you like dischord, and I really can sometimes, there's the pinnacle to be found in The Rotary! OK, decision time. The winner is Making Plans for Nigel! Wait, no, it's got to be Hang on to the Night! But what about that great version of Dance Band live??? They're taking me away! bndflbnbnfdkgfffff (error)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Subject: Fave Songs, The Cops, Stink,er..Sting Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 10:23:48 CDT From: John A Lane <jal@iastate.edu> In response to Greg L's questions about fave songs & lemons: (Greg, this may have changed since last I wrote you) Favorite Song to Listen to When I Discover my CD Player in the Rubble After the Apocalypse: "Melt the Guns" and/or "Down in the Cockpit". Actually, it would be kind of ironic to listen to "Melt the Guns" in the aftermath of a global holocaust, would it not? Lemons: Let's face it. Our boys have harvested a few in their time. "Leisure" is incredibly annoying & embarrassing. There are moments when Andy does go a bit overboard with his enthusiasm for his own windpipe (which is probably why Colin is such a great buffer). Anything on GO2 is pretty disposable as far as I'm concerned, with maybe a couple exceptions. In Defense of Mummer: Lately I've been reading a lot of bashing comments about tracks on Mummer, which is disappointing. I think Mummer is great- every track on there a winner! Greg, my friend, I can't agree with you on "Human Alchemy". I'm not going to set you on fire for your opinions, as other have, but I will say this: The song is not one that you can flip on & zone out to while you do something else. It's a piece of music that really requires attention on the mind. It reminds me a lot of the new craze for Gregorian Chants. What I See in That "URG!" film: Everytime I've seen that scene where Sting & Andy are on stage with each other, it's fairly obvious what's going on: Andy is drunker than hell, and he's obviously pretty insecure about sharing the spotlight. And to further irritate the situation, Andy has to stand next to Public Egotist Numer One, Sting, who decides to drag everyone into a rendition of a Police song. Talk about EGO! I feel really bad for Andy everytime I see that. It's difficult to fight arrogance. As far as the Police go, i've never had a problem with them as a band. Sting, on the othe hand, can't decide if he wants to be Fabio or John Lennon. In general, the guy is an arrogant twit who has happened to read a little James Joyce, and he thinks he's being clever by inserting literary allusions in his songs. BFD. As far as I'm concerned you can put all of the "rock intellectuals" into a jail cell and lose the key. I don't have a problem with intellectual depth in music- I have a problem with self-proclaimed geniuses. Same thing goes for Bono. The poor sap is having an even worse identity crisis, because he has a bigger load of multiple personalities. Bono= Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Eldridge Cleaver, AND Sting. In short, Sting make me...YAAAAAWN! I'll stick with Andy Partridge any day; the guy knows how to enjoy himself. --- ---------------------------------------------- "Caught in the saddle in a one-horse town" John A Lane jal@iastate.edu
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: poole1@husc.harvard.edu Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 11:43:14 -0400 Subject: Upcoming XTC Stuff A couple of interesting tidbits in the latest ICE. They confirm the new CD of radio performances, but they also indicate that a reissue of _Skylarking_ is coming in November. Anybody know what this is about? Also, they list a new Martin Newell EP _Let's Kiosk_, to be released by Collector's Pipeline on October 25. The name rings a vague bell. Did somebody already mention this and I missed it? Geoff This message brought to you by the Veterans Tapdance Administration
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 12:20:32 EDT From: pete <PDRESSL@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU> Subject: Answers to the three question quiz... 1) I don't know, that's a pretty close trade (humanity vs XTC-1). I'd try to bargain for three songs, and then I'd take Yacht Dance, Nihilon, and Scarecrow People. Wait a minute! What about Mummer? I need something off of Mummer! I just couldn't do it. If yer gonna take away most of XTC, you might as well take it all. The pain of listening to just one of the songs would be just to great 2) This is a much less hypothetical question; in fact, I've had it happen a couple of times. It really does depend on the tastes of your proposed convertee. The key, I think, is accessibility. Peter P. and Mayor of Simpleton may not be some of the best XTC stuff (though they certainly aren't that bad), but I always try them on unsuspecting victims. 3) Lemons? I get nothing from Thanks for Christmas, but hey, I got 20+ tracks on that album, so I shouldn't complain. To me the real lemons are on the second half of ES. I don't like Fly on the Wall at all, and I think the stretch from Leisure to Cockpit is very readily skippable. I do like Snowman/Roundabout, though. I guess F on the W bugs me the most since it disturbs the tranquility of the first 8 songs, which are spectacular. Holy verbosity, Batman! I'm outta here.... -pete
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 22 Sep 1994 13:41:12 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lemming of the B.D.A." <XMELINDA@delphi.com> Subject: Paul Simon/Watchtower Uh, forgive me if I'm wrong, but _Mummer_ came out in 1983, while Paul Simon's _Graceland_ wasn't released until 1986...which makes the "Human Alchemy"/Ladysmith Black Mambazo argument a little bit silly...more than a little bit, actually... Also, Brandon, "It's Nearly Africa" and "Cockpit Dance Mixture" are 2 different songs -- and I adore both of them (see how these discussions go? It's all relative, friends.) Here's an interesting way to listen to XTC's cover of "All Along the Watchtower": I made a tape for a friend once, of just random stuff, with no theme of any kind, and part of it was Bob Dylan's original version of this song, followed by Hendrix's famous cover, then XTC's cover, and lastly U2's cover. The point of this was to show why I almost never like cover songs at all -- U2's cover is lifeless and boring (and I generally like U2, well, the early stuff), because they just don't do anything with it. Hendrix and XTC, though, really put their own stamp on the song; you can't deny the complete Hendrix-ness of his version, and the very original early-XTC/late-70s sound of their version. Because it's not just regurgitated, I think the XTC cover of "Watchtower" is pretty cool. Melinda
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From: silva@mond1.ccrc.uga.edu
Subject: HoMo SaFarI...
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 15:13:08 -0400
The other day in Atlanta I found a near-mint copy of the Great Fire
12". It had a non-lp/non-R+G Buffet b-side ("Gold"), and two of the
Homo Safari cuts (No2. & No.6). Does anyone know how manythere were in
total? I know I have another on the flip-side of the "Senses" 12", but
I'd like to know if there were others. #2 & #6 were really quite good....
-------------------------
JoE Silva
Athens, GA
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 08:49:34 +1200 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Favourite song, album etc Greg Langmead <gcl@math.sunysb.edu> writes: >1) What is your favorite XTC song? I.e. if all XTC songs but one had to be >destroyed to save humanity, which one would you pick to listen to as your sole >memory of the boys? One? ONE??? Bloody 'eck. Erm, short list time, folks: Statue of Liberty, Are you receiving me?, Battery Brides, Complicated Game, When You're near me I have difficulty, Ten feet tall, Generals and Majors, Towers of London, Ball and Chain, Yacht dance, All of a Sudden, Deliver Us from the Elephants :-), All you Pretty Gils, Smalltown, Summer's Cauldron, Another Satellite, The Loving, Chalkhills and Children, Holly Up on Poppy, Then She Appeared, and Books are Burning(!), but the best? (and that's not including the Dukes!). That lot cuts down to Generals and Majors, Another Satellite, Then She Appeared and All of a Sudden, in about that order. Generals and Majors is one of those songs that you feel has been at the back of your brain since before you were born, if you know what I mean. >2) If you had to give a friend a song reocmmendation for XTC, that is, you had >to suggest one (and only one) song that, in your opinion, best represented >what XTC's music is, so that person could judge from that song whether he or >she liked XTC, what would that song be? Depends on the Friend. With some, it would be Smalltown, with others Senses working Overtime, or Generals and Majors, or Merely a Man. Also depends on what you mean by representative XTC. I've always thought XTC's particular gift was a quintessential Englishness that goes beyond most English bands. Reminds me of when I was growing up in the Cotswolds - sort of a rural Kinks. And if you want representativeness of that, you've got to look at something like Love on a Farmboy's Wages, The Meeting Place or Summer's Cauldron. Cut it to One? Senses Working Overtime, probably 3) XTC Lemons. Is there a song, or whole album, that you listen to and say to yourself, "Self, where the hell did this come from? What were they thinking?" I always find the inherent racism of Millions embarrassing, even if it was done as a pointed attack on racists. And for anti home violence reasons, My Weapon makes me cringe a little, too. Me and the Wind is not on my "Pick of XTC" tape, either. >Slavery was ended over a century ago in most of the world! Why harp on it now? Ah, but there's slavery and then there's slavery, ain't there. Listened to Paper and Iron lately? James Dignan, Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Ya jivu v' 50 Norfolk St., St. Clair, Dunedin, New Zealand pixelphone james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz steam megaphone NZ 03-455-7807 * You talk to me as if from a distance * and I reply with impressions chosen from another time, time, time, * from another time
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: CurtissH@aol.com Date: Thu, 22 Sep 94 17:30:12 EDT Subject: Re:Colin is NOT better than Andy Karen said this: >I've honestly hated every Colin song on every XTC album I >have with the possible exception of King For A Day. How can any fan of XTC feel this way? IMHO, Colin contributes greatly to the diversity and beauty of XTC's works. I don't see how you can separate him >from the band like that. Colin is an integral part of XTC, and a fine song writer, singer and musician. Why do some fans feel a need to pit Andy and Colin against each other? I just don't understand. And "hate" is not a feeling that I can associate in any way with XTC. Thank you and good night. Curtiss Hammock curtissh@aol.com
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: d.zemel@genie.geis.com Date: Fri, 23 Sep 94 00:09:00 UTC Subject: Chalkhills #379 Nothing of substance here, but I just thought I'd comment on how entertaining we all are, discussing our favorite/least favorite XTC songs and other ongoing threads. One person's dearly favorite XTC song is another's sour lemon vice versa. It's both funny and heartwarming how we can disagree so vehemently on the quality of various songs, on whether Colin is a great songwriter or the bane of the band's existence or any number of other items. Yet, we all seem to agree that XTC is a band that brings a lot of light and pleasure to our lives. It's wonderful to be a Chalkhillian, isn't it? (I hope I see you all at the next convention, hopefully in Madison, Wisconsin during the summer of '95!) Dean
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: m.mccormick2@genie.geis.com Date: Fri, 23 Sep 94 04:58:00 UTC Subject: XTC vs Police On Sting-vs-Andy, I am surprised no one has mentioned how close they were in the late 70s. Some of it is mentioned in Twomey's book, and more can be gleaned from things like Sting and his wife appearing on a XTC b-side (anybody remember which one?), passing remarks in interviews, etc. For example, Andy once said he at first detested the Police (when "Roxanne" came out) but gradually came to see past the pop singles and blonde hairdos, and recognized what really innovative music those guys were making. Sting, in turn, was a big fan of XTC in those days. Of course, so were U2, REM, INXS, Peter Gabriel, etc. It is hard to remember sometimes just how influential XTC were for a short (till maybe the 1982 Breakdown) time. They inspired musicians who went on to become some of the biggest names in alternapop. Too bad they didn't reap that same success themselves. :-( Anyway, I just wanted to point out that XTC and The Police, and Andy/Sting in particular, were friendly with each other and influenced each other's music once upon a time. If Andy learned not to dismiss Sting's work and see the beauty in it, maybe we can try too?... By the way, my XTC lemons would have to be "Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" (pretentious) and "Bungalow" (thank goodness for the SKIP button). In the "One Man's Lemons are Another Man's Oranges" department: I have to say that "Human Alchemy" is a good song whose eery sound fits the lyric, "Big Day" features the catchiest guitar riff on Skylarking, and "Hold Me My Daddy" is wonderful music with a very personal & moving lyric, and it is definitely not a Paul Simon rip-off. Mike McCormick (m.mccormick2@genie.geis.com)
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: Gregory Braswell <gbraswel@s.psych.uiuc.edu> Subject: My 2 cents and other random commentary Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 08:49:54 -0500 (CDT) Hi, my name is Greg. I've been a fan of XTC for the last four years or so, and I've been following Chalkhills for a while now. This is my first time posting to this mailing list. I've been too lazy to do so up till now. So here's my $.02: > 1) What is your favorite XTC song? I.e. if all XTC songs but one had to > be destroyed to save humanity, which one would you pick to listen to as > your sole memory of the boys? This is a tough one. I spent many a night these last few days, sitting up in my bed awake, staring at my bedroom wall, rocking back and forth, mumbling the names of several XTC songs, wondering which is my favorite. I lost all my friends; my school work suffered. I had to figure this out!... Okay, this is all a lie. I'd have to say "Yacht Dance" is my favorite. > 2) If you had to give a friend a song recmmendation for XTC, that is, you > had to suggest one (and only one) song that, in your opinion, best > represented what XTC's music is, so that person could judge from that song > whether he or she liked XTC, what would that song be? If this song is > different from the first, why do you think that is so? Do you understand > them so well that more obscure songs sound better than representative ones? I could be a sheep and say "Senses Working Overtime" but I won't. I'd suggest "Statue of Liberty". > 3) XTC Lemons. Is there a song, or whole album, that you listen to and > say to yourself, "Self, where the hell did this come from? What were they > thinking?" There's a select few: "The Smartest Monkeys" and just about all of _Big Express_, except "I Bought Myself a Liarbird" which I think is fantastic. As far as this whole business about Sting and his latest efforts, why doesn't someone start an alt.music.elevator newsgroup for that? :-) @_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@_@ Gregory Braswell gbraswel@s.psych.uiuc.edu Psychology Department, University of Illinois
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: jtl@mcs.com (Joe Lynn) Subject: Re: Urgh! Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 09:03:14 -0500 (CDT) John Pescador writes: > In Urgh! I thought Andy was just trying to be spontaneous in joining the > Police on stage. Wasn't Andy singing along besides holding the pineapple? That was the closing scene from the movie, which consisted of the "extendo" version of "So Lonely." Everyone who appeared on the bill at that particular venue (in France?) came out on stage to join the Police as they sang their closing number. (Ahh yes, Chicago's Skafish sauntering out to the strains of the Police: a sight to see.) Andy shared Sting's microphone for a good portion of the song, and when he hit Mr. Sumner on the head with a pineapple, Sting yelled at Andy, "You old fruit!" Every time I see the movie (yes, it's readily available on video), I become less and less convinced that Andy doesn't like to be on stage. I realize _Urgh_ was done two years before his breakdown, but Andy actually seemed to thrive on hamming it up in front of thousands. As time passes, I'm less inclined to buy the "stage fright" bit. jtl
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: 23 Sep 1994 09:58:46 U From: "Wesley Wilson" <Wesley_Wilson@iegate.mitre.org> Subject: Favorite XTC Song Wots my favorite XTC song? Hard to pin down; very hard to pin down, but I think of "Are You Receiving Me?" as XTC at its best: angular, jagged, anguished...prematurely pulled from a futuristic vending machine for your instant gratification. Wots my least favorite XTC song? Well, I will tell you that I never go out of my way to hear "Dear God." Does anyone have more info. on this BBC sessions CD due out soon? Wes P.S. Colin rulz. Period.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 23 Sep 94 10:17:20 EDT From: pete <PDRESSL@CMS.CC.WAYNE.EDU> Subject: Wait, I want to change my answer! I just listened to "No Languge in Our Lungs." I'm gonna need *four* songs now instead of three. Please? I'm beggin ya... Of course, our little three question exercise ommitted two questions: 4) If your dwelling/house/car/place where you keep your music caught fire, which XTC *album* would you save first? 5) Which one would you watch melting while you toasted marshmallows? (Note here that the toxic fumes from the plastic might really ruin the flavor of the marshmallows.) Okay, I better stop... I felt like a crusader...
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From: mark.derby@nwcs.org (Mark Derby)
Subject: Representative songs
Date: Fri, 23 Sep 1994 08:13:00 GMT
Organization: NWCS Online * Oregon USA
Hi, folks. Delurking alert.
I first heard XTC in the mid '80s, when I was twenty and not yet
adventurous in my musical tastes. A friend insisted on playing for me
every record by XTC that he owned.
In chronological order! A poor choice, 'cause my delicate ears
bristled at _White Music_ and after that I wasn't paying much attention.
Anyway, by the time he reached _Drums and Wires_ I was begging for
him to stop. (But he also played _25 O'Clock_ for me...which I kinda
liked, even then.)
Finally gave them another listen, about four years ago--by which
time, my tastes ran towards the likes of Throwing Muses and Sonic Youth.
Browsed the entry on XTC in _Trouser Press Music Guide_...decided to try
_Black Sea_...and immediately loved it. One of those rare records on which
Side B is strongest.
Played _Black Sea_ over and over and over again. Wanted more! Had
heard somewhere that _Drums and Wires_ was their classic, so that was my
next pick. Put it in the CD player.
What ran through my head: "Let's see...'Ooooh. Ooooh.' Well,
this 'Making Plans for Nigel' is awfully cutesy. 'Oh heli, oh heli...'
Um, is that short for 'helicopter', or 'helium'?"
By the time I got to "Roads Girdle the Globe" I was thinking, "I
paid $15 for this?" And "Complicated Game"...well, that one had me in a
coldsweat.
Decided _Black Sea_ was a fluke, and maybe I didn't like XTC after
all.
Flash-forward, two years. First visit to a record store that just
opened in my neighborhood. Mostly punkish inventory (yes!) but in the used
CD bin was _Nonsuch_. Only $8? "What the hell...I'm a glutton for
punishment..."
A couple of months later, I owned nearly everything XTC has
recorded.
Including _Drums and Wires_, which I'd earlier sold to a used-CD
shop (I always feel so stupid, buying the same disc twice). But by then,
I'd "got it". I understood what XTC were doing. And "Complicated Game" is
now among my favorites. But its impact on me is almost too much. On days
when I'm feeling depressed, alienated, etc.--I can't listen to it. Andy so
perfectly sums up his/my sense of the absurdity of living in this world, it
literally gives me the shakes.
_Black Sea_ and _Nonsuch_ are still my favorites, with _English
Settlement_ close behind. But I like them all. (Almost. Still can't wrap
my ears around their first two efforts.)
> 1) What is your favorite XTC song? I.e. if all XTC songs but one had to
> be destroyed to save humanity, which one would you pick?
Only one? Only ONE??
Sigh.
"Towers of London". With _extreme_ regret for having to leave
behind "Burning with Optimism's Flames" and "Wrapped in Grey".
> 2) If you had to give a friend a song recommendation for XTC
"The Disappointed"
> 3) XTC Lemons. Is there a song, or whole album, that you listen to and
> say to yourself, "Self, where the hell did this come from? What were
> they thinking?"
"Leisure" (Andy sounds so constipated...)
Half or so of _Mummer_ and _The Big Express_, though both LPs
include songs I love
"That's Really Super, Supergirl"
"Big Day" (though rhyming "tie the knot" with "don't let it rot"
was clever)
"Sacrificial Bonfire"
"Here Comes President Kill Again"
"Poor Skeleton Steps Out" (good songwriting, but the arrangement is
intolerable)
"One of the Millions"
"Cynical Days" (ugh ugh ugh!)
Paul Fox's production of _Oranges and Lemons_ (even though four
tracks from this disc were listed above, it's still a damn good set of
songs...if only they would re-record them all!)
The cliched guitar solo that concludes (and mars the otherwise
brilliant) "Books are Burning"
...considering the length of XTC's career, I think this is a mighty
small list.
---
* WR # 338 * sea is warship grey; it whispers "fool" then slides away
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] From: KyleSk@aol.com Date: Fri, 23 Sep 94 12:43:15 EDT Subject: XTC and spirituality Some tangental "Dear God" comments All this debate had stirred my thoughts and recollections on "Dear God." When I first heard "Dear God", I found that this song had wonderfully encapsulated my thoughts on atheism/monotheism at the time. Something along the lines of "Why would God create us, and then subject us to such abject misery? Is it possible that God is just some convenient fiction of our own?" Note: I recall Andy felt that 2 to 3 minutes is not adequate time to sum up his feelings on the topic. I understand his point; please take my comments relevant to the format he delivered his message in: pop music. However, my hunch is that a more scholarly essay by the "mayor" on the topic might not be as moving. Similarly, I recall a conversation with a fellow XTC'er who said that XTC always released songs that seemed to sum up whatever topical emotions were on her mind, such as "Yacht Dance." Yea, I know, we had this conversation 11 years ago. Anyhow, When Andy or Colin get personal, the empathy of their prose can be quite powerful. Other similar songs in this vain include "Snowman," "1000 Umbrellas," "Angry Young Men" and "Dear Madame Barnum" However, as a nice contrast to Andy's 1987 feelings about monotheism, I'm just about to complete a book, written by C.S. Lewis, titled "Mere Christianity" whose subject matter is an interesting contrast to "Dear God." The author was (I think he's dead) an Oxford scholar and a former atheist turned Christian, and delivers possible answers to some of Andy's questions. The prose is remarkably absent of the bible-thumping that marks my very limited experience with Christian writers. I'm not a Christian--but thought that some might appreciate some prose on the other side of the "God" debate.
[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 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. 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. I'll stay for one more farthing. . .
Go back to Volume 1.
23 September 1994 / Feedback