Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 403
Date: Wednesday, 11 January 1995
Chalkhills Digest, Number 403
Wednesday, 11 January 1995
Today's Topics:
froom and spike
Producer de Vente
assorted bits
New Here!
bass players hall of fame
in defence of president kill
Re: Chalkhills Digest #402
XTC Fans' Tribute Cassette
Request for admission
fegmaniax!
My little story
== No Subject ==
Rundgren Fanzine Plugs Skylarking
Ignorant record stores
Virgin vs Geffen
Re: Intro and assorted spew.
Re: Bonus tracks
Introduction
Extra tracks on CD
Froom & XTC
New Reader
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: OLIVER@slais.ubc.ca Organization: SLAIS, UBC Date: 9 Jan 95 13:32:15 GM+5 Subject: froom and spike Regarding recent discussion of Mitchell Froom, I would like to note that he did not produce Elvis Costello's Spike album. It was produced by Elvis and T-Bone Burnett. Froom co-produced Mighty Like A Rose and Brutal Youth with Elvis, and only plays on Spike, as well as King of America.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 95 13:33:08 PST
From: John Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Producer de Vente
Rich Swanson <Pneumedia@aol.com> writes:
>
>As for my choice for a producer for the next XTC project
> I think Tim Friese-Green would be
>an excellent choice. If you listen to the excellent production on the last
>three Talk Talk discs (Colour of Spring, Spirit of Eden & Laughinstock) ,
>you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.
I agree! Those Talk Talk records are amazing. _Laughing Stock_ is
one of the most excellent albums I've heard in the last five years.
It took a few listens to get into, but I could just listen to it all
the time. I've had it listed on my Web pages for some time.
But you know any interesting XTC record will never sell.
Steve Espinola <SPE9237@ACFcluster.NYU.EDU> writes:
>
>And who the heck is "Hans de Vente" who sings on "Melt the Guns" and gets
>thanked in at least one other album's liner notes?
I think Hans de Vente is an artist whom XTC have worked with upon
various occasions. He is mentioned in the _Skylarking_ liner notes.
-- John
--
http://idiot-dog.com/~relph/
------------------------------ From: DaHaa@aol.com Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 17:01:05 -0500 Subject: assorted bits Hello again, A press release moved on the entertainment wire at the newspaper I work for: "Co-star of "Dumb & Dumber" Jeff Daniels will bring his comedic talents to a video shoot with the Crash Test Dummies for their track on the movie sountrack, "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead," which features the vocals of Ellen Reid. The video shoot for this song, a new recording of the classic XTC hit, will take place Friday and Saturday in Toronto." ... blah blah blah , etc. This was an electronic press release from RCA Records. ... classic XTC hit? Makes XTC sound like old farts. How can a single released three years ago be a classic?? ---- Regarding the Froom debate: I'd love an XTC album with Froom as producer. He really has shaped the best Crowded House albums and did wonders with Suzanne Vega. ---- On the XTC covers album: Suzanne Vega would be a good addition. She was quoted as saying her "In My Book of Dreams" single was intentionally written to be her XTC song, as she and her band had been listening to Oranges & Lemons and were in awe of the craftsmanship involved. ... Maybe XTC's possible contribution to the covers album could be produced by Froom! thus avoiding the wrath of Froomless fans who'd dislike an entire album. ---- Am sad to hear that XTC has left Virgin. I've been buying XTC stuff since the 3DEP, which caused me to purchase all kinds of things on the Virgin label ever since. But after Branson sold Virgin to EMI, well, what can I say about EMI that the Sex Pistols haven't said better? Cheers, David Haakenson dahaa@aol.com
------------------------------
From: TMFlash@aol.com
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 17:14:19 -0500
Subject: New Here!
Greetings fellow chalkhillians.
Let me start by saying that I am completely new to the online experience and
am still getting my feet wet. So if I make any glaring mistakes that go
against proper "netiquette" please forgive me.
Now, as far as the band XTC goes. I first became aware of the group when
"Dear God" was first being played on local (L.A., CA) radio station KROQ. I
was immediately struck by the sentiment of the lyrics. Later, when
conversing with a friend he turned me on to a group who had "very strong
beattle-ish elements in their music". I went out to find this album which
turned out to be <Skylarking>. I was very pleased to find when I read the
back cover that this was the group that had created the song I was in love
with. Well, I rushed home and popped in the cassette (remember those
things?) and was pleased beyond description. It was at the time the most
completely gratifying and inspiring aural sensation I had ever experienced.
I played it constantly. I went out and purchased all the albums I could
find by them. Imagine my surprise when I finally discovered that the group
had other incarnations (Dukes Of Stratosphear being my favorite). I am an
admirer of the complete XTC catalogue with all its many different flavours,
<Oranges and Lemons> being my favorite.
I am about to commit an almost certain 3n ("netiquette no-no"), but this
mailing list is the first I've heard of a XTC tribute album. I'm sure it has
been discussed in detail previously, but I would REALLY appreciate it if
someone could give it one more go-round for me.
As for the topic of producer for the next album, I really think the band
should do it themselves. I liked <Nonsuch> but thought that some of the
usual zip was lost in the effort to make a flawlessly sounding record
(remember those things?). I think that the band is very capable of going
into a studio and leaving with a signature XTC album.
And to Joelsom, the lyrics to "Peter Pumpkinhead" come with the CD version of
<Nonsuch>, at least the CD I bought had the lyrics with it.
Speaking of "Peter Pumpkinhead", I'm interested in hearing from you good
people wether or not you think the song is about Jesus Christ. I know of one
person who actually thinks the song is about John F. Kennedy.
Anyway, I know that the lenght of this posting is probably a major 3n
and I promise that my future efforts will be just as long, if not longer.;-)
BYEEEEEE!!!!!!!
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Jan 95 17:34:56 EST From: Ayanna Gaines <AYANNA@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU> Subject: bass players hall of fame greetings to all, and i hope everyone's new year is starting off well. to begin with, i'd like to state that i heartily agree with whomever said that colin kicked butt on bass (sorry i forgot to write down your name!). being the type of person who cranks the bass on my stereo and reduces the treble to a dull murmur (my singing alto/tenor probably has something to do with that), i must say that while andy pulls off some killer guitar riffs, that colin grooves on the bass. i rank him with paul mccartney as god-like bassists (the bass on _rubber soul_ is fab!). i think the englishness of bands such as xtc and the beatles is what draws americans to them, at least those of us who tire of the crass and overstated commercialism of much american rock/pop/whatnot. and it's refreshing to hear lyrics more witty than "yeah, she's pretty, i wanna take her to dinner and have her sleep with me, ooh yeah" (credited to no band in particular). i received _english settlement_ on cd for xmas, and listened to it for the first time last night. it may take a few more listenings for it to stick like glue to my eardrum, but i can see while everyone sees it as the defining point between old and new xtc. i haven't decided to make of _africa_ yet, but i think _snowman_ is nifty, kinda along the lines of _another satellite_. well, as i've said nothing amusing or educational (2 + 2 = 5), i'll sign off. i'll be more insiteful once the post-vacation shock wears off. ciao! -- ayanna
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Jan 95 17:57:17 EST From: Ayanna Gaines <AYANNA@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU> Subject: in defence of president kill to all y'all who don't like _president kill_ for its latter-u2-esque lecturing (so, who'll flame me for that remark? [grin]), i heartily suggest this: ignore the lyrics, and listen to the trumpet solos growling under the chorus, and the harmonic dissonances throughout. to me, the music gets more across to me about the slightly sinister (or incredibly insensible) american political scheme than any lyric ever could. mayhaps i exaggerate, but that song can actually send a chill up my spine. this is, an unusual request -- i generally see xtc as being a very "holistic" band (forgive my lapse into what some may consider new age lingo), but in this instance, the music speaks for itself. cheers! -- ayanna
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 15:30:19 +1300 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #402 1) pchuss@Corp.Megatest.COM (William Pat Chuss) sez: >fegmaniax > Contact: fegmaniax-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu > > Purpose: Discussion, news and information regarding that English > eccentric and musician, Robyn Hitchcock. Got some sad news for you - that list has been down for about four months. Looks like the system that was running it did the big firework. Sad too, it was a great list. (woj? Any luck yet???) 2) Give Colin a break guys (& gals) - Partridge without Moulding would be like fish & chips without salt & vinegar (or some other mindless simile)! 3) Not accusing anyone of plagiarism (more likely simultaneous invention, since the songs appear to have come out at about the same time) but has anyone else noticed the similarity in sound between two of my favourite tracks: XTC's "Another Satellite" and Godley & Creme's "Golden Boys"? Musical recommendation for the day - for all you old Beatlesque harmony fans ;) Stuck in the Middle - the best of Stealer's Wheel James Dignan, Department of Psychology, University of Otago. Ya zhivu 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 (Brian Eno)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 9 Jan 95 20:30:57 PST
From: John Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: XTC Fans' Tribute Cassette
------- advertisement -------
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TRIBUTE CASSETTE #2
with
Dr Gunni, Richard Bone, Samarkand
Scott Nuckles, John Neil, Useless
Franco Turra, Chris Dodge & Lydia Paweshi
The Canaries, The Hairy Partridges
Bizarre Depiction
P.O. Box 30905
Philadelphia, PA 19104-0905
U.S.A.
five dollars USA, checks to Ian C Stewart
-------
The first XTC fan's tribute cassette
OBSCENE COLLECTION
is still available for $5
and features more of this insanity
write for a catalog of other fine recordings
and books
------- advertisement -------
The next installment of the Obscene Collection,
and the final of this trilogy, will be covers
of the entire SKYLARKING album. The tape will
be called SKYLACKING and submissions are now
being accepted. PLEASE contribute. Already
taken are "Earn Enough for Us" (Martin Fuchs'
German treatment) and "Meeting Place"
(grindcore from Chris Dodge). This will be
fun. Everyone knows how brilliant SKYLARKING
is and there's been a marked lack of cover
versions from that album on previous
COLLECTIONs. XTC's masterwork digested and
reinvented by those who know and love them most
(i.e., us).
------------------------------ From: liars@halcyon.com Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 20:47:02 -0800 Subject: Request for admission Greetings, I've been reading postings forwarded to me from afar, and decided to cast my own dice here from Planet Seattle. Briefly, the discussions regarding the value of this or that producer and his/her abilitiy to create a chart-topping hit for XTC are rather mystifying. Paul Fox (Oranges and Lemons) had enormous success with the dismal Mister Mister prior to working with XTC, and God knows Steve Lillywhite Inc. has made its fair share with Sting and the like. Someone went as far as musing about acquiring Michael Bolton's producer as a sure-fire way of generating a bona-fide hit. Imagine that. XTC's quintessential "English-ness," their devotion to the craft of 60's pop with 80's sensibilities, the metaphoric content of their lyrics, and, ultimately, the unforgivable crime of melody render XTC unsuitable for the cynical, ironic, despair of 1995. Here in Seattle, the belly of the beast, the corporate grunge long ago washed away any traces of "pop" music. Thinkingperson's pop -- which, is as apt a description of XTC's music as any -- is simply *quaint*. It has nothing to do with producers, record labels or distribution. If XTC were to acquire a Steve Albini or a Butch Vig to produce their next record, I have no doubt they could create an XTC for 1995. And that would be the greatest crime of all.
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Jan 1995 23:55:29 -0500 From: cornflake boy <woj@remus.rutgers.edu> Organization: <a href="http://remus.rutgers.edu/~woj/">wojpage</a> Subject: fegmaniax! pchuss@Corp.Megatest.COM (William Pat Chuss) sez: >Well, Craig Farber asked for it and I replied to him individually, but I >thought the rest of you might be interested in fegmaniax: >fegmaniax > Contact: fegmaniax-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu and i think that the rest of you will also be interested in knowing that fegmaniax is no longer at gnu.ai.mit.edu. it will shortly be moving to rutgers. in the meantime, don't bother sending requests to gnu since they will only bounce. i'll post details of the move to various usenet newsfroups and mailing lists (including this one) when the list comes back online. woj, fegmaniax listowner (when it's working)
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jan 95 01:17:15 EST From: Melissa Reaves <MREAVES@KENTVM.KENT.EDU> Subject: My little story Everyone seems to have a story about how they got to see or just missed getting to see XTC. Here's mine: I saw the Police in Virginia Beach on the Synchronicity tour. I had seen on MTV how XTC were opening for them in some venues. Not this one (wah!) But then XTC cancelled the whole thing anyway so I doubly missed out. (double wah!!) Maybe it's lame, but it's all I've got. Onward. I _like_ Colin. He seems real nice. Watching their old videos Andy is too manic and Dave looks like a wank but Colin looks nice. If I could sit and talk to one of them for an evening, that's who I'd choose. So there. To the guys looking for dates, yes there are plenty of female XTC fans but we're here to discuss the _music_. And I'm taken anyway. To all the American fans in the group: Ever think about what Andy's actually referring to when he says the world is football- or biscuit- shaped? His football is the same shape as the world and his biscuit we would call a cookie. "All the world is cookie-shaped" And the screaming sky won't let me sleep. --Melissa
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Jan 95 15:32 GMT From: joeo@cix.compulink.co.uk (Psion plc Joe Odukoya) Subject: == No Subject == >No one in XTC is expendable, dammit. The loss of Terry (the master of >COMEDY drumming) was a major hurt and I'll always miss his unique >sound and punch. >Dave is the spoon that stirs the sauce, much like Jerry Harrison's >quiet, unsung but essential contributions to Talking Heads. Hear, Hear - Bloody well said that person! Let's stop this ludicrous suggestion now. P.S > To close, a late Christmas present: My recommendation to seek out > "Hats" and "A Walk Across the Rooftops" by Scotland's The Blue Nile. > These two CD's are among the greatest I've ever heard (and I've heard > it all). Trust me, get them. If you like mood, "Rook" and a singer > who'll blow you away (Paul Buchanan), you need these discs. Funnily enough I agree with this too. - Joeo -
------------------------------ From: CVreeken@aol.com Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 14:20:03 -0500 Subject: Rundgren Fanzine Plugs Skylarking The latest issue of the Todd Rundgren fanzine "Utopia Times" has a short article on the Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab release of Skylarking. It says in part, "Arguably their best album, 1986's Skylarking has recently been released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. Produced by Todd, this album has on it his distinctive musical stamp. Todd engineered the recording, supplied the musical means of connecting all fourteen songs together and provided the orchestral arrangements." Utopia Times is published by The Nexus at P.O. Box 867, Canton CT 06019. Todd and XTC fan Craig Vreeken.
------------------------------ From: Notarian@aol.com Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 14:49:14 -0500 Subject: Ignorant record stores In the past few months I've seen a lot of disturbing things in CD stores in Delaware (where I go to school). The only store that actually has Martin Newell's Greatest Living Englishman, filed it under P for Partridge. (the same store has no XTC or CVB sections) At another store down the street, I saw several XTC imports in a clearance bin. I picked up the red BBC live CD, and opened the box to find the CD missing. O&L and Big Express are also in the "el-cheapo" rack on cassette for $3.99 each. It saddens me to see XTC relegated to the same rack as those cheesy, talentless mid to late '80s groups. I mentioned several months ago from school (apn@strauss.udel.edu) that I was working on a paper about XTC for a rock music class. I'm glad to say the paper was an astounding success. I convinced a prof turned off to XTC because of "their earlier work," that they were a "significant group." I also forced people in the class who think Vitalogy and Dookie are works of genius to listen to tracks from Black Sea and English Settlement. I'd like to thank all you Chalkhillians who provided those little tidbits of information that I used in the paper (In the endnotes I gave Chalkhills credit and provided the address of the list and the WWW home page). -Andrew
------------------------------ From: DaHaa@aol.com Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 15:21:12 -0500 Subject: Virgin vs Geffen Hello again, I'm happy XTC has left Virgin, as Virgin changed under EMI ownership. But let's not slam Virgin too much. Face it, Virgin was a safe haven for 17 years. Richard Branson, Virgin creator and former owner, reportedly loved XTC and kept them on the label for that reason. Virgin also has been extremely willing to humor the band with many limited edition releases over the years. Many 7" singles were released in a limited edition form. Was this a greedy push to make more money for Virgin or simply a clever way to promote a band because you like them and want to see them succeed? Either way, XTC got swell treatment as far as I can see. Did they get screwed in royalties? Dunno. Andy seems to whine a lot whenever he thinks someone gets in the way of his creative vision. Is all the whining legitimate? Dunno. The big question for me is not whether XTC will be on Virgin, but if they will still be on Geffen in the U.S. ... I hate Geffen. And I believe that if XTC had been on Virgin America, they would have had much more success in the U.S. And we'd also have a video/laser release to boot. Labels I hope they sign with: 4AD, Mute, Rykodisc. Later, dahaa@aol.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 95 8:42:49 -0500
From: "Greg O'Rear" <jgo.systems@mhs.unc.edu>
Organization: UNC
Subject: Re: Intro and assorted spew.
CrowsPants@aol.com said
>...the great Martin Newell....If you don't have the approx. 10
>Cleaners From Venus/Brotherhood Of Lizards tapes, GET THEM. Newell's
>work is ASTONISHING.
All I have is The Greatest Living Englishman, which I think is phenomenal.
If you know of a source for the Cleaners/Brotherhood tapes, please tell
me! I tried subscribing to the Martin Newell list, but I haven't heard a
peep out of them. I want any and all available Martin Newell, including
that poetry disc Relph mentions. (Has anyone bought Martin's poetry
books? I'm having a hard time finding a local bank that will sell me
pounds sterling. He isn't some weird professor at Essex University, is
he? :-)
> (BTW, does anyone know if Newell's stuff is available on CD?
I hear that "Golden Cleaners" (a best-of) is the only CD available. See
Relph's discography at ftp://www.bio.net/pub/misc/music/newell.martin .
> The Nick Drake tribute CD was quite good, and mostly from unknowns (any
> Nick fans out there?).
Here's one. I thought the best track on "Brittle Days" was by Shellyan
Orphan (who I hadn't heard from since they did that song (what was it?)
in the mid-80's. They covered "Joey". (BTW, does anyone else cringe when
they hear Richard Thompson massacre the guitar solo on the "Time of No
Reply" version of "Thoughts of Mary Jane"? I like that version better
than the stringified official release, and if Thompson would have just
shut up and let Nick shine, it would have been a great track).
=========================================================================
Greg O'Rear Computing Consultant IV
Administrative Data Processing Novell Certified NetWare Administrator
University of North Carolina E-mail: jgo.systems@mhs.unc.edu
440 West Franklin Street Phone: (919) 962-0821
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1150 FAX: (919) 962-0900
Home page: http://www.adp.unc.edu/~jgo/jgo.html
=========================================================================
------------------------------ From: Mikewheel@aol.com Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 00:39:47 -0500 Subject: Re: Bonus tracks >MW>> I happen to like that the additional songs >MW>> appear in the middle, because you know where side one ends and where >MW>> side two begins, which is usually ignored with CDs. JL>>That's only valid if you've heard the album format. Imagine, though, JL>>if you had never heard the album; your impression of XTC would be JL>>quite different --here's this CD that's flowing along quite nicely, JL>>then all of a sudden there's this set of stuff that doesn't fit at JL>>all. (I know the tracks are marked so, but uninitiated folks ignore JL>>this sort of thing anyway). I haven't heard the album format of any XTC album, but I have heard the CD format of every XTC album, and every time I notice when the bonus tracks start and when they end, and sometimes I skip over them to get the feel of the album. Back in the days of records when one side was done you had to get up and turn the record over, now in the days of XTC CDs you have to get up when side one is over and skip the bonus tracks to start side two. I think most people smart enough to listen to XTC in the first place are smart enough to notice that the middle section of songs are bonus tracks that aren't on the original albums. Mike Wheeler
------------------------------
From: jacook@sdcc3.UCSD.EDU (James Cook)
Subject: Introduction
Date: Tue, 10 Jan 1995 22:23:29 -0800 (PST)
Dear Chalkhillians,
My name is James Cook and I would like to introduce myself to the
group. I am currently a grad. student in Chinese history, so I use XTC
and caffine to keep me awake late at night. I first got introduced to
XTC by Rolling Stone, who gave Black Sea a great write-up. I did not buy
the album at the time, but a few months later at a record shop in Santa
Cruz I picked up the album, and I was hooked. My favorite album is
English Settlement, with The Big Express a close second. I dislike
Mummer.
I only had the opportunity once in my life to see XTC. This was
in 1982 (I think) when they toured and Jools Holland opened. Jools
played 45 minutes, left for half an hour, then returned and played for
another 45 minutes. He left a second time, and then returned a little
while later to announce that Andy Partridge had collapsed backstage and
the concert was cancelled.
I am very interested in conversing with anyone who has access to
any of the accoustic bootlegs.
Sincerely,
Jim
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 11:35:29 +0100 From: d.flach@topos.ruu.nl (Dirk Paul Flach) Subject: Extra tracks on CD Hi all, had to jump in on the -extra tracks- discussion. James Dignan writes: >While I agree about the extra tracks on the CDs interrupting the flow, I'm >glad that they weren't placed at the end of the album (as is common >practice). XTC's albums usually build up to such amazing climaxes (e.g. >Travels in Nihilon, Complicated Game, Chalkhills and Children) that to put >anything after them would be artistic sacrilege! That having been said, the >middle isn't really the best place for them either. Then again, that's what >programmable CD players are for! So you're a bit contradicting yourself! Because programmable CD players exist, the order of the tracks isn't that important! And this is in fact also the reason why I like to have them on the end, because that's the easiest part of the CD to skip. In this case I don't even need a programmable CD player. As a possible solution, Jeffrey Langr writes: >Or, wait for recordable CD's and then make your own track order. You don't have to wait: buy a DCC player. You can program these to skip songs on the tape (even part of songs). You can reprogram them to play all songs, or to skip other songs... Infinite possibilities. I realize the quality is just a bit less than CD quality, but I can hardly hear the difference. Another great invention by Philips (no, I'm not connected, I'm just Dutch)... Sorry about the non-XTC content... Dirk Paul Amsterdam, The Netherlands
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 15:58:34 -0500 (EST)
From: michael alan rose <marose@ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Froom & XTC
I agree that Mitchell Froom and Eno would be great choices as
producers. I think a little tension might help their music. I would like
to submit another choice: Mitch Easter.
He's done quality work with R.E.M. and other U.S. bands. In the last
three years he has produced several bands from Australia and England. If
any of you have any doubts about his abilities, listen to the first two
Let's Active albums (his old band - self-produced). Mitch Easter has an
unreal ability to extract exquisite guitar sounds from bands. The drum
"problem" would not be a problem for Easter - Let's Active's first two
albums used drum machines and they sound great!
Another choice from out in left field: Steve Albini!!!
Still enjoying Chalkhills,
Michael Rose
------------------------------ From: pcorless@claven.idbsu.edu (Phil Corless) Subject: New Reader Date: Wed, 11 Jan 1995 15:37:57 +0000 Greetings from Idaho! I've been lurking for a couple of weeks and thought it's time I introduce myself.... I've been an XTC fan since my junior year in high school, when I heard a song on the radio (KROQ in LA, before everyone else started listening to it), and for days afterward I couldn't get this song out of my head. The song was, of course, "Said You Pulled Me Over Time." Huh? Wha? Okay, so that's what I THOUGHT the song was called. Imagine my surprise when I bought the English Settlement album and discovered the real words: "Senses Working Overtime" Anyway, that did it for me.... XTC was added to my short list of favorite bands, the others being Squeeze, Split Enz, Oingo Boingo and the Beatles. That was many years ago, and my tastes have changed, but XTC is still one of the few bands I get excited about. My favorite album? Hmmm..... I guess Oranges and Lemons, only because of the "love" songs: "Merely A Man," "The Loving," "Mayor of Simpleton," "Hold Me Daddy," etc. My favorite songs? That's a little easier... "Roads Girdle the Globe," "Respectable Street," "It's Nearly Africa," "This World Over," "Bungalow," "Another Satellite," "King for a Day," and "Bike Ride to the Moon," are just some of my faves... XTC songs seem to swirl in my mind more than any other band except the Beatles. There are certain times and places where an XTC song will just pop into my brain. Perfect example is when I'm waiting at a red light, suddenly I'm thinking of the refrain from "It's Nearly Africa".... "Any day now, any day now now...." Reading this group has spurred me to find my old tapes and starting listening to XTC more than usual. I only have the last two albums in CD format. I also have the Chips from the Chocolate Fireball collection. I wish they'd do more of that. As for personal stuff.... I work at Boise State University, putting my wife through Nursing School. She graduates in May, and then it's my turn to go back to school. My job isn't worth talking about, so I won't. -------------------------- Phil Corless Boise, Idaho pcorless@claven.idbsu.edu --------------------------
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #403 *****************************
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