Chalkhills Digest Volume 1, Issue 427
Date: Friday, 7 April 1995
Chalkhills Digest, Number 427
Friday, 7 April 1995
Today's Topics:
Favourite Bands & Todd Rundgren Encounters
This World Over
Another "Virgin" Post
All You Pretty Globs
Pale Pet Precious
New Inductee Musings . . .
Let's Kiosk And...
RE- Dukes' Influences
Re: Chalkhills Digest #426
Americanisms in XTC lyrics
new xtc www site
It's the Kinks, I tell you!!!
Re: Video Info
a proposal: assembling the songs
Now it's XTC's turn to sue Negativland.
CTD- "Peter Pumpkinhead" Co
basic greeting
The Disoriented?
final (?) thoughts on Ladybird
Touring Mystery
Re: #2(2) Chalkhills Digest #421
Martin Paints Andy
More on the Cleaners cover
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---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ExitRampPR@aol.com Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 00:11:38 -0500 Subject: Favourite Bands & Todd Rundgren Encounters Hi all, no more lurking. I've enjoyed some of the conversation enough to make a post. I wanted to go back a bit and contribute to the list of bands that XTC fans might like besides the Swindon Boys. After all, there are a lot of other good sounds out there that can really give quality time to quality ears. I must say, XTC for being part of a very diverse collection spends an awful lot of time in my digital spin. Lets go A to Z: Adrian Belew (Solo albums galore, singing for King Crimson) Adrian can basically not be disliked because he's probably one of the most friendly performers there is and a big XTC fan. XFans would love his subject sensibility and geez that guitar! ......... Luka Bloom(Irish folk) hard to lose here ....... Boo Radleys (British unidentifiables but just friggin awesome) Very loud, very soft and they take patience........ Kate Bush! ........... The Church ........ Drivin N' Cryin (Southern FriedUSA with something worthwhile to singabout) ........... Firehose(L.A. 3some, Punky, Well versed, comical, political) ......... Lenny Kravitz .......... James McMurtry(Soloist, Midwestern, magical. John Mellencamp produces & I hate to say it's his best work.) ......... The Rievers(guitar, melody, harmony) ....... Smithereens always! .......... Sundays ......Timbuk 3 (Very unique like XTC! Nobody like T3) .......... Vulgar Boatmen (Maybe hard to find but worth the search for their simplicity) .....Neil Young. Sorry if that was long but I think some of you may enjoy. If you already do or have questions let me know. Also got the chance to meet Todd Rundgren in January. I was working MACWORLD San Francisco when he came into our display booth because he's used my co.'s software in his videos. I didnt see him til he left - then someone told me Todd was just here. I'm like all... "Where! He produced Skylarking! That's something isnt it?" So I tracked him down several booths later, caught his eye contact, threw one of our cool T-shirts at him and said,... "Hey, thanks for Skylarking." and then I walked away. As I did he broke a big smile, maybe of relief that I didnt cuss at him for Skylarking. Sky may sound flat but somehow it adds appeal. Call me nutz! Take Care, Paul Robinson - ExitRampPR@aol.com
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 11:21:27 -0500 From: whee@morgan.com (Gerald Wheeler) Subject: This World Over >"When I wrote it I had difficulty singing it [This World Over] >'cause of the lump in my throat. It's easier now, but it still gets to me, >thinking about what could happen these days." There was never any mention >of the Police. The song was written mainly because Andy was hoping for a >better world for his children. That's the truth straight from the source. >Please don't be a deconstructionalist. Many times things ARE as they seem >on the face. >George Gimarc Thanks for the info. I wasn't trying to deconstruct Andy's work, I was just trying to give him a little credit. While I suppose even someone as gifted as Andy could have harbored such infantile apocalyptic fears as those expressed in "This World Over" in the mid-eighties, its natural for a fan to hope for better from his champion. I guess what's now most shocking about the song in light of George Gimarc's revelation is not the near imbecility of the prognosis (only the best minds, I guess, could have predicted the absolute and complete success of President Reagan's military policy towards the Russians--I mean really, fear of nuclear war has become passe even with our own detested radical elite), but the song's uncharacteristic immaturity, bluntness and fury. It's those qualities coupled with the song's unrefinement, irrationality and childishness that gave me the impression the song was a farce and thus compelled me to hope that the song could simply be a parody--and a well landed one at that. I was, apparently, a victim of my own generally favorable impression of XTC when I reached the conclusion that "This World Over" was a send-up of STING or other CND laughing-stocks. Please forgive the error. The Best, Jerry Wheeler
------------------------------ From: sdavis@academic.csubak.edu Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 10:57:42 PST Subject: Another "Virgin" Post ~~~Chalkhillians~~~ I am SO gald I found you! I have been reading some of the past digests and the FAQ and trying to catch up with all I have missed but it seems virtually impossible. Please be patient with me as I am a newbie to all of this. I first discovered XTC during _Oranges And Lemons_ and fell in love. I know this was a tad late in the game, but considering I was only 4 in 1978, I guess this would be OK. Nevertheless, I worked my way backwards, trying to find all the XTC I could. I, however, living in a most cuturally deprived and debilitatingly conservative area of California (Bakersfield), had quite a hard time trying to find someone who even knew who the blasted band was. Blank stares and confusing body language was about all I received. The last album know to me to come out was _Nonsuch_. What's after that?? Also, in a past post someone was talking about video compilations and said something about wanting a second one to come out. Is there anyone who can give me info on a first compilation and where I can get it. Thanks for you patience. Stacy Davis PS: E-mail at my address is always welcome.
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 16:48:00 -0800 (PST) From: Eric Muller <EMuller@UWYO.EDU> Subject: All You Pretty Globs Joe Turner (jdt@concorde.com) wrote in Digest # 426 of the similarity between the refrain of "All You Pretty Girls" and the children's tune "Great green globs of green greasy gopher guts . . ." My wife has been known to break into that old tune as well from time to time, although she sings of "greasy grimey gopher guts" rather than "green greasy" ones. I believe that there is also a subsequent (and charming) passage about "mutilated monkey meat" too. I have never made the connection to "All You Pretty Girls," however (thank God), because the tunes are actually a bit different. All You Pretty Girls (for sake of ease, based on the key of "C"): Bless You Bless You All of You Pretty Girls C A C D E E F E - D C Great Green Globs of Greasy Grimey Gopher Guts C C C D E - E E - D E - D C The risk of plagiarism is, in any case, quite small, as I do not believe the gopher is indigenous to Swindon. We do have them here in Wyoming, in case you're interested. Eric
------------------------------ From: CVreeken@aol.com Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 20:33:58 -0500 Subject: Pale Pet Precious With all the talk about the Dukes' influences, I was inspired to listen to Chips again, which in turn inspired me to go to one of the sources, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Even if you don't care for the Beach Boys hits of the early 60s, this album is a must have, IMO. It is so very different from their earlier songs, so much more heartfelt. This was the album that inspired the Beatles to record Sergeant Pepper. When people say that Brian Wilson was a genius, this is the album that proves it. The instrumentation is very textured and deep, especially considering the technology at the time. And the lyrics really tug at the heart, especially "I'm Waiting For The Day," "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," and "I Know There's An Answer." The CD version also contains outtakes and an alternate version of "Answer" - "Hang On To Your Ego." One of the most sublime moments occurs in "Caroline, No." when Brian sings "you break my heart." The music and the singing sound like his heart is actually breaking. The CD has extensive liner notes and descriptions of each song, and I think its even budget priced. Its the perfect album for those certain melancholy moods. It's so different from XTC, and yet it must have been an inspiration to them for The Dukes to go and do what they did to create Pale And Precious, which is an honorable and fitting tribute to this wonderful album. Also, I'm glad to see that someone else remembers The Tubes on SCTV. That was a great show, but hard to keep awake for. Craig Vreeken, Sacramento, CA
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 22:37:57 EST
From: "Devine, Kenn" <kdevine@imail.ftsclant.navy.mil>
Subject: New Inductee Musings . . .
Greetings to the 1000+ members of the Chalkhills UseNet Group!
As a new inductee in the world of Net Surfing and Web Browsing, I
must admit that I was happy as a horse to find a group of people that
were into discussing da boyz from Swindon. Our installation here in
Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA has just recently acquired the ability
for two-way communication across the InterNet, and since I have been
peeking at the Archives since Issue #390, I thought it was about time
I stuck in my two cents worth.
R. Stevie Moore turned me onto this group in 1977, but it wasn't
until I heard _Life is Good in the Greenhouse_ that they caught my
attention. When _Drums and Wires_ was issued, I made my first
purchase. A few weeks later, I caught them at the now defunct
Harrah's club in New York City where I pushed myself to the front row
and was treated to a most memorable event. From that day to this, I
have been hooked. No other band since the Beatles has affected me the
same way. The parallelisms are astonishing. Why this band can't
--make it big-- is a pity, but I guess that, in a way, it has helped
to keep them consistently creative and fresh.
A few things bother me, though, and I thought that I would use this
forum to air out my gripes. Before bumping into Chalkhills, I was
pretty smug thinking that I owned just about every recording and video
that this band had ever made. Now, reading about bootlegs, demo
recordings sent to fan club members, videos made since _Look Look_, et
al makes me humble.
A month or so ago, I bumped into a home page that featured artists
such as Kate Bush and Elvis Costello. This board has the ability for
users to download files of whole songs that could be played perfectly
on most of the major PC sound cards. Would Mr. Relph allow users with
the ability to produce such files the ability to upload some, if not
all, of the stuff that is not commercially available so that others
may download and enjoy them. Let me say that I am vehemently opposed
to ripping off an artist from his copyrighted work and all royalties
that are due him. But, if these recordings exist and are not
commercially available, what could be the harm? We are the 1000+ XTC
crazies so immersed in the band that we read and post to this forum on
a regular basis. Who else is there who could most benefit from such a
service?
The same reasoning also applies to the videos. While I hope that
one day a full collection of all of the videos made by XTC will become
commercially available, in the interim, can they also be made
available through Chalkhills? Stalking down individuals through
E-Mail might be fun and rewarding, but since we are an international
group, problems exist with incompatible video formats. Computers with
video players solve these problems. I swear that if I had the
equipment, I would make sure that every Chalkhills subscriber could
obtain a copy of _Look Look_ if they so desired.
So how about it, Mr. Relph? Can we rally 'round and get this idea
going? What do other members think?
More musings will follow, but I just wanted to get this off of my
chest. Thank you for the opportunity to allow me to express myself.
Kenn Devine
kdevine@ftsclant.navy.mil
------------------------------ From: d.zemel@genie.geis.com Date: Thu, 30 Mar 95 05:10:00 UTC Subject: Let's Kiosk And... First of all, a bunch of thanks to John Nicholls for his ongoing transcription of the interview (with our own questions, no less) with Dave Gregory. It's fascinating and shows us that Dave is just about the nicest person in the music business. I've never known of anyone more deserving to be rich, famous and appreciated by so many more people than even know about him and his talent. (There may be those AS deserving, e.g. Colin Moulding, Andy Partridge and a host of others, but none MORE deserving!) Secondly, and in response to Erik Seligman's query, I'd been searching high and low for Martin Newell's Let's Kiosk EP ever since I saw it listed for release in ICE (a superb CD newsletter, by the way). I finally learned that it is only "available" as an import and has not been, and may never be released in the US. My search finally ended when fellow XTC fanatic and music store owner, Steve Reule, was able to order (and receive!) the EP for me. It's now on its way to me (along with The Brotherhood Of Lizards- earlier Martin Newell) courtesy of Sacramento's Obsessed With Music's search and mail order service. (Actually, I have to pay for it, but everything about Steve is courteous---right, Mr. Relph?) I won't know any more about the EP until I get it and listen to it but _The Greatest Living Englishman_ made me a big Martin Newell fan so I know I won't be sorry! And on that subject, I highly recommend Golden Cleaners. It's a little rougher around the edges than his collaboration with Andy but the pop gems are there and quite plentiful! In fact, I'd love to get my hands on other Cleaners From Venus CDs. Well, til whenever... Dean (From the frozen, but thawing, tundra of Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
------------------------------ Date: 30 Mar 1995 08:46:42 -0500 From: "Wesley Wilson" <Wesley_Wilson@iegate.mitre.org> Subject: RE- Dukes' Influences Recent postings regarding The Dukes of the Stratospheare's influences on "25 O'Clock" and "Psonic Psunspot" are fairly accurate, I'd say. I beg to differ, though, about the "25 O'Clock" clock ticking sounds being derived from Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon," which came out in 1973. Far be it for me to categorize (a la "This Is Pop!"), but DSOTM seems to me to be an "arena rock" album, and only marginally "psychedelic." (Actually, I find DSOTM really ponderous and boring, but that's another story :-)). Lots of 1960's psychedelic bands had a preoccupation with clocks and time; e.g., "The Strawberry Alarm Clock." (In fact, fiddling around with time seems to have been a preoccupation of the "far out" mid-1960's; there was even an American TV show called "The Time Tunnel.") Talking between tracks? Check out The Small Faces "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" (1968), The Blossom Toes "We Are Ever So Clean" (1968), and The Moody Blues "In Search of the Lost Chord" (1967) for starters. The riff in "Your Gold Dress" reminds me somewhat of the one in The Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" (1967). The "vibrations coming my way, when you're floating on by..." part has a toy piano sound like the one in "See Emily Play." It's fun to hear the influences in the Dukes' tracks - I try not to forget that here are segments of Dukes' songs that are simply XTC; e.g., 90% of "She's a Little Lighthouse." Speaking of 1960's psychedelic bands - has anyone ever heard anything by The Master's Apprentices? RAVEN has an intriguing 20 (or so) song compilation available. Wes
------------------------------ From: David Yazbek <yazbek@pipeline.com> Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 10:57:28 -0500 Subject: Re: Chalkhills Digest #426 Hi John et al. I wanted to share the information that my album "THE LAUGHING MAN" (which features Andy Partridge on guitar on a couple of cuts and producing on one cut) has finally come out in Europe (on Humbug) and Japan (on Midi). It will also finally be released in the states in June, and it's about time. If you want to order it (or any Martin Newell product) you can call Humbug in the U.K. at 011-44-71-226-2616. I hope that wasn't too commercial. The XTC tribute I'm producing for Thirsty Ear Records, is coming along swimmingly, with the following artists committed or finished-- Ruben Blades (The Man Who Sailed...), Crash Test Dummies (All You Pretty Girls), Sarah McLachlan (Dear God), XTC (?), Joe Jackson (?), They Might Be Giants (This Is Pop), Dave Matthews (Nigel, probably), Freedy Johnston (BEAUTIFUL version of Earn Enough For Us)-- and we're waiting on a few others. It should be out fall '95.
------------------------------ From: AMANION@rex.mnsmc.edu Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 10:06:07 GMT-6 Subject: Americanisms in XTC lyrics Fellow Chalkhillians, I has occurred to me that XTC songs occasionally include references to things American that might be lost on those of you living on the starboard side of the pond. Here is an example: In Respectable Street (thanks for the chords, those of you who responded), Andy says, "...and immaculate receptions on their portable Sony entertainment centers." What you folks may or may not realize is that the immaculate reception was a famous football (American, of course) play where, in the American Football Conference championship game between the (then) Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburg Steelers, Pittsburg quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a desparation last minute pass to a wide receiver who missed the ball. The ball was "miraculously" caught by running back Franco Harris who went on to score the touchdown, winning the game for the Steelers. The play was highly controversial with questions over whether the receiver had touched the ball before Harris and whether the ball had touched the ground before Harris got to it. American football fans were talking about it for years afterwards. The media referred to it as the immaculate reception. Quality of television reception was also a topic of frequent conversation in the States prior to the dawn of cable. Again, Andy's brilliance blots out the sun with an incredible (indeed, immaculate) play on words and the capture of an Americanism with such accuracy. I've always thought Respectable Street was a song about America, but I could be wrong. Other songs that sound particularly Americanny to me are Shake You Donkey Up, President Kill, Scarecrow People, and, for some reason, Peter Pumpkin Head. Clearly, Andy's Englishisms outnumber his Americanisms but I hope this reminder makes the American Chalkhillians feel a little less left out. Have a day:-| Andy or should I say "merely amanion" (thanks to FLAT 5)
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 17:57:45 -0500 From: duke@charm.net (kirkwood duke) Subject: new xtc www site howdy chalkhillians! just announcing beatown, a new www xtc site that has less, yes less, info than chalkhills, but that is packaged much differently. what beatown does have is sound files, an album by album structure, and soon will have many more image files. it will also soon be linked directly to the chalkhills archives so you can, for example, access all big express info from one big express page. you can scroll thru the albums, or go back to older album you don't have and get a sound sample from that album, or whatever. it still has a few wrinkles, but is worth checking out. beatown relies on some images to convey info, so you'll need to have images auto-loading. questions, comments, criticisms and corrections welcome to duke@charm.net. beatown: http://www.charm.net/~duke/xtc/beatown.html enjoy! "it's a capital city, and all roads lead to beatown" kirk
------------------------------ From: dallin@CS.ColoState.EDU (michael dallin) Subject: It's the Kinks, I tell you!!! Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 19:34:47 -0700 (MST) Well, I probably hold the Chalkhills record for "lurk length"... we're talking years! ;) But, I've decided to finally start posting and replying to stuff I've seen in the list... here goes: First, yesterday I got my Little Express subscription renewal notice in the mail. Included inside was a hand-written note saying to expect the next issue sometime in April. Keep your fingers crossed! Once again, the great "Who influenced the Dukes" discussion has arisen. The one group that is sadly never mentioned is -- The Kinks! Especially for Albert Brown! I think even Twomey's book mentions that the Kinks were inspiration for the Albert Brown song. Just listen to "Mr. Pleasant" and decide for yourselves. Also, wasn't "It's Snowing Angels" meant to be a Dukes song? I definitely hear a Lovin Spoonfull/Donovan influence on that track. Lastly, I was digging through my old cassette collection, and came across a Geffen promo cassette named "Geffen Winter Releases - 1989". Included was XTC's Mayor of Simpleton and King for a Day. Does anyone know about releases like this? Until the next time, --Mike
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 11:01:28 PST
From: John Relph <relph@presto.ig.com>
Subject: Re: Video Info
"J.A.Harkness" <J.A.Harkness@sheffield.ac.uk> remembers:
>
>I remember seeing 'The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul' on 'The Tube'
>many, many yars ago in a promo fimed at Port Merion - where '60s cult
>show 'The Prisoner' was filmed - but I'm not sure if this was
>specially filmed for 'The Tube' or a bona fide promo......
I believe this was filmed for _The Tube_, and there might have been a
video for another song also filmed at Port Merion.
> I also recall a promo for 'Albert
>Brown' which featured a rather poor Punch and Judy show starring
>various Sindy/Barbie/Ken dolls, assorted trolls and other plastic
>toys.......hilarious!
That sounds like the _Road to Oranges and Lemons_ (XTC Puppet Show)
video. Maybe this rumoured _Albert Brown_ video was filmed at the
same time?
-- John
------------------------------ From: KB305@aol.com Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 22:27:22 -0500 Subject: a proposal: assembling the songs Is there a format which can put actual musical staves on a page for all of us to see? I've taught myself a lot of XTC songs, and parts of songs, and I'd like to share this stuff on the digest or somewhere, but I just can't stand tablature! If all of us put together all the bits we've figured out, we could probably figure out every song. Here's a taste: Dmaj7 Cmaj7 Dmaj7 Cmaj7 Dmaj7 Aadd2/C# (C#,E,A,B) Some folks see the world as a stone (repeat for line 'Concrete daubed...') Bm7 C#m7 Your heart is a big box of paints Dmaj7 C#sus4 C# and others the canvas we're dealt (repeat for phrase 'Your heart...') Dmaj7 D/E D6 how colored the flowers all smelt as they huddled there C(add9/6) Bb9/6 /A G in petalled prayer/ they told me this as I knelt there You'll probably never be able to buy one of those cheesy guitar/vocal books for any XTC songs. Besides, they'd be full of mistakes, wouldn't they? Any ideas? Kevin
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 1 Apr 1995 02:32:10 -0500 From: nothing@io.org (nothing) Subject: Now it's XTC's turn to sue Negativland. Just thought that I'd mention the following for those XTC collectors that must have absolutely everything that the lads appear on. Negativland, who you may remember from their U2 single controversy a couple of years ago, have just released a second book which collects the legal documents that resulted from their clever little prank. The 288-page book is entitled _Fair Use_ (catalog number: SEELAND 013CD-B), and comes with a CD. On the last page of the book they list a bunch of sources that they sampled to produce the CD and right between The Edge and Captain Beefheart is XTC! Also sampled on this disc are Slim Whitman, Marky Mark, Mike Oldfield, Dean Martin, Led Zeppelin, Sammy Davis Jr., Brian Eno, the Rolling Stones, the Jerky Boys, Tom Waits, Evolution Control Committee(!), and Casey Kasem. There are about 75 other bands, people, company's commercials, and other items also sampled. This book/CD package is probably not gonna be around for long since the CD includes a fairly lengthy snippet of Disney's _The Little Mermaid_, which I am sure the band did on purpose to force Disney to act and create even more publicity for Negativland. I have only listened to the CD twice and I haven't yet spotted the XTC sample. The retail price for this book in the US is $19.95.
------------------------------ Date: 3 Apr 1995 14:50:00 -0500 From: "Wesley Wilson" <Wesley_Wilson@iegate.mitre.org> Subject: CTD- "Peter Pumpkinhead" Co I picked up the Crash Test Dummies "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead" cover (from the soundtrack to the movie, "Dumb and Dumber"), and I actually _like_ their rendition. It's a bit more uptempo than the version by XTC. Virgin should have made "Pumpkinhead" the single to promote "Nonsuch," rather than "The Disappointed." I do agree with another Chalkhillian that the cover would have been better (at least, more interesting!) sung by "that baritone guy." The second track on the CD single is yet another cover: Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man," but I can't recall at the moment who plays it. Wes
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 15:08:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: Allison Hillary Holt <failte@cats.ucsc.edu>
Subject: basic greeting
Hello, I am Allison Holt I have been subscribing to Chalkhills for
quite a little while now but for some reason I have been shy about
writing.I really enjoy reading everyone's questions and comments,
Chalkhills just encourages me to become more and more obsessive about
my favorite band, which is not necessarily a good thing. Anyway, I
live in Santa Cruz, CA and I've been wondering if there are any XTC
fans over here, I have never come across any. Long have I been
yearning for someone to discuss XTC related matters with. Also, I
want to obtain XTC videos, if possible, and would cherish any help in
the matter. Thanks!
Allison
All the world is neatly curled around my littlest finger
------------------------------
From: Andisheh Nouraee <scotsman@wam.umd.edu>
Date: Wed, 5 Apr 1995 22:00:03 -0400
Subject: The Disoriented?
Dear Chalkhillians,
My last question to the group was entirely ignored, but I'm hoping
that this one will get at least one.
Would anyone like to share their interpretation(s) of the Nonsuch
song "The Disappointed"? I think that Andy is talking about the emotional
change that he experienced as his marriage began to break up:
Once, I had no sympathy
For those destroyed and thrown away by love
Seems, your ring upon my finger
Signifies that I've become the spokesman of the disappointed.
While I think that I'm on to something, there is a lot of imagery
in the song that I don't quite understand. Please share your thoughts too!!
Thank you all,
Andy
P.S. If anyone cares to compare the Mobile Fidelty vs. the other versions
of Skylarking, I'd be very grateful.
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 00:59:07 +1200 From: james.dignan@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (James) Subject: final (?) thoughts on Ladybird A (possible?) last word on Ladybird - one that was so bleedin' obvious I didn't even think of it (and an Englishism, to boot). A ladybird isn't a bird, it's a pretty little insect known in the states as a ladybug. One that disappears over winter to return as a welcome sight in spring. Read the last verse of Ladybird, then consider the English children's rhyme: "ladyird, ladybird, fly away home/your house is on fire, your children are gone" Aren't children delightful? The point is though, as well as being a lovely love song to a woman, the song makes sense if you consider Andy lying in the, erm, grass, seeing one of these little beauties walking along... James. 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)
------------------------------ From: RCroz75755@aol.com Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 17:05:43 -0400 Subject: Touring Mystery It is wonderful to see that there are other people with good taste in music that I can "talk" to. I have been a fan of XTC since 1982. I have a question that may or may not have been answered a million times but I live under a rock and don't pay attention to much going on in the world. Back in 1981-1982 (I can't remember back that far, I purchased tickets for a show during the "English Settlement" tour and much to my dismay the tour was cancelled and XTC was never to tour again. Rumor had it that Andy suffered a nervous breakdown or suffered from stage fright. What happened? Why did XTC stop touring? If anyone knows, please respond - my mailing address is rcroz75755@aol.com.
------------------------------ From: WW1231@aol.com Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 17:55:46 -0400 Subject: Re: #2(2) Chalkhills Digest #421 There is an import cd single of the Crash Test Dummies doing the Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead avaiable.... from the Dumb and Dumber soundtack. yOU CAN PICK IT UP AT THE mUSIC mACHINE (EMAIL musimac@aol.com. thought you might like to know
------------------------------ From: poole1@husc.harvard.edu Subject: Martin Paints Andy Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 21:26:21 -0400 (EDT) Just got my care package from Joachim Reinbold, the official authorized agent for all things relating to Martin Newell/The Cleaners From Venus, including books and DIY tapes. It seems that The Cleaners covered "Pearl", the Mummer (?) era outtake, on their 1986 DIY cassette _Living With Victoria Grey_. Something to add to the trivia list, I guess. Geoff This message brought to you by the Veterans Tapdance Administration (I can't remember whether I mentioned his address here or not, but those of you who have _The Greatest Living Englishman_ and _Golden Cleaners_ and still need more can drop him a line at Jarmusic Mailorder/29439 Lu"chow-Jabel 6/Germany.)
------------------------------ From: poole1@husc.harvard.edu Date: Thu, 6 Apr 95 23:10:28 -0400 Subject: More on the Cleaners cover Forgot to mention: The Cleaners' cover of "Pearl" is a cappella, which makes for an interesting listening experience. Geoff
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #427 *****************************
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