Chalkhills Digest Volume 11, Issue 35
Date: Friday, 22 July 2005

         Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 35

                   Friday, 22 July 2005

Topics:

                        SC & KFAD
                  Ringo 'round the rosey
      Re: Chalkhills: a nearly Tourette's-free zone
                de-lurking for a moment...
                 5/4 and 4/4 Sensitivity:
                        More Irony
                      Time = Money?
                   Birth of the Kildeer
                I'm an embarrassment . . .
                   I wonder wonder why?
                       Danny Elfman

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Shiney grey black snake of bikes / He slithers.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 17:48:58 +1000
From: "Simon Knight" <homefrontradio@hotmail.com>
Subject: SC & KFAD
Message-ID: <BAY18-F13C47D8F0E7C385EE2C94FD0D70@phx.gbl>

>From the last digest:

>My best example of a drummer totally suiting a band has to be Stewart
>Copeland in the Police.  Never heard any other drummer make so much
>use of cymbals - they were almost a seperate instrument in the
>band. !!  Pity we don't hear more of S.C. these days.

Stewart's still working.  He writes the incidental music for the television
show 'Dead Like Me', a black comedy about a teenage girl who dies and
becomes a grim reaper.  The music is creative, fun and is a large part of
making the playful mood of such a potentially-dark subject matter succeed.
The show's website had an interesting video of him discussing the process of
scoring the show, but i'm not sure if it's still online.

Incidentally, the show was created by the same guy who came up with
'Wonderfalls', (which Andy wrote the theme for), so he's obviously a fan of
early 80's new-wave artists.

Re: The King For A Day Tribute
>Our tracks as they appear on the tribute are also posted there for those of
>you who never purchased it (shame on you. RPA says there's still time I
>think!).

I somehow missed hearing about this release, but upon reading the
tracklisting it turns out I'm on it, back from the stone-age days of 4-track
portastudios.  Too strange: I'd completely forgotten about ever recording
it.  I shudder to imagine.

Congratulations on two great versions of 'Then She Appeared' though.  It
makes me think of the band 'The Original Brothers and Sisters Of Love'.
Speaking of which:

Re: Sufjan Stevens
>Interesting concept: this guy seeks to make an album about each one of
>the United States (that's a lotta albums if you think about it).  So
>far he's done Michigan, and this new one is called "Come On Feel The
>Illinoise".

The Original Brothers and Sisters Of Love (TOBASOL) recorded a great album
about Michigan called "H.O.M.E.S. Vol 1" (named after the Great Lakes) in
2001.  It was unjustly ignored and is now out of print.  (Sufjan's
critic's-darling Michigan one pales in comparison).  If you want to hear
what one of the three main songwriters of TOBASOL is capable of in his solo
work you can legally download this track.  Fun and folky, jangly chamber pop
with sweet harmonies and hand-clapping ahead:

http://www.timothymonger.com/radioharvest1.mp3

And he was only *one* of the songwriters in the band!
--
http://homefrontradio.blogspot.com/
A Songwriter's Journal

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 14:07:14 +0200
From: "don device" <device@noos.fr>
Subject: Ringo 'round the rosey
Message-ID: <00ca01c58d23$91605af0$a43e4251@computer>

folx,

MY opinion on the Ringo issue closely follows Mark Lewisohn's: He's the only
Beatle that never had to have a take re-done because he screwed up... Plus,
let's not forget that he's also the only one who ALWAYS sang and played at
the same time, without exception, for better or worse.

As for originality, I beg you to give 'Tomorrow Never Knows' a spin... JOhn
may have wanted thousands of chanting Tibetan monks, but that rhythm makes
the song for me. Also, as far a quotes, try George Martin's apologies for
not alowing Ringo to play on the first Beatles recording session. Or listen
to his replacement at the beginning of the first US tour whilst Mr Starr was
off sick...

As a mediocre but sometimes professional musician myself, I HATE clicks. Who
gives a shit if the band speeds up and slows down as long as it's
appropriate and they do it TOGETHER....

I feel XTC had much more verve when Terry C was on drums, and there are
tempo question there as well, especially live. Play a live cut with a
metronome if you don't believe me. But he could whack a drum with such
authority that you'd never guess it. I was surprised to see Evan from
'Drummed and Wired" play 'Nigel' a couple of years back, because I'd always
thought the part was much more complicated than it truly is... It's just
brilliant is all, but if you prefer 'TBE', god bless you...

Speaking of blessings, I'd've chipped in on nt he endless Ringo-round-the
rosie sooner, but I was in Turkey where there is no "I" on the keyboard
(seriously, not in the sense of none in 'Team', folks...)... I don't knonw
how much play it got here, but I witnessed a bus exploding for
plitical/religious reasons (although no one's yet claimed credit). Very
impressive. Left a bunch of little holes in the pavement and 5 dead (one
Irish, on English and the others apparenbtly doon't count to CNN because
they're Turks).... Then I ran into a jounalist and cameraman for Fox's 'A
Current Affair', but they weren't there to cover the bombing (the 3rd in 2
months, BTW, but the first to kill westerners, so the first to count)...
They were there because an American man had apparently been thrown overboard
on his honeymoon cruise by some crewmembers who didn't appreciate his
politics...

Let's not let the Ringo thing get that outta hand, whattaya say?

xo as always,
d"

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:49:07 -0400
From: Steve Dockery <sdockery@mac.com>
Subject: Re: Chalkhills: a nearly Tourette's-free zone
Message-ID: <6C2BF216-BB74-4BB8-BBDF-5257AF2FF606@mac.com>

Laura Ingraham is not what I'd call a conservative "thinker". If
she's representative of mainstream conservative thought (and I'm
pretty hopeful she's not) then we're all done for. I take this very
personally, because she and Ann Coulter are convinced that people
like myself "Hate America" and are "Traitors." Which, since I don't
and I'm not, clearly shows that she is, in FACT, not only "incredibly
far-right-wing" and hateful, but also dishonest or stupid (pick one).
Not a smear, merely a statement of fact.

Now, not wishing to digress into purely political discussion on here,
I return to the XTC-related part of this, which is that it is in FACT
ironic that she would use their music, since XTC are definitely NOT
right-wing at all, and would probably regard her as an example of the
sort of people who make the world a worse place, not a better one*.
If you don't think so, you haven't been paying close attention to the
subject matter of many of XTC's songs. So our "Chalksibling" was spot-
on, and your watered-down version renders his statement content-free.

*Similarly, I always thought it peculiar that Rush Limbaugh used a
Pretenders song for his intro music (at least he did at some point,
I'm not exactly an avid listener). I'm pretty sure he and Chrissie
Hynde don't see eye-to-eye on many issues.

Steve Dockery
http://www.stevedockery.com

On Fri, 15 Jul 17:37:58 (PDT), Ryan Anthony <hamsterranch@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Digest 11-29 contains references to several persons
> who hold, or held, strong political beliefs, but only
> one of them gets flamed for the crime of divergence
> from views held by the writer.
>
> A Chalksibling (name deleted because this isn't about
> the writer, and incidental typo corrected) writes:
> "XTC sighting: 'I'd Like That,' on Laura 'just bomb
> 'em all' Ingraham's incredibly far-right-wing radio
> show. Beyond ironic. Wish she knew. Guessing she never
> will.
>
> Had this sighting been announced this way -- "XTC
> sighting: 'I'd Like That,' on Laura Ingraham's radio
> show." -- the number of smears and Tourette's syndrome
> outbreaks on the Hill could have been reduced to a
> genial, collegial, zero.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 05:54:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Laura Hamons <eggusmajorus@yahoo.com>
Subject: de-lurking for a moment...
Message-ID: <20050720125416.32993.qmail@web20828.mail.yahoo.com>

Hello everyone - long time no post. So, straight to bidness: favorite
XTC song still, unwaveringly, That Wave. Most recent XTC heightened
experience: got swept up in Humble Daisy - could have cried! Something
about that song gets me...right here.

Best drummer of all time: Terry Bozzio. Don't fight it, give in to the
force of nature that is Terry Bozzio. Which leads me to a great album
title: "Shut Up and Play Your Guitar" - how freeing!

Best wishes to all - Laura

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 15:23:21 +0200
From: jeffrey.thomas@bayercropscience.com
Subject: 5/4 and 4/4 Sensitivity:
Message-ID: <OFB33DD9E9.DAABFCFA-ONC1257044.00489340@bayer.de>

Hi people of the collines de la craie,

In #34, Dave said:

>Or is this akin to one of the XTC songs... can't recall which
>one.... where one guitar plays in 5/4 and the other is in 4/4.
>Only Andy could come up with that one.

I'm not sure, but you're not by any chance talking about "Wake Up", are
you?  If so: Colin came up with that one.  (Of course, with the arranging
aid of Dave and Andy.)  And Colin is superior to Andy in his innate
understanding of rhythm; I think Andy and a few producers would agree with
that.  Although Andy is certainly no slouch, either.

Au revoir -

- Jeff

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 07:23:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: Michael Versaci <michael_versaci@yahoo.com>
Subject: More Irony
Message-ID: <20050720142357.68050.qmail@web30909.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Folxtc,

Right-Wing drug-using anti-American hypocrite radio host Rush Limbaugh
used to (still does?)  open his show with Chrissy Hynde's "My City is
Gone."

Right-Wing reactionary ignorant anti-intellectual king of the
fallacious argument dung-pile Sean Hannity has the audacity to open
his show with Bruce Hornsby's "The Way it Is."

Free speech.  Free country.  Free news-letter.  If those two (and all
the other talking-points reading shills) can fill the airwaves with
their specious invective where literally millions of people acquire
their opinions on a daily-basis, I can use any adjectives I want to
describe them.

Don't like my adjectives?  Go to www.mediamatters.org to find out for
yourself the amount of inaccuracies, exaggerations and down-right lies
that these "broadcast journalists" advance as "truth."

Michael Versaci

"my land is burning
and yet I see no flame
we just smoulder mad
while the fat cats add
all our savings to their name

And my land is burning
while government still lied
you underestimate
all our quiet hate
and the fire still burns inside."

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 10:49:07 +1000
From: "Andrew Gowans" <ratwhacker@hotmail.com>
Subject: Time = Money?
Message-ID: <BAY103-F333586F273FA25B3963B2FC9D60@phx.gbl>

Hi De Hi Folks,

Cheeses! (as my youngest would say) There's a lot of postings lately.
Particularly telling is that they've drawn me from my perpetual daydreaming
to throw a couple more pennies in.

I have an article on PF in an old Guitar Player magazine at home that
includes an interview with Dave Gilmour on the Floyd's music. As I recall
(and I shall look this up to confirm) Roger Waters brought Money to the band
as a song based around his 7/4 bass riff. As was their custom at the time,
according to DG (their DG not XTC's DG - new thread - famous guitarists
whose initials are DG!), he arranged the song to accommodate the other
instrumentalists. In this case the saxophone (an old mate of his I seem to
recall). He was a little smug about the breakdown from 7/4 to straight 4/4
for his guitar solo as it removed the need for him to work in 7/4. A bit
hard on his mate, though.

On an intersting parallel, a workmate I often catch the train with had has
laptop in yesterday and we watched a Steve Vai DVD - live at the Bag of
Nails from the early 00's. He's really into Vai, Satriani and the guitar
protechnicists - awesome technique. We watched a track where my friend asked
if I could keep track of the changing timing through out the song - he has
trouble with this one. I think I picked up a 7/5 and a 5/4 - but I'm
hopeless at this sort of thing. Makes the Floyd's 7/4/ to 4/4 exercise seem
a bit simple. But, a big but here (probably mine - I need to exercise more),
I would still prefer to listen to Money. Great song.

Steve Vai.....nah! his initials aren't DG!

Check ya's in the Yellow Pages!

Andrew  G.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 16:28:18 -0400
From: John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>
Subject: Birth of the Kildeer
Message-ID: <17120.1378.872255.556066@f5.idiot-dog.com>

Folks,

Veda Hille's "Return of the Kildeer" is scheduled to be released 1
August in the UK and Europe on APE House Records.  Amazon UK has an
entry for preorder (see
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000A1JSMK/edanddenyzealley)
but I'm hoping APE House will offer an autographed version from their
website.  Ms. Hille's website also claims a tour of Europe will happen
in the near future (see http://www.vedahille.com/).

GO SEE HER!

Really, I mean it.  She's great.  Nice person, too.

	-- John

--
NP: Tony Rice and Friends: Ginseng Sullivan (live MP3)

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 22:15:18 +0100
From: "Dave Smith" <David.Smith99@blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: I'm an embarrassment . . .
Message-ID: <ECOWS03MYPrX1bdqntD00117b40@smtp-out3.blueyonder.co.uk>

In vol 32, I said (of Nick Mason):

"Even his back and forth switch between 5/4 and 4/4 in "Money" is the very
model of a "backbone" on which the real virtuosity of the other Floyders can
be showcased."

In vol 33, Chris corrected:

"***hmm..i thought 'money' was in 7/4?"

That'll teach me to ask a bass player what time signature "Money" is in.

Or to de-lurk!

Smudge out, before I make an arse of myself again . . .

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 22:30:36 +0100
From: "Dave Smith" <David.Smith99@blueyonder.co.uk>
Subject: I wonder wonder why?
Message-ID: <ECOWS05MlpWJ7x5KxXs00117fcb@smtp-out5.blueyonder.co.uk>

The shortest absence ever . . . I'm back.

In the last Richard edition Richard mentioned "Wonderfalls" being on Logo -
I assume that's somewhere stateside.

Just to let any Brits with Sky packages know, "Wonderfalls" has just started
a run on Sky One - Tuesday nights at 9pm - quite good in a, ahem, quirky
way!

Smudge out.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2005 19:24:13 -0400
From: Benjamin Gott <bgott@rectoryschool.org>
Subject: Danny Elfman
Message-ID: <42E02E9D.30005@rectoryschool.org>

Gang,

Wouldn't Danny Elfman be a perfect choice to produce the new XTC album?
This occurred to me as I was watching "Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory" which contains Elfman's most magnificent score to date.  Just
check out the "Main Title" -- it's magical.  His little songs for the
Oompa Loompas (which he both wrote and sung) are cute little pop
confections.  The movie is classic Tim Burton (the set and production
design is especially good), but Elfman cinches the deal.

Check it out, and mull the thought over.  I mean, doesn't it make sense,
in a weird kind of way?

Oingo-y,
-Ben

------------------------------

End of Chalkhills Digest #11-35
*******************************

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