Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 52

                Tuesday, 27 September 2005

Topics:

                       I Like That
                        Apple Box
                     ever seen these?
                  Macca Plans For Nigel
                  My Random "De-lurking"
                     Through The Hill
    We have a name, we have a website, we have a gig!

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See the peacock's jealous tremble.

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Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 15:07:53 -0400
From: KEVIN.WOLLENWEBER@jpmorgan.com
Subject: I Like That
Message-ID: <OF40968C1A.29C1718B-ON85257085.00677F8C@jpmchase.com>

Chalkhillers:

<<Now with the rights to the Apple Venus albums back with XTC, Idea is
proud to announce the release of the much awaited Apple Box on 31st
October 2005.>>

Wow, as crazy as it all sounds, I might jump on this one, especially since
the albums proper never really had much packaging persay--kind of my
tribute to the age of vinyl when the art of the package was sometimes as
interesting as the music inside!  The only snag would be, well, I stood out
in the bitter cold to get a signed copy of APPLE VENUS, VOL. I and
certainly will not give it up for any amount of money, but the other albums
are certainly just purchases and can easily be replaced.  I'm wondering
what the cost will be.  If we don't order from the website, will the APPLE
BOX set be issued in bricks 'n' mortor stores?

Such luscious packaging makes me again wonder what those previous 10 or so
albums might have become had XTC (Partridge and Moulding) the full and
complete rights to all of them.  Yeah, while I might sometimes find reissue
campaigns rather obscene of late--and while I have sometimes, out of pure
curiosity, supported these reissue campaigns, I have often thought of XTC
as a kind of extension to the beatles with many of the same influences with
others that Lennon/McCartney nevre persued, and thoroughly cleaning out
those vaults is highly regarded, even if I did plunk down so much money for
the existing six FUZZIES...and let's not forget, we still haven't seen
gorgeous upgrades on the RAG AND BONE BUFFET material or the B-sides to the
CD single of "Peter Pumpkinhead".  It's not all hid, but it's not all did,
either!!

And my constant attention to reissues also does finally reep that wonderful
benefit when the company in question *FINALLY* gets it right (witness the
second full expanded reissue of Kantner/Slick's BLOWS AGAINST THE EMPIRE,
this time with what seems to be a miniaturization of the hastily scrawled
libretto booklet).

I'm sure that detailed comments regarding this upgraded XTC package will
come in future editions of the DIGEST.

Kevin

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

Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 12:49:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com>
Subject: Apple Box
Message-ID: <20050923194953.83289.qmail@web32002.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi:

Benjamin Lukoff said, about the upcoming AV boxed set:
> I'd love to get these new songs but am not entirely sure I want the box,
> already owning the component albums. Wonder if there's any plans to
> release them in any other format? Physical CD would be nice...call me a
> Luddite...and does this mean a new album is in the works?
>
> Thing is, I'd pay good money for an official physical copy of this single.
> Hope that option will be available.

I'm sure it will be, but at first they're offering the downloads (including
the ring tone ... c'mon, bump Crazy Frog off yer fone!) only with purchase
of the boxed set, to encourage people to buy it. That's also why they've
priced it so aggressively, and are adding liner notes and other packaging
pluses. I have all the AV albums, too, but plan to add this to the
collection, for the reasons above ... and to support the band, of course.
As far as I know, no new album is officially in the works, but if we show
interest in this new project, who knows, perhaps we can help move that
process along!

I also encourage everyone who hasn't checked out the new Veda Hille to pick
up their copy. It's wonderful music ... I like it more with each listen.

Samples at:
http://www.ape.uk.net/hear/hear.php

Purchasing info at:
http://www.ape.uk.net/acatalog/compact_discs.html

-Todd

We don't understand life any better at forty than at twenty, but we
know it and admit it.
 --Jules Renard, writer (1864-1910)

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

Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2005 13:47:53 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jackson <jydson@yahoo.com>
Subject: ever seen these?
Message-ID: <20050923204753.8142.qmail@web50103.mail.yahoo.com>

http://xtc4u.org/

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

Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 12:36:16 +1000
From: "Gray Packham" <gpackham@dodo.com.au>
Subject: Macca Plans For Nigel
Message-ID: <E1EIztg-0005EG-00@relay01.mail-hub.dodo.com.au>

I highly recommend Paul McCartney's new CD "Chaos and Creation in the
Backyard".  His best album in many a year.  Very layered and mainly
piano based.  Contains some fine McCartney songs and some great
arrangements.

Nigel Godrich (Coldplay, Radiohead, Beck) has certainly provided some
much needed production oomph to Paul and the fact that I haven't found
myself skipping tracks (as you would normally do on a Macca album)
demonstrates Nigel's firm hand. His insistence on Paul bringing strong
material to the studio must have been a shock to Paul's system but to
his credit, he swallowed his pride and has come up with a very solid
collection of songs.

Some complaints have centred on the lack of upbeat or rocky songs.  I
think that's way too dismissive.  An album doesn't have rock out to be
good.  Overall, I think Chaos is a great mood album, very much in the
vein of Beck's Sea Change.  That's why it seems to be so different to
Paul's usual efforts.

The album has the odd hint of George Harrison, Beck, Wings, Queen, the
Fabs and surprisingly our very own Andy.  The bridge on the song
called English Tea (which by the way is almost Paul meets The Rutles)
is very Andy:

    "Miles and miles of English garden
    Stretching past the willow tree
    Lines of hollyhocks and roses
    Listen most attentively"

The lyric also contains the very quaint word "peradventure", which
again for me, conjures up thoughts of Andy.

Have a listen to the CD.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

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

Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 06:23:20 -0400
From: "James White" <jameswhite@gsinet.net>
Subject: My Random "De-lurking"
Message-ID: <005101c5c0f1$fd1302a0$2101a8c0@DJTY0Y11>

Chalk-friends,

Time for a random "de-lurking" to contribute miscellaneous ramblings of all
things XTC....

It recently occurred to me that I've been on this list for nearly 10 years
or so (??) (formerly as 'sledznh'), and still look forward to every issue!
What a great bunch of people here.  I've got a few nice t-shirts from this
list (Phil), bumper stickers (Jamie), a whole lot of recommendations of
other great artists / CD's, and of course, some interesting reading (XTC and
non-XTC as well)!  Now allow me to dry the tears off my keyboard and
continue....

One of the things about XTC's music (primarily Andy's songs) is how they
sometimes do not completely reveal themselves upon first listen (I'm
preaching to the choir here, we all pretty much know that already!).   My
latest re-discovery: Across this Antheap.  Phenomenal track.  In fact the
whole last 5 songs on Oranges and Lemons (including our namesake here) have
recently bubbled back up to the front of my musical consciousness so many
years after first listen.   I'd never cared much for Miniature Sun but
recently it's been blaring from walls of my "shed" and out into the forest
behind us.  Partridge does it again....  I almost feel like I owe a second
round of royalties to the band 19 years later for this CD!

My other thought about O&L is that the cover artwork never really matched
the music inside (IMHO).  Maybe that threw me off all these years.  The
whole psychedelic-psuedo-submarine-thing just never clicked here.  Can it be
re-issued with new artwork?    ; )     So many of XTC's other cover art so
well represented the 'feel' of the music inside...

This brings me to Fuzzy Warbles - #5 or #6 of which contained some demo
tracks for Across this Antheap - and started this whole O&L "rebirth" for
me.  Absolutely love these CD's and can't wait for #7 and #8.  I cringe when
I read the boneheaded comments on this list that say bad things about the FW
series.   How completely lucky we are to get to hear these demos and so many
unreleased tracks cleaned up and sounding so good.    Boneheads - think
about it....

I hope there will be a delicious new XTC album on the way sometime soon, but
I'm not seeing any 'inside scoop' from those on this list who are in touch
with the band like we had with Apple Venus.  If not, perhaps I'll be
're-discovering' Black Sea again soon.  Just like as a 17 year old I did
when I first purchased that one and pulled the album out of it's green paper
bag, and played it non-stop for an entire summer....

Lastly,  I wanted so bad to make the trek from New Hampshire / USA to
Swindon for The Meeting Place convention but won't be able to make it.
Hats off to the those who are taking the time to organize this event.  I
only ask one request that perhaps those in attendance could raise a pint to
those of us around the world who aren't there but wish we were!

That's it for now - thanks for reading.
~JW

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

Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 08:51:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Steve <ste7phen@yahoo.com>
Subject: Through The Hill
Message-ID: <20050924155105.94439.qmail@web53313.mail.yahoo.com>

Okay, I clearly haven't been reading posts closely enough.
This year I've been listening to ambient on internet radio when on the
computer.
Consequently I've rediscovered Harold Budd from the "good old days."
Ambient 2 being my most listened (with Brian Eno).
Sooo... I was just browsing around and discovered:
Harold Budd and Andy Partridge collaborating on non other than an album
of ambient music.
I thought I was a fan of AP. What a suprise to find what I thought to
be separate musical interests converging. How'd that slip by? Was there
mention at the APE site?

Through the Hill
Andy Partridge & Harold Budd

I'm buying mine now. The samples sound great.

Another Steve

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

Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2005 21:13:17 -0500
From: Chris Vreeland <CVREELAND@austin.rr.com>
Subject: We have a name, we have a website, we have a gig!
Message-ID: <B07F1732-E355-4F1C-894F-34CBAEA42E34@austin.rr.com>

Chalkhillians and Children,

Holy crap, I just realized it's been over a year since I've posted
anything to Chalkhills. I'll admit that it's partly out of
embarrassment. Over two years ago, actually almost three, I made a
bunch of noise about the fact that me and some friends had started an
XTC tribute project. We lurched along for a while in fits and starts,
and as I'm a "put up or shut up" sort of person, I have since been in
the "shut up" phase of the putting and/or shutting up.

The good news here is that though our fire flickered and dimmed, the
embers were never entirely extinguished, and we have at long last
hoodwinked a booking agent into allowing us an hour and a half on a
stage. After months of bickering, internecine political eye-gouging
and relentless list-making, we settled on a name, and secured a
domain, at which I have built me a web site with this here computer.
Behold:

http://www.dukesofsimpleton.com/

It's a tad short on content yet, but there's some audio there
recorded live at a rehearsal if you care to find out what you might
be in for a one of our shows.

And please, if you're in the Austin, Texas area, or have the scratch
for a plane ticket, join us Friday November the 4th from 8:00 to 9:30
PM, at Momo's club, 618 W. 6th st. (above Katz' deli) We'll be doing
a wide variety of songs, from Black Sea forward, including several
acoustic songs, and some selections which should genuinely surprise
nearly everyone.

Hopefully, this will be the first of many, and hope to see all you
Texas Chalkies there!

Chris "Mr. Big Idea" Vreeland

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End of Chalkhills Digest #11-52
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