Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 69

                Thursday, 15 December 2005

Topics:

                       Only Words.
                     Ordinary People
        Best Of This Year / Compliations (NonXTC)
              Where did the good songs go??
                      Andy's "faith"
         ....so i went to a funeral in swindon...
                    Best CDs of 2005!
                     Albums For 2005
                  Fuzzzy Warble question

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The frost on the rigging's superficially nice.

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Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 12:21:22 +0000
From: "pop boy" <powerpopboy67@hotmail.com>
Subject: Only Words.
Message-ID: <BAY101-F379115332CDB409C45B1CDAA470@phx.gbl>

Read the interview with Partridge in Word in which he says that virtually
all fiction is a waste of time (apart from Dickens) and that real life is
much more interesting, and so what is the point of reading fiction?
Um...I'm sorry Andy but that makes you sound like Liam Gallagher and must be
one of the dumbest statements of the year.

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

Date: Sun, 11 Dec 2005 15:34:48 -0600
From: "James Lowe" <jamielowe@msn.com>
Subject: Ordinary People
Message-ID: <BAY115-DAV4684216346983643F51E4BE470@phx.gbl>

Hi Chalkholders;

I spent the $.99 for Ordinary People from i-Tunes and to my ears it sounds
like an Andy song sung by Colin without Dave.  Wouldn't surprise me in the
least if they were trying to mix things up a bit.  It also seems like it
could have been a B-side to River of Orchids.  It's very nice to finally
have a taste of something kind of new from XTC.
Everyone should drop a line to info@xtcidearecords.co.uk and let them know
we want more... I am ready to bet that they're sitting on a lot more music.
I certainly hope so.

Here is a little holiday present for you all who like down loading music.
http://www.fingertipsmusic.com/

Fingertips has ton's of great MP3s all free and legal.  Spiral was the
featured track a couple of weeks back.  I have made a couple killer
compilations lately all from their archives.  And if you are a power pop fan
like me check this site out http://www.tallboyrecords.com/ for another
compilation worth great songs.

Don't forget to listen on 12/22/2005 to the XTC BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert.
It's the 25th anniversary of its recording.

And finally a word from our sponsor at http://www.billsherlock.org/xtc/ who
claims that XTC bumper stickers make great gifts, this or any time of year.

Happy Holidays,

Jamie Lowe

Anyone heard from vee-tube lately?

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck
that says, 'Make me feel important.' Not only will you succeed in sales, you
will succeed in life." - Mary Kay Ash (1918-2001) American Entrepreneur

Habetis bona diem

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 17:55:53 +1100
From: "Simon Knight" <homefrontradio@hotmail.com>
Subject: Best Of This Year / Compliations (NonXTC)
Message-ID: <BAY109-F715EE0B23B66BEEBB5F7AD0460@phx.gbl>

If anyone is bored, email me off-list:

I WANT YOUR FAVOURITE ALBUM

Ok, it's the end of the year and I want to know, what was the one album that
grabbed you tightly and didn't let go this year?  One that you can sing
along from start to finish, because you know all the words?  But most
importantly, one that seemed to get *no attention* from anyone and you think
has been unfairly overlooked, the dust has settled on and you want to spread
the word about.

I'm looking for obscure stuff that I might have not otherwise heard about
and didn't get enough press to warrant attention from even the indie sites /
mags.  Spread the word, email me above with why you like it.

Re: Fountains of Wayne

>A 2-CD compendium gathering all of their b-sides plus some rarites,
>demos and live performances.

Completists take note, this collection is especially frustrating as the
double cd set makes it look comprehensive at first glance, when it's really
not much longer than a single CD.  It's also incomplete, missing:

- The radio promo remix of `Troubled Times'

- `Too Cool For School' from the `Scary Movie' soundtrack in 2000

- `Better Things' from 2002's Kinks Tribute `This Is Where I Belong: The
Songs Of Ray Davies and The Kinks'.

Granted, I'd expect a collection to leave off the first one due to its
obscurity, but the two other tracks are really good, (`School' is an
original and really fun), and since there's more than enough room for them
it's annoying that they were excluded in favour of some of the weaker
b-sides.

This is why i hate compilations.  They always get things wrong, leaving
tracks off, submitting album versions instead of single versions and making
other annoying errors to make them useless other than a place to get the one
or two new `bait tracks'.

Recent annoyances:

- the 3cd Auteurs / Luke Haines b-sides / rarities collection, `Luke Haines
Is Dead' which replaces two non-album out-of-print singles with live
versions of the tracks, and also omits two b-sides

- the Beatles 1.  No `Strawberry Fields????' - no `Please please me'???

- the `Best Of Shakespears Sister' collection, which uses the album tracks
already available on cd instead of the completely re-recorded single
versions which are stuck on vinyl

- Couldn't they have stuck the two Dukes singles on Fossil Fuel?

- The double pack of Michael Penn's `March' and `Free For All' leaves off
the final track, and the separate albums are no longer in print!  (I've
already got both, but it's not the point-)

- Why is Spellbound by 'Split Enz' out of print in favour of a newly
remastered 17 track collection, when it had 39 songs remastered for the same
price?

- Why does the Eels b-side collection only have about half of the b-side
material that was released?

- Matthew Sweet recorded about 4,987 different non-album, b-side and
soundtrack songs during the 90's, why not compile them?

- How many incomplete and therefore useless Morrissey Singles / B-sides /
collections does the world need and why is `Sister I'm A Poet' on every one?

Yeah, I'll admit I'm anal.  Isn't that what being a fan is about?

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 19:25:02 -0000
From: "Paul Sandford" <mail@samnjake.fsnet.co.uk>
Subject: Where did the good songs go??
Message-ID: <006b01c5ff51$bff426d0$65564154@Samnjake>

Having had the good fortune to get to listen to the new single, I have to
say I'm a little disappointed. To be blunt it is very very weak and rather
dull. I'm a big fan of Colin songs but this is a turkey. Sounds like an
outtake from AV1 to these cynical ears...
        Sorry!
    Paul

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 12:55:06 -0800
From: "Pastula Aaron" <pastula12@hotmail.com>
Subject: Andy's "faith"
Message-ID: <BAY109-F32F15AC69182DE61D1C7EAA2460@phx.gbl>

>It sounds to these ears like an atheist writing a Xmas song at
>gunpoint, trying write a Xmas song without reference to any God of
>any sort....In comparison
>to his other work, it's one of the strangest songs in his catalogue

Interesting...personally, I think that when you're capable of emulating as
many styles and points of view as Andy is, it's hard to be surprised when he
manages to pull off an authentic "replica," for lack of a better word, of a
particular genre, be it a holiday song, dance tune, or old style drinking
singalong like "Albert Brown" -- a great homage to a WWI hero written in a
classic style, but one that doesn't require Andy to have been on the front
lines.

That said, I personally believe that Andy is more of a believer than he lets
on, at least in a general, spiritual sense that seems to have emerged since
he originally wrote Dear God.

AP

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

Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2005 23:16:02 +0000
From: <cornwallis@cwctv.net>
Subject: ....so i went to a funeral in swindon...
Message-ID: <20051212231602.EZRW16192.aamta11-winn.ispmail.ntl.com@cwctv.net>

hi chalkhillers,at the wake there was a dj.he was playing the usual
stuff.i was bored and thougt."i will ask if he had/knew of xtc".he
said "andys my mate,saw him last week! he hates america coz everyone
recognises him.loves swindon coz he isnt known

kind regards,  DAVE BANCROFT

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

Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2005 07:37:17 -0800 (PST)
From: The Colonel <captainextraneous@yahoo.com>
Subject: Best CDs of 2005!
Message-ID: <20051213153717.48584.qmail@web34108.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

De-lurking for yet another year of best-of's!!!

Best CDs of 2005

  1. Paul McCartney - Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
  2. Dungen - Ta Det Lungt (domestic issue)
  3. The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike (domestic issue)
  4. Death Cab For Cutie - Plans
  5. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
  6. Dr. Dog - Easy Beat
  7. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
  8. My Morning Jacket - Z
  9. Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures
10. The Coral - Invisible Invasion

11. Clem Snide - End Of Love
12. Beck - Guero
13. Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift
14. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
15. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better With-
16. The Decemberists - Picaresque
17. Sigur Ros - Takk
18. Fruit Bats - Spelled In Bones
19. The Magic Numbers - The Magic Numbers
20. White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Best Compilation/Retrospective:

Sloan - A Sides Win: Singles 1992-2005

Top 10 Favorite Bands I Discovered In 2005:

1.	Alberfeldy
2.	Keane
3.	The Go! Team
4.	Dr. Dog
5.	Tegan & Sara
6.	Wolf Parade
7.	Kings Of Convenience
8.	Kaiser Chiefs
9.	Fruit Bats
10.	Rilo Kiley

And there you have it.

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

Date: Wed, 14 Dec 2005 08:44:27 +1100
From: "Simon Knight" <homefrontradio@hotmail.com>
Subject: Albums For 2005
Message-ID: <BAY109-F256075993E0C9B356DACF6D0390@phx.gbl>

Four Great Ones:

the Decemberists - Picaresque
Michael Penn - Mr Hollywood Jr,1947
Robert Sherwood - Brattleboro April 6, 12:05 am
Great Lakes Myth Society - Great Lakes Myth Society

Ten Good Ones:

Sexsmith and Kerr - Destination Unknown
Richard Swift - the Novelist / Walking Without Effort
Archer Prewitt - Wilderness
Brendan Benson - the Alternative To Love
Pernice Brothers - Discover A Lovlier You
William Elliot Whitmore - Ashes To Dust
Devin Davis - Lonely People Of The World Unite!
Maria McKee - Peddlin' Dreams
the Tears - Here Come The Tears
Martha Wainwright - Martha Wainwright

Five Fantastic Old Discoveries:

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's First Three Albums
the Lilac Time's "Lilac 6"
Bob Dylan from 1962-1966
Lloyd Cole's output this decade
the Kinks from "Arthur" to "A Soap Opera"

One Truly Awful:

"Stubbs the Zombie" Soundtrack - truly the death knell of Indie, (the way
"Saturday Morning's Greatest Hits" was for Alternative)

Six Disappointments:

Eels - Blinking Lights and Other Revelations
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
Aimee Mann - the Forgotten Arm
Kate Bush - Aerial
No new XTC album
The fact that 2005 turned out to be the hardest year of my life:  Roll on
2006!

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

Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2005 15:20:27 -0800 (PST)
From: travis schulz <xtcisadarngoodband@yahoo.com>
Subject: Fuzzzy Warble question
Message-ID: <20051215232027.75161.qmail@web31515.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Gee, it's been years since I've posted anything here.
Which is good cause I never have useful information,
just questions.   Anyone know how many more volumes of
Fuzzy Warbles there may be, and more importantly, will
there someday be a FW Boxed Set?
My next question should arrive sometime in 2009...

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

End of Chalkhills Digest #11-69
*******************************

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