Chalkhills Digest Volume 11, Issue 8
Date: Monday, 14 February 2005
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 11, Number 8
Monday, 14 February 2005
Topics:
Re: Gilligan's Island Discs
XTC - The Meeting Place - 2005
Really, can't somebody else handle this one? Okay, okay, I'll be right there
On Preferences
Groundhog Day
Desert Island Top Ten
Two Things
XTC invited on to BBC Radio 2
List #32
Lurker DIDs
2004 Best Of
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Then your heart nailed me under a jinx.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 21:31:51 EST From: DougMash@aol.com Subject: Re: Gilligan's Island Discs Message-ID: <d7.1ffa9214.2f3d7317@aol.com> Here's my 10 DID's...though I'm afraid Tower Record's got that copyrighted! 1. XTC - Black Sea 2. Jam - Sound Affects 3. English Beat - Special Beat Service 4. Elvis Costello - This Year's Model 5. Squeeze - East Side Story 6. Bob Marley - Legend 7. Curtis Mayfield - Superfly 8. Sam Cooke - Man & His Music 9. Kinks - Village Green 10. Roxy Music - Avalon Slipped a couple "Greatest Hits" in there. sorry! Doug (who's actually at) CD Island www.cdislandny.com
------------------------------ Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 20:46:04 -0600 From: "David Lake" <david@blushift.co.uk> Subject: XTC - The Meeting Place - 2005 Message-ID: <000e01c50fe3$d4543b50$c6220d18@10dbPad> Hello fellow Chalkers, I bring good tidings and exciting news for the (semi) new year. As was alluded to a few digests ago, another XTC fan gathering is in the works for this coming September 2005. This one entitled: ** XTC - The Meeting Place - 2005 ** The gathering will take place over 3 days, Sept 30 through Oct 2, 2005, in none other than Swindon, England. Many XTC related activities, musical performances and other special features will take place to make this a weekend to remember for years to come. This will truly be a melding of peoples from all around the globe joining to celebrate the band we all know and love. As more details emerge, we will keep you posted here and also on the current gathering url page: http://www.mourra.com/XTC/2005/themeetingplace.html Soon, an expanded website will be available with even more information regarding tickets, transporation, housing recommendations, news, etc. We hope that you can join us for this weekend. As part of the organization committee, please feel free to email back to me with any questions or contact us through the above url. Stay tuned... David Lake
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:09:43 -0500 From: Duncan Watt <dwatt@fastestmanintheworld.com> Subject: Really, can't somebody else handle this one? Okay, okay, I'll be Message-ID: <23D0FD2C-7BEB-11D9-8233-000A957DB5CA@fastestmanintheworld.com> right there... >> From: Jim Smart >> >> Since MP3.com went down in a hail of lawsuits >> and Napster dust, where have all the independent >> artists gone? oh... this is just too easy... plus, it's been a few months, it's kind of like my responsibility... no, I'm really not bitter... THEY STARVED AND DIED BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T PAY FOR MUSIC ANYMORE. "Independent"! I needed a good laugh... thanks! Did you say 'promote'? Yesss! That's a *two-fer*! Triple word score! Good luck stormin' the castle! Love, Duncan "you could find my stuff on iTunes, but why pay for it when you can steal it for free?" Watt ps for a real answer, try Music V2 (http://www.musicV2.com) . Chris is a really good guy, and they've got a good deal going right now. Added bonus: they'll let you deeplink, which is very, very cool. You can get into iTunes, Napster, etc. if you can get The Orchard (http://www.theorchard.com) to pick you up for distribution, but keep in mind that those services are paying indies less than 2 cents/download. If you're a BMI artist, they'll track your downloads and you can pick up an extra 1 to 1.5 cents/download that way. No, I'm not joking - that's it - about 2-3 cents per download. Welcome to the Electronic Fucking Frontier Foundation's New World Order. EFF them, fucking bitches. If you want to try and sell CDs off of your site, you can get CCNOW(http://www.ccnow.com) to handle the online credit-card sales for 9%, and they'll do tech-support, too. This can get you off of the ground, but remember - this little movie has a very harsh ending: as soon as you get any sort of notoriety or recognition going, you'll show up on Gnutella or Kazaa or whomever's the flavor of the month, and you will NEVER SELL ANOTHER CD OFF OF YOUR SITE. Not actually true, there are actually still some wonderful people out there who will support you by buying your CD because they're trying to do the right thing, and this love will feed your art and make you continue to try and get the stuff recorded and out and renew your faith in the world and people and art and love and that's truly worth everything. But you can't make a living doing it unless you gig out constantly, year-round, and you won't get out of the local clubs (or get on the radio, don't get me started) unless you sign on with the Evil ClearChannel, who WILL come and find you if you're good, and kill you and your family if you don't sign with them. Sweet! -- "A songwriter's songwriter." - Northeast Performer "...an absolutely brilliant CD." - Boston Soundcheck Duncan Watt/Fastestmanintheworld Music acoustic / electric / orchestral / experimental email: dwatt@fastestmanintheworld.com web: http://www.fastestmanintheworld.com
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 08:26:49 -0800 (PST) From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com> Subject: On Preferences Message-ID: <20050211162649.35889.qmail@web41107.mail.yahoo.com> Hi: Larry Brown recommended the Futureheads, saying: > Has anyone heard The Futureheads? If your favorite XTC period is Drums > and Wires, run right now to the closest record store and pick this one up. > The guitar chords and tone, the punctuated beats, the background vocals > and melodies are classic XTC, only not just a pale imitation, this is done > RIGHT. They also do a cover of Kate Bush's Hounds Of Love. Energy, > passion, melody...all that good stuff! I recently checked out their stuff, and I was left with a distinct what's-the-point reaction. I mean, IMO it's okay to show your influences as long as you build on them and add something new, but if I want to listen to D&W, I'll listen to the original (in both senses of the word). Didn't hear much "added value" in the Futureheads. David Henwood, answering Riley's question of > Who are XTC's favorite new (1997+) artist/bands? said that > I know that Partridge really likes the power pop band the Nines and has > been writing with the lead singer. His APE label also signed the Milk and > Honey band so I suppose he likes them too. Right you are, plus he's also a fan of Jason Falkner -- very impressed by his songwriting, as well as by his ability to play all of the instruments on his records as well as he does. Andy's also a HUGE fan of South Yorkshire's most versatile singer/songwriter, John Shuttleworth. I think he's a bit jealous of JS, really... Here's an interesting Partridge tidbit that shows some musical preferences, but strays from the topic a bit: When checking out the listening/monitoring situation in a mastering studio, there are three songs/albums that he uses as a reference, because he thinks they are most excellent-sounding: 1) Slave to the Rhythm, by Grace Jones 2) Love in an Elevator, by Aerosmith 3) Ingenue, by kd lang And Danny Phipps, surely you mean Close to the Edge and Foxtrot, rather than Tales from Topographic Oceans and Trick of the Tail? :^) Going Down, Todd Let my words, like vegetables, be tender and sweet, for tomorrow I may have to eat them. Anonymous
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 10:32:37 EST From: Hbsherwood@aol.com Subject: Groundhog Day Message-ID: <cd.21c0a572.2f3e2a15@aol.com> The next time Independent Internet Content Provider Ryan Anthony offers to snail you a Christmas/Hanuramakwanstice/Groundhog Day essay on the 50th Birthday of Rock and Roll, I suggest you bloody well take him up on the offer. If you didn't this year, YOUR LOSS, TOOTS. That was obviously a labor of love, Ryan, beautifully written and stunningly packaged and presented. I expect one of those every year, preferably closer to the actual end of the year. As I mentioned to Ryan offline, in this day of the AllMusicGuide and instantaneous digital transmission of music in a bewildering multitude of forms, anyone who claims to be an Everything should be regarded with skepticism with Alice Aforethought by the Somethings and the Nothings. Nuff Sed. Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.: As an exercise to keep the cobwebs from snuffing out the synaptic sparks, I've been keeping a blog at http://byneddiejingo.blogspot.com. I hope you find it amusing. Harrison "I know my mom does" Sherwood
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 11:48:57 -0800 From: Vocalize@earthlink.net Subject: Desert Island Top Ten Message-ID: <F7AED343-7C65-11D9-A9A9-000A959BB54C@earthlink.net> Never tried this before, although I've always enjoyed reading the list of others. It's not only more difficult than I imagined, but also subject to change at any given moment. Here goes for the present, in no particular order... Tales From Topographic Oceans - Yes Selling England By The Pound - Genesis Ommadawn - Mike Oldfield Security - Peter Gabriel Apollo 18 - They Might Be Giants Big Express - XTC Whatever And Ever, Amen - Ben Folds Five Revolver - Beatles In The Land of Gray and Pink - Caravan Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 17:22:01 -0500
From: "Tim Kendrick" <tim63@earthlink.net>
Subject: Two Things
Message-ID: <005101c51088$1c801580$2aadf504@Kendrick>
Two things:
I.
A big "Thanks You!" to Patrick (The Colonel) for his
best of 2004 list. He recommended the album "Satanic Panic In The Attic" by
OF MONTREAL.
I decided to give it a try, bought it and began listening. And I thought
"This is pretty bad!".
(The first song is called " Disconnect The Dots".) I almost gave up on it
right there, but
luckily I went on to the second song. And listening to the second song I
thought
"Wow! This is great!". As I continued through the CD I really feel for
this wonderful band.
Very Kinks-ish, but yet much more than just a 60s pastiche.
So I join Patrick in highly recommending this album. (Just skip the first
song!)
II.
Here's my Desert Island Selection:
1. XTC - Nonsuch
2. The Kinks - Something Else
3. Elvis Costello - Blood And Chocolate
4. Throwing Muses - Limbo
5. Bob Dylan - Blonde On Blonde
6. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
7. Stump - A Fierce Pancake
8. Richard Thompson - Rumor And Sigh
9. The Loud Family - Interbabe Concern
10. Pixies - Doolittle
Tim
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:44:55 +0000 From: "Ian Sutton" <sutty31@hotmail.co.uk> Subject: XTC invited on to BBC Radio 2 Message-ID: <BAY21-F2022A36180D0D7C53D0646EF680@phx.gbl> I was listening to Jonathon Ross on Radio 2 and he played I'm the Man who Murdered Love after the midday news. Then there followed a brief conversation where JR said that XTC were a fantastic band and when informed that they were still around he said "Get them on the show. We must be the only show who are regularly playing their music and we must be like their pension fund. It's about time they came in to make another deposit" Might be worthwhile passing this information on as the Jonathon Ross show is one of the most popular on British radio. Ian
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 10:59:23 -0400 From: "Kevin Brunkhorst" <brunkhorstk@hotmail.com> Subject: List #32 Message-ID: <BAY24-DAV13E73D5E4ED69AD39596B2B6680@phx.gbl> The 'desert island' concept became meaningful to me this year. In August I moved to Nova Scotia for a ten-month teaching job, and I couldn't take The Collection or The Stereo. Instead I bought a 120GB hard drive for my PC and loaded it up with .wav files of the things I didn't want to be without. It's hard to go through 2000 CDs and pick out the important ones. Ten desert island discs: John Abercrombie and Ralph Towner: Sargasso Sea Cocteau Twins: Four-Calendar Cafe Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Imperial Bedroom Miles Davis: Bitches Brew Grant Lee Buffalo: Copperopolis Pat Metheny Group: Letter From Home Todd Rundgren: Nearly Human Weather Report: Heavy Weather Wayne Shorter feat. Milton Nascimento: Native Dancer XTC: Skylarking Nine discs that made 2004 better: Elvis Costello: The Delivery Man Miles Davis: Seven Steps box set Dogs Die In Hot Cars: Please Introduce Yourself Brian Eno/Robert Fripp: The Equatorial Stars Finn Brothers: Everyone Is Here Allan Holdsworth Group: Then! Keith Jarrett Trio: The Out-Of-Towners Todd Rundgren: Liars Ron Sexsmith: Retriever And one I'd like a refund for: REM: Around the Sun Kevin Brunkhorst Music Department St Francis Xavier University Antigonish NS Canada B2G 2W5 www.kevinbrunkhorst.com
------------------------------ Date: Sat, 12 Feb 2005 12:01:58 -0500 From: "Ben Woll" <benwoll@hotmail.com> Subject: Lurker DIDs Message-ID: <BAY102-F2752FEE6916B78F247782ABE680@phx.gbl> Ahhh...I confess I have a weakness for these things as well. And I know many people turn up their noses at best ofs, but I don't, so there. In no particular order: (1) XTC - Fossil Fuel (2) Trash Can Sinatras - I've Seen Everything (3) Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic (4) The Beatles - Revolver (5) Faith No More - Angel Dust (6) Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair (7) Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk (8) The Jayhawks - Hollywood Town Hall (9) The Best of Leo Kottke (10) The Best of Crowded House Again, going with the music for every mood idea here. And, damnit I'm not ashamed of the 80s. Would miss The Smiths a bit here, and my favorite XTC song "The World is Full of Angry Young Men," but I guess you can't have everything, it is a desert island after all. Suggestion for the esteemed Mr. Relph - maybe create a quick section of Chalkhills where people could list what they are listening to on their MP3s and iPods, turn us onto what everyone on list is listening too so we know where to find the good stuff. I think if I hear A Perfect Circle or Nickelback or Bush again when listening to the freakin radio, I'll scream...
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 09:57:08 -0500
From: John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>
Subject: 2004 Best Of
Message-ID: <16912.48196.824396.806701@f5.idiot-dog.com>
Late as usual. But here they are, my favourites of 2004.
As usual, these are not necessarily albums that were released in 2004,
but rather those that I listened to the most. Well, actually, those I
listened to the most that were also recent acquisitions. As a counter
example, may I present the following evidence to the court:
Yann Tiersen, Le Phare
I listen to this quite a bit, because it's just a great record. But
I've been listening to it quite a bit since I got it.
Portishead, Dummy
A classic, never really gets old.
So, on to this year's picks...
Stereolab, Margarine Eclipse
A friend pointed out that this album was mixed so that it was almost
like having a complete band in each ear. Definite earphone fodder, and I
listened to it on the bus many days this year. The sound, combined with
the fact that the entire album is an ode to their dear departed
bandmember (hence the title), makes for a real listening experience.
Nasa, Remembering the Future
I always loved New Musik, especially their album Warp. This album sounds
almost as if Tony Mansfield &co were reincarnated as Swede
synthpoppers. And that's a good thing.
Interpol, Turn On the Bright Lights
Yeah, so they sound like Joy Division (Unknown Pleasures) and The Jam
("Eton Rifles") among others. Echo and the Bunnymen perhaps? But still,
they rock. Good and dark. Weird videos, too.
Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Please Describe Yourself
I was told that they sound just like XTC (especially Drums and
Wires). Perhaps. But the first thing I thought of was early Poi Dog
Pondering. I was listening to The Futureheads as well, but I decided I
like Dogs Die In Hot Cars more because they really write lyrics. And
they're upbeat. Sometimes happy music is good. (I was told by my wife to
put on some "happy music" and I had the hardest time finding any in my
collection. It's all dark, disturbed and intense.)
Louis Philippe, My Favourite Part of You
There's something about Louis Philippe's songs that really get
me. They're lushly arranged, they're beautifully sung. They're
"adult". He's often singing about relationships, and often they're
failed. Yet he often as not sounds happy about it. I can't get
enough. We're all doomed.
The Bad Plus, These Are The Vistas
Is it real jazz? I don't know. Does it matter? No. Do I like it? Yes.
They Might Be Giants, The Spine
One of their best albums in a long time. So good, I actually want to
listen to it! Played it tonight, in fact.
The Futureheads, The Futureheads
Impressive musicality, lots of energy. But what does it all mean,
Mr. Natural? The lyrical content value is low, or perhaps I just don't
grok it. But I'd rather listen to Dogs Die In Hot Cars.
Fountains of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Managers
Okay, so I finally got this record. It's good, but it's not as good as
everybody seems to believe. It's sprawling, incoherent, and
inconsistent. That said, it's also got some brilliant moments,
especially the classic "All Kinds of Time".
Peter Blegvad & Andy Partridge, Orpheus - The Lowdown
I just love to listen to Peter Blegvad speak. And his use of language
is awe inspiring. That said, this album is often overmuch for casual
listening. It requires a certain mood, a certain concentration.
Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
There are a couple of great songs on here: "Darts of Pleasure", "Tell
Her Tonight" and especially the album closer "40 ft". But overall I find
the album a bit flat. It's good, but it doesn't grab me for repeated
listens. I can't say what it is. Perhaps it's the production, as I
really enjoy the demo version of "Darts of Pleasure". It's more angular,
more angry. It really moves. The album version, as it all too often
happens, is smoother, the rough edges sanded off, the energy sapped. As
Robert Green Ingersoll might have said, "pebbles are polished and
diamonds are dimmed"
William Shatner, Has Been
"You're gonna die" 'Nuff said.
Luke Haines & The Auteurs, Das Capital: The Songwriting Genius of Luke
Haines and The Auteurs
I really would have liked to have been able to see these concerts. But I
didn't. And this recording, while interesting, doesn't quite match the
raw energy of the originals. Oh, Luke Haines sneers grandly, the strings
scratch, the guitars grind. But it's more like a revue, and it leaves
you wanting the original show again.
Daryll-Ann, Trailer Tales
I'm always afraid to play this one when my wife is home, as the lyrics
are a bit on the bitter end. Broken relationships and ambiguous morality
seem to be the themes here.
Chester Stacey, Westminster Life
Westminster is the town in Maryland where these guys live. I saw Chester
Stacy in between The Jennifers and Thee Bowlermen, and they blew me
away. It was the coldest gig I've ever been to, probably below 30oF in
the club (the heat was out for the first half). But they rocked, perhaps
to fight off the cold. Somewhere in between Minutemen, Meat Puppets,
and Baltimore, the lead singer wrung power, noise and grace from his
Telecaster. I had to pogo.
Catorce, The World Before Your Eyes
Intimate, oddly psychedelic little brother of The Sugarplastic, filtered
through Syd Barrett and lo-fi production (the good kind of lo-fi). Why
did I listen to this so much? I still don't know.
Honorable mentions:
Christmas Remixed - Holiday Classics Re-Grooved (various artists)
Absolutely essential Christmas music.
Mike Watt, The Secondman's Middle Stand
Harsh but true.
Rusty Anderson, Undressing Underwater
A bit overproduced, but high quality power pop.
John Francis, Fiddling - Seventeen Tunes
National Champion performs some of his favorites (including one he
learned from me).
Matthew Sweet, Kimi Ga Suki - Raifu
Some good tunes on here, but it seems to lack something. More
interesting than his recent Living Things, however.
Andy Partridge, Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 5 and Fuzzy Warbles Vol. 6
As usual, a mixed bag. Some gems. Some dross.
Chomsky, Let's Get to Second
Very disappointing. Rehashing some songs from their previous (Onward
Quirky Soldiers) with some new songs, this album is another that loses
the energy of the originals. I'm not trying to "second" guess the band,
but why they decided to go back in time (in an effort to improve upon
it?) is beyond me. Still, it's good overall, and I continue to listen to
it. (Damning with faint praise.)
The 88, Kind of Light
Solid power pop.
Owsley, The Hard Way
More solid power pop, but the best song on here is the bonus track from
"Listen to What the Man Said" - Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music
of Paul McCartney, Owsley's cover of "Band on the Run".
The Tubes, Now
I've been waiting for this on CD since before CDs were invented. Oddly
enough, this seems to be the least favourite Tubes album for most
people. Don't know why. I like it.
Art Bears, The Art Box
Along with most Frank Zappa, Big Black, L.A. punk-pop, and Conlon
Nancarrow, this is music my wife would rather I didn't listen
to. Especially if she is within earshot. But The World as it is Today is
so amazingly powerful and seriously scary, how could I live without
it. This mastering in this reissue is audibly improved over the original
CD releases, plus you get all sorts of bonus stuff (which I will
probably listen to once).
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #11-8 ******************************
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