Chalkhills Digest, Volume 12, Number 32

                  Thursday, 20 July 2006

Topics:

         Shine On Brightly--Diamonds Are Forever
              Syd, and "One of the Millions"
   XTC dreams with a bear (or: in my ladies' Chambers)
                       Nuggets, Jr.
       XTC in WBOS Top 929 songs plus XTC for kids
                      This is POPera
                        Layer Cake

Administrivia:

    To UNSUBSCRIBE from the Chalkhills mailing list, send a message to
    <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org> with the following command:

        unsubscribe

    For all other administrative issues, send a message to:

        <chalkhills-request@chalkhills.org>

    Please remember to send your Chalkhills postings to:

        <chalkhills@chalkhills.org>

    World Wide Web: <http://chalkhills.org/>

    The views expressed herein are those of the individual authors.

    Chalkhills is compiled with Digest 3.8c (John Relph <relph@tmbg.org>).

Have you seen Jackie? / He's a strange strange strange little girl.

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

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 11:03:20 -0400
From: KEVIN.WOLLENWEBER@jpmorgan.com
Subject: Shine On Brightly--Diamonds Are Forever
Message-ID: <OF47C0E65C.D9E94085-ON852571AB.00521E9B@jpmchase.com>

Chalkers:

Ah yes, I heard the news today, oh boy!  That along with an airing, on
WFUV, of the fantastic "See Emily Play".  I've really nothing to add
to this save to say that I sure hope that the spirit of the crazy
Diamond remains inside another vessel real soon.  Something tells me
that Syd Barret won't be forgotten somewhere in the mix of that album
that is rumored in the works by Andy Partridge and Robert
Hitchcock...and, no, I'm not looking for a note-for-note cover of one
of Barret's compositions!  I want to know that his creative spirit and
spark is still out there!  Let the wind carry it (and me).

Kevin

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

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:24:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jemiah Jefferson <jemiah@q7.com>
Subject: Syd, and "One of the Millions"
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0607140916040.5488@q7.q7.com>

I got a lot of "Syd who?", "I thought he was already dead", and "who gives
a flying intercourse?" I think all my Syd-loving buddies wept in private,
but the new sure did ruin my whole day. I am happy to report, however,
that I got to Syd through the Dukes of Stratosfear, as a dear pen-pal from
the olden days (Remember the "Little Express" and the "seeking pen pals"
section in the back? I still have all my old issues!) decided to
edumacate me. In one glorious day I got "Piper" and most of the first two
Small Faces albums, and I ain't been the same since. I wish I could find a
young person to shape wih mix tapes, but there's no way in hell I could
ever find anyone as open-minded and thirsty for pure musical experience as
I was (not to brag; it has made me into a bitter, sharp-tongued, lonesome
mystic who literally breaks down in tears when she finds someone else who
gets as stupid about, say, the Beatles as I do).

On that note , I have been listening to scattered Colin tracks on my iPod,
taken out of their album contexts, and I was completely startled by "One
of the Millions", which has been one of my favorite XTC tracks since I
heard it lo these many summers ago. It's a beautiful origami structure of
piano, electric and acoustic guitars, and Colin's voice... but really what
got me was listening closely to the drum pattern, and how it actually
interprets and expands on the lyric. It's a musical portrait of chronic
indecision - first the single decisive snap of the snare says "yes", then
immediately two snares shake the head "no". It's utter genius. And it
makes me sad that even most XTC fans don't really like the song...

Ah well, what do I know. Most of my favorite songwriters are
schizophrenics or suicides...
-Jemiah

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 04:46:23 +0100 (BST)
From: Paul Culnane <paulculnane@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: XTC dreams with a bear (or: in my ladies' Chambers)
Message-ID: <20060715034623.78131.qmail@web86904.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Firstly, XTC content (of sorts):

Terry Chambers turns 51 this coming Tuesday, 18th June.  Just got off
the phone from him.  He's happy as a pig in shit.  He said it was
miserable weather in Newcastle (Oz) where he lives, so today (Sat)
he's gonna just veg out with the footy on TV.  Said: "I've got half a
slab in me fridge, gonna peel the top off one as soon as I finish
talking to you Paul.  Who knows, might have to send out for
reinforcements".  And, to my accusation that he's an old man now (?),
he said: "Well yeah, there's no turning the clock back".  He kills me
every time!

While he sends his fond regards to all you Chalkers, I told him that
quite a few of us will raise a glass to him, his music, and to his
continued good health and happiness.  He said: "I know that Paul,
thanks to you and all your crazy XTC friends" (imagine intact hayseed
Wiltshire accent).

As a b'day present, I made him a CDR of Adrian Belew, taken from two
specials recently aired on Triple-J radio here, and on ABC-2 digital
TV.  But by quirky coincidence, a friend sent me a fantastic CD of
Adrian live in USA .  He got it from www.upthedownstair.net .  Knowing
some Chalkers' enthusiasm for Belew, Crimson, The Bears and his other
antecedents, I recommend you check it out.  You can download mp3s from
there, and the guy running it will willingly make CDs for you.

Secondly, and here's where it becomes slightly unhinged, I had the
strangest of dreams t'other night.  I awoke from it and jotted down
the details on my bedside notepad.  It concerned some unearthed
eks-tee-see rarities, one distinctly called "The Upward Spiral" (okay,
I had been listening to Nine Inch Nails) and another thing which
seemed to involve Colin and a flexi-disc.  Then the dream fizzled, the
garbage truck rumbled by my window, and I just thought "maybe I should
just climb into the hopper".

Too much XTC in my brain?  Never too much, that's for sure.

Best to all
PORL

"Tact is the ability to handle porcupines without disturbing the quills"
- anon

Paul Culnane
ICE Productions Australia

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:01:47 +1000
From: "Simon Knight" <homefrontradio@hotmail.com>
Subject: Nuggets, Jr.
Message-ID: <BAY109-F56920BEA2304DEFF486A1D06C0@phx.gbl>

I just want to second the recommendation for the Rhino 'Children of Nuggets'
set that features the Dukes.  I've been playing it far too often in the last
fortnight - so i'm constantly distracted from my everyday thoughts by the
sound of cheaply recorded jangly guitars and cheesy farfisa organs.  If this
sort of thing is your cup of tea, (or, like me, the soundtrack to your
pre-teen years), you'll be in scratchy self-financed 7" vinyl single heaven,
and probably feel very, very old.

Just a warning - 5 hours of it is probably a little *too* much in one dose.
Treat it as a lucky dip.  Nice to see the Aussies well-represented too.

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 15:33:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: Cheryl <mcgregoc4@yahoo.com>
Subject: XTC in WBOS Top 929 songs plus XTC for kids
Message-ID: <20060715223317.8640.qmail@web34313.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hello Chalkhill people,

Perhaps this was already mentioned but over the 4th of July weekend
WBOS here in Boston had a count down of the top 929 songs.  XTC had
two songs that numbered. At 839 "Senses Working Over Time" was heard
and at 259 "Dear God" shined with all it's glory.

I feel so out of practice in posting! It's been an awfully long
time.  Hope all is well with everyone here.

I've decided it's time to bring XTC into my classroom.  I'm a
preschool teacher and am trying to figure out some good songs to put
together on a CD for my kids. I'm almost certain this has been
discussed before but hopefully not recently.  If that's the case,
please don't feel obligated to respond.

However, if anyone has suggestions for a CD of XTC songs for kids I
would love to hear them.

Take care,
Cheryl

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

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:24:07 -0500
From: "Richard" <rjpa1@comcast.net>
Subject: This is POPera
Message-ID: <001901c6a865$c56917c0$9715bb43@hsd1.tx.comcast.net>

At one time or another, there has always been that bonehead friend who used
the remaining jukebox credits to play "Happy Birthday" four times.  Another
song that always got the gang grumbling was "La Mama Morta" from the
Philadelphia movie soundtrack.  That will kill the mood in any hopping bar
or pub.  It only works if the publican ain't paying attention but most times
they "get" said bonehead's cryptic attempt at humor and void the... JUKEBOX
SELECTION (XTC content!)  I know because I've been that bonehead friend a
few times but finding some oddball track on an otherwise popular soundtrack
or compilation has always been irresistible!  (I've never played a song
multiple times and I've always sarcastically campaigned that I am
"broadening people's horizons!")

Now, with the advent of the internet jukebox, so many more oddball tracks
can be downloaded.  ...makes me want to go out and search for "HATRED" by
Tonio K. or "Sexbomb" by Flipper!!  That'll educate a few folks!  Seriously,
the internet jukebox has made XTC available in many more places and when I'm
out playing darts, various XTC rockers like "No Thugs In Our House,"
"Respectable Street," and "Mayor of Simpleton" get their share of
smoke-filled airtime.

I am just thankful that the action has been named.  Heh, heh, heh...
Wyatting!

Cheers,
Richard

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

Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 15:17:04 +1000 (EST)
From: Seb Maury <sebasu101@yahoo.com>
Subject: Layer Cake
Message-ID: <20060719051704.19667.qmail@web33401.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

was amused recently to discern faintly in the background colin's
classic "nigel" during a typically pleasant cafe scene from the
thoughtful and complex brit ganster flic "layer cake".
  it's the simple pleasures...
  oh, that and daniel craig's torso.
  seb

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

End of Chalkhills Digest #12-32
*******************************

---

Go back to Volume 12.

20 July 2006 / Feedback