Chalkhills Digest Volume 12, Issue 50
Date: Sunday, 15 October 2006
Chalkhills Digest, Volume 12, Number 50
Sunday, 15 October 2006
Topics:
Confirm breakup please, or stop stop! STOP
Brand XTC
What does Colin do? No, really.
New One
Entire Fuzzy Warbles box from Amazon for $72?
covering songs
fuzzy warbles/The Nines/Andy Partridge streaming
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Babe there's something missing...
---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 08:06:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Kzincat <kzincat98@yahoo.com> Subject: Confirm breakup please, or stop stop! STOP Message-ID: <20061009150656.94000.qmail@web90512.mail.mud.yahoo.com> >Andy and Colin are XTC, and Colin's not willing to sign away his rights to the name. Given Andy and Dave's friendship and musical chemistry, though, I remain hopeful that they'll work together again someday! >-Todd <SNIP> Was there some notice, discussion, conversation or other confirmation that XTC is now just Andy, and he might just do solo work? Has Colin said something? If not, I get the impression that it is speculated that the wrapping up of all the demos in the box set is some kind of cathartic ending to XTC. Say it aint so! IF anything, the tintinitus (sp?) and bariatric (sp?) that Andy is going through, plus the "sleep" accident (wtf?) he had with his ring finger tendon all makes for excuses not to come up with new new! NEW material, XTC, solo, or group... I am looking forward to his "Monstrous" CD tho. (OK, I give up, I cant speel today). XTC- ya later, Dave in Det-riot NP: Lindsey Buckingham Under the Skin acoustic shimmery goodness
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Oct 2006 08:50:04 -0700 From: "Wayne Klein" <wtdk123@msn.com> Subject: Brand XTC Message-ID: <BAY108-F21187FB44E6B780477E91BF9160@phx.gbl> >Well, suppose Colin either has severe writer's block (I've >talked about this as well) or just isn't interested anymore... >[Andy] can either go solo or release something under the name >XTC. > >So, what do you think? >As long as Colin is fine with it, I don't see a problem with Andy continuing the XTC brand solo. It's already happened with the band, with Andy's dub albums being rebranded XTC as well as some Colin solo tracks being included in the XTC Rag and Bone Buffet comp. I think some of the recent download-only tracks have been speculated to be really solo tracks.< Interesting speculation all around. I would agree that just as a Beatles album wasn't a Beatles album without George and Ringo doing something (no matter the quality) the same would be true of XTC without Colin. While I love both Apple Venus and Wasp Star without Dave's contributions they lacked something. Unlike when Barry left the band and was replaced by Dave where the sound changed signficantly but still had something new brought to the table. That said if Andy does continue on with the XTC brand without Colin that doesn't mean I won't buy the albums I'll just be disappointed. Colin always (even if the material wasn't up to his top notch standards) brought something that contrasted nicely with Andy's material. One of the great things about having "Fuzzy" 7 and 8 for me was having a couple of tracks with Dave on it as well reminding me of how things were before the split. On the other hand if Colin did decide not to continue if Dave was brought back in the fold even if it wasn't in a songwriting capacity again it would provide a nice contrast to the "brand" sound (I actually abhor referring to band's as a "brand" but I suppose it is true). The other option that has been discussed would be bringing in a rotating list of musicians to provide interesting musical and vocal counterpoint (not literally I might add) to Andy's songs. >Mike Myers asked about XTC the brand. I was discussing this self same >topic last night at a Babybird gig, with my mate who is 25 (I think) >and got into XTC after I suggested he try or played them in my car on >the way to gigs, but hey ho... > >We both are of the opinion that as well as the songwriting aspect, >that Colin's bass and vocal harmonies would be seriously lacking. Put >simply, a Warble is a Warble becuase it is 99% of the time Andy and a >drum machine. He's good, very good, but he ain't Colin. > >All of the songs they recorded by other artists were licensed, properly >credited and royalties paid. As far as licks and riffs, other musicians >are able to throw in a Beatles lick here and there just fine without >getting sued. Witness Cheap Trick's use of the "Please Please Me" melody >in the guitar solo for "Ain't That A Shame." As for styles and mannerisms, >they aren't really protected and lots of bands have made money aping The >Beatles' style (such as ELO). None of the above are not issues. Actually if anything ELO aped a brief period of time in the Beatles career (1967) for the most part although chord changes and the melodic approach by Jeff Lynne were certainly inspired by his favorite band. The one thing I found interesting about Lynne's collaboration wtih Harrison was the merging of ELO/Harrison sound...interestingly it sounded more like ELO to me than much of Harrison's earlier solo work which would suggest that there is now an "ELO" sound that others could be aping...(that's all I have to say in defense of Lynne's work although I thought Harrison's pot shot at "Looking On" was a bit unfair as most of the album was written by Roy Wood NOT Lynne--he contributed two songs--and I still like "Looking On" although it isn't my favorite prime Wood/Move album. "Shazam" would fall into that niche). Harrison may not care for Lynne or ELO for that matter (much as Andy doesn't care for later Fleetwood Mac although interestingly they have the same influence in the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson as late period Dave XTC does) and that's fair but it all comes down to a matter of taste. It sounds as if much of ELO's catalog may not be among Harrison's favorite material. Then again, I love Television but I can think of many people who don't care for the band but still note the influence they've had on other bands. Then again I could have completely misread the tone of his email and would always give him the benefit of the doubt for his contributions here and elsewhere (and his intelligent perceptive posts). >The new Robyn Hitchcock album is amazing. Andy's co-write is >wonderful, but the whole thing (especially "N.Y. Doll") reminds me of >Robyn's best work from the 1980s. Pick it up, now! > >The new Pernice Bros. is also excellent. Some good ways to bide our >time until new XTC! > >Ben Thanks Ben. Good to hear that Robyn is back in fine form. I did enjoy The Soft Boys reunion album as well although I do wish that Robyn and Kimberly would collaborate on something as well. >Incidentally, The Beatles were sued one time for recording music without >permission. In the fade out of "All You Need Is Love," the opening riff of >"In The Mood" as recorded by The Glen Miller Orchestra can be heard a few >times. The song "In The Mood" is in the public domain, but glen Miller's >arrangement is not, hence a successful lawsuit by Glen Miller's >publisher. This incident illustrates that if anyone had a good reason to >sue The Beatles, they would have in a heartbeat. I thought they also were hit up for using the recording of "Greensleeves" for the same reason. I like George Harrison's take on law suits over music (and Tom Petty's)--unless they willfully stole the music (i.e., sampled it without permission) Harrison wouldn't sue (witness a track from McCartney's "Driving Rain" which had a similar chord progression to a song by Harrison from "All Things Must Pass" if I'm not mistaken. George's distaste for lawsuits regarding music was understandable after "My Sweet Lord" and I wish other "corporations" had the same distaste but as someone else pointed out corporations do have the worst qualities of people without the benefits. Actually the behavior of some corporations reminds me of the behavior of many people with drinking problems... Anyway my two cents (which isn't worth much after inflation) for the week Wayne.
------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 14:15:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Ryan Anthony <hamsterranch@yahoo.com> Subject: What does Colin do? No, really. Message-ID: <20061009211533.82942.qmail@web51102.mail.yahoo.com> I hope Paul "Pledge" Rodgers puts his lurking days behind him and continues to contribute posts as enjoyable as his rumination on the importance of Colin to XTC the sound, XTC the band, and XTC the brand. Loved you in Bad Co., by the way, Paul. Paul makes a great point when he observes that Andy could have turned the best of the Warbles into "new XTC albums" that we Fools on the 'Hill -- Paul includes himself in that number of less-sophisticated fans, and so do I -- would have snapped up and enjoyed thoroughly if we didn't have access to sources of information such as Chalkhills. Praiseworthily, Andy has done no such thing. Let me ask the Chalkhills experts: What does Colin do? We know that Andy keeps busy, playing with Dave Gregory, playing with Martin Newell, playing with Harold Budd, playing with himself -- but what does Colin do? Earlier I joked about him spending his declining years mixing garden poisons and perfecting the Hairy-Backed Husband's Shave-All Deluxe, but really, now, what does he do? Does he work? Does he have to work? Does he write? Does he play? Does he dick around with GarageBand? Is he mastering the bass line to *The Wall* in case he gets another call from the Messrs. Gilmour, Wright, and Mason? What does he do? More trivial even than the above, but it's XTC-related ... The last song in my iTunes library, in the alphabetical sense, is no longer Tom Petty's "Zombie Zoo." Andy reclaims that dubious prize with "Zonked Right Out On Life" from F.W. 4. Did I say "reclaimed"? Yes, before I added "Yule Dance" by Dan Fogelberg, a misspelled cover of "You're The Wish You Are I Had" (beginning with "Your") from the *King For A Day* compilation stood at the end of the line. Which song is alphabetically first? That does not have a straightforward answer, since iTunes chooses to alphabetize punctuation marks and numerals before letters. Two songs whose titles begin with ellipses, "... And Justice For All" by Metallica and "... Maybe I'll Lend You Mine After All" by Brand X, top the list. Next come the apostrophe and the single quotation mark, which to iTunes are one and the same, so "'39" by Queen is next. Then come orchestral selections whose names begin with double quotation marks. Then come 15 songs whose titles begin with quotation marks, such as "(Down To) Seeds & Stems (Again)" by Commander Cody and His L.P.A., which may be the single most overly-punctuated song title of all time, and "(Sonajas) Mananitas Michoacanas" by Los Lobos. Then comes the pound sign: "#9 Dream" by John Lennon. Then comes the dollar sign: "$1000 Wedding" by Gram Parsons. Then come 33 songs whose titles begin with numerals, including "25 O'Clock" and "1000 Umbrellas." There! XTC content just in time -- everyone was reaching for the scroll-down button. Which all-letter song title is alphabetically first? "A Boy Like That" (He keel yo brudda/You forget dat boy/And find anudda) and 84 other songs whose names begin with *A* as a stand-alone word beat out four selections from the *Monsoon Wedding* soundtrack that start with *Aaj* or *Aaja*. What are the chances there will be, on *Fuzzy Warbles Volume 9*, songs titled "... All I Want" and "Zymurgist's Blues"? Ryan Anthony An independent Internet content provider and fervid abecedarian
------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 13:11:46 -0400 From: KEVIN.WOLLENWEBER@jpmorgan.com Subject: New One Message-ID: <OF994BC345.855050FF-ON85257203.005E5061-85257203.005E7519@jpmchase.com> Folks: I noted a new title out within the last week or so, but I've not seen any talk about it in the CHALKHILLS list. I'm talking about a Robin Hitchcock titled OLE TARANTULA. Is this the album with Andy Partridge guesting? Kevin
------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 11:20:00 -0400 From: Steve Maser <maser@umich.edu> Subject: Entire Fuzzy Warbles box from Amazon for $72? Message-ID: <p0624080cc152bc088843@[141.212.136.123]> http://www.amazon.com/Fuzzy-Warbles-Collectors-Box-Set/dp/B000ICLTT6 And it's only $72 US? and it has all *9* discs? Product Details * Audio CD (October 24, 2006) * Original Release Date: October 10, 2006 * Number of Discs: 9 * Format: Box set * Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase. * Label: Ape * ASIN: B000ICLTT6 * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13,217 in Music (See Top Sellers in Music) This can't be right, can it? - Steve
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 06:09:56 -1000
From: Jim Smart <jimsmart1@mac.com>
Subject: covering songs
Message-ID: <0C8BB664-318E-4E05-8498-C4BB70BA8217@mac.com>
J.D. wrote:
> If you "sample" an actual Beatles recording, that is a different
> thing from re-recording something yourself. It requires permission
> and payment. It doesn't matter if you sell your work or not. You
> can't give away what doesn't belong to you.
All true, all true! However, one CAN record a cover of a song without
permission, as long as one files the forms and pays the fees, which
leads me to a thinly veiled (OK, not veiled at all) chance to squeeze
news of my toothpaste tube.
My new album has a cover of Wonderboy, by the Kinks. It's an acoustic
punk potboiler with a side of waltz, legally covered with all the
forms filled and fees paid. There's also a 3 minute song called
"Norman's Revenge" which is an alternate view of the Kinks' Soap
Opera album, where the suburban dad has a day as a rock star. As you
can see, the Kinks are a strong influence, along with XTC, Wilco, and
the Decemberists.
Here are a couple of links where you can check out the new "Seven
Fathoms" album:
iTunes:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=189513306
MySpace: http://myspace.com/jimsmartsongs
(a good place to see the album's first video)
CD Baby: http://cdbaby.com/cd/smart2
Feel free to sample songs, download them, make them into a sound
collage with your son, etc.
Obligatory XTC content: nothing upbeat, I'm afraid. I feel a sense of
sadness settling in. All that work to negotiate new deals and build a
new studio, all those bright open chalked paths spreading out in all
directions, and the band may be grinding to a halt. No! It can't be!
Buck up! Cheer up! XTC loves to make music and has lots of ideas. Right?
Thanks and aloha,
Jim
http://familysmart.blogspot.com/
------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 20:00:46 -0400 From: "david henwood" <henwooddavid@hotmail.com> Subject: fuzzy warbles/The Nines/Andy Partridge streaming Message-ID: <BAY119-F30417B80E7724AC9AB3337C10B0@phx.gbl> Delurk to say that I am very interested in getting my hands on the new stamp collection fuzzy warbles after seeing the complete package at a good friend's home the other day..very impressive in packaging and very high quality. Also, I was alerted that the Andy Partridge/Steve Eggers (the nines) co-write is now streaming on the Nines' myspace page...the tune is called Receiving Me, and it has quite a Brian Wilson vibe to it. www.myspace.com/ninespop David
------------------------------ End of Chalkhills Digest #12-50 *******************************
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