Chalkhills Digest Volume 13, Issue 3
Date: Wednesday, 17 January 2007

          Chalkhills Digest, Volume 13, Number 3

                Wednesday, 17 January 2007

Topics:

                      Re: Shameless
                    Todd's interviews
               Mini SoCal XTC Gathering II
                Are Yous Receiving These?
               Mr. B's Glorious Endeavours
                    XTC Link to Fripp
                     Andy's Playlist

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>).

My blood ran like ice right through.

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

Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 12:36:12 -0500
From: "jude hayden" <jude.hayden@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Shameless
Message-ID: <cfe8e1c00701130936u62921ef1y43446b800dc0f076@mail.gmail.com>

<<<Gary Nicholson shared the following coolness:
http://www.myspace.com/sniffingcursing>>>

Well done, man! I've been planning the same sort of thing, but I was going
to try to make a more regional (Cincinnati, OH area) collection of "lost new
wave" bands of the early 80's. I'm still in the songwriting stages, but I'd
like to get a number of the songs recorded this year (that's my resolution,
anyway). :-)

Yours sounds great so far, please post when you update more songs, etc.!

Jude

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

Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 19:02:25 +0000
From: Jefferson Ogata <ogata@antibozo.net>
Subject: Todd's interviews
Message-ID: <45A92CC1.4060909@antibozo.net>

Just want to throw out a plug for Todd's myspace interviews. He's doing
a terrific job with these. They're interesting reading and genuinely
illuminating about the songs discussed. Excellent work, Todd! (and Andy,
of course :^).

--
Jefferson Ogata : Internetworker, Antibozo
<ogata@antibozo.net>  http://www.antibozo.net/ogata/

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

Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2007 20:33:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Kathleen Davis <msdavis_svs@yahoo.com>
Subject: Mini SoCal XTC Gathering II
Message-ID: <724034.4645.qm@web60417.mail.yahoo.com>

Mini SoCal XTC Gathering II

There will be another mini SoCal gathering in Pasadena on Feb. 3.
No frills--just a few lovely fans gathering. If you are interested,
please email me: msdavis_svs@yahoo.com for information.
Or check the Forum under "The Gathering 2005."

Happy new year!

Kate (the Baltimore one--currently in LA/redbrickdream on the Forum)

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

Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2007 17:50:04 -0800 (PST)
From: Todd Bernhardt <beat_town@yahoo.com>
Subject: Are Yous Receiving These?
Message-ID: <936001.75313.qm@web32014.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi:

Over at the XTCfans MySpace site (http://www.myspace.com/xtcfans), the
song of the week is "Are You Receiving Me?"

If you want to know what Barry Andrews wanted to call the album, and
how the song stems from one of Andy's youthful indiscretions, check
out http://blog.myspace.com/xtcfans.

I put it in a note, one night I wrote....
-Todd

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

Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2007 09:59:54 +0000 (GMT)
From: Dom Lawson <britishsteel666@yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: Mr. B's Glorious Endeavours
Message-ID: <20070115095954.62915.qmail@web27110.mail.ukl.yahoo.com>

Greetings, popheads!

Just thought I'd de-lurk and infect your eyes with a brief spurt of
roping irrelevance...nothing terribly important, of course, so feel
free to scroll down if you have, like, a life or something similar.

Firstly, I wanted to say how much I'm enjoying Mr. Burnt Arse's
fantastic song-centric chats with our esteemed Mr. P. Aside from the
fact that it's very good of Todd to spend his valuable spare time
brightening up our lives with this stuff (although, if I'm honest, the
unshakable mental image of his sweaty, euphoric face and gently
hardening pelvic region during these phone conversations does make me
think that his intentions aren't entirely philanthropic), it's also
quietly thrilling to have the songs we all know and love deconstructed
in such an unpretentious and illuminating manner. Sing hosannas for
the pair of them.

It's also nice to know that MySpace can be used for something other
than bringing together the loins of ugly children. Phew.

Secondly, and lastly (because I've just run a bath and I don't want it
to go cold), I thought I'd contribute my own 2006 lists...principally
because I think my taste in music is endlessly fascinating, but also
because if I see another Chalkhillian peel off a list of anodyne indie
twaddle, mewing singer/songwriter bilge or cod-Beatles nancery, I
think I'll spew myself inside out and do serious damage to this here
carpet. So, as I was saying...

Top 5 METAL Albums Of 2006 (You know you love it!)

IRON MAIDEN - A Matter Of Life And Death
IHSAHN - The Adversary
MY DYING BRIDE - A Line Of Deathless Kings
SATYRICON - Now, Diabolical
CANNIBAL CORPSE - Kill

Once you've all rushed out and bought those...and you really should,
if only to allay the effects of all that psychologically damaging
niceness...here's the one you'll read without laughing (much):

Top 5 NON-METAL Albums Of 2006

PLAN B - Who Needs Actions When You Got Words
JOANNA NEWSOM - Ys
AMY WINEHOUSE - Back To Black
THE RAPTURE - Pieces Of The People We Love
THE FEELING - Twelve Stops And Home

Happy New Year to you all. Well, most of you.

Cheers,

Dom

www.myspace.com/bowlrider
www.myspace.com/oafuckoff
NP: Prince 'The Black Album'

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

Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 11:52:32 -0500
From: KEVIN.WOLLENWEBER@jpmorgan.com
Subject: XTC Link to Fripp
Message-ID: <OFF89E5783.58C43701-ON85257265.005C38A7-85257265.005CB366@jpmchase.com>

Folks:

First of all, happy 2007.  Musically, I have a lot to catch up on, so I
always appreciate the best of lists.  Maybe I'll just impulsively go with
some of your suggestions, especially if they link to XTC.

But, speaking of which, on the reissue front, I found news of an expanded
edition of a favorite late '70's album that features, according to this
review from amazon.com, one of XTC's ex-members.  I just hope I can still
find the limited edition three-disk version!!

Here's how it all reads:

"5 Stars

A superb sonic upgrade for an oft-overlooked gem.

The late 1970s was a period of reinvigoration and rediscovery for
Robert Fripp-- in 1974, after dissolving King Crimson, Fripp withdrew
from the music industry only to be drawn back a couple years later
working with Peter Gabriel and the David Bowie/Brian Eno
partnership. A relocation to New York and musical reawakening due to
the punk and new wave scenes burgeoning there led to the recording of
"Exposure", Fripp's first and only "proper solo album" (his words, not
mine).

Drawing on an unusual list of collaborators-- vocalists Daryl Hall (of
Hall & oates), Terre Roche (the Roches), Peter Hammill (Van der Graf
Generator) and Peter Gabriel with instrumental contributions by Tony
Levin on bass, Barry Andrews (XTC, Shriekback) on organ, session man
Sid McGinnis on guitar and drum contributions by Jerry Marrotta, Phil
Collins (back when he was a drummer) and Narada Michael Walden, Fripp
ends up with a pretty unusual stew. The music is like King crimson
dragged through a New York filter-- post-punk, new wave, progressive
rock, art rock and others all come filtering through. Commercial
considerations limited some contributions-- Daryl Hall's label forced
Fripp to remove some of his contributions for fear association with
Fripp would damage his marketability (Hall's first solo album, "Sacred
Songs", produced by Fripp, was also delayed several years by the label
for the same reason) and a cover of "I Feel Love" featuring Blondie
was stopped by their label, again for commercial concerns, but
nonetheless "Exposure" works out to be one of those startlingly
diverse and undatable albums.

>From the start, this is an odd affair-- the first song (after an odd
preface) finds Fripp, Hall (on piano), Levin and Walden sinking in to
a punky almost stride groove on "You Burn Me Up I'm a Cigarette", with
Hall's uncharacteristically aggressive vocal soaring over the fierce
backing track. But the album doesn't embrace this sound for long,
moving between Crimson-esque instrumentals ("Breathless" and "Haaden
Two", both with the sort of monsterous riffing that made Fripp's
reptuation), explosive art rock pieces (rambling "Disengage",
featuring a shouted, ranting vocal from Hammill, Roche and Hammill
duetting over Fripp's pounding riffing on "I May Not Have Had Enough
of Me But I've Had Enough of You"), an oddly venemous love ballad
(swinging "Chicago", check Hammill's bizarrely tortured vocal) to
simply lovely and beautiful balladry (the delicate clean-tone guitar
driven "Mary", ably sung by Roche and what to my mind is the
definitive version of Peter Gabriel's "Here Comes the Flood", with
Gabriel's plaintive vocal backed by his piano and Frippertronics).

The problem is with an album this startlingly diverse and quite unlike
so many other things Fripp's been involved in, it's highly likely that
people who love Fripp's music may find this unlistenable. But one of
the things I love about "Exposure" is that in its diversity, it
provides a number of opportunities for finding new things on repeated
listens, and it really is a magnificent album.

This reissue is quite a package-- it presents the album as it was
originally released (or close to at least), soemthing that hasn't been
done ever on CD, it also includes a second disc close to the CD mix,
but restoring all of the Daryl Hall vocals that were forcibly
removed. Intriguingly, one is painted a drastically different picture
of Hall than you'd get without this, and one wonders what direction
his career would have ended up in had this been issued intact-- his
vocal on "Disengage" is a piece of fierce energy that belies
description. Additionally, a handful of bonus tracks, alternates from
the sessions, etc. are included (although the Fripp/Blondie track
never surfaced).

Sonically, the upgrade is fantastic-- I always thought the '89
remasters of the Crimson catalog sounded great until I heard the 30th
anniverary editions, ditto for this release-- there's a sonic clarity
and level of detail that makes this a worthwhile upgrade, and like the
Crimson reissues, there's details here you never heard.

The album also includes extensive liner notes, both reproduction of
the originals, lyrics and excerpts from Fripp's diary during the
remastering process.  It makes for a worthwhile lead.

This is an album that has gone overlooked-- Fripp's legacy seems to be
largely restricted to King Crimson, but "Exposure" is something no fan
of his should overlook. Highly recommended.>>

Wow!  This sounds as if this is what I was looking for within the original
cheezier reissue on CD of this title that first appeared when the CD
format was taking off!!

Just thought any of you Chalkhillions would like to know in case you
weren't way ahead of me.

Kevin

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

Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:05:58 +1100 (EST)
From: Steve C <nihilon2000@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: Andy's Playlist
Message-ID: <321529.71757.qm@web62513.mail.re1.yahoo.com>

Feb 2007's Mojo has the usual playlist - with the Mojo
Top 10 and the Reader Top Ten.

The guest playlist, at the bottom, is our very own
Andy!  His selections of the "best songs on the box,
at the movies, on album and on-line right now" are

1. Faces and Places - The Ornette Coleman Trio
2. Chagall Windows - Petr Eben
3. Rommel's Treasure - The Goons
4. The Hermit - Art Bears
5. C Moon - Paul McCartney and Wings

Ok - so maybe they just asked him what he's listening
to at the moment.....

But it is always nice to see Andy in print.  The
contents page lists the Playlist as "Our house, your
house, Andy Partridge's cottage..."

Steve C
(coming out for his once-a-year de-lurk...  or so it
seems these days!)

My once a year de-lurk (or so it seems these days)

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

End of Chalkhills Digest #13-3
******************************

Go back to Volume 13.

18 January 2007 / Feedback